The seven sages in English verse / edited from a manuscript in the public library of the University of Cambridge by Thomas Wright.

A TALE.

"There was a man that was bolde, And hadde a vertu that was hyghe, Alle men lovede hym that hym syghe; Anothyr vertu Gode on hym layed, He wyst wat alle fouls sayed. Bysyde hys fadyr court a myle In the se was an ile, [ 3140] And was no man in bot on, A hermete in a roche of ston. The fadyr and the sone o day Went thyder for to play, And thay rowed and were hot; Ryght byfore oppon the bote Thre ravenes lyghte adoun, And made a gret gargoun. The child was wys and of no bost,

And hadde wyt of the Holy Gost, [ 3150] And wat thay sayden he undirgat, And hadde mykyl wondir of that, And hys ore faste he drowe, And byhelde hys fadyr, and loughe. "Hys fadir asked, that by hym sate, Why he loge and at wat. 'Fadir,' quod he, 'so mot I the, I louke ate the ravens thre, That sayden in har gargoun, Anon as thay seten adoun, [ 3160] That I schulde hyre-after be Man of so grete pousté, That thou schuldest by glad to fonde To gyf water to my honde, And myn moder glad to hye To brynge a towayl myn handys to drye.' The faders hert was ful of pryde, And thout hyt schulde nought so bytide, And tok hys sone by the hode, And threw hym into the salt flod. [ 3170] When he was in the se kast, To dye he was sore agast; The wynde blew, the se was wod, And bare the childe into the flod. Thorow helpe of Gode that syt on hye, He negyd sone a roche nye; Out of the water he went anon, And clame uppon a roche of ston, And there he was ivel dyght

Twa dayes and twa nyght, [ 3180] Ther he sat on the roche on hye, That no sokyr he no see. Jhesus gan sokur hym sende; Thare come a fyscher that was hende, When he come the roche nyghe, He kest up hys eyen and sygh The child oppon a roche harde, And drew hym fast thyderwarde. To the roche when he cam, The childe into the bot he nam. [ 3190] Thar come a strem that was wode, And bare ham into the salt flode So fere fram there the childis was bore, That alle hys knowlech was lore, And he aryved fayr and welle Undir a nobil castille. Out of the bot the childe he nam, And into the castle sone he came, To the warden of the castel, And solde hym the childe bone and fel. [ 3200] Anoon aste the childe was knowen, He was byloved with he and lowe, Alle that in the castel were; And many wynter he dwelde there. In the londe thare he was, The kynge bytydde a woundir cas: Thre ravens with a lothly crye Sewyd the kynge ever ful nye, Were he rode or were he ȝede,

That al the londe thare-of tok hede. [ 3210] The kynge was schamyd ther-fore, That hym were levere ben unbore; Over alle hys lond hys bref was sente To aselen a comuyn parlyment, To wyt conceyl of ham alle Of that kas that was byfalle. The warden of the castel Let atyren hym ful wel, And the child with hym nam, And to the parlement he cam. [ 3220] When the parlement was nome, And the pepyle al come, The kynge walde no lenger dwelle, Wat hym grevyd he gan telle, And to the pypyl he sayed this, 'Who can telle me why hyt hys That the ravens on me crye, And brynge me out of that vylanye, That the ravens crye no more, Where-fore me schames sore, [ 3230] I wyl gyf hym alf my londe, And sykyr hym trewly on honde, That I may gyf, by my lyf, And my dogter to ben hys wyf.' "The childe the fram the castel cam, These wordys undirnam, And that wyt God hym gafe, That on fouls lydyn he couthe; The childe hys mayster in concel nam,

And sayed, 'Mayster, that I am [ 3240] That can of the sothe telle, Why thys ravens crye and ȝelle, And delyver the kynge Of alle hare lodly crying?' "'Sone,' he sayed, 'yf thou art bolde, To do that thou havest tolde, To the kynge wille I goon, And put forth thy nyddis anoon.' 'Mayster,' he sayed hardylich, 'Put forth oure nedys boldelych.' [ 3250] Hys mayster tok the way anoon, And byfore the kynge he gan goon, And sayed, 'Sire, hire hys a mane That rydilich telle can Why the ravens on the crye, That dos the al that vylanye, And make ham take away thayr flyght, And thou wol holden that thow hase hyght.' The kynge byhelde the childe faste, And gret love to hym cast, [ 3260] And sayed, 'Certis, that have het I wylle holden, and ȝyt do bet.' Byfore alle the baronage He sykyrd hym of that mariage. Byfore the kynge he knelyd adoun, And bygan hys resoun, And sayed, 'Sire kynge, as ȝe moue see, Ȝonder standys ravens thre, Twa males and o femel;

That to raven was ful holde, [ 3270] In a wedyr that was colde, And for he was nouȝt of myght To fynde hys make mete aryght, For glotonye he brake hys fayth, And bete hys make and drove hire awaye. Hys make flee hest and weste, And fond for to do hir best, And met a raven that was bolde, A ȝonge raven and nowt holde, And soght a make and hadde noon, [ 3280] And took hyr to hys make anoon, And over al about he drowe, And fand hys make mete y-nowe. The colde wedirs was a-goo, Ungyr, colde, and al wo, The holde raven was hote of blode, And sowt hys make has he were wode, And fande ham both there thay were, Hire and hyr make y-fere; He chalanged hire for hys, [ 3290] The tohyr sayde he chalanged amys. Hyre fore thay cryen oppon the, That art kynge and havest pousté, And thay been in thy lond lent, And thou schalt gyfe the juggement; What the juggement hys gyven, Yf ever more wyl ȝe levene Hyre thaym anny more crye, Hardylich put out my eye.' Ever or he walde goon, [ 3300]

