The Complaisant companion, or, New jests, witty reparties, bulls, rhodomontado's, and pleasant novels

How to kill a bad Wife without being punished for it.

A Gentleman of Provence had a Wife so plen∣tifully stored with the worst of ill qualities, that he grew weary of his Life, not knowing what to do or how to be rid of her safely, at length this project came into his head: he had a Mule which he fed four days with dry meat without one drop of Water, all that while, the fifth day he perswaded his Wife to ride abroad with him to take the Air, and mounted her on that very Mule, which he knew she delighted in, and he himself backt another: rideing along they came at last near a deep River, at sight whereof, the Mule being parcht with thirst, and over greedy to quench it ran violently into the midst thereof which was out of his depth, and so lost his own with the life of his Mistress.