after him
and chased him so long that she had lost him, and (he hoped) more
than half given him over. Having then some time to talk, and
meeting with another of his fellows, he fell into deliberation with
him as to what it were best for him to do--whether to run on still
and fly farther from her, or to turn again and fight with her. The
other hart advised him to fly no farther, lest the bitch might
happen to find him again when he would be out of breath by the
labour of farther fleeing, and thereby all out of strength too, and
so would he be killed lying where he could not stir himself.
Whereas, if he would turn and fight, he would be in no peril at
all. "For the man with whom she hunteth," he said, "is more than a
mile behind her. And she is but a little body, scant half so much
as thou, and thy horns can thrust her through before she can touch
thy flesh, by more than ten times her tooth-length." "By my troth,"
quoth the other hart, "I like your counsel well, and methinketh
that the thing is even soothly as you say. But I fear me that when
I hear once that cursed bitch bark, I shall fall to my feet and
forget all together. But yet, if you will go back with me, then
methinketh we shall be strong enough against that one bitch between
us both." The other hart agreed, and they both appointed them
thereon. But even as they were about to busk them forward to it,
the bitch had found the scent again, and on she came yalping toward
the place. And as soon as the harts heard her, off they went both
twain apace!

And in good faith, uncle, even so I fear it would fare by myself
and many others too. Though we think it reason, what you say, and
in our minds agree that we should do as you say--yea, and
peradventure think also that we would indeed do as you say--yet as
soon as we should once hear those hell-hounds the Turks come
yalping and howling upon us, our hearts should soon fall as clean
from us as those other harts fled from the hounds.

ANTHONY: Cousin, in those days that AEsop speaketh of, though those
harts and other brute beasts had (if he say sooth) the power to
speak and talk, and in their talking power to talk reason too, yet
they never had given them the power to follow reason and rule
themselves thereby. And in good faith, cousin, as for such things
as pertain to the conducting of reasonable men to salvation, I
think that without the help of grace men's reasoning shall do
little more. But then are we sure, as I sa