"what ayle you man? " quoth shee.
Quoth hee, "my hart is dry,

I am soe hungry, that for meat

I readye am to dye."

take heede &c.

66

"Alas!" quoth shee, content you must bee
till breakfast time to stay;

for none in the house is risen, you see,

to giue you meate any way."

"tush! tell not me of that!

my belly must be fedd!"

& with that word he Nimbly leapt
out of his naked bed,

& into the kitchin did goe.

To the ffurmitree' pott he quicklye gott,

& there, without delay,

he slapt vp the furmitree euerye whitt

or he departed away,

saue a ladel-full att the last

he kept to carry his wiffe.

Then he mistaking the chamber, he went

vnto another mans wiffe.

take heede [&c.]

The Bridgroomes ffather & mother both

did at that time lye there;

the woman had tumbled the clothes soe

that her buttockes all lay bare,
which by a glimering light

that was in that same place,
Panch soone espyed, & tooke the same
to be his wiues sweet face.

Frumenty or Furmety, a kind of Potage made of prepared Wheat, Milk, Sugar, Spice, &c. Phillipps. "Still a favorite dish in the north, consisting of

[page 240]

hulled wheat boiled in milk and seasoned. It was especially a Christmas dish." Nares, ed. 1859. See the recipe and extracts there.-F.

120

124

128

132

136

140

144

148

Then softly he sayd, "sweet wiff, I haue brought
some furmitree for thee!"

the woman ffisled1: " nay, blow not," quoth hee,
"for cold enough they bee."

with that shee puffed againe,

& made him angrye bee:

"I tell thee, thou need not to blow them att all,
but supp them vp presentlye."

take heed &c.

The woman was windye, & fisled againe

within a litle space,

which made him to sweare, if shee blew any more,

to fling all in her face.

but shee, being fast asleepe,

did ffisle without regard.

then flung he the furmitree in her tayle,

saying, "there is for thy reward!" take heede

With that the woman suddenly waked,
& clapt her hand behind;
"alas!" quoth shee, "how am I shamed,
being soe full of wind!"

"what ayles thee?" her husband sayd.

"I haue rayed 2 the bedd," quoth shee.
"that comes with thy craming, thou egar queane!

a Murraine take thee for me!'
take heede &c.

But Panche, perceuing how the matter went,

he closly got away,

& into the milkehouse hyed with hast,
wheras without delay

and offers

her the furmity.

She breaks wind

three times,

and Panche swears if she does it again he'll fling the furmity in her face. She does it;

he flings the furmity at her;

she puts her hand behind,

and thinks she has dirtied the bed.

Panche steals off

to the dairy,

2 wrayed.-P. I be-ray, I fyle ones clothes with spottes of myer, properly about the skyrtes; Je crotte. Palsgrave. Embrener, to beray or beshite. Cotgrave.

whose rumbled' waked the folkes in the house, & fedd 3 them full of feares.

180 take heed of hott furmitree!

184

188

192

1

When they came downe, thé found the fryers [p. 241] brings all

well buffeting one another;
the one did tell how he was serued

by his religious brother.

but when Sir Panch they spyed,

with honnye besmeared soe,

& daubed about with Milke & creame,

the knew how all things did goe. take heede

for well they did see that it was he

that did the old man wronge,

& hee that brake the poore fryers head
as he did lye alonge,

that eate the Milke & creame

& the pott of ffurmitree;

196 yett, for to be reuenged of him, they knew noe remedye.

the people down stairs;

Panche

is discovered all over honey and cream;

and they see

who the culprit is,

but don't know how to punish him.

God keep such guests away from me!

Here's the end of my

merry tale.

ffins.

the fryers they found.-P.