breaking the faith and bond
of marriage, whereby she said, they were worthy to be burned alive. But
knowing her owne guilty conscience and proper whoredome, lest her lover
should be hurt lying in the bin, she willed her husband to goe to bed,
but he having eaten nothing, said that he would sup before he went to
rest: whereby shee was compelled to maugre her eies, to set such things
on the Table as she had prepared for her lover.

But I, considering the great mischiefe of this wicked queane, devised
with my selfe how I might reveale the matter to my Master, and by
kicking away the cover of the binne (where like a Snaile the young-man
was couched) to make her whoredome apparent and knowne. At length I was
ayded by the providence of God, for there was an old man to whom the
custody of us was committed, that drave me poore Asse, and the other
Horses the same time to the water to drinke; then had I good occasion
ministred, to revenge the injury of my master, for as I passed by, I
perceived the fingers of the young-man upon the side of the binne,
and lifting up my heeles, I spurned off the flesh with the force of
my hoofes, whereby he was compelled to cry out, and to throw downe the
binne on the ground, and so the whoredome of the Bakers wife was knowne
and revealed. The Baker seeing this was not a little moved at the
dishonesty of his wife, but hee tooke the young-man trembling for feare
by the hand, and with cold and courteous words spake in this sort: Feare
not my Sonne, nor thinke that I am so barbarous or cruell a person,
that I would stiffle thee up with the smoke of Sulphur as our neighbour
accustometh, nor I will not punish thee according to the rigour of the
law of Julia, which commandeth the Adulterers should be put to death:
No no, I will not execute my cruelty against so faire and comely a young
man as you be, but we will devide our pleasure betweene us, by lying
all three in one bed, to the end there may be no debate nor dissention
betweene us, but that either of us may be contented, for I have alwayes
lived with my wife in such tranquillity, that according to the saying
of the wisemen, whatsoever I say, she holdeth for law, and indeed equity
will not suffer, but that the husband should beare more authority then
the wife: with these and like words he led the young-man to his Chamber,
and closed his wife in another Chamber. On the next morrow, he called
two of the most sturdiest Servants of his house, who held up t