“Now,” said the first one, “there are two of us, And two of us will stronger be than one. Look, thou, when he is sitting down, and soon Rise up, as if to play with him, and I Will stab him through the two sides suddenly, While thou art struggling with him as in game, And with thy dagger, look, thou do the same. And then shall all this gold divided be, My dearest friend, betwixt thyself and me: Then all our wants and whims we can fulfil, And play at dice according to our will.” [Illustration: THE RIOTER. ‘For this witterly was his ful entente-- To slen hem bothe and never to repente.’] Thus these two ruffians made their compact to murder the third, as I have described. This yongest, which that wente to the toun, who Full fast in hert he rollith up and doun close The beaute of these florins, newe and brighte. O Lord, quoth he, if so were that I mighte Have all this gold unto myself alloone, Ther is no man that lyveth under the troone throne Of God, that schulde lyve so mery as I. And atte last the feend, oure enemy, Put in his thought that he schulde poysoun beye, buy With which he mighte sle his felawes tweye. slay For why? the feend fond him in such lyvynge That he hadde leve to sorwe him to brynge: sorrow For this was outrely[190] his ful entente To slen hem bothe, and never to repente. slay And forth he goth, no lenger wold he tarye, delay Into the toun unto a potecarye, apothecary And prayde him that he him wolde selle Som poysoun, that he might his rattis quelle; rats And eek ther was a polkat in his hawe farmyard That, as he sayde, his capouns had i-slawe, And said he wold him wreke, if that he mighte, avenge Of vermyn, that destroyed hem by nighte. Thapotecary answerd,[191]Thou schalt have the apothecary A thing that, also God my soule save, In al this world ther nys no creature That ete or dronk hath of this confecture-- mixture Nought but the mountaunce of a corn of whete-- amount That he ne schuld his lif anoon for-lete; quit Ye, sterve he schal, and that in lasse while die Than thou wilt goon a paas not but a myle, step This poysoun is so strong and violent.