¶ A chylde yet scante .vii. yere olde, whose honeste parentes had done good to his master, they handled so cruellye, that scarse anye suche tiraunt as was Mezencius or Phalaris coulde do more cruelly. They caste so much mans donge into the childes mouth y^t scarsely he coulde spit, but was cõpelled to swallowe doune a great parte of it. What tiraunt dyd euer suche kynde of despyght? After suche daynties, they exercysed suche lozdelynes. The chylde naked was hanged vp wyth cordes by y^e armeholes, as though he hadde bene a stronge thyefe, and there is amonge to Germanes no kynde of punishement more abhorred then thys. Anone as he honge, they all to beat hym wyth roddes, almoste euen tyll deathe. For the more the chylde denyed the thynge that he dyd not, so muche the more dyd they beate hym. Put also to thys, the tormentour hym selfe almoste more to be feared then the verie punyshemente, hys eyes lyke a serpente, hys narowe and wrythen mouth, hys sharpe voyce like a spirite, hys face wanne and pale, hys head roulyng about, threatninges and rebukes suche as they lusted in theyr anger: a manne wolde haue thought it a furie out of hel. What folowed? anone after this punishement the chyld fel sicke, with great ieopardye both of mynde and lyfe. Then this tormentour began fyrst to complayne, he wrote to hys father to take awaye hys sonne as sone as could be, and that he had bestowed as much phisicke vpon him as he coulde, but in vayne vpon the chylde that was paste remedye. ¶ When the sicknes of the body was somewhat put away by medicines, yet was the minde so astonied, that we feared leste he wold neuer come agayne to the olde strength of hys mynd. Neither was thys y^e cruelty of one daye, as longe as the childe dwelte wyth hym there passed no daye but he was cruelly beatẽ once or twise. I know y^u suspectest o reader, that it was an haynouse faute, wherunto so cruell remedie was vsed. I wyl shew you in few words. Ther was foũd both of hys y^t was beaten, and of two others, theire bookes blotted wyth ynke, their garmentes cutte, and their hose arayed wyth mannes donge.