Early English versions of the Gesta Romanorum / edited by Sidney J.H. Herrtage

[XII. ]
[EMPERATOR POLEMUS.]
(HOW THE KING OF HUNGARY WAS DISAPPOINTED OF HIS WIFE.)Harl. MS. 7333.

[leaf 156, col. 2 (cont'd)]

Story.

Polemus was a wise Emperour, regnynge in þe Cite of Rome, þe whicℏ hadde a passyng faire doȝter, callyd Aglaes. Ther was a knyȝt in [the] palis, that hyely lovid þis faire may; And in a certeyne day þis knyȝt hadde a speche with hire, and shewid to hire þe love of his herte, þat he hadde to hireward. Whenne he hadde maade his reuelacion̛ to hire, she seide aȝen, That sittℏ he openyd his harte to hire, so Sche wold openy hire herte to him; and saide, That she hadde lovid him in privite, witℏ prive affeccion̛, bifore aƚƚ men, and þat by long tyme. Thenne þe knyȝte was glad, and saide, "I mot visite þe holy lond; and þerfore ȝif me þi truthe, and þou shalt haue myne, that I shal not this vij. ȝere haue no wife but þe, ne þou none husbond but me þis vij. ȝere; And if I come not aȝen þis vij. ȝere day, I woƚƚ þat þou take an husbond where þe shal best like." The maide saide, she wold consent; and þer they pliȝt hire truthe; And þe knyȝt tooke his leeve, & went his way. Sone after þe Emperour spake with þe kyng of hungery, for mariage to

be maade bitwene his dowtyr and him. A day was set whanne the king shuld come and see hire; and he com; And he was so hiely plesid witℏ hire faire person̛, and Ientilnesse, and bewte, þat anoon̛ the Emperour and he were in fuƚƚ accord, yf þe dameséƚƚ wolde assent. The dameseƚƚ was I-callid, and hire fadir seid̛ þus, "Deer̛ douter, her̛ I haue spokyn̛ with a king to be thyne husbond̛; Neuertheles I woƚƚ in this cause knowen þi wille. What seyist þou?" "A! fadir," quoþ she, "me likitℏ the kyng fuƚƚ wele, but I beseche [leaf 156, back, col. 1] you for goddis loue, that ȝe ordayne no man to me theise vij. ȝere, for I haue avowid chastite þis vij. ȝere:" Anoon þe Emperour wrot þis answere to þe king, and askid if he wolde abyde. And whenne þe king hard̛ this, he þoȝte it was but as þe space of vij. days, he hadde so hye love to hire; and grauntyd to abide hire. So the vij. ȝer̛ were ycome to þe ende; in þe last day of hem þe maide stoode in a wyndowe of a chambir weping, and saide, "Allas! allas! for my love bihiȝt me for to come to-morowe fro þe holy lond, And to-morowe is þe day of þe kinge of hungry, to haue me to wife; And if my love come not to-morowe at his our, aƚƚ þe love is lost þat I hadde to him!" So whenne þe day com, the king maade him redy to come to þe Emperour, with a gret oost, for to wedde his dowter, as covenaunt was; And he come y-clothid alle in purpre & bisse. And as he roode by þe way, the knyȝte come fro þe hooly lond on a faire palfray, and roode toward þe king. And þe king saide to him, "Deere frend, whens art þou, and whodir art þou boun?" "Sir," quoth he, "I am a knyȝt of the Empire, and I come now fro þe holy lond; And I am a seruaunt of yourys in aƚƚ þat I can and may." Anoon þer come a gret rayne, and shent þe kingis clothis; and þo þe knyȝt saide to þe kyng, "Þou hast ydon̛ Ivel and vnwisely, for þou broȝtist not þyn̛ hous with þe." Thenne saide þe king, "Myne hous is large, and maade of lyme and stone; and how shold I haue brouȝt myne hous with me? þou spekiste lewidly." "I trowe wel I do," quoþ þe knyȝt; "Neuerþeles ȝit shalt þou not fynde me a foole." And so þei reden̛ fortℏ tiƚƚ þei come to a water; and the king knewe not þe depnesse þerof, but he smot his hors with þe sporys, and roode in, and was ny dreynt. The knyȝt roode in þe

