body: howbeit he fell not downe to the ground. For the speare that came
out at his backe ran into the earth, and sustained him up. By and by
came one of these tyrants servants the most sturdiest of the rest to
helpe his master, who at the first comming tooke up a stone and threw at
the third brother, but by reason the stone ran along his arme it did not
hurt him, which chanced otherwise then all mens expectation was: by and
by the young man feigning that his arme was greatly wounded, spake these
words unto the cruell bloud sucker: Now maist thou, thou wretch, triumph
upon the destruction of all our family, now hast thou fed thy insatiable
cruelty with the bloud of three brethren, now maist thou rejoyce at the
fall of us Citizens, yet thinke not but that how farre thou dost remove
and extend the bounds of thy land, thou shalt have some neighbor, but
how greatly am I sorry in that I have lost mine arme wherewithall I
minded to cut off thy head. When he had spoken these words, the furious
theefe drew out his dagger, and running upon the young man thought
verily to have slaine him, but it chanced otherwise: For the young man
resisted him stoutly, and in buckling together by violence wrested the
dagger out of his hand: which done, he killed the rich theefe with his
owne weapon, and to the intent the young man would escape the hands of
the servants which came running to assist their master, with the same
dagger he cut his owne throat. These things were signified by the
strange and dreadfull wondres which fortuned in the house of the good
man, who after he had heard these sorrowfull tydings could in no wise
weepe, so farre was he stroken with dolour, but presently taking his
knife wherewith he cut his cheese and other meate before, he cut his
owne throat likewise, in such sort that he fell upon the bord and
imbraced the table with the streames of his blond, in most miserable
manner. Hereby was my master the Gardener deprived of his hope, and
paying for his dinner the watry teares of his eyes, mounted upon my
backe and so we went homeward the same way as wee came.