Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 2.djvu/153

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the reign of a certain king there lived a proud and oppressive seneschal. Now near the royal palace was a forest well stocked with game; and by the direction of this person various pits were dug there, and covered with leaves, for the purpose of entrapping the beasts. It happened that the seneschal himself went into this forest, and with much exaltation of heart exclaimed internally, "Lives there a being in the empire more powerful than I am?" This braggart thought was scarcely formed, ere he rode upon one of his own pit-falls, and immediately disappeared. The same day had been taken a lion, a monkey, and a serpent. Terrified at the situation