You shall understand that on a day this Barbarus preparing himself to ride abroad, and willing to keep the chastity of his wife (whom he so well loved) alone to himself, called his man Myrmex (whose faith he had tried and proved in many things) and secretly committed to him the custody of his wife, willing him that he should threaten, that if any man did but touch her with his finger as he passed by, he would not only put him in prison, and bind him hand and foot, but also cause him to be put to death, or else to be famished for lack of sustenance, which words he confirmed by an oath of all the gods in heaven, and so departed away: When Barbarus was gone, Myrmex being greatly astonied of his master’s threatenings, would not suffer his mistress to go abroad, but as she sat all day a-spinning, he was so careful that he sat by her; when night came he went with her to the baines, holding her by the garment, so faithful he was to fulfill the commandment of his master: howbeit the beauty of this matron could not be hidden from the burning eyes of Philesiterus, who considering her great chastity and how she was diligently kept by Myrmex, thought it impossible to have his purpose, yet (endeavouring by all kind of means to enterprise the matter, and remembering the fragility of man, that might be enticed and corrupted with money, since as by gold the adamant gates may be opened) on a day, when he found Myrmex alone, he discovered his love, desiring him to show his favour, (otherwise he should certainly die) with assurance that he need not to fear when as he might privily be let in and out in the night, without knowledge of any person. When he thought, with these and other gentle words to allure and prick forward the obstinate mind of Myrmex he showed him glittering gold in his hand, saying that he would give his mistress twenty crowns and him ten, but Myrmex hearing these words, was greatly troubled, abhorring in his mind to commit such a mischief: wherefore he stopped his ears, and turning his head departed away: howbeit the glittering view of these crowns could never be out of his mind, but being at home he seemed to see the money before his eyes, which was so worthy a prey, wherefore poor Myrmex being in diverse opinions could not tell what to do, for on the one side he considered the promise which he made to his master, and the punishment that should ensue if he did contrary. On the other side he thought of the gain, and the passing pleasure of the crowns of gold; in the end the desire of the money did more prevail than the fear of death, for the beauty of the flourishing crowns did so stick in his mind, that where the menaces of his master compelled him to tarry at home, the pestilent avarice of gold egged him outdoors, wherefore putting all shame aside, without further delay, he declared all the whole matter to his mistress, who according to the nature of a woman, when she heard him speak of so great a sum she bound chastity in a string, and gave authority to Myrmex to rule her in that case. Myrmex seeing the intent of his mistress, was very glad, and for great desire of the gold, he ran hastily to Philesiterus, declaring that his mistress was consented to his mind, wherefore he demanded the gold which he promised. Then incontinently Philesiterus delivered him ten crowns, and when night came, Myrmex brought him disguised into his mistress’ chamber. About midnight when he and she were naked together, making sacrifice unto the goddess Venus, behold her husband (contrary to their expectation) came and knocked at the door, calling with a loud voice to his servant Myrmex: whose long tarrying increased the suspicion of his master, in such sort that he threatened to beat Myrmex cruelly: but he being troubled with fear, and driven to his latter shifts, excused the matter saying: that he could not find the key: by reason it was so dark. In the mean season Philesiterus hearing the noise at the door, slipped on his coat and privily ran out of the Chamber. When Myrmex had opened the door to his Master that threatened terribly, and had let him in, he went into the chamber to his wife: in the mean while Myrmex let out Philesiterus, and barred the doors fast, and went again to bed. The next morning when Barbarus awaked, he perceived two unknown slippers lying under his bed, which Philesiterus had forgotten when he went away. Then he conceived a great suspicion and jealousy in mind, howbeit he would not discover it to his wife, neither to any other person, but putting secretly the slippers into his bosom, commanded his other servants to bind Myrmex incontinently, and to bring him bound to the justice after him, thinking verily that by the mean of the slippers he might boult out the matter. It fortuned that while Barbarus went towards the justice in a fury and rage, and Myrmex fast bound, followed him weeping, not because he was accused before his master, but by reason he knew his own conscience guilty: behold by adventure Philesiterus (going about earnest business) fortuned to meet with them by the way, who fearing the matter which he committed the night before, and doubting lest it should be known, did suddenly invent a mean to excuse Myrmex, for he ran upon him and beat him about the head with his fists, saying: Ah mischievous varlet that thou art, and perjured knave. It were a good deed if the goddess and thy master here, would put thee to death, for thou art worthy to be imprisoned and to wear out these irons, that stealest my slippers away when thou werest at my baines yesternight. Barbarus hearing this returned incontinently home, and called his servant Myrmex, commanding him to deliver the slippers again to the right owner.

