of lynnen clothe, many hauynge yet remaynynge in them
the token of the fylthe of the holy mannes nose.
With these (as they say) saynt Thomas dyd wype a way
the swett of hys face or hys neke, ye fylthe of hys
nose, or other lyke fylthynes with whiche mannes body
dothe abownde. Then my companyon Gratian, yet
ones agayn, got hym but smalle fauour. Unto hym
an Englyshe man and of famylyare acquayntenance and
besyde that, a man of no smalle authorite, the Prior
gaff gentylly one of the lynne ragges, thynkynge to
haue gyuen || E iiij.|| a gyfte very acceptable &
pleasaunt, But Gratian there with lyttle plea sede
and content, not with out an euydent synge of dyspleasure,
toke one of them betwene hys fyngers, and dysdaynyngly
layd it down agayne, made a mocke and a mow at it,
after the maner of puppettes, for thys was hys maner,
if any thing lykede hym not, that he thought worthy
to be despysede. Wher at I was bothe ashamed
and wonderously afrayed. Not withstondynge the
Prior as he is a man not at all dull wytted, dyd dyssemble
the matter, & after he had caused vs drinke a cuppe
of wyne, gentylly he let vs departe. When we
came agayne to London. Me. What shuld ye do
at Londo: seynge ye were not farre from the see
cost, to seale in to yowr cuntre? Ogy. It is
true. But that see cost I refused and gladely
dyd fle from it, as from a place that is || noted
and more euyl spoken of it, for robbyng, stelynge,
and vntrue dealynge, then is of dangerouse ioperdy
in the see, be that hyll Malea wher many shyppes be
drowned & vtterly destroyed for euer. I wyll
tell the what I dyd se the last passage, at my commynge
ouer. We were many caryed in a bote frome Calys
shore to go to the shyppe. Amongest vs all was
a pour yoge ma of Frauce, and barely appayrelled.
Of hym he demauuded halfe a grote. For so moche
thay dow take and exacte of euery one for so smalle
a way rowynge. He allegede pouerty, then for
ther pastyme thay searched hym, plucked of his shoes,
and betwene the shoo and the soule, thay fownde .x.
or .xij. grotes, thay toke the from hym laughyng at
the mater: mockinge and scornyng the poer & myserable
Frenchman. Me. What dyd ye fellow than? Ogy.
What thyng dyd || E v.|| he? He wept. Me.
Whether dyd they thys by any authoryte? Ogy.
Suerly by the same authoryte that thay steyle and
pycke straungers males and bowgettes, by the whiche
they take a way mennes pursys, if they se tyme and
place conuenyent. Me. I meruayll that they
dare be so bold to doo soch a dede, so many lokynge
vpon them. Ogy. They be so accustomed, that
they thynk it well done. Many that were in the
shyp lokede owt and sawe it also, in the bote were
dyuerse Englyshe marchauntes, whiche grudged agaynst
it, but all in vayne. The boteme as it had ben
a tryflyng mater reiosed and were glade that they had
so taken and handelyd the myserable Frenchman. Me.
I wold play and sporte with these see theues, & hange
them vpon the gallowes. Ogy. Yet of such both