oþer side of þe water, and hadde no peril at aƚƚ; And þenne he seide, "Þou were in gret peril, and þerfore þou didist lewdelicℏ, þat þou tooke not þi brigge with þe." "Thowe spekist merveilously," seide þe kinge; "My brigge is y-maade of lyme and stone, and is in lengþe mor̛ than halfe a myle; howe shold I have y-brouȝt it with me? I sey þou art a lewde man." "In happe," saide þe knyȝte, "my foly shal turne in to wisedome." And when þei hadde riden a while, þe king askid what hour of þe day it was; and þe knyȝt seide, "Sir, who so lust ete, It wer̛ tyme for to ete; And þerfore, my lord þe king, If þat ȝe woƚƚ voche-safe to take a soppe with me, it shal be no dishonoure to you, but rather worshup and þonking afore the [leaf 156, back, col. 2] lordys of the Empire." "That wol I," quoþ þe king, with a goode chere, "take mete of þe." So þey sette yn a faire grene place; and þe king, and aƚƚ þat were with him, hadde þere, by þe purviaunce of þe knyȝt, a goode dyner. whenne þe dyner was y-do, þe knyȝt seide to þe king, "sir, ȝe did lewidly, þat ȝe broȝt not your fadir and your Modir with you." "What spekist þou?" quoþ þe king; "my Fadir is ded, and my modir is an old wife at home? Howe sholde I haue y-Caryed hem with me? Forsotℏ a mor̛ foole þan þou art, fond I neuer." "Preyse at þe parting," seide þe knyȝt, "And bihold wele þe ende." They rode fortℏ; and whan þei drowe ny to þe place, þe knyȝt askid leeve to ryde by an oþer way, that was ner̛; And he dude in thilke entent to be afore, and haue awey the dameselle. But he toke his leve at þe king in þis maner. When he askid leeve to go, the king askid whodir he wold go? "Forsotℏ," seide the knyȝte, "this day vij. ȝere I lefte a nette yn a certayne place; yf I fynde it y-broke, I wol leeve it; if y fynde it cleene, and hoole, I wol take it with me." And so he bade þe king fare wel, and roode fortℏ on his wey; And þe king helde þe hye way. Whan þe Emperour hurde of þe king, he roode aȝenst him with a grete ost, and Receyvid hym worthely; and made him to do of his clothis, and ȝaf him oþer. So when þe king was sette by þe emperour at mete, þe emperour dude him cher̛ as he myȝte, and cowde. Whenne þe mete was y-don, the emperour askid tythingys of þe king; And þe king answerd, and seide, "I shal telle you what maner talking I hurde þis day, in the wey. I mette with

a knyȝte in þe wey, and he salewid me curtesly; and when we hadde y-ryden̛ awhile to-gedre, a gret Rayne come, and shende my Clothis; and þenne saide the knyȝte, that I dude lewdely, for I broȝt not my hous with me." "A!" quoþ þe emperour, "what Clothing weryd he?" "Certenly," seide the king, "I sawe no clothing on him but his cloke, and his hoode on his hed." "Nowe i-wis," quoþ þe Emperour, "he is a wise man in þat word, For þe hous that he menyd, was þi cloke. He seide ȝe dude vnwisely, that ȝe vsid not your cloke, For if ȝe hadde on your cloke, the reyne shuld not haue y-towchid your clothing." "Sire," quoþ þe kinge, "we redyn further; by a casuel happe or by chaunce I was ny dreynt in a water; and the knyȝte rood withoute, and was safe. & whenne he sawe me in periƚƚ of watir, he seide to me, þat I dude lewdely, for I brouȝt [leaf 157, col. 1] not my brigge with me." "A! by my lewte, that man̛ was no fole," said the Emperoure, "for he seid the grete wysdome; for thou shuldest, or thou haddist auntred̛ thi owne body, have I-had othir to have I-go to-fore the, and haue ypreved̛ the water; and that he callid̛ the bryg." "In the name of God, be it," quod the Kyng. "And then̛ we riden̛ forth in the wey, and he made me to dyne with hym; and when we had ydyned̛, he seid to me, that I did lewdly, that I brougℏt not with me my sire and my dame." tho said the emperour̛, "that wise man callid̛ thi sire and thi dame brede and wyne, that þou shuldest haue I-take with þe, with oþir vitails." Tho seid the kyng, "As we riden̛ fortℏ, he asked leve of me to passe by anoþer waye; and I asked of him whethir he wold̛ go, and he seid to me in this fourme; this day seven̛ yere I lefte a nette in a place, the which I wol now visite; And if̘ I fynd hit as I left hit, I wol bere hit with me; and I find hit corrupt, I woƚƚ let hit duelle stille." And when the emperoure hard that, he cried with an hy vois, "Where beth any seruauntȝ? where? rennyth fast, and lokith my doughter in her Chamber, for with oute doute she is þe same nette that he spake of." The seruauntȝ yede to her Chamber, & founde no body, for the knyght̘ had I-fette her while þe emperour̛ met with þe kyng. and so, shortly to sey, the kyng had lost his pray, and yede home with confusion̛.

