any wise
make no noyse." When he had so done, he opened the dore and
called in his olde seruaunt, and sayde vnto him: "Diddest not
thou warrant and assure me that thou wouldest let me see my
Clarke and wyfe in bedde together? And vppon thy words I am come
hether, thinking to haue killed my wife, and doe finde nothing
to be true of that which thou diddest tell me. For I haue
searched the chamber in euery place as I will shewe thee." And
with that he caused his seruant to looke vnder the beddes, and
in euery corner. And when the seruant founde him not, throughly
astonned, he sayde to his maister: "Sir, I sawe him goe into the
chamber, and out he is not gone at the dore: and so farre as I
can see he is not here: therefore I thinke the Diuel must nedes
carrie him awaye." Then his maister rebuked him in these words:
"Thou art a villayn, to set such diuision betwene my wife and
me, wherefore I doe discharge thee from my seruice, and for that
which thou hast done me, I will paye the thy dutie, with the
aduauntage: therefore get thee hence, and take hede that thou
doest not tarrie in this town aboue XXIIII. houres." The
President for that he knew him to be an honest and faithfull
seruaunt, gaue him five or sixe yeares wages, and purposed
otherwise to preferre him. When the seruaunt (with ill will and
weping teares) was departed, the President caused his Clark to
come out of his Closet: and after he had declared to his wife
and him, what hee thought of their ill behauiour, he forbad them
to shewe no likelyhode of any such matter, and commaunded his
wyfe to attire and dresse her selfe in more gorgeous apparell,
than she was wont to weare, and to haunt and resort to company
and feastes, willing the Clarke to make a better countenaunce on
the matter then hee did before, but whensoeuer he rounded him in
the eare and bad him depart, he charged him after that
commaundement not to tarry foure houres in the towne. And when
he had thus done, he retourned to the palace Courte, as though
there hadde no sutche thing chaunced. And the space of fiftene
dayes (contrary to his custome) he feasted his frendes and
neighbours, and after euery those bankettes, he caused the
minstrels to play, to make the Gentlewomen daunce. One daye he
seing his wife not to daunce, he commaunded his Clarke to take
her by the hande, and to leade her forth to daunce, who thinking
the President had forgotten the trespasse past, very ioyfully
daunced with her. But w