Page:Merry tales of the wise men of Gotham (11).pdf/13

Wise Men of Gotham.13 girl seeing her master in a deep study, said, What the devil ails the horse in the stable? He bleeds prodigiously, The man ran into the stable, and found the horse's tail was cut off, then going to his bed, he found the sheers wrapped up in his horse's tail. He then went to his wife, saying, I crave thy mercy, for I intended to cut off thy hair, but have cut off my own horse's tail. Yea, said she, self-do, self-have. Many men think to do a bad turn, but it turneth oft-times to themselves.

TALE XIII.

A man of Gotham laid his wife a wager, that she could not make him a cuckold. No! said she, but I can. Do not spare me, said he, but do what you can. On a time she had hid all the spiggots and fausets, and going into the buttery, set the barrel a broach, and cried to her spouse, Pray bring me a spiggot and fauset, or else the ale will all run out. He sought up and down, but could not find one. Come here then, said she, and put thy finger in the tap-hole. Then she called a taylor with whom she had made a bargain. Soon after, she came to her husband,