away with him, repenting heartily of the wrong he had done him.
After having given him an excellent supper, the king sent for him into
his cabinet. "Avenant," said he, "I still love the Fair One with Locks
of Gold; I have a mind to send thee to her, to try whether thou canst
succeed," Avenant replied, he was ready to obey his majesty in all
things, and would depart the very next morning. "Hold," said the king,
"I will provide thee first with a most sumptuous equipage." "There is no
necessity for that," answered Avenant; "I need only a good horse and
your letters of credence." Upon this the king embraced him; being
overjoyed to see him so soon ready.

It was upon a Monday morning that he took leave of the king and his
friends. Being on his journey by break of day, and entering into a
spacious meadow, a fine thought came into his head; he alighted
immediately, and seated himself by the bank of a little stream that
watered one side of the meadow, and wrote the sentiment down in his
pocket book. After he had done writing, he looked about him every way,
being charmed with the beauties of the place, and suddenly perceived a
large gilded carp, which stirred a little, and that was all it could do,
for having attempted to catch some little flies, it had leaped so far
out of the water, as to throw itself upon the grass, where it was almost
dead, not being able to recover its natural element. Avenant took pity
on the poor creature, and though it was a fish-day, and he might have
carried it away for his dinner, he took it up, and gently put it again
into the river, where the carp, feeling the refreshing coolness of the
water, began to rejoice, and sunk to the bottom; but soon rising up
again, brisk and gay, to the side of the river; "Avenant," said the
carp, "I thank you for the kindness you have done me; had it not been
for you, I had died; but you have saved my life, and I will reward you."
After this short compliment, the carp darted itself to the bottom of the
water, leaving Avenant not a little surprised at its wit and great
civility.

Another day, as he was pursuing his journey, he saw a crow in great
distress: being pursued by a huge eagle, he took his bow, which he
always carried abroad with him, and aiming at the eagle, let fly an
arrow, which pierced him through the body, so that he fell down dead;
which the crow seeing, came in an ecstasy of joy, and perched upon a
tree. "Avenant," said the crow, "you have been extremel