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Half-booted
By Monseigneur De Fiennes. _Of a Count who would ravish by...

The Bird In The Cage
By Jehan Lambin. _Of a cure who was in love with the wife ...

Forced Willingly
By Philippe De Saint-Yon. _Of a girl who complained of bei...

A Good Remedy
By Monseigneur De Beaumont. _Of a good merchant of Brabant...

The Butcher's Wife Who Played The Ghost In The Chimney
By Michault De Changy. _Of a Jacobin who left his mistress...

The Lawyer And The Bolting-mill
By Monseigneur Le Duc. _Of a President of Parliament, who ...

From Belly To Back
By Monseigneur De La Roche. _Of a gentleman of Burgundy wh...

How A Good Wife Went On A Pilgrimage
By Messire Timoleon Vignier. _Of a good wife who pretended...

The Match-making Priest
By Monseigneur De La Roche. _Of a village priest who found...

A Cure For The Plague
By Monseigneur De Villiers. _Of a girl who was ill of the ...

The Scarlet Backside
By Pierre David. _Of one who saw his wife with a man to wh...

A Good Dog
_Of a foolish and rich village cure who buried his dog in the...

The Sleeveless Robe
By Alardin. _Of a gentleman of Flanders, who went to resid...

The Child Of The Snow
By Philippe Vignier. _Of an English merchant whose wife ha...

The Over-cunning Cure
By Michault De Changy. _Of a priest who would have played ...

The Damsel Knight
By Monseigneur De Foquessoles. _Of the loves of a young ge...

Foolish Fear
By Monseigneur Philippe Vignier. _Of a young man of Rouen,...

The Sore Finger Cured
By Philippe De Laon. _Of a monk who feigned to be very ill...

The Waggoner In The Bear
By Monseigneur _Of a goldsmith of Paris who made a waggone...

The Obliging Brother
By Monsieur De Villiers. _Of a damsel who married a shephe...



Beyond The Mark








By Monseigneur De Lannoy.

_Of a shepherd who made an agreement with a shepherdess that he should
mount upon her "in order that he might see farther," but was not to
penetrate beyond a mark which she herself made with her hand upon the
instrument of the said shepherd--as will more plainly appear hereafter._


Listen, if you please, to what happened, near Lille, to a shepherd and
young shepherdess who tended their flocks together, or near each other.

Nature had already stirred in them, and they were of an age to know "the
way of the world", so one day an agreement was made between them
that the shepherd should mount on the shepherdess "in order to see
farther",--provided, however, that he should not penetrate beyond a
mark which she made with her hand upon the natural instrument of the
shepherd, and which was about two fingers' breadth below the head; and
the mark was made with a blackberry taken from the hedge.

That being done, they began God's work, and the shepherd pushed in as
though it had cost him no trouble, and without thinking about any mark
or sign, or the promise he had made to the shepherdess, for all that he
had he buried up to the hilt, and if he had had more he would have found
a place to put it.

The pretty shepherdess, who had never had such a wedding, enjoyed
herself so much that she would willingly have done nothing else all her
life. The battle being ended, both went to look after their sheep, which
had meanwhile strayed some distance. They being brought together again,
the shepherd, who was called Hacquin, to pass the time, sat in a swing
set up between two hedges, and there he swung, as happy as a king.

The shepherdess sat by the side of a ditch, and made a wreath of
flowers. She sang a little song, hoping that it would attract the
shepherd, and he would begin the game over again--but that was very far
from his thoughts. When she found he did not come, she began to call,
"Hacquin! Hacquin!"

And he replied, "What do you want?"

"Come here! come here! will you?" she said.

But Hacquin had had a surfeit of pleasure and he replied;

"In God's name leave me alone. I am doing nothing; and enjoying myself."

Then the shepherdess cried;

"Come here, Hacquin; I will let you go in further, without making any
mark."

"By St. John," said Hacquin, "I went far beyond the mark, and I do not
want any more."

He would not go to the shepherdess, who was much vexed to have to remain
idle.


*****





Next: The Gluttonous Monk
Previous: Between Two Stools


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