The old woman had scant finished her tale when the baker’s wife gan say: Verily she is blessed and most blessed, that hath the fruition of so worthy a lover, but as for me poor miser, I am fallen into the hands of a coward, who is not only afraid of my husband but also of every clap of the mill, and dares not do nothing, before the blind face of yonder scabbed ass. Then the old woman answered, I promise you certainly if you will, you shall have this young man at your pleasure, and therewithal when night came, she departed out of her chamber. In the mean season, the baker’s wife made ready a supper with abundance of wine and exquisite fare: so that there lacked nothing, but the coming of the young man, for her husband supped at one of her neighbours houses. When time came that my harness should be taken off and that I should rest myself, I was not so joyful of my liberty, as when the veil was taken from mine eyes, I should see all the abomination of this mischievous quean. When night was come and the sun gone down, behold the old bawd and the young man, who seemed to be but a child, by reason he had no beard, came to the door. Then the baker’s wife kissed him a thousand times and received him courteously, placed him down at the table: but he had scarce eaten the first morsel, when the good man (contrary to his wive’s expectation) returned home, for she thought he would not have come so soon: but Lord how she cursed him, praying God that he might break his neck at the first entry in. In the mean season, she caught her lover and thrust him into the bin where she bolted her flour, and dissembling the matter, finally came to her husband demanding why he came home so soon. I could not abide (quoth he) to see so great a mischief and wicked fact, which my neighbour’s wife committed, but I must run away: oh harlot as she is, how hath she dishonoured her husband, I swear by the goddess Ceres, that if I had [not] seen it with mine eyes, I would never I have believed it. His wife desirous to know the matter, desired him to tell what she had done: then he accorded to the request of his wife, and ignorant of the estate of his own house, declared the mischance of another. You shall understand (quoth he) that the wife of the fuller my companion, who seemed to me a wise and chaste woman, regarding her own honesty and profit of her house, was found this night with her knave. For while we went to wash our hands, he and she were together: who being troubled with our presence ran into a corner, and she thrust him into a mow made with twigs, appointed to lay on cloths to make them white with the smoke of fume and brimstone. Then she sat down with us at the table to colour the matter: in the mean season the young man covered in the mow, could not forbear sneezing, by reason of the smoke of the brimstone. The good man thinking it had been his wife that sneezed, cried, Christ help. But when he sneezed more, he suspected the matter, and willing to know who it was, rose from the table, and went to the mow, where he found a young man well-nigh dead with smoke. When he understood the whole matter, he was so inflamed with anger that he called for a sword to kill him, and undoubtedly he had killed him, had I not restrained his violent hands from his purpose, assuring him, that his enemy would die with the force of his brimstone, without the harm which he should do. Howbeit my words would not appease his fury, but as necessity required he took the young man well-nigh choked, and carried him out at the doors. In the mean season, I counselled his wife to absent herself at some of her Neighbours’ houses, till the choler of her husband was pacified, lest he should be moved against her, as he was against the young man. And so being weary of their supper, I forthwith returned home. When the baker had told his tale, his impudent wife began to curse and abhor the wife of the fuller, and generally all other wives, which abandon their bodies with any other then with their own husbands, breaking the faith and bond of marriage, whereby she said, they were worthy to be burned alive. But knowing her own guilty conscience and proper whoredom, lest her lover should be hurt lying in the bin, she willed her husband to go to bed, but he having eaten nothing, said that he would sup before he went to rest: whereby she was compelled to meager her eyes, to set such things on the table as she had prepared for her lover.

