se where he had met
with this sad mischance, and spoke to the master of the house, to whom
he related his pitiful case, demanding, as was his right, that there
should be granted to him such amends as his condition deserved, in order
that he might live honourably.

The merchant replied that though the misadventure greatly vexed him, he
was in nowise the cause of it, nor could he in any way be charged with
it, but that he would, out of pity and charity, give him some money, and
though the Cordelier had undertaken to cure his daughter and had not
so done, would give him as much as he would if she had been restored to
health, though not forced to do so.

The Cordelier was not content with this offer, but required that he
should be kept for the rest of his life, seeing that the merchant's
daughter had blinded him, and that in the presence of many people, and
thereby he was deprived from ever again performing Mass or any of the
services of the Holy Church, or studying what learned men had written
concerning the Holy Scriptures, and thus could no longer serve as a
preacher; which would be his destruction, for he would be a beggar and
without means, save alms, and these he could no longer obtain.

But all that he could say was of no avail, and he could get no other
answer than that given. So he cited the merchant before the Parliament
of the said city of London, which called upon the aforesaid merchant to
appear. When the day came, the Cordelier's case was stated by a lawyer
well-advised as to what he should say, and God knows that many came to
the Court to hear this strange trial, which much pleased the lords of
the said Parliament, as much for the strangeness of the case as for the
allegations and arguments of the parties debating therein, which were
not only curious but amusing.

To many folk was this strange and amusing case known, and was often
adjourned and left undecided by the judges, as is their custom. And
so she, who before this was renowned for her beauty, goodness, and
gentleness, became notorious through this cursed disease of piles, but
was in the end cured, as I have been since told.

*****

[Illustration: 03.jpg Story the Third -- THE SEARCH FOR THE RING.]

STORY THE THIRD -- THE SEARCH FOR THE RING. [3]

By Monseigneur de la Roche

_Of the deceit practised by a knight on a miller's wife whom he made
believe that her front was loose, and fastened it many times. And the
miller informed of th