visage bloubered with teares, in suche sorte that she
hath welny wept out both her eies) is constrained by
her parentes to put out of remembrance the unfortu-
nate losse and lacke of thee at home, and (against
her will) to take a newe husbande. And doest thou
live here as a ghost or hegge, to our great shame
and ignomie? Then answeared he to me, and said:
0 my friende Aristomenus, now perceave I well that
you are ignorant of the whirlinge chaunges, the
unstable forces, and slipperie inconstance of fortune:
and therewithall he covered his face (even then
blushing for very shame) with his rugged mantell, in
so much that from his navell downward he appeared
al naked. But I (not willing to see him any lenger
in suche great miserie and calamitie) toke him by the
hande and lifted him up from the grounde: who
(having his face covered in such sorte) let fortune
(quoth he) triumphe yet more, let her have her
sway, and finishe that whiche she hath begunne.
And therwithall I put of one of my garmentes and
covered him, and immediatly I brought him to the
baine, and caused him to be annointed, wiped, and
the filthie skurfe of his body to be rubbed away;
whiche done (although I weare very wery my selfe)
yet I ledde the poore miser to my Inne, where he
reposed his bodie upon a bedde, and then I brought
him meate and drinke, and so we talked together:
for there we might be mery and laugh at our pleasure,
and so we weare, untill suche time as he (fetching a
pitifull sighe from the bottom of his harte, and beatinge
his face in miserable sorte) began to say.