MORALITE.

Sirs, this Emperoure is oure Lord Ihesu Crist; the doughter þat is so faire is euerlasting lyf̘, the which god of̘ his goodnesse hathe ordeined̛ for kynges, knyghtis, symple men̛, and pouere men. The knyght þat lovith this lady, this dameseƚƚ, is euery good Cristen̛ man̛, that wole haue the kyngdome of heven̛, for love þat he hath therto; and holdith him vnworthi þerto, as þappostiƚƚ seith, Non sunt condigne passiones huius temporis ad futuram gloriam, þat is to sey, the passions and tribulacion̛ that beth had in this world̛ are not worthi for to haue the Ioy that is [to] come. ¶ The knygℏt þat goth on pilgremage vij. yere,—what is þat? that eche good Cristen̛ man owith to labour̛ contynuelly, as doth a pilgryme, in aƚƚ the tyme of his lyf, in the vij. werkes of mercy; and so withoute doute he may haue the euerlastyng lyf̘ in blisse. ¶ By the kyng þat come withoute cloke, & was [leaf 157, col. 2] y-wet in þe rayne, may be vndistond̛ grete men̛, and mighti men̛ of the world̛, as beth Iustices, Bailyfs, and othir. ¶ By the cloke þat coverith oþer clothis, we vndirstond̛ charite, the which, as the Appostiƚƚ seith, koueryth multitude of synnes; but many oon haue not this cloke of charite, & þerfore thei beth wete, & fouled̛ with the rayn̛ of pride, covetise, gloteny, and lechory. ¶ Also the kyng was ny dreynt, for he had no bryg̘,—what is that? For rigℏt as hit is hard to passe a depe water withoute a brig, So hit is hard̛ to be saved̛ withoute feitℏ. But ther̛ be many of̘ vs that woƚƚ rathir put her lyf & trust in to the help of the world̛ þan to the help of god, þe which is not oonly myghti but almyghty; and þerfore seith oure saviour̛, ¶ Si habueritis fidem vt granum synapis, poteritis dicere huic monti transi, et transiet, That is to sey, if ye haue feitℏ, as moche as hath þe corn of synewey, ye shuƚƚ mow sey to a mounten̛, passe, and hit passetℏ at a word̛ of you. but many of vs havith fuƚƚ feble feitℏ, & þerfore many oon fallith in to þe diche of desperacion̛, & of dedly synne. Also the kyng had not with him his fader, neither his modir; by the fadir, that is cause of oure generacion̛, is vndirstond̛ mekenesse or humilite, withoute which þere abideth no vertue in a man̛; as seith Seint Gregory, ¶ Siquis

ceteras virtutes sine humilitate portat, quasi in ventum portat, This is, who so euer þat berith othir vertues withoute humilite, he berith hem as in to þe wynde, or as men berith poudir in þe wynde. The modir is hope; for as the Appostiƚƚ seitℏ, ¶ Spe salui facti sumus, We bethe made save thorugℏ hope. And þerfore, if̘ a man wiƚƚ haue this fair̛ lif that euerlastitℏ, he moste leve the brode weye, and go by a strayt waye, that is to sey, the wey of penaunce & of fastyng̘; of þe which wey seith the Appostiƚƚ, ¶ Stricta est via que ducit ad celum, et pauci ambulant per eam, This is to sey, the wey is strayt that ledith to heuen̛, & few gotℏ þerby, but many goth the brode wey, scil. flesshly likynges, þe which ledith to helle. & certenly suche men̛ shul be deceyved̛, for her goyng fro euerlastyng lif̘; And þerfore, sirs, lete vs vse to loue excellently this fair̛ lyf̘, & wisely vse the cloke of Charite, & the bryg of the feith, þe Fadir of loulynesse in hert, the modir of hope, the wey of penaunce and of fastyng̘, and then by good argument, then shul we haue the fair̛ lyf̘ that is euermore lastyng̘. Ad quam perducat nos, &c.