SEGASTO. When heaps of harms do hover over head, ’Tis time as then, some say, to look about, And of ensuing harms to choose the least. But hard, yea hapless, is that wretch’s chance, Luckless his lot, and caytiff-like accurst. At whose proceedings fortune ever frowns. Myself, I mean, most subject unto thrall; For I, the more I seek to shun the worst, The more by proof I find myself accurs’d. Erewhiles assaulted with an ugly bear, With Amadine in company all alone, Forthwith by flight I thought to save myself, Leaving my Amadine unto her shifts; For death it was for to resist the bear, And death no less of Amadine’s harms to hear. Accursed I, in ling’ring life thus long! In living thus, each minute of an hour Doth pierce my heart with darts of thousand deaths. If she by flight her fury do escape, What will she think? Will she not say, yea, flatly to my face, Accusing me of mere disloyalty: A trusty friend is tried in time of need. But I, when she in danger was of death, And needed me, and cried, Segasto, help! I turn’d my back, and quickly ran away, Unworthy I to bear this vital breath! But what, what needs these plaints? If Amadine do live, then happy I: She will in time forgive and so forget. Amadine is merciful, not Juno-like, In harmful heart to harbour hatred long. Enter Mouse the Clown, running, crying, Clubs! MOUSE. Clubs, prongs, pitchforks, bills! O help! A bear, a bear, a bear, a bear! SEGASTO. Still bears, and nothing else but bears? Tell me, sirrah, where she is. MOUSE. O sir, she is run down the woods, I see her white head and her white belly. SEGASTO. Thou talkest of wonders, to tell me of white bears; but, sirrah, didst thou ever see any such? MOUSE. No, faith, I never saw any such; but I remember my father’s words, he bade me take heed I was not caught with a white bear. SEGASTO. A lamentable tale, no doubt. MOUSE. I tell you what, sir; as I was going a-field to serve my father’s great horse, and carried a bottle of hay upon my head—now, do you see, sir, I, fast hoodwinked, that I could see nothing, perceiving the bear coming, I threw my hay into the hedge and ran away. SEGASTO. What, from nothing? MOUSE. I warrant you, yes, I saw something; for there was two load of thorns besides my bottle of hay, and that made three. SEGASTO. But tell me, sirrah, the bear that thou didst see, Did she not bear a bucket on her arm? MOUSE. Ha, ha, ha! I never saw bear go a-milking in my life. But hark you, sir, I did not look so high as her arm, I saw nothing but her white head and her white belly. SEGASTO. But tell me, sirrah, where dost thou dwell? MOUSE. Why, do you not know me? SEGASTO. Why, no; how should I know thee? MOUSE. Why, then you know nobody, an you know not me. I tell you, sir, I am goodman Rat’s son, of the next parish over the hill. SEGASTO. Goodman Rat’s son; why, what’s thy name? MOUSE. Why, I am very near kin unto him. SEGASTO. I think so; but what’s thy name?