[248] "Quibus perlectis, quum se consideraturum, adhibitis amicis, quid
faciendum sibi esset, dixisset, Popilius, pro cetera asperitate animi,
virga, quam in manu gerebat, circumscripsit regem: ac, 'Priusquam hoc
circulo excedas,' inquit, 'redde responsum, senatui quod referam.'
Obstupefactus tam violento imperio parumper quum haesitasset, 'Faciam,'
inquit 'quod censet Senatus.' Tun demum Popilius dextram regi, tanquam
socio atque amico, porrexit."--Livy, lib. xlv. c. 12, edit. Twiss.
[249] Edged.
+ _Of the woman that couerd her heed and shewed her taile._ lxvi.
+ As a woman, that for a certayne impedimente had shaued her heed, sat
in her house bare heed, one of her neighbours called her forth hastely
into the strete, and for haste she forgotte to putte on her kerchefe.
When her neighbour sawe her so, she blamed her for cominge abrode bare
heed: wherfore she whypte vp her clothes ouer her heed. And so to couer
her hed she shewed her * * *. They, that stode by, beganne to laugh at
her folysshenes, whiche to hyde a lytell faute shewed a greatter.[250]
This tale touchethe them, that wolde couer a smalle offence with a
greatter wyckednesse; and as the prouerbe saythe: Stomble at a strawe,
and leape ouer a blocke.
+ _Howe Alexander was monysshed to slee the fyrste that he mette._
lxvii.
+ Whan great Alexander wolde entre in to Perse lande with his armye, he
counsayled with Apollo of his good spede:[251] and by lotte[252] he was
warned, that he shulde commaunde to slee the fyrst that he mette, whan
he issued out at a gate. Perchaunce, the fyrste that he mette was a man
dryuynge an asse before hym. Incontinent the kyng commaunded to take and
put hym to dethe. Whan the poore man sawe, that they wolde slee him, he
said: what haue I done? Shall I that am an innocent [man] be putte to
deathe? Alexander, to excuse his dede, sayde, he was warned by diuine
monition to commaunde to slee the fyrste that he mette comynge out at
that gate. If it be so, myghty kyng (quod the man), than the lotte
dyuine hath ordeyned an other to suffre this deth and not me: for the
lytel asse, that I droue before me, mette you fyrste.
Whiche subtyle sayenge greatly pleased Alexander: for elles he had done
amysse; and so he caused the beaste to be slayne.
By this tale one may note, that it is better sometyme to be laste than
fyrste.