{96} Morgan, One Of Her Sons,
Whom She Had Arrogantly Brought With Her In That Expedition, Was
Slain, And The Other, Malgo, Taken Prisoner; And She, With Many Of
Her Followers, Was Put To Death.
During the reign of king Henry I.,
when Wales enjoyed a state of tranquillity, the above-mentioned
Maurice had a forest in that neighbourhood, well stocked with wild
animals, and especially deer, and was extremely tenacious of his
venison.
His wife (for women are often very expert in deceiving
men) made use of this curious stratagem. Her husband possessed, on
the side of the wood next the sea, some extensive pastures, and
large flocks of sheep. Having made all the shepherds and chief
people in her house accomplices and favourers of her design, and
taking advantage of the simple courtesy of her husband, she thus
addressed him: "It is wonderful that being lord over beasts, you
have ceased to exercise dominion over them; and by not making use of
your deer, do not now rule over them, but are subservient to them;
and behold how great an abuse arises from too much patience; for
they attack our sheep with such an unheard-of rage, and unusual
voracity, that from many they are become few; from being
innumerable, only numerous." To make her story more probable, she
caused some wool to be inserted between the intestines of two stags
which had been embowelled; and her husband, thus artfully deceived,
sacrificed his deer to the rapacity of his dogs.
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