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Te Merry Tales of the
A man in Gotham that did not love his wife, and she having fair hair, her husband said, divers times, he would cut it off, but durst not do it when she was awake, so he resolved to do it when she was asleep; therefore one night he took up a pair of sheers, and put them under his pillow; which his wife perceiving, said to one of her maids, go to bed to my husband, for he intends to cut off hair to-night, let him cut off thy hair, and I will give thee as good a kirtle as ever thou didst see The maid did so, and feigned herself asleep, which the man perceiving, cut off the maid's hair, and wrapped it about the sheers, and laid them under the pillow, and went to sleep: the maid arose, and the wife took the hair and sheers, and went to the hall, and there burned the hair. The man had a fine horse that he loved much, and the goodwife went into the stable, cut off the horse's tail, wrapped the sheers up in it, and then laid them under the pillow again. Her husband seeing her combing her head in the morning, marvelled very much thereat. The
