The seven sages of Rome. Edited from the manuscripts, with introd. notes, and glossary by Killis Campbell.

Þe Threttende Tale Said þe Wyfe.

"Þis cete, sir, withowten dout, Was sumtyme enseged obout, With seuyn hathen kinges dai and night, [ 3065]

For to wyn yt if þai myght. Þai made ful mani asautes fell; Al Cristendom þai thoght to quell. Þe Romaynes þat might wapen welde, Defended þam with spere and shelde; [ 3070] Þe walles ful hardily þai held, And mani hathen folk þai feld. Bot of þe Sarezins had þai dowt Þat nane durst pas þe ȝates without. An old man þan, of grete honoure, [ 3075] Spak vnto þe Emperoure: 'Sir, and þou wil do efter me, A gude cownsail I sal tel þe, To save þis cete and þi men.' Þe Emperoure said: 'Þat wald I ken.' [ 3080] 'To seuyn clerkes, sir, takes þis toun, To ȝeme it fra destrucciowne,— O payn to lose þaire lyves all If any faut to þis toun fall.' "Þe Emperoure þan þe toun gan take [ 3085] To seuyn maisters at kepe and wake. A moneth þai it ȝemed wele, So þat no man faut might fele. When it come to þe moneth end, Þai might no lenger it defend. [ 3090] Þan ordand þai a fayre quayntise; Herkin, sir, on whatkin wise. Lenger might þai noght wele last, For þaire vetayles failed fast; Þarfore þai ordand, by þaire wit, [ 3095] How þat þai might best be quit. [ 42 b]

"Ane of þa clerkes hight Genus; He was ful quaynt and cautelus; And efter him es named Ienuere, Þat es a moneth of þe ȝere. [ 3100] A garment to him gert he mak, Side and wide and wonder blak. He gert it dub, fra top til to, With swerel tailes ful blak also. Þan gert he ordain a vesere [ 3105] With twa faces and fowl of chere, With lang noses and mowthes wide, And vgly eres on aiþer syde; With eghen þat war ful bright and clere, And brade ilkone als a sawsere; [ 3110] With brade tonges and bright glowand, Als it war a fire-brand. "When he had on þis wise done, Þe folk of Rome he sembled sone, And bad þam fast, withouten fayl, [ 3115] Ordain þam vnto batayl. Al þai answerd him vntil, Þai sold be redy at his will, On þe morn, with sheld and spere. Þe maister þan dyd on his gere, [ 3120] And went vp in a towre on hight, Whare þe Sarzins se him myght. His veser on his heued he kest; A bright merure oboune he fest; Twa swerdes out gan he brayd, [ 3125] And grete strakes obowt him laid.

He made als mekil dyn and boste Als he had foghten ogayns an ost. "When þe Sarsins saw þis meruail, Þai wald no lenger bede batayl. [ 3130] Sum wend for þe merure lyght, Þat it war ane angel bright, Þat God had sent þeder, perchance, On þam for to tak vengance. So mekil light þe merure kast [ 3135] Þat þe Sarzins fled ful fast. Þe maister made slike nois omell, Sum hoped he war þe fend of hell. Þai war so temped in þat tyde, Þare þai durst no lenger bide. [ 3140] Þai opind þan þe ȝates of Rome, And Cristend men fast efter come. Þe Emperowre and his men ilkane [ 42 c] Of þe Sarezins slogh gode wane; Als mani als þai might ouertake, [ 3145] Fast þai gan þaire crownes crake. Þare wan þe Cristenmen honowre, And mekil gold and gude armowre. Þusgat Genus, þat was wise, Wan þe maystri by quaintise. [ 3150] "Þe maysters of Rome and buriayse Said he was worthi to prayse; And none was so worthy als he Emperoure of Rome to be. And right so, by þaire aller dome, [ 3155] Þai made him Emperoure of Rome.

