chamber, and told him that
the tomb was now fit to be seen in all its beauty.

On this he presently suffered himself to be dressed, and went with
them; but they managed so well that, under pretence of calling on
another friend, who, they said, had desired to be of their company in
this melancholly entertainment, they led him to the house where his
wife and enamorato were yet in bed. The sister of Natura having, by a
large bribe, secured the woman of the house to her interest, they were
all conducted to the very scene of guilt, and this much injured
husband had a second testimony of the perfidy of his wife; but alas!
the first had made too deep an impression on him to leave room for any
great surprize; he only cooly turned away, and said to those who had
brought him there, that they needed not have taken all this pains to
make him a witness of what he was convinced of long before.

His wife, however, was frighted, if not ashamed, and hid herself under
the bedcloaths, while her gallant jumped, naked as he was, out of the
window; but though Natura discovered very little emotion at all this,
yet whether it was owing to the arguments of his friends, or that the
air, after having been so long shut up from it, had an effect on him,
they could not determine, but had the satisfaction to find that he
consented an action in his name should be awarded against the lover,
and proper means used for obtaining a bill of divorce from his wife.

The real motive of this change in him none of them, however, could
penetrate:--grief had for a while obliterated the thoughts of the
injustice and ingratitude of his brother, but what he had now beheld
reminding him of that shocking scene related in the first chapter of
this book, all his long stifled wishes for revenge returned with
greater force than ever; and thinking he could no way so fully gratify
them, as by disappointing him of the estate he must enjoy at his
decease, in case he died without issue, a divorce therefore would give
him liberty to marry again; and as he was no more than three-and-forty
years of age, had no reason to despair of having an heir, to cut
entirely off the claim of so wicked a brother. Having once began to
stir in the affair, it was soon brought to a conclusion.--The fact was
incontestable, and proved by witnesses, whose credit left no room for
cavil; a bill of divorce was granted on very easy terms, and the
gallant fined in so large a penalty, that he was obliged