Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/261

 and Sentiments. 24: whatever it had feen, for it fpoke uncommonly well the language of the people. Now the burgher's wife was a good-for-nothing woman, and as loon as her hulband went from home about bufinefs, fhe fent for her friend out of the town ; but the pie, which was a great favourite of the burgher, told him all the goings on when he returned, and the hulband knew that it always fpoke the truth. So he became acquainted with his wife's conduft. One day the burgher went from home, and told his wife he iliould not return that night, and Ihe immediately fent for her friend 3 but he was afraid to enter, for "the pie was hung up in his cage on a high perch in the middle of the porch of the houfe." Encouraged, how- ever, by the lady, the friend ventured in, and paiTed through the hall to the chamber. The pie, which faw him pafs, and knew him well on account of fome tricks he had played upon it, called out, " Ah, fir ! you who are in the chamber there, why don't you pay your vifits when the mafter is at home?" It faid no more all the day, but the lady fet her wits to work for a ftratagem to avert the danger. So when night came, flie called her chamber-maiden, and gave her a great jug full of water, and a lighted candle, and a wooden mallet, and about midnight the maiden mounted on the top of the houfe, and began to beat with the mallet on the laths, and from time to time fiiowed the light through the crevices, and threw the water right down upon the pie till the bird was wet all over. Next morning the hulband came home, and began to quellion his pie. "Sir," it faid, "my lady's friend has been here, and flayed all night, and is only juft gone away. I faw him go." Then the hulband was very angry, and was going to quarrel with his wife, but the pie went on — " Sir, it has thundered and lightened all night, and the rain was fo heavy that I have been wet through." " Nay," laid the hulband, " it has been fine all night, without rain or llorm." " You fee," faid the crafty dame, " you fee how much your bird is to be believed. Why Ihould you put more faith in him when he tells tales about me, than when he talks fo knowingly about the weather ? " Then the burgher thought he had been deceived, and turning his wrath upon the pie, drew it from the cage and twifted its neck 5 but he had no fooner done fo than, looking up, he law how the huhs had been deranged. So he got a, , ladder.