be called
thieves
... let us be "Diana's foresters,"
"Gentlemen of the shade," "minions of the
moon."—Shakespeare, I
Henry IV
. act i. sc. 2
(1597).
Diano'ra, wife of Gilberto of Friu'li, but amorously loved by Ansaldo. In order to rid herself of his importunities, she vowed never to yield to his suit till he could "make her garden at midwinter as gay with flowers as it was in summer" (meaning never). Ansaldo, by the aid of a magician, accomplished the appointed task; but when the lady told him that her husband insisted on her keeping her promise, Ansaldo, not to be outdone in generosity, declined to take advantage of his claim, and from that day forth was the firm and honorable friend of Gilberto.—Bocaccio, Decameron, x.5.
The Franklin's Tale of Chaucer is substantially the same story. (See DORIGEN).