XXII REYNARD THE FOX 199

betray my wife most shamefully; for it
happened upon a winter's day, that they two
travelled together through a very great water,
and he persuaded my wife that he would teach
her a singular art, how to catch fish with her
tail, by letting it hang angle-wise in the water
a good while, whereunto, he said, there would
so much fish instantly cleave, that half a dozen
of them should not be able to devour it.

‘The silly fool, my wife, supposing all to be
truth which came from him, went presently
into the mire up to the middle before she came
to the water, and coming into the depth of the
water, as he directed her, she held her tail
down still in the water, expecting when there
the fish would cleave to it; but the weather
being sharp and frosty, she stood there so
long that her tail was frozen hard to the ice,
so that all the force she had was not able to
pull it out. This no impudence can make him
deny, for I came and saw him there. Oh how
much jealousy, grief, and fury assailed me at
that instant, I was even distracted to behold
them; and I cried, “ Reynard, villain, what
art thou doing?” but he seeing me so near
approaching, presently ran his way.

‘So I went unto her with much sorrow and