A Schole of wise conceytes wherein as euery conceyte hath wit, so the most haue much mirth : set forth in common places by order of the alphabet / translated out of diuers Greeke and Latine wryters by Thomas Blage ...

Abuse of the simple.

THe Wolfe, the Foxe, and the Asse sometime iournied togither towards Rome, to obtayne remission of their sinnes: In the way (bycause they thought the Pope would be otherwise occupied, that he might not intende them) they agréed to be shriuen one of an other, and to suffer penance at their discretion. The Wolfe therefore made hys confession to the Foxe in this maner: That he saw a Sow which had .xij. Pigges, the which walked alone in the fields, walowing in fatnes, and suffred hir Pigges at home to starue: wher∣fore he deuoured the sow, bicause of hir heinous offence in forsaking hir yong ones: and after, be∣ing moued to pitie, he killed also the pigs, to rid them out of their paine, and ate them vp: This he tolde with teares, desiring to knowe what pe∣nance he should do therefore. In fayth (quod the Foxe) thy fault is not great, say once a Pater no∣ster, and then thou shalt be pardoned. Straight after, the Foxe began his confession thus: A coū∣tryman had a Cocke of the game, which bet and vanquished al other cocks néere about, who with

his shrill crowing, troubled in euery quarter, not onely the hole, but also the sicke persons, es∣pecially those which hadde the headake, whose pride I could not well away with: as I founde him therefore on a time abroade with the hens, I caught him, and caried him away to my hole, where I deuoured him: for whiche déede the Hens kackled against me, and troubled me with their crying: I therefore to reuenge the iniurie done vnto me, tore many of them in péeces and ate them: herein I confesse that I offended, ther∣fore I require pardon. Herevnto the Wolfe sayd: Thou diddest wel in qualifying the noyse and pride of the Cocke and Hens, and therefore it is but a small fault, yet will I ioyne thée this penance, That the thrée frydaies following thou eate no fleshe, if thou canst get none: for I will shew thée as much fauour as thou diddest to me. Wel now Syr said they to the Asse, let vs heare thy confession, who beganne thus: My moyling and drudging which I endure, is not vnknowen to you my Lords, as in carying of corne sackes, stone, woode and water, yet once I offended, whereof I repente me full ofte: For a ser∣uaunt of my Lordes, appoynted ruler ouer me, béeing once a colde, a strawe appeared oute of hys shoo, which I snatched away from hym, whereby he tooke greate harme and colde of his

féete. Therfore bée mercifull vnto me, and ioyne me some penance. But they sayde, what haste thou done thou théefe? Mary fye on thée, by thy meanes that seruaunt had such hurt of his féete, that wée thinke he is dead thereof, whereby thy soule is damned, and therefore thy body oughte not to escape scotte frée: then they killed and de∣uoured him.

MOR. The mightie and ryche men in lyke maner doo pardon one another, but to the poore they are harde harted and inexorable.