But I, considering the great mischief of this wicked quean, devised with myself how I might reveal the matter to my master, and by kicking away the cover of the bin (where like a snail the young man was couched) to make her whoredom apparent and known. At length I was aided by the providence of God, for there was an old man to whom the custody of us was committed, that drave me poor ass, and the other horses the same time to the water to drink; then had I good occasion ministered, 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 bin, and lifting up my heels, I spurned off the flesh with the force of my hoofs, whereby he was compelled to cry out, and to throw down the bin on the ground, and so the whoredom of the baker’s wife was known and revealed. The Baker seeing this was not a little moved at the dishonesty of his wife, but he took the young man trembling for fear by the hand, and with cold and courteous words spake in this sort: Fear not my son, nor think that I am so barbarous or cruel a person, that I would stifle 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 fair and comely a young man as you be, but we will divide our pleasure between us, by lying all three in one bed, to the end there may be no debate nor dissention between us, but that either of us may be contented, for I have always lived with my wife in such tranquillity, that according to the saying of the wise men, whatsoever I say, she holdeth for law, and indeed equity will not suffer, but that the husband should bear 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 the young man, while he scourged his buttocks well-favouredly with rods like a child. When he had well beaten him, he said: Art not thou ashamed, thou that art so tender and delicate a child, to desire the violation of honest marriages, and to defame thyself with wicked living, whereby thou hast gotten the name of an adulterer? After he had spoken these and like words, he whipped him again, and chased him out of his house. The young man who was the comeliest of all the adulterers, ran away, and did nothing else that night save only bewail his striped and painted buttocks. Soon after the baker sent one to his wife, who divorced her away in his name, but she beside her own natural mischief, (offended at this great contumely, though she had worthily deserved the same) had recourse to wicked arts and trumpery, never ceasing until she had found out an enchantress, who (as it was thought) could do what she would with her sorcery and conjuration. The baker’s wife began to entreat her, promising that she would largely recompence her, if she could bring one of these things to pass, either to make that her husband may be reconciled to her again, or else if he would not agree thereto, to send an ill spirit into him, to dispossess the spirit of her husband. Then the witch with her abominable science, began to conjure and to make her ceremonies, to turn the heart of the baker to his wife, but all was in vain, wherefore considering on the one side that she could not bring her purpose to pass, and on the other side the loss of her gain, she ran hastily to the baker, threatening to send an evil spirit to kill him, by mean of her conjurations. But peradventure some scrupulous reader may demand me a question, how I, being an ass, and tied always in the mill house, could know the secrets of these women: verily I answer, notwithstanding my shape of an ass, I had the sense and knowledge of a man, and curiously endeavoured to know out such injuries as were done to my master. About no one there came a woman into the millhouse, very sorrowful, raggedly attired, with bare feet, meager, ill-favoured, and her hair scattering upon her face: this woman took the baker by the hand, and feigning that she had some secret matter to tell him, went into a chamber, where they remained a good space, till all the corn was ground, when as the servants were compelled to call their master to give them more corn, but when they had called very often, and no person gave answer, they began to mistrust, insomuch that they brake open the door: when they were come in, they could not find the woman, but only their master hanging dead upon a rafter of the chamber, whereupon they cried and lamented greatly, and according to the custom, when they had washed themselves, they took the body and buried it. The next day morrow, the daughter of the baker, which was married but a little before to one of the next village, came crying and beating her breast, not because she heard of the death of her father by any man, but because his lamentable spirit, with a halter about his neck appeared to her in the night, declaring the whole circumstance of his death, and how by enchantment he was descended into hell, which caused her to think that her father was dead. After that she had lamented a good space, and was somewhat comforted by the servants of the house, and when nine days were expired, as inheritrix to her father, she sold away all the substance of the house, whereby the goods chanced into diverse men’s hands.