The novels of Matteo Bandello Author:Matteo Bandello Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 3Tfje STfjirtl Storg. OF A TRICK PLAYED BY A LADY UPON A GENTLEMAN AND OF THE TWOFOLD RETURN HE RENDERETH HER THEREFOR. It is not many years since there wa... more »s, in a city of Lomhardy, a. gentlewoman of good repute and very richly married, who was more fantastical and humoursome than behoved unto a lady of consideration and took marvellous delight in giving the flout unto all. She was used oftentimes to befool this one or that and after laugh at him in company with other ladies, on such wise that none dared pay court to her nor use overmuch familiarity with her, for that she, being malapert and saucy and having the string of her tongue cut, or rather broken,1 said all that came to her mind, [recking little what], so but she gave each his share, be he who he might, and had a stinging quip for every one. And for that in good sooth it beseemeth not a gentleman to contend with women nor bandy words with them, seeing they should still be respected and honoured of us men, well nigh all eschewed coming overmuch to parley with her, it being notorious how loose-tongued and how caustic she was of speech and that she had no respect for any. Nevertheless, she was beyond measure fair and so well formed in all the parts which make a fair lady and did all after such a 1 Or, as we should say, " having her tongue well hung." sprightly fashion and with such eleganc?and grace that it seemed every act, every gesture and every movement added unto her a certain I know not what, ay, and so goodly an air that she was without peer in all Lombardy. There were some who, not throughly knowing the lady's character, set themselves to court her and make love to her; but she, after feeding them awhile with dulcet looks, rid herself of them, now with one trick and now with another, on such wise that the u...« less