ant, much esteemed, and worthy of the great reputation he had, was
so much in the graces of a fair damsel, that he was esteemed as her
lover, and obtained from her, at sundry times, all the favours that she
could honourably give him. She was also smitten with a great and noble
lord, a prudent man, whose name and qualities I pass over, though if I
were to recount them there is not one of you who would not recognise the
person intended, which I do not wish.

This gentle lord, I say, soon perceived the love affair of the valiant
gentleman just named, and asked him if he were not in the good graces of
such and such a damsel,--that is to say the lady before mentioned.

He replied that he was not, but the other, who knew the contrary to be
case, said that he was sure he was,

"For whatever he might say or do, he should not try to conceal such a
circumstance, for if the like or anything more important had occurred to
him (the speaker) he would not have concealed it."

And having nothing else to do, and to pass the time, he found means to
make her fall in love with him. In which he succeeded, for in a very
short time he was high in her graces and could boast of having obtained
her favours without any trouble to win them.

The other did not expect to have a companion, but you must not think
that the fair wench did not treat him as well or better than before,
which encouraged him in his foolish love. And you must know that the
brave wench was not idle, for she entertained the two at once, and would
with much regret have lost either, and more especially the last-comer,
for he was of better estate and furnished with a bigger lance than her
first lover; and she always assigned them different times to come, one
after the other, as for instance one to-day and the other to-morrow.

The last-comer knew very well what she was doing, but he pretended
not to, and in fact he cared very little, except that he was rather
disgusted at the folly of the first-comer, who esteemed too highly a
thing of little value.

So he made up his mind that he would warn his rival, which he did. He
knew that the days on which the wench had forbidden him to come to
her (which displeased him much) were reserved for his friend the
first-comer. He kept watch several nights, and saw his rival enter by
the same door and at the same hour as he did himself on the other days.

One day he said to him, "You well concealed your amours with such an
one. I am rather