Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/104

lxxviii. Vol. 2. This also Mr. Douce has omitted to observe.

CHAPTER XXXI.

The following tale, together with Mr. Douce's remarks, I extract, verbatim, from the second volume of the Illustrations of Shakspeare. It happened in Rome, under the reign of one , according to the MS. It should be premised that the first part of the story resembles Tale LXIX. Vol. I.

"A law was made at Rome that the sentinels of the city should each night examine what was passing in all the houses, so that no private murders should be committed, nor any thing done whereby the city should be endangered. It happened that an old knight named Josias had married a young and beautiful woman who, by the sweetness of her singing, attracted many persons to his house, several of whom came for the purpose of making love to her. Among these were three young men who were high in the emperor's favour. They respectively agreed with the woman for a private assignation, for which she was to receive twenty marks.