aesop's fables

"❁the woman and the knight

a poor man and a woman loved each other greatly. sadly the man died, and as men carried him into his grave, without a tomb, to be buried, his wife made great sorrow and wept pitifully.

and when he was buried, she would abide still upon the grave. she made a little lodge next to his grave. and out of this lodge she would never depart.

now it befell in the town that a criminal was condemned to be hanged. but then suddenly, it was decided that he should not be taken to the gallows. it was then commanded that a knight should keep him under watch. and as the knight kept him, great thirst took the criminal.

the knight went the lodge of the sad woman; he pursued her and prayed for her to give him some drink. and she with good heart gave him water. and the knight drank with great appetite as he, too, had great thirst, and when he had drank he turned again to the gallows ward.

this knight came another time to the woman for to comfort her, and three more times he did so. and as the knight was going and coming, the criminal escaped.

when the knight went to the gallows & saw that he had lost the man, he was very embarrassed. but the man was not gone. the criminal was found, and both him and the knight were charged to be hanged.

this knight then turned and went again to the sad woman and knelt at her feet. and she demanded of him, "my friend, what must I do for you?"

alas, said he, "I ask that you help me now at my great need, for because I have not kept my thief well. he has escaped, and the king shall put me to death."

and after a moment the woman said "have no dread, my friend, for I shall find the gallows where you should be hanged. we shall take my husband and shall hang his body instead of you."

then she began to take her husband out of the earth and at night she hanged him at the gallows instead of the knight. after it was done, she said to the knight, "my right dear friend, I pray that this be kept well secret."

the dead men have some who are sorrowful for them, but that sorrow is soon gone and passed. and they who are to be dead have some which dread them, but their dread vanishes when they are dead.