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¶How the theeues stole away a Gentel woman, and brought her to their denne.
WHen night was come, the Théeues awaked & rose vp: and when thei had buckled on their weapōs, & disguised their faces with visardes, they departed, & yet for al the great sléepe y• came vpon me, I could in no wise leaue eatinge, and wheras, when I was a man, I could be cōtented wt one or twoo loues at the most, now
my guttes weare so gréedy that thrée pann••ers full would scantly serue me, and while I cōsidered all these thinges the morning came, and being ledde to a riuer, (notwithstanding mine Assy shamefastnes) I quēched my thirst. And sodēly after the théeues returned home carefull and heauy, bringinge no burthens with them, no not so muche as traffe or baggage, saue onely a maiden that séemed by her habite to be some gētle wo∣man borne, and the daughter of some woorthy Matron of that countrey, who was so faire and beautifull, that though I weare an Asse, yet had I a great affection to her: The virgin lamented and tare her heare, & spoyled her garmentes for the great sorrow she was in, but the théeues brought her within the caue, and assaied to cō∣sorte her in this sorte: Wéepe not fayre Gentle woman we pray you, for be you assured that we wil doo no out∣rage nor violence to your person, but take pacience a while for our profit: For necessitie & poore estate hath cōpelled vs to doo this enterprise, we warrant you that your parentes (although they be couetous) wil be con∣tented to giue vs a great quātitie of money to redéeme and ransom you from our handes. With such and like flattering woordes they endeuored to appease the gen∣tle woman, how be it she would in no case be comforted but put her head betwene her knées & cried piteously. Then thei called the old woman and commaunded her to sitte by the maiden, and pacifie her dolor as much as she might. And they departed away to robbe, as they accustomed to doo, but the virgin would not asswage her griefes nor mitigate her sorrow by any entreatie of the olde woman, but houled and sobbed in such sorte that she made me (poore Asse) likewise to wéepe, & thus she said: Alas can I poore wretche liue any longer, that
am come of so good a house, forsaken of al my parentes, fréendes, and familie, made a rapine and pray, closed seruily in this stony prison, depriued of all pleasure wherein I haue bene brought vp, throwen in daūger, ready to be rente in péeces emongest so many sturdy théeues, and dreadfull robbers, can I (I say) cease from wepinge or liue any lenger? Thus she cried and lamē∣ted, and after she had weried her selfe with sorrow, & bloubered her face with teares, she closed y• windowes of her hollow eies and laide her downe to sléepe: And after taht she had slept, she rose againe, like a furious & madde woman, and beate her breast and comely face more than she did before: Then the old woman enqui∣red the causes of her newe and sodaine lamentation, to whom (sighing in pitifull sorte) she answeared: Alas now I am vtterly vndone, now I am out of all hope, O giue me a knife to kill me, or a halter to hange me, whereat the olde woman was more angry, & seuerely commaunded her to tel her the cause of her sorrow, and why after her sléepe she should renew her dolor & mise∣rable wepinge, what thinke you ({quod} she) to deceaue our yonge men of the price of your ransom? no, no, therfore cease your criyng, for the théeues doo litle estéeme your houlinge, and if you will not, I will surely burne you aliue: Hereat the mayden was greatly a••card and kis∣sed her hande, and saide: O mother take pitie vpon me and my wretched fortune, and giue me licence a while to speake, for I thinke I shall not longe liue, let there mercy be ripe and frāke in your venerable hoare head, and here the some of my calamitie: There was a come∣ly yonge man, who for his bountie and grace was be∣loued entierly of all the towne, my coosin Germaine, & but thrée yeres elder then I, we twoo were nourished
and brought vp in one house, and lay vnder one roofe and in one chamber, and at lengthe by promise of Ma∣riage, and by consent of our parentes we weare con∣tracted together: the Mariage day was come, the house was garnished with Lawrell, and torches were set in euery place in the honour of Hymeneus, my espouse was accompaigned with his parentes, kinsefolke and fréendes, & made Sacrafice in the Temples & publique places: And when my vnhappy mother pampred me in her lappe, & decked me like a bryde kissing me swéetely, & making me a parent for childrē, behold there came in a great multitude of théeues, armed like men of warre, with naked swoordes in their handes, who wente not about to doo any harme, neither to take any thinge a∣way, but brake into the chāber where I was, & violētly toke me out of my mothers armes, when none of the familie would resiste for feare. In this sorte was our Marriage distourbed, like the Mariage of Hyppodame & Perithous: but behold good Mother nowe my vnhap∣py fortune is renewed & encreased: For I dreamed in my sléepe that I was pulled out of our house, out of our chambre, and out of my bedde, and that I romed about in solitary and vnknowen places, callinge vpon the name of my vnfortunate husbande, and how that he (assone as he perceaued that I was taken away, euen smelling with perfumes & crowned with garlādes) did trace me by my steppes, desiringe the aide of the people to assist him, in y• his wife was violently stolen away: And as he wente criynge vp and downe, one of the théeues moued by indignation by reason of his pur∣suite, toke vp a stone that lay at his feete and threwe it at my husband and killed him. By the terrour of which sight, and the feare of so dreadfull a dreame I awaked.
Then the old woman rendringe out like sighes, began to speake in this sorte, my daughter take a good harte vnto you, and be not afearde at feigned and straunge visions or dreames, for as the visions of the day are ac∣compted false and vntrewe, so the visions of the night doo often chaunce contrary. And to dreame of wéeping, beatinge and killing, is a token of good lucke and pro∣sperous chaunge, whereas contrary, to dreame of laughinge, carnall dalliance and good chéere, is signe of sadnes, sicknes, losse of substaunce and displeasure. But I will tell thée a pleasaunt tale to put away all thy sorowe and to reuiue thy Spirites: And so she be∣ganne in this manner.