end thy father,
when as thou shalt save the life of thy mother. Moreover since thou dost
resemble thy fathers shape in every point, it giveth me cause the more
to fancy thee: Now is ministred unto thee time and place: Now hast thou
occasion to worke thy will, seeing that we are alone. And it is a common
saying:

Never knowne, never done.

This young man troubled in mind at so suddaine an ill, although hee
abhorred to commit so beastly a crime, yet hee would not cast her off
with a present deniall, but warily pacified her mind with delay of
promise. Wherefore he promised to doe all according to her desire:
And in the meane season, he willed his mother to be of good cheere, and
comfort her selfe till as he might find some convenient time to come
unto her, when his father was ridden forth: Wherewithall hee got him
away from the pestilent sight of his stepdame. And knowing that this
matter touching the ruine of all the whole house needed the counsell
of wise and grave persons, he went incontinently to a sage old man and
declared the whole circumstance of the matter. The old man after long
deliberation, thought there was no better way to avoyd the storme of
cruell fortune to come, then to run away. In the meane season this
wicked woman impatient of her love, and the long delay of her sonne,
egged her husband to ride abroad into farre countreyes. And then she
asked the young-man the accomplishment of his promise, but he to rid
himselfe entirely from her hands, would find alwayes excuses, till in
the end she understood by the messengers that came in and out, that he
nothing regarded her. Then she by how much she loved him before, by so
much and more she hated him now. And by and by she called one of her
servants, ready to all mischiefes: To whom she declared all her secrets.
And there it was concluded betweene them two, that the surest way was
to kill the young man: Whereupon this varlet went incontinently to buy
poyson, which he mingled with wine, to the intent he would give it to
the young man to drinke, and thereby presently to kill him. But while
they were in deliberation how they might offer it unto him, behold here
happened a strange adventure. For the young sonne of the woman that came
from schoole at noone (being very thirsty) tooke the pot wherein the
poyson was mingled, and ignorant of the venim, dranke a good draught
thereof, which was prepared to kill his brother: whereby he presently
fell downe to the ground dea