"Sir, þus sall þi maisters wise Decayue þe with þaire quayntise; And þou mun be ful fayn, may fall, On knese for to serue þam all. [ 3160] I prai to God it might be so, If þou more traystes þam vnto; For þai er nothing els obout Bot to mak þe þaire vnderlout. Þat sal men se ful sone, I trow, [ 3165] And þiself sal noght wit how Vntil þou lose al þine honowre, And sum of þam be Emperoure. Ȝit war me leuere þat þai so ware Þan þi son þat greues me sare." [ 3170] Þus when þe Emperoure herd hir speke, He said als swith he sold hir wreke, And alsone sold his son be slayn. Sho thanked him and was ful fayn. Þan out of chamber gan þai pas. [ 3175] Þus hir tale endid sho has.

Notes

• [Story XIII. Roma.]
• 3063 R with outen.
• 3064 R som tyme.
• 3065 R seuen, kynges day, nyght.
• 3066 R it.
• 3067 R full many.
• 3068 R All.
• 3069 R Romayns, weld.
• 3071 R full.
• 3072 R many.
• 3073 R sarezyns, dout.
• 3074 R pass, yhates.
• 3075 R Ane, gret.
• 3077 R will.
• 3078 R gud counsail, sall tell.
• 3080 R Emperour.
• 3081 R seuen, toune.
• 3082 R yheme, destruccioune.
• 3083 R þair.
• 3084 R toune.
• 3085 R Emperour, toune.
• 3086 R seuen.
• 3087 R yhemed.
• 3088 R myght.
• 3091 R ordaind, fair quayntyse.
• 3092 R Herken, whatkyn wyse.
• 3093 R myght.
• 3094 R þair vetailes faylest.
• 3096 R myght, quytt.
• 3097 R hyght.
• 3098 R full.
• 3101 R make.
• 3102 R Syde, wyde, blake.
• 3103 R till.
• 3104 R swerell tayles full, all so.
• 3105 R ordaine, visere.
• 3106 R foule.
• 3107 R mouthes wyde.
• 3108 W other, R ayther.
• 3109 R full bryght.
• 3111 R bryght.
• 3115 R fayle.
• 3116 R Ordaine, batayle.
• 3117 R All, vntyll.
• 3118 R suld.
• 3119 R scheld.
• 3121 R in till a toure.
• 3122 R sarezyns.
• 3123 R visere.
• 3124 R bryght meroure, W aboue.
• 3125 R brayde.
• 3126 R gret, o bout, layde.
• 3127 R mykell.
• 3128 R ane oste.
• 3129 R sarezyns, meruaile.
• 3130 R bataile.
• 3131 R Som, meroure.
• 3132 R aungell bryght.
• 3133 R þider per∣chaunce.
• 3134 R vengaune.
• 3135 R mykell lyght, meroure.
• 3136 R sarezyns, full.
• 3137 R slyke noys.
• 3138 R Som, fende.
• 3140 R byde.
• 3141 R opend, yhates.
• 3143 R Emperour.
• 3144 R sarezyns þus slogh gud.
• 3145 R many, myght.
• 3146 W gain, R crounes.
• 3147 R honoure.
• 3148 R mykell, gud armoure.
• 3149 R þusgate, wyse, W Gemis.
• 3150 R maistri be quayntyse.
• 3151 R maisters.
• 3153 W om. was, R worthi.
• 3154 R Emperour.
• 3155 R ryght, þair.
• 3156 R Emperour.
• 3158 R Desayue, þair quayntyse.
• 3159 R mon, full fayne.
• 3161 R pray, myght.
• 3162 R trayst more.
• 3164 W, R make, R þair.
• 3165 R sall, full.
• 3166 R sall, wytt.
• 3167 R vn tyll, all, honoure.
• 3168 R som.
• 3169 R Yhit.
• 3172 R swyth, suld.
• 3173 R als sone suld, slayne, W sone.
• 3174 R Scho, full fayne.
• 3175 R chaumbre.
• 3176 R ended scho.