go to maister Ansaldo,
and if thou canest by any meanes to vse thy selfe (as thyne
honour saued) thou mayst discharge thy promise, I shall commende
thy wit: but if there be no remedye otherwyse, for that onely
time then lende forth thy Body and not thy wyll." The
gentlewoman hearyng hir husband so wisely speake, could doe
nought else but weepe, and sayd, that she would not agree to his
requeste. Notwythstanding, it pleased the husband (for al the
denial whych his wife did make) that it shoulde be so: by meanes
wherof, the next morning vpon the point of day the Gentlewoman
in the homliest attire she had, with two of hir seruantes
before, and hir mayde behinde, wente to the lodging of maister
Ansaldo, who when he hearde tell that hys Louer was come to see
hym, maruelled mutch, and rising vp, called the Necromancer, and
sayde vnto him: "My wyll is, that thou see how mutch thyne arte
hath preuailed:" and going vnto hir, without any disordinate
lust, he saluted hir wyth reuerence, and honestly receiued hir.
Then they entred into a faire Chamber, and sittyng downe before
a great fire, he sayde vnto hir these Wordes: "Madame, I humbly
beseeche you, if the loue which I haue borne you of long time,
and yet doe beare, deserue some recompence, that it please you
to tell me vnfainedly the cause which haue made you to come
hither thus early, and with such a company." The shamefast
Gentlewoman, hir eyes ful of teares, made answere: "Sir, the
loue which I beare you, nor any promised faith haue brought me
hither, but rather the only commaundement of my husband, who
hath greater respect to the payne and trauaile of your
disordinate loue, than to his own honour or my reputation, who
hath caused me to come hither, and by hys commaundement am redy
for this once to satisfie your pleasure." If Mayster Ansaldo
were abashed at the begynnyng, be much more did maruell when he
hearde the Gentlewoman thus to speake, and moued with the
liberality of hir husband, he began to chaunge his heate into
compassion, and said: "Mistresse, God defend if it be true that
you do say, that I should soyle the honour of hym, whych hath
pity vpon my loue, and therefore you may tarrie here so long as
it shall please you, with sutch assurance of your honesty as if
you were my naturall sister, and frankly may depart when you be
disposed, vpon sutch condicion, that you render in my behalf
those thanks vnto your husband which you shal thinke conuenient,
for the grea