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 dead. His schoolemaster seeing his suddaine
change, called his mother, and all the servants of the house with a lowd
voyce. Incontinently every man declared his opinion, touching the death
of the child: but the cruell woman the onely example of stepmothers
malice, was nothing moved by the bitter death of her sonne, or by her
owne conscience of paracide, or by the misfortune of her house, or by
the dolour of her husband, but rather devised the destruction of all her
family. For by and by shee sent a messenger after her husband to tell
him the great misfortune which happened after his departure. And when
lie came home, the wicked woman declared that his sonne had empoysoned
his brother, because he would not consent to his will, and told him
divers other leasings, adding in the end that hee threatned to kill her
likewise, because she discovered the fact: Then the unhappy father was
stroken with double dolour of the death of his two children, for on the
one side he saw his younger sonne slaine before his eyes, on the other
side, he seemed to see the elder condemned to dye for his offence:
Againe, where he beheld his wife lament in such sort, it gave him