’tis his love we would have, we should earn his hatred.”  So, after comforting the lady, the maid hied her in quest of Pyrrhus, whom she found in a gladsome and propitious mood, and thus addressed:—­“’Tis not many days, Pyrrhus, since I declared to thee how ardent is the flame with which thy lady and mine is consumed for love of thee, and now again I do thee to wit thereof, and that, if thou shalt not relent of the harshness that thou didst manifest the other day, thou mayst rest assured that her life will be short:  wherefore I pray thee to be pleased to give her solace of her desire, and shouldst thou persist in thy obduracy, I, that gave thee credit for not a little sense, shall deem thee a great fool.  How flattered thou shouldst be to know thyself beloved above all else by a lady so beauteous and high-born!  And how indebted shouldst thou feel thyself to Fortune, seeing that she has in store for thee a boon so great and so suited to the cravings of thy youth, ay, and so like to be of service to thee upon occasion of need!  Bethink thee, if there be any of thine equals whose life is ordered more agreeably than thine will be if thou but be wise.  Which of them wilt thou find so well furnished with arms and horses, clothes and money as thou shalt be, if thou but give my lady thy love?  Receive, then, my words with open mind; be thyself again; bethink thee that ’tis Fortune’s way to confront a man but once with smiling mien and open lap, and, if he then accept not her bounty, he has but himself to blame, if afterward he find himself in want, in beggary.  Besides which, no such loyalty is demanded between servants and their masters as between friends and kinsfolk; rather ’tis for servants, so far as they may, to behave towards their masters as their masters behave towards them.  Thinkest thou, that, if thou hadst a fair wife or mother or daughter or sister that found favour in Nicostratus’ eyes, he would be so scrupulous on the point of loyalty as thou art disposed to be in regard of his lady?  Thou art a fool, if so thou dost believe.  Hold it for certain, that, if blandishments and supplications did not suffice, he would, whatever thou mightest think of it, have recourse to force.  Observe we, then, towards them and theirs the same rule which they observe towards us and ours.  Take the boon that Fortune offers thee; repulse her not; rather go thou to meet her, and hail her advance; for be sure that, if thou do not so, to say nought of thy lady’s death, which will certainly ensue, thou thyself wilt repent thee thereof so often that thou wilt be fain of death.”

Since he had last seen Lusca, Pyrrhus had repeatedly pondered what she had said to him, and had made his mind up that, should she come again, he would answer her in another sort, and comply in all respects with the lady’s desires, provided he might be assured that she was not merely putting him to the proof; wherefore he now made answer:—­“Lo, now, Lusca, I acknowledge the truth of all that thou