Howbeit, the presence of these honest Citizens, could in no wise
perswade him to leave his extort power, no nor yet to cause any
temperance of his tongue, but the more they went about with gentle
words to tell him his faults, the more would he fret and likewise fume,
swearing all the oathes under God, that he little regarded the presence
of the whole City, whereupon incontinently he commanded his servants to
take the poore man by the eares, and carry him out of his ground, which
greatly offended all the standers by. Then one of the brethren spake
unto him somewhat boldly, saying: It is but a folly to have such
affiance in your riches, whereby you should use your tyranny against
the poore, when as the law is common for all men, and a redresse may be
had to suppresse your insolency. These words chafed him more then the
burning oile, or flaming brimstone, or scourge of whipps, saying: that
they should be hanged and their law too, before he would be subject
unto any person: and therewithall he called out his bandogges and great
masties, which accustomed to eate the carrion and carkases of dead
beasts in the fields, and to set upon such as passed by the way: then
he commanded they should be put upon all the assistance to teare them
in peeces: who as soone as they heard the hisse of their master, ran
fiercely upon them invading them on every side, insomuch that the more
they flied to escape away, the more cruell and terrible were the
dogges. It fortuned amongst all this fearefull company, that in
running, the youngest of the three brethren stombled at a stone, and
fell down to the ground: Then the dogs came upon him and tare him in
peeces with their teeth, whereby he was compelled to cry for succour:
His other two brethren hearing his lamentable voice ran towards him to
helpe him, casting their cloakes about their left armes, tooke up
stones to chase away the dogs, but all was in vaine, for they might see
their brother dismembred in every part of his body: Who lying at the
very point of death, desired his brethren to revenge his death against
that cruell tyrant: And therewithall he gave up the ghost. The other
two brethren perceiving so great a murther, and neglecting their owne
lives, like desperate persons dressed themselves against the tyrant,
and threw a great number of stones at him, but the bloudy theefe
exercised in such and like mischiefes, tooke a speare and thrust it
cleane through the body: howbeit he fell not downe to the ground. For
the speare that came out at his backe ran into the earth, and sustained
him up. By and by came one of these tyrants servants the most sturdiest
of the rest to helpe his master, who at the first comming tooke up a
stone and threw at the third brother, but by reason the stone ran along
his arme it did not hurt him, which chanced otherwise then all mens
expectation was: by and by the young man feigning that his arme was
greatly wounded, spake these words unto the cruell bloud sucker: Now
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