ou shall find the price
of your knavery. I am marked to punish thy sins, and I will give thee
thy absolution bravely. It is good for thee that thou use patience, for
thy evil life is at my mercy. Yet, notwithstanding, if thou wilt kneel
down and ask my forgiveness, and confess thyself vanquished, though thou
be the worst thing living, yet I will spare thy life, for my pity makes
me loath to kill thee."

These words made _Isegrim_ both mad and desperate, so that he knew not
how to express his fury; his wounds bled, his eyes smarted, and his
whole body was oppressed. So that in the height of his fury he lifted up
his foot and struck the fox so great a blow that he felled him to the
ground. But _Reynard_, being nimble, quickly rose up again and
encountered the wolf, that between them began a dreadful and doubtful
combat.

The wolf was exceeding furious, and ten times he leaped to catch
_Reynard_ fast, but his skin was so slippery and oily he could not hold
him. Nay, so wondrous nimble was he in the fight, that when the wolf
thought to have him surest, he would shift himself between his legs and
under his belly, and every time gave the wolf a bite with his teeth, or
a slap on the face with his tail, that the poor wolf found nothing but
despair in the conflict, albeit his strength was much the greater.

Thus many wounds and bitings passing on either side, the one expressing
cunning, and the other strength; the one fury, the other temperance. In
the end the wolf being enraged that the battle had continued so long,
for had his feet been sound it had been much shorter, he said to
himself, "I will make an end of this combat, for I know my very weight
is able to crush him to pieces; and I lose much of my reputation, to
suffer him thus long to contend against me."

And this said, he struck the fox again so sore a blow on the head with
his foot, that he fell down to the ground, and ere he could recover
himself and arise, he caught him in his feet and threw him under him,
lying upon him in such wise, as if he would have pressed him to death.

Now began the fox to be grievously afraid, and all his friends also, and
all _Isegrim's_ friends began to shout for joy; but the fox defended
himself as well as he could with his claws, lying along, and the wolf
could not hurt him with his claws, his feet were so sore; only with his
teeth he snatched at him to bite him, which, when the fox saw, he smote
the wolf on the head with his fore-c