lls head-foremost in such wise, that he cast her on to the bank, but
fell into the ditch up to his armpits, and therewithal as he lay there
caught at the goodwife, and gat no firm hold of her clothes, but set
his miry hand on her knee right up to the bare thigh.

She sprang up and cursed him, and said that ever would evil come from
wretched gangrel churles: "and thy full due it were to be beaten, if I
thought it not a shame, because of thy misery."

Then said he, "Meted in unlike ways is man's bliss; me-thought I had
done well to thee, and I looked for an alms at thy hands, and lo,
in place thereof, I get but threats and ill-usage and no good again
withal;" and he made as if he were exceeding angry.

Many deemed that he looked right poor and wretched, but she said that
he was the wiliest of old churles; but whereas many prayed for him,
she took her purse to her, and therein was many a penny of gold; then
she shook down the money and said,

"Take thou this, carle; nowise good were it, if thou hadst not full
pay for the hard words thou hadst of me; now have I parted with thee,
even according to thy worth."

Then he picked up the gold, and thanked her for her good deed. Spes
went to the church, and a great crowd was there before her. Sigurd
pushed the case forward eagerly, and bade her free herself from those
charges he had brought against her.

She said, "I heed not thy charges; what man dost thou say thou hast
seen in my chamber with me? Lo now oft it befalls that some worthy man
will be with me, and that do I deem void of any shame; but hereby will
I swear that to no man have I given gold, and of no man have I had
fleshly defilement save of my husband, and that wretched staff-carle
who laid his miry hand on my thigh when I was borne over the slough
this same day."

Now many deemed that this was a full oath, and that no shame it was to
her, though the carle had laid hand on her unwittingly; but she said
that all things must be told even as they were.

Thereafter she swore the oath in such form as is said afore, and many
said thereon that she showed the old saw to be true, <i>swear loud and
say little</i>. But for her, she said that wise men would think that
this was not done by guile.

Then her kin fell to saying that great shame and grief it was for
high-born women to have such lying charges brought against them
bootless, whereas it was a crime worthy of death if it were openly
known of any woman that she had