The gospelles of dystaues

¶ Here foloweth the contynuacyon of the gospelles ma∣de & redde by dame Transelin of the croke for the tewes¦daye in the house and at the houre accustomed.

WHan it came vpon the tewesdaye aboute fyue of the clocke at nyght there began for to come wyues as well olde as yonge from all sydes / for they had alredy publysshed y^t whiche had ben done vpon the mondaye: and that whiche sholde be done vpon tewesdaye by dame Transelyn of y^e croke a good renommed wyfe / for she was a gentylwomā of the aege of .lx. and seuen yere / she was longe and small / in her yonge dayes she had dwelled with a lady that coude somwhat of the arte of nygromancy and rendred reasons of dyuers thynges to come / with whome she lerned mada¦gury for whiche afterwarde she was moche renōmed and honoured / but bycause that she hadde eten her potage one daye with Venus made in the caudron of loue / neuer syth she cessed not to excersyse her seruyse to the subgectes of y^e same / and in her olde aege she was withdrawen and alied with the curate of the towne that nyght and day herde her confessyon / wherfore all her neyghboures aboute her had her in grete reuerence. Dame Transelyne than comen a∣mongest them salued all the companye. And after that she had demaunded me yf I were redy she sayd thus.

¶ The fyrst chapytre.

¶Now quod she my good neighboures and frendes in cō¦tynewynge our purpose of the last nyght I pray you that scylence be made / and I shall tell you for also true as the gospell that yf a woman or a mayden wyll be welbeloued of her louer / let her make hym to ete the herbe of a catte / & he shall loue her so feruently that he shall neuer haue reste but yf he be with her. Glose. This thynge is true sayd Bur¦ge fauuele / for I dyde euen so to my husbande & made hȳ a salade / but that loue endured but syxe wekes / wherfore I thynke that it must be renewed.

¶The seconde chapytre.

¶And also I tell you that who may fynde a true mandra¦ke and ly hym bytwene a payre of whyte shetes & presente hym mete and drynke twyes a daye / notwithstandynge y^t he neyther eteth nor drynketh / he that dothe it shal become ryche within shorte space and shall not knowe how. Glose. Certes sayd Ione baker it is sayd but it is in rapmage / y^t Alexus of the corner is becomen ryche with the same.

¶The thyrde chapytre.

¶I saye to you as a gospell that whan one goothe on his waye and yf he encountre a haare it is an euyll sygne. And for to eschewe all daungers he ought for to retorne thryes from whens he was departed / and after goo on his waye withouten peryll. Glose. With this worde rose vp maroye the fa••e and sayd all on hyghe that y^t chapytre was ryghte verytable / for her cosyn had broken his legge with the fall of a horse after that he had encountred a haare / but who y^t meteth a wulfe or a harte / or a beere is a ryght good sygne and token.

¶The fourth chapytre.

¶Neuer wyse man mounted vpon an axe for the loue of our lorde that rode vpon one but ryght well vpon a horse /

for who that falleth of an axe he sayth bryst / and who that falleth of a horse he sayeth ryse. Glose. Uppon this artycle may be made an argument for whan Ioseph ledde the vir¦gyn Mary in to Egypte she mounted vpon an asse / & for all that she had no greuaunce. Then answered Sebylle of the dytche that our lorde had not yet moūted vpon an asse as he dyde afterwarde. Then answered an auncyent wo∣man named Parette of the stynkynge hole that he hadde / and that our lady bare hym with her mounted vppon the asse. For this argument arose grete noyse amonge the assis¦tentes / in suche wyse y^t the one susteyned the texte of this gospell / and the other susteyned the glose / and there arose so grete a clamoure & crye amonge them that one knewe not to whiche entende. Neuerthelesse dame Isengryne as presydent for that night made scylence to the ende that she myght peasybly make an ende of her lecture / the whiche thynge she obteyned with ryght grete payne.

¶The .v. chapytre.

¶My neyghbours for to meue purpose and to abate your stryfe I saye to you for a gospell that yf a woman leue the tryuet / or the gyrdyron vpon the fyre without lyenge on a stycke or a fyre bronde that she shall waxe moche olde and wryncled in the face. Glose. Sayd one of the spynners na∣med Pyate frelysshe who that gothe to bedde without re∣meuynge of the sete that they put of theyr hose on they be in daunger that the mare ryde on them that nyght.