The kynge gaf juggement anoon, 'For the holde raven brak hys fayth, Wyth wronge drof hys make away, That juggement I gyfve, The ȝonge that helpe hyr for to lyve, He schal have that he ches, And the holde go makeless.' When the juggement was gyven, The ȝonge raven schulde ben above, The kynge no sawe ham never more. [ 3310] Than levede he the childys lore, And loved the childe as hys lyf, And gaf hym dogter to wyf, And was sesed with alle hys thynge, And byleved with the kyng, And ferde swyth myry and wylle. And hys fader in powerte fel, In hys countreth, soth to telle, He ne myght nout for schame dwel, And wenten thyne hys wyf and hee [ 3320] Fer into anothyr countré, And lyved thare, he and hys wyf, And lade swyth sympyl lyf. The childe let privelyche inquere In what stad hys fadyr were; Thay fande hem that went to spye In the toun of Plecie. Than went he agayn anoon, As fast as he myght goon With hys fet oppon the grounde, [ 3330]

And sayed, 'Sire, I have founde That thou byden aspye In the cité of Plecie.' The childe dyght hym rychliche, And went thydir astiliche; Into Plecie when he was comen, Ner hys fadir hys in was nome. To mete when he was redy to gon, After hys fadir he sent anoon, And hys modir, a good wyf, [ 3340] For to gladen hom of hare lyfe. When thay comen into the halle, Thay fayer resavyde alle; The childe askyd watyr anoon, And hys fadir bygan to goon, And the water wolde have fet, Bot he was sone let. Hys modir wold the towel have broute, Bot othir wolde suffry hyt nouȝt. And the child al togydir syghe, [ 3350] And fadir and modir neghid nee, And by the honde both he nam, And sayed, 'For sothe, ȝoure sone I am. Fadyr, nowe hyt hys byfalle That I herde the ravens telle; I tolde ȝou withouten lesyng What thay sayeden in hyr gavlyng: For I hire cryhyng undirstode, Ther-fore thou puttyst me in the flod, Bot Jhesus held me by the hond, [ 3360] And broght me sonne to londe.

Fadir, hadde I than be dronken, And in the salt flod sonkyn, So God schild me from curs, Now thou myghtyst fare the wars.' Than walde the sone speke no mare, And kyst hym and hys modir in fere, And made thaym swyth fayer chere, And gaf thaym londe and tresour, And thay levedyn in mykyl onour." [ 3370] Quod the emperour sone to the emperour, "Hyre fel the fadir lytil honour, That for a wylle of hyghe blode Put hys sone in the floode. "Fadyr, so hase thou talent To sla me without juggement; And certys I have no more gylte Than he that was in the see pute. Bot the emperes loves me nout, There-fore hit was hir thout, [ 3380] With wichecraft and with nygrimancie, Ordaynde that I schulde dee. Myn maysters loked in the mone, And tolde me wat was to doone; And sythen I was aftir sent, Hadde I spokyn I hadde ben schent, And my seven maysters also. Thus was my welle tornyd into wo; And alle was thorow thy wyvis rede, For scho wolde that I hadde ben dede. [ 3390] Certys, sire, thus hyt hys; Do now what thy wille hys."

The emperour was ful of godnesse, And sayed anoon to the emperes, "Dame," he sayed, "wat sayes thou? Avise the wille of thyn answere; For the hede that I bere, Bot thou may the fayrer skere Of that myn sone haves tolde here, For alle the men that beres breth, [ 3400] Thou schalt dye on schentfol deth." The emperes, sothe for to telle, Was combird wit fynde of helle, That scho myght nout forsake, That let the treson make, With wychecraft and felonye, For to make the childe to dye, And sayed, "My lord, sire emperour, For Godys love and thyn honour, Ordeyn wat thy willys bee, [ 3410] Wat thou thynkest do by me, For, certis, I may forsake nowt The fame that on me hys broght. That thy sone haves sayed i-wys, Certeynlich soth hyt hys; Hyt was al togydir my red, For I wolde he hadde ben dede." Thus the thef the emperesse Knowleched hyre wykkednese, Thorow the fyndys entysment; [ 3420] And anoon scho was schent, And bounden swyth fast, And hadde hire juggement at the last.

Thus the childe wan hys lyf; And the emperesse lees hire lyf; And maynted hys son aryght Bothe by day and by nyght, And hys clerkys thre and fyve, Tha[t] holpyn to save hys sone on lyve With sevene talys that thay tolde, [ 3430] The sevene clerkys that were so bolde, Agayns the wyle traytoresse, Hys stepmoder the emperesse. There-fore the emperour Dyde thaym swyth mykyl honour; In alle thynges that he thout, By hare concel alle he wroght; And was wyduer al hys lyf, He wolde never have no wyf, That was algat in his thout; [ 3440] For tresoun that scho hadde wrogt, He ne durst dele with no mo, Lest thay wrogten more wo. To lyve gode lyf he bygane, And bycam a chast man, And paynyd hym with al hys myght To holde ilke man to ryȝt, And lyvede in myrthe and solas, And dyed wan Godys wylle was, And went into heven-riche, [ 3450] Thare joye and blysse hys evere i-lyche. To that ilke blysse brynge us Gode, That never in erth ȝed schodde.

Amen, amen, ffor charité.