auberk whenever he would do you
know what; and of a clerk who taught her another method which she almost
told her husband, but turned it off suddenly._

A noble knight of Haynau, who was wise, cunning, and a great traveller,
found such pleasure in matrimony, that after the death of his good
and prudent wife, he could not exist long unmarried, and espoused a
beautiful damsel of good condition, who was not one of the cleverest
people in the world, for, to tell the truth, she was rather dull-witted,
which much pleased her husband, because he thought he could more easily
bend her to his will.

He devoted all his time and study to training her to obey him, and
succeeded as well as he could possibly have wished. And, amongst other
matters, whenever he would indulge in the battle of love with her--which
was not as often as she would have wished--he made her put on a splendid
hauberk, at which she was at first much astonished, and asked why she
was armed, and he replied that she could not withstand his amorous
assaults if she were not armed. So she was content to wear the hauberk;
and her only regret was that her husband was not more fond of making
these assaults, for they were more trouble than pleasure to him.

If you should ask why her lord made her wear this singular costume,
I should reply that he hoped that the pain and inconvenience of the
hauberk would prevent his wife from being too fond of these amorous
assaults; but, wise as he was, he made a great mistake, for if in each
love-battle the hauberk had broken her back and bruised her belly, she
would not have refused to put it on, so sweet and pleasant did she find
that which followed.

They thus lived together for a long time, till her husband was ordered
to serve his prince in the war, in another sort of battle to that
above-mentioned, so he took leave of his wife and went where he was
ordered, and she remained at home in the charge of an old gentleman, and
of certain damsels who served her.

Now you must know that there was in the house a good fellow, a clerk,
who was treasurer of the household, and who sang and played the
harp well. After dinner he would often play, which gave madame great
pleasure, and she would often come to him when she heard the sound of
his harp.

She came so often that the clerk at last made love to her, and she,
being desirous to put on her hauberk again, listened to his petition,
and replied;

"Come to me at a certain time, in suc