do it for pride
or anger no tribulation, or that they should not need, in so great
a distress and peril, both of body and soul to be lost, no manner
of good ghostly comfort.

ANTHONY: Let us therefore, cousin, consider an example or two,
for thereby shall we better perceive it.

There was here in Buda in King Ladilaus' days, a good poor honest
man's wife. This woman was so fiendish that the devil, perceiving
her nature, put her in the mind that she should anger her husband
so sore that she might give him occasion to kill her, and then
should he be hanged because of her.

VINCENT: This was a strange temptation indeed! What the devil
should she be the better then?

ANTHONY: Nothing, but that it eased her shrewish stomach
beforehand, to think that her husband should be hanged afterward.
And peradventure, if you look about the world and consider it
well, you shall find more such stomachs than a few. Have you never
heard a furious body plainly say that, to see such-and-such man
have a mischief, he would with good will be content to lie as long
in hell as God liveth in heaven?

VINCENT: Forsooth, and some such have I heard.

ANTHONY: This mind of his was not much less mad than hers, but
rather perhaps the more mad of the twain. For the woman
peradventure did not cast so far peril therein.

But to tell you now to what good pass her charitable purpose came:
As her husband (the man was a carpenter) stood hewing with his
chip axe upon a piece of timber, she began after her old guise to
revile him so that he waxed wroth at last, and bade her get
herself in or he would lay the helm of his axe about her back. And
he said also that it would be little sin even with that axe head
to chop off the unhappy head of hers that carried such an
ungracious tongue in it. At that word the devil took his time and
whetted her tongue against her teeth. And when it was well
sharpened she swore to him in very fierce anger, "By the mass,
whoreson husband, I wish thou wouldst! Here lieth my head, lo,"
and with that down she laid her head upon the same timber log. "If
thou smite it not off, I beshrew thine whoreson's heart!" With
that, likewise as the devil stood at her elbow, so stood (as I
heard say) his good angel at his, and gave him ghostly courage and
bade him be bold and do it. And so the good man up with his chip
axe and at a chop he chopped off her head indeed.

There were other folk standing by, who had a good sport to hear
h