Disciplina Clericalis/Tale 13

by Peter Alphonse

 

XIII.^[1] The Ten Tuns of Oil.

"It happened that suche a man had a sone to whom after his deth nothyng he left sauf an house. This yong man with greate labour of his body lived and whiche with nature yeede vndir foote;^[2] and though he were coarted and driven in grete nede, his house wold he nat selle. This chield had a neighburgh that was a grete Riche man whiche coveited to bie the house and yeve hym largely therfor. This chield forsoth wold nat selle it for price ne for praier. After that the Richeman comprised with what engyne or what craft he myght thynke to betray this chield of his house. And this yong man after his power eschewed the faimiliarite of the Riche man. Therof the Richeman was sorowful bicause of the house that he myght nat disceive the chield, and vpon a day cam to the chield and saide: 'O goode [sir], leene me a litel part of thi court vpon a price, for in it vnder the erth x tonnes with oile wold I kepe, and nothyng shal it noye the and thow shalt have therof what sustenaunce of lif thow wilt.' The chield coarted with necesite^[3] graunted and yave hym the keyes of the hous. Forsoth the yong man in the meane tyme of his fredam frely servyng askd his mete. And so the Richeman toke the keyes and the court of that yong man strangled and digged, and v Tonnes ful of oile ther laide and v half ful. And that don [he] cald the yongman and toke hym the keyes of the house and saide: 'O yongman, myn oyle to the I commytte and in to thi kepyng I betake.' The simple yongman trowyng al the tonnes ful in to his warde and kepyng received. And after long tyme it happened that (f. 127) in that lond oile was diere. The Richeman heryng^[4] this saide to the chield, 'O my friende, com and help me to digge vp myn oile that to thy kepyng now I have comaunded,' and of his labour takyng a Reward. The yongman forsoth heryng his price and his praier graunted to the Richeman and after his power halp hym. The richeman nat foryeteful of his fraude and guyle brought men as to bie the oile. To whom whan he had brought [hem, he] opened the ground and v ful tonnes and V half tonnes ther thei founden. Perceivyng that, [he] cald the chield saieng thus vnto hym : 'Mi friende, bicause of thi kepyng I have lost myn oile; moreover that I commytted to the fraudelently thow hast taken awey; wherfor I wil that thow restore me.' This saide, wold he nold he hym to the justice he ladde, and whan he sawe the justice to hym he accused. But the yongman wist nat what he shuld say agenst it, but only askid triews and respite of a day. That the justice that was rightwis hym grauntid. Forsoth in that Citee ther dwellid such a philosophre whiche was named a grete helpdoer, a goode man, and a Religious. Forsoth the yongman heryng of his goodenes sent a messangier vnto hym and counsail of hym sought and asked saieng: 'If thei bien triewe that bien saide and told to me^[5] of the, in homly maner do me help, for and forsoth vniustly and wrongfully I am accused.' The philosopher herd the praier of the yongman [and] askid hym if he iustly or vniustly were accused. Forsoth he affermed with an oth vniustly. The philosophre heryng the thyng of trowth and moevid with pite saide that 'with goddis help I shal help the; but as of the Right thow hast taken respite vnto morow day, whiche tho thynges at thoo plees nil thow nat leve'^[6] and I shalbe redy to socoure thy trowth and to noisaunce of their falshed.' Forsoth the yonge man dide that the philosophre badde. Forsoth the morow after [he] cam to the philosopher to the Right; whom after the Right had seen as a [wise] man cald the philosophre, and so cald made hym to sitte next hym, Than 'the Right callid thaccusers and the accused and comaunded that thei shulden Reherse the plees; and so thei diden. Of theym forsoth standyng bifore, the Right saide to the philosophre that the causes of hem he shuld here and therof do iugement. Than the philosophre saide to the Right: 'Now comaunde yee that the cliere oile of the v ful tonnes be mesured and thow shalt knowe and wite how moche ther be of cliere oile; and in like wise of the v half tonnes and thow (f. 127^b) shalt knowe how moche ther be of cliere oile. Than the thikke oyle of the v ful tonnes so measured and thow shalt know how moche thikke oile be in hem, and in like wise of the V half tonnes, if ther be asmoche as in the ful tonnes, know thow for a soth the oile is stolen. And if thow fynde in the half tonnes suche part of thikke oile as of cliere ther beyng went and issued out,^[7] know thow for a sooth that oile nat to be stolen.' The Right heryng thus, confermed the iugement and so was don. And in this maner the yongman escaped with the wisdam of the philosophre. And so the plees endid, the yongman yielding thankynges to the philosophre. Than the philosopher saide vnto hym: 'Herdistow that never of the philosophre, "Ne bie thow non house bifore that thow knowe thi neighburgh".' To this the yong man: 'First we had an house that next vs hosted.' To whom the philosophre: 'First selle thyn hous bifore that thow dwel next a shrewde neighburgh'." The disciple: "Suche iugement appierith to be [of] the philosopher and this is the grace of god and meritorily is cald this name, the help of wrecchis."^[8]

Then the disciple: "Though the things I have heard are fixed in my mind, yet they spur my soul on to wish to hear more." The Master said: "I will tell the gladly," and he began thus:

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1. No. XVI in the original. See I, 22, l. 20.
2. Lat. Iste cum magno labore corpori suo vix etiam quae natura exigit suppeditabat.
3. Lat. (I, 23, l. 3) coactus necessitate.
4. Lat. videns.
5. The English omits multis referentibus.
6. Lat. (I, 23, l. 26) qum eas ad placita dimittere noli.
7. The English omits, quod quidem et in plenis tonellis invenire poteris. See I, 24, l. 8.
8. The short connecting link in the Latin is not given in the English. See I, 24, l. 15.