him, is fallen into a ditch
hereby, and verily I thinke he is in danger of death. As for me, I am
not able to helpe him out by reason of mine old age, but you that are so
valiant and lusty may easily helpe me herein, and deliver me my boy,
my heire and guide of my life. These words made us all to pity him. And
then the youngest and stoutest of our company, who alone escaped best
the late skirmish of Dogges and stones, rose up and demanded in what
ditch the boy was fallen: Mary (quod he) yonder, and pointed with his
finger, and brought him to a great thicket of bushes and thornes where
they both entred in. In the meane season, after we cured our wounds, we
tooke up our packs, purposing to depart away. And because we would not
goe away without the young man our fellow: The shepheards whistled and
called for him, but when he gave no answer, they sent one out of their
company to seeke him out, who after a while returned againe with a pale
face and sorrowfull newes, saying that he saw a terrible Dragon eating
and devouring their companion: and as for the old man, hee could see him
in no place. When they heard this, (remembring likewise the words of the
first old man that shaked his head, and drave away his sheep) they
ran away beating us before them, to fly from this desart and pestilent
Country.

THE THIRTY-FIFTH CHAPTER

How a woman killed her selfe and her child, because her husband haunted
harlots.

After that we had passed a great part of our journey, we came to a
village where we lay all night, but harken, and I will tell you what
mischiefe happened there: you shall understand there was a servant to
whom his Master had committed the whole government of his house, and was
Master of the lodging where we lay: this servant had married a Maiden
of the same house, howbeit he was greatly in love with a harlot of the
towne, and accustomed to resort unto her, wherewith his wife was so
highly displeased and became so jealous, that she gathered together all
her husbands substance, with his tales and books of account, and threw
them into a light fire: she was not contented with this, but she tooke
a cord and bound her child which she had by her husband, about her
middle and cast her selfe headlong into a deepe pit. The Master taking
in evill part the death of these twaine, tooke his servant which was the
cause of this murther by his luxurie, and first after that he had put
off all his apparell, he annointed his body with