Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine | Page 8

to their embrace.
ONE night the lady said, with eager eyes,
My dear, among our
servants, which d'ye prize,
For moral conduct most and upright heart?

To this her spouse replied, the faithful part
Is with the falc'ner
found, I must decide:
To him my life I'd readily confide.
THEN you are wrong, said she,--most truly so,
For he's a
good-for-nothing wretch I know;
You'll scarcely credit it, but t'other
day,
He had the barefaced impudence to say,
He loved me much,
and then his passion pressed:
I'd nearly fallen, I was so distressed.

To tear his eyes out, I designed at first,
And e'en to choke this wretch,
of knaves the worst; By prudence solely was I then restrained,
For
fear the world should think his point was gained.
THE better then to prove his dark intent,
I feigned an inclination to
consent,
And in the garden, promised as to-night,
I'd near the
pear-tree meet this roguish wight.
Said I, my husband never moves
from hence;
No jealous fancy, but to show the sense
He entertains

of my pure, virtuous life,
And fond affection for a loving wife.

Thus circumstanced, your wishes see are vain,
Unless when he's
asleep a march I gain,
And softly stealing from his torpid side,
With
trembling steps I, to my lover, glide.
So things remain, my dear; an
odd affair:--
On this Square-toes 'gan to curse and swear;
But his
fond rib most earnestly besought,
His rage to stifle, as she clearly
thought,
He might in person, if he'd take the pain,
Secure the rascal
and redress obtain
You know, said she, the tree is near the door,

Upon the left and bears of fruit great store;
But if I may my
sentiments express,
In cap and petticoats you'd best to dress;
His
insolence is great, and you'll be right,
To give your strokes with
double force to night;
Well work his back; flat lay him on the
ground:-- A rascal! honourable ladies round,
No doubt he many times
has served the same;
'Tis such impostors characters defame.
To
rouse his wrath the story quite sufficed;
The spouse resolved to do as
she advised.
Howe'er to dupe him was an easy lot;
The hour arrived,
his dress he soon had got,
Away he ran with anxious fond delight.

In hopes the wily spark to trap that night.
But no one there our easy
fool could see,
And while he waited near the fav'rite tree,
Half dead
with cold, the falc'ner slyly stole,
To her who had so well contrived
the whole;
Time, place, and disposition, all combined
The loving
pair to mutual joys resigned.
When our expert gallant had with the
dame,
An hour or more indulged his ardent flame,
Though forced at
length to quit the loving lass,
'Twas not without the favourite parting
glass;
He then the garden sought, where long the 'squire, Upon the
knave had wished to vent his ire.
NO sooner he the silly husband spied,
But feigning 'twas the wily
wife he eyed,

At once he cried,--ah, vilest of the sex!
Are these thy
tricks, so good a man to vex?
Oh shame upon thee! thus to treat his
love,
As pure as snow, descending from above.
I could not think
thou hadst so base a heart,
But clear it is, thou need'st a friendly part,

And that I'll act: I asked this rendezvous
With full intent to see if

thou wert true;
And, God be praised, without a loose design,
To
plunge in luxuries pronounced divine.
Protect me Heav'n! poor sinner
that I'm here!
To guard thy honour I will persevere.
My worthy
master could I thus disgrace?
Thou wanton baggage with unblushing
face,
Thee on the spot I'll instantly chastise,
And then thy husband
of the fact advise.
THE fierce harangue o'er Square-toes pleasure spread, Who, mutt'ring
'tween his teeth, with fervour said: O gracious Lord! to thee my thanks
are due--
To have a wife so chaste--a man so true!
But presently he
felt upon his back
The falc'ner's cudgel vigorously thwack,
Who
soundly basted him as on he ran,
To gain the house, with terror, pale
and wan.
THE squire had wished his trusty man, no doubt,
Had not, at
cudgelling, been quite so stout;
But since he showed himself so true a
friend,
And with his actions could such prudence blend,
The master
fully pardoned what he knew,
And quickly to his wife in bed he flew,

When he related every thing that passed
Were we, cried he, a
hundred years to last,
My lovely dear, we ne'er on earth could find

A man so faithful, and so well inclined.
I'd have him take within our
town a wife,
And you and I'll regard him during life.
In that, replied
the lady, we agree,
And heartily thereto I pledged will be.
THE HUSBAND-CONFESSOR
WHEN Francis (named the first) o'er Frenchmen reign'd, In Italy young
Arthur laurels gained,
And oft such daring valour showed in fight,

With ev'ry honour he was made a knight;
The monarch placed the
spur upon his heel,
That all around his proper worth might feel.

Then household deities at home he sought,
Where--not at prayers his
beauteous dame he caught: He'd left her, truly, quite dissolv'd in tears;

But now the belle had bid adieu to fears;
And oft was dancing
joyously around,
With all the company that could be