hanked Corydon greatly, and presently sate her down and
Ganymede by her. Corydon looking earnestly upon her, and with a
curious survey viewing all her perfections, applauded (in his
thought) her excellence, and pitying her distress was desirous to hear
the cause of her misfortunes, began to question her thus:

"If I should not, fair damosel, occasion offence, or renew your griefs
by rubbing the scar, I would fain crave so much favor as to know the
cause of your misfortunes, and why, and whither you wander with your
page in so dangerous a forest?"

Aliena, that was as courteous as she was fair, made this reply:

"Shepherd, a friendly demand ought never to be offensive, and
questions of courtesy carry privileged pardons in their foreheads.
Know, therefore, to discover my fortunes were to renew my sorrows, and
I should, by discoursing my mishaps, but rake fire out of the cinders.
Therefore let this suffice, gentle shepherd: my distress is as great
as my travel is dangerous, and I wander in this forest to light on
some cottage where I and my page may dwell: for I mean to buy some
farm, and a flock of sheep, and so become a shepherdess, meaning to
live low, and content me with a country life; for I have heard the
swains say, that they drunk without suspicion, and slept without
care."

"Marry, mistress," quoth Corydon, "if you mean so, you came in good
time, for my landslord intends to sell both the farm I till, and the
flock I keep, and cheap you may have them for ready money: and for a
shepherd's life, O mistress, did you but live awhile in their content,
you would say the court were rather a place of sorrow than of solace.
Here, mistress, shall not fortune thwart you, but in mean misfortunes,
as the loss of a few sheep, which, as it breeds no beggary, so it can
be no extreme prejudice: the next year may mend all with a fresh
increase. Envy stirs not us, we covet not to climb, our desires mount
not above our degrees, nor our thoughts above our fortunes. Care
cannot harbor in our cottages, nor do our homely couches know broken
slumbers: as we exceed not in diet, so we have enough to satisfy: and,
mistress, I have so much Latin, _Satis est quod sufficit_."

"By my troth, shepherd," quoth Aliena, "thou makest me in love with
your country life, and therefore send for thy landslord, and I will
buy thy farm and thy flocks, and thou shalt still under me be overseer
of them both: only for pleasure sake I and my page will serve