¶The .vi. chapytre.

¶Who that leueth by nyght a stole or a treuet the fete vp∣warde / also longe as they ben so the deuyll is on horsbacke vpon y^e house. Glose. Certes sayd Isore y^e whyte my gran¦dame sayd that there is as many deuylles syttynge vpon them as there be fete vpwarde yf they abyde so.

¶The .vii. chapytre.

¶I assure you and saye to you for a gospell y^t whan pyes chatter vpon a house it is sygne of ryghte euyll tydynges / but and swalowes chatter or make their nestes it is sygne of good ayre and good fortune. Glose. Gertrude of whete sayth that whan a storke buyldeth his neste vpon a chym∣ney / it is sygne that the lorde of the house shall be ryche and lyue longe.

¶The .viii. chapytre.

¶Whan the eres of one dothe brenne or ytche / knowe and it be the ryght ere it is a good token / and yf it be the lefte e∣re it is an euyll sygne. Glose. Isabell of the reed crest sayth vpon this purpose that whan the nose of one dothe droppe it is sygne to drynke rede wyne.

¶The .ix. chapytre.

¶Whan pesen dothe boyle in a pot after it is taken of y^e fy¦re / knowe for a trouthe that in that same house is no wyt∣ches. Glose. Parette sone clothed sayd that the cat hatethe and fereth moost the pot that boylleth.

¶The .x. chapytre.

¶Now vnderstonde well this chapytre / for I tell you y^t who that fereth that the nyghte wytche ryde not on hym / he must sette a stole of w^todde before a grete fyre / & whan she is comen yf she syt downe vpon it / she maye neuer ryse thens tyll it be lyght daye / it is a thynge proued. Glose. Io¦hannet brownemayre sayth that she forgate ones to doo y^t thynge / but after that she had ben ryden she tasted what it myght be / and founde that it was a roughe thynge / and hadde heer softe ynoughe.

¶The .xi. chapytre.

¶Who that leueth on the saterdaye to make an ende of y^e

flackes on her rocke all that she spynneth on mondaye af∣ter shall neuer do good and yf clothe be made of it / it shall neu••r be whyte Glose. Sayth Maryon the blewe bycause that women of hollande ben accustomed to leue it on their rockes vpon the saterdaye they haue neuer whyte clothe / And it is trouthe for it appereth well by theyr shyrtes that they brynge ouer the see with them.

¶The .xii. chapytre.

¶Who that absteyneth hym from wypynge of his ars w^t leues or other grene thynge that hathe growen vppon the erthe: he shal not haue no euyl in his backe nor in his rains Glose. Pyattyne the grene sayth to this purpose that who that dothe this shall neuer haue the tronchons on his heed but in that place he shall haue his sherte gylte.

¶The .xiii. chapytre.

¶He that dothe not caste / or suffreth not to caste bones in the fyre shall not haue the tothe ache for y^e honour of saynt Laurens. But Maude the browne affermeth that in that place dogges fyght gladly.

¶The .xiiii. chapytre.

¶He that hathe no moneye in his purse ought to absteyne hym from lokynge on the newe mone / or elles he shall ha∣ue but lytell all alonge that mone. Glose. Margot blacke tache sayth vpon this chapytre that he that apperceyueth the cr••ssant with a full purse he ought to salewe it and en∣clyne deuoutlye to it / and for certayne it shall multeply all that mone.

¶The .xv. chapytre.

¶He that fyndeth the trayfle with foure leues / and kepe it in reuerence knowe for also true as the gospell y^t he shall be ryche all his lyfe. Glose. Upon this artycle sayth Dame

Sebylle the rede y^t yf a man trede barefote vpon a tray∣fle with foure leues he may not escape without the whyte axes / and yf it be a woman she shall be cukquene.

¶The .xvi. chapytre.

¶Whan a man fyndeth a spyder vpon his gowne it is a sygne to be that daye ryght happye / and in lyke wyse he y^t fyndeth a horse shoo or a pece of one / he shall haue good for¦tune. Glose. Then rose vp Francyne softe pappes and said that whan one fyndeth syluer in the mornyng it is a right euyll sygne yf there be no golde amonge it.

