An old man, jealous of his pretty young wife and a certain friend of his, a merchant and widower, fell ill of a mortal disease. Knowing his case was hopeless, he said to his wife, “You know, my dear, that I cannot escape this deadly sickness; what I beg of you is, if you care to please me, that you will not marry that friend of mine, who often comes to the house, and of whom I have been somewhat jealous.” “Dear husband,” replied she, “even if I wished, I could not, for I am already engaged to somebody else.”
An old bachelor, having married at seventy, was reproached by his friends for having committed a folly, and replied they said true: Man with years loses his prudence; when he was a young man, and had any, he never could be induced to marry.
An astrologer, whose wife was with child, cast the horoscope of the unborn infant and discovered two sons would be born to him, and that the first would be a cutpurse, the second a murderer. This so grieved him that he was unable to conceal his sorrow, which being perceived by his wife, was unburdened to her. “There is a cure for this case,” said she. “We will make the first a purse-maker, and he will cut purses; the second a butcher, and he can slay oxen.”
A village maiden, driving before her an ass, which, as it was returning to its foal, went quicker than the girl, met a courtier. “Where do you live, my pretty maiden?” “At Getafe,” replied she. “Tell me, do you know the daughter of the innkeeper in that village?” “Very well,” replied she. “Then be so kind as to take her a kiss from me!” “Give it to my donkey, sir; she’ll get there first.”
A father sending his son to study at Salamanca, bade him eat the cheapest food. The youth on his arrival asked the price of an ox, and was told ten ducats; then of a partridge, and was told a real. “Oh!” said he, “then I am bidden to eat partridges!”