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The Golden Asse by Lucius Apuleius
page 207 of 232 (89%)
disposed woman, with resemblance of honesty, answered her with gentle
words, and promised to give her the fifty peeces of gold, if she would
fetch her a little of that same drinke, to proceed and make an end of
all her enterprise. The Physitians wife partly to winne the further
favour of this rich woman, and partly to gaine the money, ranne
incontinently home, and brought her a whole roote of poyson, which
when she saw, having now occasion to execute her further malice, and
to finish the damnable plot, began to stretch out her bloody hands
to murther. She had a daughter by her husband (that was poysoned) who
according to order of law, was appointed heire of all the lands and
goods of her father: but this woman knowing that the mothers succoured
their children, and received all their goods after their death, purposed
to shew her selfe a like parent to her child, as she was a wife to
her husband, whereupon she prepared a dinner with her owne hands, and
empoysoned both the wife of the Physitian and her owne daughter: The
child being young and tender dyed incontinently by force of the drinke,
but the Physitians wife being stout and strong of complexion, feeling
the poison to trill down into her body, doubted the matter, and
thereupon knowing of certainty that she had received her bane,
ran forthwith to the judges house, that what with her cryes, and
exclamations, she raised up the people of the towne, and promising them
to shew divers wicked and mischievous acts, caused that the doores and
gates were opened. When she came in she declared from the beginning to
the end the abhomination of this woman: but shee had scarce ended her
tale, when opening her falling lips, and grinding her teeth together,
she fell downe dead before the face of the Judge, who incontinently to
try the truth of the matter, caused the cursed woman, and her servants
to be pulled out of the house, and enforced by paine of torment to
confesse the verity, which being knowne, this mischievous woman farre
lesse then she deserved, but because there could be no more cruell a
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