and when his father married
a new wife, and had another child of the age of xii. yeares. The
stepdame was more excellent in beauty then honesty: for she loved this
young man her sonne in law, either because she was unchast by nature,
or because she was enforced by fate of stepmother, to commit so great a
mischiefe. Gentle reader, thou shalt not read of a fable, but rather a
tragedy: This woman when her love began first to kindle in her heart,
could easily resist her desire and inordinate appetite by reason
of shame and feare, lest her intent should be knowne: But after it
compassed and burned every part of her brest, she was compelled to yeeld
unto the raging flame of Cupid, and under colour of the disease and
infirmity of her body, to conceale the wound of her restlesse mind.
Every man knoweth well the signes and tokens of love, and the malady
convenient to the same: Her countenance was pale, her eyes sorrowfull,
her knees weake, and there was no comfort in her, but continuall weeping
and sobbing, insomuch that you would have thought that she had some
spice of an ague, saving that she wept unmeasurably: the Phisitians
knew not her disease, when they felt the beating of her veines, the
intemperance of her heart, the sobbing sighes, and her often tossing of
every side: No, no, the cunning Phisitian knew it not, but a scholler of
Venus Court might easily conjecture the whole. After that she had beene
long time tormented in her affliction, and was no more able to conceale
her ardent desire, shee caused her sonne to be called for, (which word
son she would faine put away if it were not for shame:) Then he nothing
disobedient to the commandement of his mother, with a sad and modest
countenance, came into the chamber of his stepdame, the mother of his
brother, but she speaking never a word was in great doubt what she might
doe, and could not tell what to say first, by reason of shame. The young
man suspecting no ill, with humble courtesie demanded the cause of her
present disease. Then she having found an occasion to utter her intent,
with weeping eyes and covered face, began boldly to speake unto him in
this manner: Thou, thou, art the originall cause of all my dolour:
Thou art my comfort and onely health, for those thy comely eyes are
so enfastned within my brest, that unlesse they succour me, I shall
certainly die: Have pitty therefore upon me, be not the occasion of my
destruction, neither let my conscience reclaime to off