¶The .xvii. chapytre.

¶Who someuer rubbeth a warte vpon saȳt Iohans euē with an eldren lefe / and after put the lefe depe in the erthe where as it may rotte / y^e warte shall drye vpanone. Glose Isbell of the wodde sayd that she had assayed it but who y^t wolde rubbe theym with the mylke of the lefe of a thystell that dryeth sooner / Lalle had proued it.

¶The .xviii. chapytre.

¶Whan a man fyndeth in his garden a vessell of bees fas¦tened in a tree yf that he gyue them not a pyece of syluer to theyr newe yeres gyfte it is an euyll sygne. Glose. Baudi∣non gorgette saith that he that appropryeth the bees to hȳ without he gyue to them as sayd is in y^e texte they shall do but pycke hym and shall neuer loue hym nor do hym pro∣fyte.

¶The .xx. chapytre.

¶He that gyueth a payre of knyues to his lady paramour on newe yeres daye knowe that theyr loue shall waxe col∣de. Glose. Then sayd Colette the holowe to this artycle. I assure you y^t he that gyueth his loue a pyncell with a grete heed to her newe yeres gyfte that the loue wyl be more ar¦daunt and more durable.

¶The .xxi. chapytre.

¶He that may ryde vpon a bere frely .ix. paas: he is affraū¦chysed from .ix. payre of sykenesse. Glose. Then sayd an ol∣de matrone that was behynde the other I thynke wel it is true of the guaryson of the .ix. sekenesses / but not of them that we fall backewarde of.

¶The .xxii. chapytre.

¶Whan ye se a cat syt in a wyndowe in the sonne / & that she lycke her ars / and that one of her fete be aboue her ere ye nede not to doubte but y^t it shall rayne that daye. Glose. Then rose vp dame mehalte and sayd that it was no lesyn¦ge / for she sayd her bucke of clothes stode at the ryuer and bycause that her cat cessed not to lycke her ars she durste not go to wasshe it.

¶The .xxiii. chapytre.

¶Who that sytteth by the fyre and wryteth in the asshes with his fynger or with a staffe / is sygne that he hathe pys¦led in bedde or shall pysse in bedde. Glose. Peronne the smo¦kye sayth in affermynge y^e texte that he that beholdeth his wyfe couerynge the fyre before hym withoute takinge her vp knowe that of all that nyght he shall not leue slepynge and routynge / and yf it be a mayden she shall not be wed∣ded of all that yere.

¶The .xxiiii. chapytre.

¶Whan one fereth that his dogge be bytten of a woode dogge / make hym ete and drynke thrughe a treuet / and he shall be preserued that daye from bytynge. Glose. To this purpose sayd Guyllemette the haltynge that who wyll ha¦ue his cat or his henne to kepe the house for lesynge / take y^e cat or the henne and torne hym thryes aboute the croke of the chymney / and then rubbe theyr fete agaynst the walle of the chymney. And without ony faute they shal neuer de¦parte

parte from that house.

¶The conclusyon of this Iourney.

FOr this gospell all the assystentes beganne to laughe myghtely / & in effecte they lefte theyr spynnynge and praysed ryghte moche Dame Transelyne of the croke for the grete actoryte of her gospell / and semblably all the doctoures¦ses and the wyse and prudent wyues whiche hadde glosed vpon the chapytres so honourably after the postylles that none myght not expose them better. ¶I rose vp from my place halfe wery and alredy somoned of the messangere of god Morpleus for to go and take my reste / but before my departynge I wolde se & beholde whome they wolde che∣se amongest them for to rede the gospel vpon the morowe as the other hadde done. The wyues then hauynge lefte al theyr laughynge sayd that it was tyme for to chese the la∣dy that sholde succede vpon the morowe. So they dyd che∣se with a comon accorde dame Abunde of the ouen / that di¦de accepte it benygnely / and promysed that she wolde do all that were possyble. After this eleccyon of dame Abun∣de of the ouen. I departed the moost secretely y^t I myght for they beganne to babyll so myghtely that they toke noo kepe of my departynge.