The schoolemaster, or teacher of table philosophie A most pleasant and merie companion, wel worthy to be welcomed (for a dayly gheast) not onely to all mens boorde, to guyde them with moderate [and] holsome dyet: but also into euery mans companie at all tymes, to recreate their mindes, with honest mirth and delectable deuises: to sundrie pleasant purposes of pleasure and pastyme. Gathered out of diuers, the best approued auctours: and deuided into foure pithy and pleasant treatises, as it may appeare by the contentes.

Chap. 19. Merie iestes of maydens, and young vvomen.

AN olde woman which was desirous to make a matche be∣tweene a young man & a mayde, caused a lytle bytch which shee had, to eate mustarde, and when the bytche wept with the strongnesse of the mustard, shée shewed hir vnto the mayd, say∣ing, that somtyme shee had beene a mayd, & for refusing a young man which loued her intirely shee was chaunged into a bytch, & for sorrow therof wept so continually. Which thing the mayd hearing, consented vnto her louer. A certayne young man gaue himself to the Deuyl for a mayd which he loued ardently, and could not obtaine her loue. But when the Deuil also doing his best, saw that he could not bring it to passe, to make hir loue the young man, hée went to an old woman & promised hyr cer∣tayne skinnes for a reward, if shée could mollifye the maydens heart. Which when shee had brought to passe, and required the skynnes of the Deuyl, he reached them vnto hyr vpon the ende of a long poa••e, saying: I dare not come nere thée, bicause thou art worse then I am, according vnto the olde verse:

A wicked woman fraught with all euyll, Is by three farthinges worse then the Deuyll.

A good honest whore woman, being by hyr husband taken a bed with hyr louer, consulted with an olde mother Bee of hyr acquaintaunce, how to excuse the matter. But the olde woman perceyuing that the husband y^e night before had eaten an hearb called Cheruile vnto his supper, sought occasion to méete him in the stréete, and saluted him, saying: God saue you both. Then sayd the husband, why speakest thou thus vnto mée, since I am alone? Then shée rubbed hyr eyes, saying: a vengeance on this hearbe Cheruile which I eate the last night, for ••uer it maketh mée to take one for twaine. The husband rem••mbring that hée likewyse had eaten Cheruile the nyght before, thinking the old

wyues tale to bée true, and that it had wrought in him the lyke effect, helde his wyfe excused. A certaine olde woman hea∣ring a young wyfe euermore gyuing hyr husband ouerthwart answeres, & for that cause had borne him many a blow: sayd vn∣to her, if thou wylt I wyll tell thée how thou shalt lyue in quiet with thyne husband, wherevnto shee wyllingly agreed. Then quod the olde woman, thou shalt goe into my garden at the full of the Moone, and knéele downe before the hearbe called worm∣wood, and desyre it to tell thée some counsell that is good. And marke well what the hearbe sayth vnto thée, and doe so. At the tyme appointed the olde woman hyd her selfe behind the bushe of wormwood, and when the young woman according to her instruction, began to vtter her request to the hearbe, saying: O thou most bytter wormwood, tell mée what I shall doe that is good: the old woman answered:

If thou wylt liue in peace and rest, Answere with reason for that is best:

And euer after shee vsed her tōgue better, & liued more in quiet.

Notes

• Of an olde vvoman that caused her bitch to eate mustarde for a policy.
• Of a young man that gaue himself to the Deuil for the loue of a mayde.
• Of the good man that tooke his vvife a bed vvith ano∣ther man.
• of the good vvyfe that kneeled be∣fore the hearth vvorm vvood.