abashed, at the feare of so great a judgment, or at the presence of the
Judges, or at his owne guilty conscience, which hee so finely fained,
but with a bold countenance presented himselfe before the justices and
confirmed the accusation against the young man, saying: O yee judges, on
a day when this young man loathed and hated his stepmother, hee called
mee, desiring mee to poyson his brother, whereby hee might revenge
himselfe, and if I would doe it and keepe the matter secret, hee
promised to give me a good reward for my paines: but when the young man
perceived that I would not accord to his will, he threatned to slay mee,
whereupon hee went himselfe and bought poyson, and after tempered it
with wine, and then gave it me to give the child, which when I refused
he offered it to his brother with his own hands. When the varlet with a
trembling countenance had ended these words which seemed a likelihood
of truth, the judgement was ended: neither was there found any judge or
counsellor, so mercifull to the young man accused, as would not judge
him culpable, but that he should be put and sowne in a skin, with
a dogge, a Cocke, a Snake, and an Ape, according to the law against
parricides: wherefore they wanted nothing but (as the ancient custome
was) to put white stones and black into a pot, and to take them out
againe, to see whether the young-man accused should be acquitted by
judgment or condemned, which was a thing irrevocable.

In the mean season he was delivered to the hands of the executioner. But
there arose a sage and ancient Physitian, a man of a good conscience
and credit throughout all the City, that stopped the mouth of the
pot wherein the stones were cast, saying: I am right glad ye reverend
judges, that I am a man of name and estimation amongst you, whereby I am
accompted such a one as will not suffer any person to be put to death by
false and untrue accusations, considering there hath bin no homicide
or murther committed by this yong man in this case, neither you (being