flaterer to a woman that sold cheses, whiche was fowle of vysage, & he made her to vnderstonde that she was fayr & praty. And the woman was so folyssh that she wende he had sayd trouthe. Somtyme she gaf hym a chese, and as he hadde it and was behynd her bak he mocked her of it. I wold ye wyst thexample whichej sawe in the toun of Angolosme, as the duk of normady cam before Aguyllon. Ther were knyztes which for to take their disporte shotte at a marke. And whanne the duke cam in to the parke where as they were for to playe and disporte hym, he demaunded of one of the knyghtes a bowe & an arowe for to shete. And soone after he had drawen his arowe there were there by hym two or thre that sayd, "Certaynly my lord shoteth wel." "Holy Mary!" sayd another, "how he draweth ryght of mesure!" "Ha a!" sayd the other, "I wold not be armed and that he had hit me." And thus they began to preyse hym, but for to se ye trouthe, it was nothynge els but flateryng, for he shotte the worst of al other. And therfor grete merueylle is how euery flaterer is agreable and so moche pleaseth the lordes and the ladyes now in these dayes, and how they make them to byleue that they be stronger and more wyse than they be and by theyre flateryng make them to falle in grete surquedrye of them self.
