'POTHECARY. And so thought I, by God that died. Now have you twain each for himself laid, That none[492] hath lied, but both true said: And of us twain none hath denied, But both affirmed that I have lied. Now since both ye[493] the truth confess, How that I lied, do bear witness, That twain of us may soon agree,[494] And that the lier the winner must be, Who could provide such evidence, As I have done in this pretence? Me-thinketh this matter sufficient To cause you to give judgment; And to give me the mastery, For ye perceive these knaves cannot lie. PALMER. Though nother[495] of us yet had lied, Yet what we can do is untried; For as yet we have devised nothing, But answered you and given you hearing. PEDLAR. Therefore I have devised one way, Whereby all three your minds may say, For each of you one tale shall tell, And which of you telleth most marvèl, And most unlikest[496] to be true, Shall most prevail, whatever ensue. 'POTHECARY. If ye be set on marvelling, Then shall ye hear a marvellous thing. And though, indeed, all be not true, Yet sure the most part shall be new. I did a cure no longer ago, But in _anno domini millesimo_, On a woman young and so fair, That never have I seen a gayer. God save all women of[497] that likeness. This wanton had the falling sickness, Which by descent came lineally, For her mother had it naturally: Wherefore this woman to recure, It was more hard, ye may be sure. But though I boast my craft is such, That in such things I can do much: How oft she fell were much to report; But her head so giddy, and her belly so short, That, with the twinkling of an eye, Down would she fall even by and by. But ere[498] she would arise again, I showed much practice much to my pain. For the tallest man within this town Could[499] not with ease have broken her swoon. Although for life I did not doubt her, Yet I did take more pains[500] about her, Than I would take with my own sister. Sir, at the last I gave her a glister: I thrust a tampion in her tewell,[501] And bade her keep it for a jewel; But I knew there[502] it was too heavy to carry, That I sure was it would not tarry: For where gunpowder is once fired, The tampion will no lenger be hired: Which was well seen in time of this chance, For when I had charged this ordnance, Suddenly, as it had thundered, Even at a clap loosed her bombard.[503] Now mark, for here beginneth the revel: This tampion flew ten long mile level, To a fair castle of lime and stone, For strength I know not such a one, Which stood upon a hill full high, At foot whereof a river ran by, So deep, till chance had it forbidden, Well might the Regent[504] there have ridden. But when this tampion at this[505] castle did light, It put the castle so fair to flight, That down they came each upon other, No stone left standing, by God's mother! But rolled down so fast the hill In such a number, and so did fill From bottom to brim, from shore to shore, This foresaid river so deep before,