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 the
shores swarme full.
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