Alphabet of tales : an English 15th century translation of the Alphabetum narrationum of Etienne de Besançon, from Additional MS. 25,719 of the British Museum / by Etienne de Besançon

DLVI.
Negociatores sine fraude debent emere et vendere.

Tullius tellis how on̛ a tyme it was disputid̛ betwix Diogenes & Stocius [Arund. MS. inter Diogenem, Babilonum stoicum, et discipulum eius, Antipatrem. Harl. MS. inter Diogenem, Babilonium storcum, etc.] , þat was his disciple. And Diogenes sayd̛; "Aƚƚ þe vices of a thyng þat is selde aw not to be expowndid̛ to hym̛ þat byes it, bod ewhils it is constitutt be þe law; ewhils neuer-þe-les oþer

thynges er done withouten̛ gyle." And his scoler ansswerd hym̛ agayn̛ & sayd̛, þat when̛ þe byer trowes att þe thyng be gude, & puttis truste in hym̛ þat sellis it, þe sellar aw to teƚƚ þe byer & þer be any fawte þerin. Than̛ Diogenes sayd̛; "It is one to be styƚƚ & anoder to layn̛, and þe tane is not profitable to þe to here, nor it is not nedefuƚƚ to me to say." And þan̛ his scoler sayd̛; "And it be dampned̛ at Athenys at a man̛ saƚƚ not teƚƚ þe way vnto hym̛ þat travels, mekuƚƚ mor̛ dampnable it is wittandlie to suffer a man̛ faƚƚ in-to error." Than̛ Diogenes sayd̛; "He hase not garte þe bye þat stirris þe not to bye; and þou byes þat þing at plesis þe, and he praysis þat þing þat is his awn̛. And whar þe dome is in þe byer, þer is no begyle in þe seller. And þerfor [MS. repeats, and þerfor.] a [MS. &] seller aght to layn̛ nothyng vnto þe byer [MS. seller.] , neuer-þe-les hym̛ thar not teƚƚ hym̛ bod if he wyƚƚ, for what-som̛-evur langis to hym̛ þat byes it, longes to hym̛ þat sellis, to witt how þat he saƚƚ seƚƚ."

• ...Nequicia mulieris comparatur serpenti. Infra de serpente.