90
OF CONSTANCY.
in the greatest misery, amid the mysterious statues of the palace. (14)
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the image is the devil: the clerk is any covetous man, who sacrifices himself to the cupidity of his desires. The steps by which he descends are the passions. The archer is death; the carbuncle is human life, and the cup and knife are worldly possessions.
TALE XXVIII.
OF CONSTANCY IN ADHERING TO PROMISES.
In the reign of a certain emperor, there were two thieves who bound themselves by an oath
