to a
friere, he beganne to burne so in concupiscence of the flesshe, that he
entyced her to consente to his wylle. And they agreed, that she shulde
feyne her selfe sycke, and sende for hym to shryue her. Within iij
dayes after, she feyned her selfe sycke, and laye downe in her bedde,
and sente for the same fryere to shryue her. Whan the friere was come,
and euery body voided out of the chambre, he went to bedde to the woman,
and there laye a longe space with her. Her husbande, suspectyng so longe
a confession, came in to the chaumbre; whose sodayne comynge so sore
abasshed the fryer, that he went his way and lefte his breche behynde
him lyenge on the bedde. Whan her husbande sawe the breche, he sayd a
loude, this was nat a frier, but an aduouterer; and for great
abbomination of the dede he called all his householde to se hit. And
forthe with he went and complayned to the warden of that couent, and
thretned to slee hym that had done the dede. The wardyen, to appease his
anger, sayde, that suche publysshynge was to the shame of hym and his
householde. The man said, the breche was so openly founde, that he coude
nat hyde it. The warden to remedy the matter sayde, it was saynt
Fraunces' breche, an holy relyke that his brother caryed thither for the
womans helth, and that he and his couent wolde come and fetche hit home
with procession. With those wordes the man was contente. Anone the
warden and his frieres, with the crosse before them, and arayed in holye
vestementes, went to the house and toke vppe the breche; and two of
them, on a clothe of sylke, bare it solemlye on hyghe betwene theyr
handes, and euerye bodye that mette them kneled downe and kyssed it. So,
with great ceremony and songe, they brought it home to their couente.
But after, whanne this was knowen, ambassadoures of the same citie wente
and complayned therof before the Holy See Apostolyke.

FOOTNOTES:

[287] This is a very favourite tale with the early Italian novelists. In
Dunlop's _History of Fiction_, ii. 364-5 (Second Edition), the incident
is said to have been founded on a real adventure of a French priest. In
the following extract from a highly curious pamphlet, it appears in a
different form:--

"There was a rich Burgess of Antwerp, a Mercer by his trade, who was a
Bawd to his own Wife (though it was against his will or knowledge), but
I blame him not, for I doubt hee hath many more fellowes as innocent and
ignorant as himselfe, but this was the ca