By C. E. Long, Esq. 



393 



beinge as they said, at that time neare her tyme of traveyle of childe whoe 

 presently prepared her selfe redy to ryde, and beinge somwhat late in the even- 

 inge, shee departed from her said house in the company of the two before 

 recited persons, whoe rode w th her the moste parte of alle that nighte. And 

 towardes daye, they broughte her unto a fayre house and alighted her neare a 

 doore of the said house, at the w ch doore one of those that broughte her, made 

 some little noyse, eyther by knockinge or rynginge of some belle, Whereuppon 

 there came to the said doore a tall slender gentleman havinge uppon hyra 

 a longe goune of blacke velvett, and bringinge a lighte w th him, whoe so 

 soone as shee was entred into the said doore, made faste the same, and shutt 

 out those that broughte her, and presently broughte her upp a stayres into a 

 fayre and a large greate chambre, beinge hanged all aboute w th arras, in the w ch 

 chambre there was a chymney, and therein was a greate fyre, and from thence 

 throughe the said chambre shee was conveyed unto an other chambre of leeke 

 proporcion, and hanged in leeke sorte as the fj'rste was, in the w ch chambre 

 was also a chymney and a greate fyre, and passinge throughe the said seconde 

 chambre, shee was broughte into a thyrde chambre, hanged also rychlye w th 

 arras, in the w ch chambre there was a bed rychlye and gorgeouslye furnished 

 the curteynes of the said bed beinge alle close drawen about the said bed. And 

 so soone as shee was entered in at the doore of the laste resited chambre, the 

 said partye in the longe velvet goune zouned softly in her eare, sayenge, loe, 

 in yonder bed lyethe the gentle woman that you are sente for to come unto, 

 goe unto her and see that yow doe youre uttermoste endevoyre towardes her, 

 and yf shee be safely delivered, you shall not fayle of a greate rewarde, but yf 

 shee myscarry in her traveyle, yow shall dye. Wheruppon as one amased, 

 shee departed from the said gentleman to the beddes syde, fyndinge there a 

 gentlewoman in traveyle, lyenge in greate estate, as by the furniture uppon her 

 and aboute her it dyd appeare, this gentlewomans face beinge covered eyther 

 w th a visar or a call* but w th w ch I doe not remerubre. And shortly after her 

 cominge shee was delivered of a man childe, whoe for lacke of other clothes 

 was fayne to be wrayped in the myd wyfes apron, and so was carried by the 

 said mid wyfe into one of the two fyrste chambres that shee passed throughe 

 at the fyrste w th the gentleman fyndinge the said gentleman there at her 

 cominge thither whoe demaunded of her, whether the partye that shee came 

 from was delivered of childe or no, whoe aunswered that shee was safely deliv- 

 ered of a man child w ch shee there presently shewed him, requiringe him that 

 some provision of clothes mighte be had to wrapp it w th alle, whoe incontinently 

 broughte her to the fyre syde, into the w ch fyre he commaunded her to caste 

 the childe, wheruppon shee kneeled doune unto him, desyringe him that he 

 woulde not seeke to destroye it, but rather geve it unto her, promisinge him to 

 keep it as her oune, and to be sworne never to disclose it, the w ch thinge the 

 gentleman woulde not yelde unto, but forthw th the childe was caste into the 

 fyre, but whether by the mydwyfe her selfe, or by him, or by them both, I doe 

 not perfectly remembre. And so soone as this horrible facte was done, shee 

 was commaunded to goe backe agayne to the gentlewoman, where she remayned 

 all that day and by nighte was broughte backe agayne by those two men that 

 broughte her thither, whoe sett her some myles distante from her house, but 



• A contraction for callot, or calotte ; a cap or coif. 



