etter inclined
towards them, and so indulged in debauchery, and said, that as after
that their mistresses still scorned them, that they too must have played
at the same game--as you will hear._

I knew, in the time of my green and virtuous youth, two gentlemen, good
comrades, accomplished, and provided with every quality to be praised
in a virtuous gentleman. They were friends, and were alike each other
in every respect, not only bodily, but as regarded their clothes, their
servants, and their horses.

It happened that they fell in love with two fair young damsels of good
family and gracious, and they did for these fair ladies' sake a hundred
thousand little courtesies. Their vows were listened to--but nothing
more. Perhaps the damsels had lovers already, or did not wish to have
a love affair on their hands, for in truth the youths were both good
fellows, such as many a noble lady would have liked for a lover.

Be that as it may, they could not win their ladies' love, which caused
them to pass many nights in God knows what sorrow, now cursing fortune,
now love, and most often their mistresses for being so unkind. Whilst
they were suffering this rage and grief, one of them said one day to his
friend,

"We can see with half an eye that our mistresses do not care for us,
and yet we more madly desire them than ever, and the more scorn and
harshness they show us the more we desire to please, serve, and obey
them! Upon my word this seems to me the height of folly. Let us, I pray
you, think no more of them than they do of us, and you will see that
when they know that, it will be their turn to seek and importune us."

"Ah!" said the other, "very good advice, no doubt, but how can it be
carried out?"

"I have found the means," said the first. "I have always heard it said,
and Ovid puts it in his book, The Remedy of Love, that to do--you know
what--much and often, makes you forget or think little of the person
with whom you are in love. I will tell you what we will do. We will take
home with us a couple of nice young 'cousins' (*), and we will sleep
with them, and commit every folly with them that our strength will
permit, and then we will go and see our ladies, and the devil is in it
if they do not then care for us."

(*) Prostitutes. The word is doubtless derived from
_coussin_.

The other agreed, and the proposal was carried out, and each took home a
nice wench. And after that they went to a great feast