their former reſidences. And Antonio (the better to eſcape deſerved puniſhment for his luſtful attempts upon Deidamia's chaſtity) went privately to the biſhop of Rheims, and told him that Count Alinſon's lady was depraved with hereſy; in which ſhe was ſo much countenanced by her Lord, that himſelf for endeavouring to reclaim her, was turned out of the family, and cut off from all intereſt in it, and therefore came humbly to beg his protection, againſt ſo powerful an adverſary; ſince what he had done, was only out of zeal to promote the catholic religion. The biſhop received him into his protection, and writ a ſharp letter to the Count about it; who having received it, believed it was done by the inſtigation of Antonio whom he heard he had entertained; and being troubled that ſo great a villain ſhould find any countenance from the biſhop, he wrote back again to know the names of thoſe that had ſo injuriouſly informed him againſt his lady; but the biſhop would not gratify him ſo far in his deſires This made the Count return him a ſecond letter, written in a more angry ſtyle, declaring, 'That, if he could not have juſtice from him, the king himſelf ſhould be acquainted with it, and by him he would ſeek redreſs.' This ſo nettled the biſhop, that he ſent examiners to his lady to interrogate her about her religion; of which the Count having ſome intimation, ſent her to her parents, who being extremely troubled at theſe freſh misfortunes, and mightily ſcandalized at the villainy of Antonio, and the biſhop's protecting him from juſtice, grew thereupon very cold in the profeſſion of the Popiſh religion; which ſo furiouſly perſecuted innocence and virtue, and countenanced
the
