Page:The Perfumed Garden - Burton - 1886.djvu/185

Rh mistress of the house put, without any more ado, this condition before him. "If you do not consent to do with me so and so, I shall tell that you have come in here to violate me, and hence all this noise." "The will of God be done!" said the man, "nobody can go against Him, nor escape from His might." He then tried sundry subterfuges in order to escape, but in vain, for the mistress of the house recommended to scream and make a row, which brought a good many people to the spot. He saw that his reputation would be compromised if he continued his resistance, and surrendered, saying, "Save me, and I am ready to satisfy you!" "Go into this chamber and close the door behind you," said the lady of the house, "if you want to leave this house with honour, and do not attempt to escape unless you wish those people to know that you are the author of all this commotion." When he saw how determined she was to have her way, he did as she had told him. She, on her part, went out to the neighbors that had come to help her, and giving them some kind of explanation, dismissed them. They went away condoling with her.

Left alone, she shut the doors and returned to her unwilling lover. She kept him in sequestration for a whole week, and only set him free after she had completely drained him.

Learn from this the deceitfulness of women, and what they are capable of.

The story goes that a man, a street porter who was married, had an ass which he employed in his business. His wife was very fat and corpulent, and had a very plump,