With that he went home and found his wife, who was groaning and lamenting loudly.
“How art thou, beloved?” asked he.
“I die, beloved,” answered she.
“Please God, thou shalt not die,” said he. “I have conversed with the physician, who hath told me what medicine will cure thee.”
And, as he spoke, he fell to undressing, and lay down beside his wife, and began to execute in clumsy fashion the orders he had received from the physician.
“What dost thou?” asked his wife. “Wouldst kill me?”
“Nay, I am about to cure thee,” said he. “The physician hath assured me.”
And Nature instructing and the patient assisting, he performed upon her twice or thrice. When resting from his labours, much astonished at what had befallen, he asked his wife how she was.
“I am a little better than I was hitherto,” she replied.
“God be praised,” quoth he. “I hope thou wilt get well and that the physician hath spoken truly.”