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

A TALE.

"Hyt was a man and hadde a wyfe, And loved hyre as hire owen lyf; Scho was both ȝong and bolde, And the housband whas holde, Hys myrth in bede bygan to slake, And scho tooke another make. In bed as thay lay in fere, The wyf aros, as ȝe moun here, [ 1340] Fram hire hosbonde thare he lay, A lytyl wyl byfore daye, Witouten dore at the ȝate Scho mete hyre lemman thare-atte. The godman withinne a while Myssyd hys wyf, and thout gyle.

He ros uppe as stille as a stone, And to the dore he gane goone, And bygan ful stille to spye, And herde of hyre putrye, [ 1350] And went hym stille as stoone, And steke to the dore anoone. When thay hadde done thayre wyle, And spoken togydir or fylle, The wyf fonde the dore faste; Than whas scho sore agaste. Scho pute at the dore in hye, And bygan loud to crye, And badde the delve hys neke to breke That the dore hadde steke. [ 1360] The sylyman lay and herde, And hys wyf answerd, 'Dame' he sayed, 'go thy way, Thow havest bygonne a sory play; To morwen sal oppon the gonne As many men as been in toune.' Walaway scho gan to synge, And hyr hondis for to wryng: 'Mercy, sire, I am thy spouse, For Goddys love lat me to house!' [ 1370] Quod the godman anoon, 'Goo thare thow hast to goon: So God almyghty gyf me wyne, Thou ne schalt to come hyre-ine, Ar alle our frendys ilkon Have gounde oppon thy body alon.'

Quod the wyf, 'So moti i-thryve, I wylle nought so lange be alyve.' Hastilich within a wylle, Scho was bythought oppon a gylle; [ 1380] Byfore the dore, as I ȝow telle, Thare was a mykyl deppe welle, And a stoon lay thare by As mykil as a manys the, As hit tellys in the booke, In hyr armes scho hit tooke, In the wel ho lette hit falle. The godman herdit into the halle, And hadde reuthe of hys wenche, And wende ho wold hyre self adrynge, [ 1390] And ros uppe in hys serke anoon, And to the wel he gan goon, As man that was in good lyf, And thout for to save hys wyf. The wyf was ful wyly, And stod the dore swyth nee, Into the halle scho gan goon, And stek to the dore anoon. The godman was ful uvele myght, He sowt hys wyf in the pytte, [ 1400] And hurt hym, and hent harme, And scho lay in hyr bede warme. On evyl deth mote scho dee! So bleryd the sely manys ee, And love hir so myche, Ful falle alle syche.

When he fandir nouȝt in the welle, He walde ther no langer dwelle, At hys dore he wolde inne, And hit was stoken with a pyne. [ 1410] He schof ther-onne, and bade undo: Scho lay stille and let hym doo. The lawe was than so harde bounden, Yf a housbond were in hurdom founden, He schuld have a juggement, Were-thorow he schuld be schent; And armyd men by nyght thare ȝede. The godman was ful sore agaste, That he fande the dore faste; He knokede, and was in mykyl kare. [ 1420] The wyf askyd wo was there, The goodman was ful sore adrade, That herd hys wyf in hys bede, And sayed, 'Dame, I ham here, Thy spouse and thy trewe fere: Arys uppe, and draw oute the pyne, Goode lef, and let me inne.' 'A! traytour!' quod scho tho, 'Ga bylyve were thou havest to go, To thyn hore there tho[u] were, [ 1430] Go agayn and herborowe thare.' To speke fayre he to hede, For he saw hit was ned: 'Dame, lete me in to my bede, And now be thow nought adrede; For by the lorde saynt Nycolas,

I wyl forgyve the thy trespas.' 'Nay, traytour,' quod scho tho, 'Certis also wel thow myght goo; By Good that hys ful of myght, [ 1440] Thow schal nowt come here-in to nyght.' As thay spoken lowde togyder, The wakmen herde and come thydyr; The toon sayed, 'Wat art thow, That standys here thys tyme nowe?' 'A! sire,' he sayed, 'mercy! And I wille ȝow telle resoune why: I hadde a spangel good of plyght, I have hit mysde al thys seven-nyght, And I not how hit ferde, [ 1450] Me thought here-out I hym herde, And cam out to clepyn hym inne, And my wyf hase put in the pyne In the dore oppon hyre game: Go forth, a Godys name!" 'Certis he lyes,' quod hys wyf, 'Hyt hys a man of wykkyd lyfe. I have helyd, for I wende That he wolde somtyme amende; Ther-fore now ȝe have hym hent, [ 1460] Lat hym passe by juggement.' The wakmen nolde no langer abyde, They token hym in ilke a syde, And lad hym into the toune, And put hym in prisone, And lay alle nyght in mykyl sorowe,

And hadde hys juggement a-morwen. Thus he hadde hys juggement, And thorow hys wyf he was schent. [ 1470] So wyltou, sire emperour, Certis lese thyn honour, To bynym thy sonys lyf For a tale of thy wyffe." Quod the emperour, "By swet Jhesus, For thy tale, sire Lentulus, To day ne schal he lese the lyffe For no tale of my wyf." Than commande the emperour Do hys sone into the tour. [ 1480] Thay dyden anoon as he bade: Tho was Lentulus glad. When the emperes that undirstode, For wrat scho was welne wode, That the emperours thout was went, And the childe to prison sent. Al that day scho fonded hyre flygt, How scho myght agayens nyght Fonden a tale al newe, The childe deth for to brewe. [ 1490] Scho was al redy bythout, Wen scho was to bede brogt; Of[t] sythes scho sygkyd sore, And stilly scho sayed, "Lord, thy ȝore!" The emperour lay and herde, And acsyd hyre why scho so ferde. "Sire," quod [the] emperesse tho,

"It his no wondir tho me be wo: Now hys my wo to bygyne, Now we sal parten in twynne. I nylle no langer hyre abyde, [ 500] To se the wo that ȝe sal bytyde. By God Almyghty that hys in hevene, Thy sonne and thy clerkys sevene Thay ben alle at on asent; Certys, syre, thow worst schent. And, syre, bot thow leve me, Also mote bytyde the As dyde the styward of hy[s] lyf, That gret gyng hys wyf." "Dame," quod the emperour, [ 1510] "I bysyke the par amour, Tel me now of that kas, Whilk maner and how hyt was."