Summary by Nicolas Duca

A rich merchant took a stunning woman for his wife. She burdened his income by demanding clothes to make her appear even more beautiful. At the merchant’s house, there was often a young monk. Indeed, he was always welcome there as a good friend.

One day, as he was going to make a journey to Bruges, the merchant invited the monk to visit him and his wife before he departed. They had a merry time together, eating and drinking for two days. On the third day, the monk was awake early and went into the garden to pray, there he met the merchant’s wife. She told him that she owes a debt of one hundred franks and begged the monk to lend her the money. He agreed to give her the money, kissed her, and confessed his love for her.

The three dined together, after dinner the monk took the merchant to one side and asked him to lend him one hundred francs. The merchant agreed, telling him to pay it again when he could afford to. The next morning, the merchant traveled to Bruges to conduct his business.

The next Sunday, the monk returned to the merchant’s house and the wife agreed with the monk that, in exchange for the hundred francs, she could have spent the night with him. The next morning, the monk rode home to his abbey.

When the merchant returned home, he went straight to see his friend. The monk was delighted to see him, and, after talking about his business trip, he told the merchant that he had left his thousand franks with his wife. The merchant went home happy and asked his wife about the money she received from the monk. She confessed that she spent all on clothes and promised to repay him in bed. The merchant agreed and forgave her.

The End