with his hands stayed the Bloud that ranne from hys Heade, to the intente yt myghte not rayse some slaunder vppon the Widow whom hee loued so wel: and went alonges the streate towarde the houses of Girolamo and Anselmo aforesaid. Being come thither wyth greate difficulty not able to goe anye further for verye payne and gryefe, hee faynted and fell downe as deade, where the Bloude issued in sutch aboundaunce, as the Grounde therewyth was greatly imbrued, and euery one that saw him thought him to be voide of Lyfe. Mistresse Gismonda exceeding sorrowful for this mischaunce, doubted that he had broken his Necke, but when she saw hym depart, she comforted him so well as she could, and drewe vp the Ladder into hir Chamber. Sutch Chaunces happen to earnest Louers, who when they think they haue scaled the top of theyr Felicity, sodaynly tomble downe into the Pit of extreme despayre, that better it had ben for them leysurely to expect the grace of their Ladyes at conuenient place and houre, than hardily without prouidence to aduenture lyke desperat souldiers to clym the top of the vamure, without measurying the height of the Wals, or viewynge the substaunce of theyr Ladders, do receyue in the ende cruell repulse, and fal down headlonge either by present Death or mortall Wounde, to receyue euerlastyng reproche and shame. But turne we agayne now to this disgraced Louer, who lay gasping betwene Lyfe and Death. And as he was in this sorrowful state, one of the Captaynes, a Noble man appointed to see orders obserued in the Nighte, wyth hys bande (which they call Zaffi) came thither: and finding hym lying vpon the ground, knew that it was Aloisio Foscari, and causing him to be taken vp from the place wher he lay, (thinking he had ben dead) commanded that he should be conueyed into the Church adioyning whych immediately was done. And when he had wel considered the place where hee was founde, hee doubted that eyther Girolamo Bembo or Anselmo Barbadico, before whose Dores hee thought the murder committed, had kylled him, which afterwards he beleued to be true, bycause he heard a certayne noyse of mennes Feete at one of their Doores: wherefore he deuided his company, placyng some on the one side of their houses, and some on the other, besieging the same so well as he coulde. And as Fortune woulde he founde by Neglygence of the mayds, the dores of the II. houses open. It chaunced also that Nyght that the two Louers one in other’s House were gone to lye with their Ladyes, who hearynge the hurly burly, and sturre made in the house by the Sergeants, sodaynely the Women lept out of their Beds, and bearyng their apparell vppon theyr shoulders, went home to their houses throughe their Gardeins vnseene of any, and in fearefull wyse did attende what should be the End of the same. Girolamo, and Anselmo not knowing what rumor and noise that was, although they made hast in the Darke to cloth themselues, were by the Offycers without any field