ot, must needs be exceeding pleasing to
you, for that I believe you all to be in love.

There was, then, in the island of Cyprus, (as we have read aforetime
in the ancient histories of the Cypriots,) a very noble gentleman, by
name Aristippus, who was rich beyond any other of the country in all
temporal things and might have held himself the happiest man alive,
had not fortune made him woeful in one only thing, to wit, that
amongst his other children he had a son who overpassed all the other
youths of his age in stature and goodliness of body, but was a
hopeless dullard and well nigh an idiot. His true name was Galesus,
but for that neither by toil of teacher nor blandishment nor beating
of his father nor study nor endeavour of whatsoever other had it been
found possible to put into his head any inkling of letters or good
breeding and that he had a rough voice and an uncouth and manners more
befitting a beast than a man, he was of well nigh all by way of
mockery called Cimon, which in their tongue signified as much as brute
beast in ours. His father brooked his wastrel life with the most
grievous concern and having presently given over all hope of him, he
bade him begone to his country house[263] and there abide with his
husbandmen, so he might not still have before him the cause of his
chagrin; the which was very agreeable to Cimon, for that the manners
and usages of clowns and churls were much more to his liking than
those of the townsfolk.

[Footnote 263: Or farm (_villa_).]

Cimon, then, betaking himself to the country and there employing
himself in the things that pertained thereto, it chanced one day,
awhile after noon, as he passed from one farm to another, with his
staff on his shoulder, that he entered a very fair coppice which was
in those parts and which was then all in leaf, for that it was the
month of May. Passing therethrough, he happened (even as his fortune
guided him thither) upon a little mead compassed about with very high
trees, in one corner whereof was a very clear and cool spring, beside
which he saw a very fair damsel asleep upon the green grass, with so
thin a garment upon her body that it hid well nigh nothing of her
snowy flesh. She was covered only from the waist down with a very
white and light coverlet; and at her feet slept on like wise two women
and a man, her servants. When Cimon espied the young lady, he halted
and leaning upon his staff, fell, without saying a word, to gazing
most