But if I abide the day,

     Surely worse will come of it,

     Surely will the fire be lit

     That shall burn my body away,

     Jesus, lord of Majesty,

     Better seemeth it to me,

     That within the wood I fare,

     Though the wolves devour me there

     Than within the town to go,

     Ne’er be it so!”

   Then speak they, say they, tell they the Tale:

   Nicolete made great moan, as ye have heard; then commended she herself to God, and anon fared till she came unto the forest. But to go deep in it she dared not, by reason of the wild beasts, and beasts serpentine. Anon crept she into a little thicket, where sleep came upon her, and she slept till prime next day, when the shepherds issued forth from the town and drove their bestial between wood and water. Anon came they all into one place by a fair fountain which was on the fringe of the forest, thereby spread they a mantle, and thereon set bread. So while they were eating, Nicolete wakened, with the sound of the singing birds, and the shepherds, and she went unto them, saying, “Fair boys, our Lord keep you!”

   “God bless thee,” quoth he that had more words to his tongue than the rest.

   “Fair boys,” quoth she, “know ye Aucassin, the son of Count Garin de Biaucaire?”

   “Yea, well we know him.”

   “So may God help you, fair boys,” quoth she, “tell him there is a beast in this forest, and bid him come chase it, and if he can take it, he would not give one limb thereof for a hundred marks of 

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