[This mater treateth of a merchauntes wyfe that afterwarde went like a man and was called Frederyke of Jennen.] This text is an enriched version of the TCP digital transcription A01245 of text S109822 in the English Short Title Catalog (STC 11361A). Textual changes and metadata enrichments aim at making the text more computationally tractable, easier to read, and suitable for network-based collaborative curation by amateur and professional end users from many walks of life. The text has been tokenized and linguistically annotated with MorphAdorner. The annotation includes standard spellings that support the display of a text in a standardized format that preserves archaic forms ('loveth', 'seekest'). Textual changes aim at restoring the text the author or stationer meant to publish. This text has not been fully proofread Approx. 6 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 3 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. EarlyPrint Project Evanston,IL, Notre Dame, IN, St. Louis, MO 2018 A01245 STC 11361A ESTC S109822 99845466 99845466 10368 2240873798

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 Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A01245) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 10368) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 67:08) [This mater treateth of a merchauntes wyfe that afterwarde went like a man and was called Frederyke of Jennen.] [4+] p. : ill. Wynkyn de Worde, [London : 1517?] Imprint conjectured by STC. A3r begins: How two. Signatures: A² ³. Imperfect; a fragment consisting of two leaves, the first of which is torn, with loss of print (title taken from STC 11361, of which this is another edition). Reproduction of the original in the Bodleian Library. eng Male impersonators -- Early works to 1800. eebo [This mater treateth of a merchauntes wyfe that afterwarde went like a man and was called Frederyke of Jennen.] [no entry] 1517 6 1194 48 0 0 0 0 2 5427.14 F The rate of 5427.14 defects per 10,000 words puts this text in the F category of texts with 100 or more defects per 10,000 words. 2009-04 Assigned for keying and markup 2009-05 Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2010-04 Sampled and proofread 2010-04 Text and markup reviewed and edited 2011-06 Batch review (QC) and XML conversion
How foure marchauntes met 〈…〉 whiche were of foure dyuerse 〈…〉 … de all to Parys .

IN the yere of our lorde 〈…〉 happened that four● 〈…〉 out of dyuerse country●● 〈…〉 as they were goyn● 〈…〉 ●●●●une they met all togyder and 〈…〉 ●●gyder / for they were all foure goynge 〈…〉 in Fraunce & for company sake they rode 〈…〉 unto one ynne / & it was about shraftyde in the moost ioyfull tyme of all the yere and theyr names were called as here foloweth . the fyrst was called Courant of Spayne / the second was called Borchart of Fraunce / the thyrde was called Iohan of Florence / & the fourth was called Ambrose of Iennen . Than by the consent of the other marchauntes Borcharde of fraunce went vnto the hoste and sayd . Hoste now is the meryest tyme of the yere and we be foure marchauntes of foure dyuerse countryes & by fortune we met all togyder in one place & out iorney is to Parys . And therfore whyle we be so met lette vs make good there togyder / & ordeyne the best meet that ye can get for money agaynst to morowe and byd also some of your beste frindes that you loue mooste that we maye make good there togyder or that we deparse fro hense / and we shall co●tente you all your money agayne . And than the hoste sayde that he wolde do it with a good wyll and than went he and bad many of his good frendes and neyghbours to dyner and he bought of the best meet that he coude get for money and brought it home . And on the morowe he dressed it and made it redy agaynst dyner after the best maner that he coude . And whan that it was dyner 〈…〉 gestes to dyner & the marchauntes 〈…〉 them welcome . Than bad the mar●●●●●● 〈…〉 ●●at he sholde brynge in the meete & 〈…〉 myght go to dyner . And than the 〈…〉 … yll . Than went the hoste and 〈…〉 meet & set it theron & pray … 〈…〉 ●estes to them & syt dow● 〈…〉 good chere al the daye longe with good honeste● 〈…〉 ●as very late with daunsynge & lepynge . And 〈…〉 ●ad done / the gestes toke theyr leue of the marcha●●●●● & thanked them for theyr good chere . And than euery man departed home to his house . And than cam the marchauntes to the hoste & prayed hym hertely for to come in & thanked hym that he had ordered & done all thynges so well and manerly .

How two of the marchauntes / as Iohan 〈…〉 and Ambrosius of Iennen hyld one another , v. thou●●●● golde guldens .

wHan al the marchauntes & the gestes had m●●●●●●●rye togyder al the daye longe / at nyght t●●● 〈…〉 toke theyr leue of the marchauntes / & thanked them for 〈◊〉 good chere that they had made them / & so departed euery one to theyr lodgynge . And whan that they were departed euery man to theyr house / than wexed it late . And than cam the hoste of the house to the marchauntes & asked them yf that they wolde go slepe / & they answered vnto theyr hoste yes . And than toke he a candel and brought the marchauntes into a fayre chambre / where was . iiij . beddes rychely hanged with costely curtaynes that euerye marchaunt myght lye by themselfe . And whan that they were all togyder in the chamber / than began they to speke of many thynges / some good / some bad as it laye in theyr myndes . Than sayd Courant of spayne . Syrs we haue be all this daye mery and made good chere & euerye one of vs hath a fayre wyfe at home : howe fare they nowe at home we can not tel . Than sayd bourcharde of Fraunce to the other marchauntes . What aske you how they do● They syt by the fyere and make good chere and eate / & drynke of the beste and laboure not at all / & so get they vnto them hote blode & than they maye take an other lusty yonge man and do theyr pleasure with hym that we knowe not of / for we be oftentymes long from them & for that cause may the lenne a lofe for a nede secretly to an other . Than sayd Iohan of Florence / we may all well be called fooles & nydeates that truste our wyfes in this maner as we do : for a womans hert is not made of so hard a stone but that 〈◊〉 wyll melte / for a womans nature is to be vnstedfaste and tourneth as the wynde dothe and careth not for vs tyll the tyme that we come agayne . And we labour dayely bothe in wynde and rayne and put often our lyues in to pardy and in auenture on the see for to fynd them withall & ou● wyfes syt at home and make good chere with other good felowes & gyue them parte of the money that we get . And therfore an ye wyll do after my counsayle / let euery one of vs take a fayre wenche to passe the tyme withal as well as our wyfes do / & they shall knowe no more of that / than we knowe of them . Than sayde Ambrosius of Iennen to them . By goddes grace that shall I neuer do whyle that I lyue . For I haue at home a good & a vertuous woman and a womanlye . And I know● 〈…〉 she is not of that dysposycyon / but that she wyl eschewe 〈◊〉 of all suche yll abusyons tyl the tyme that I com home agayn . For I knowe well that she wyl haue non other man but me alone . And yf that I shold breke my wedlocke than were I but lytell worthe . Than sayd Iohn of Florence . Felowe ye set moche pryce by your wyfe at home and truste her with all that ye haue I wyll laye with you a wager of . v. thousande guldens yf that ye wyl abyde me here I shal departe & ryde to Iennen & do with your wyfe my wyll . Than sayd Ambrosius to Iohan of Florense . I haue delyuered to my hoste . v. thousand guldens to kepe / put ye downe as moche agaynste it & I shal tarye here tyll the tyme that ye retourne agayn from Iennen / & yf that you by ony maner of menes can get your pleasure of my wyfe ye shall haue all this money . Than sayd Iohan of Florence . I am content / and than putted he in his hostes hande other . v. thousande guldens agaynste Ambroses money . And than toke he