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

[III.]

Story.

IN Rome dwelled a noble Emperoure, named Dyoclesyan, whiche aboue all worldly goodes loued ye vertu of charyte, wherfore he desyred gretly to knowe what foule louede her byrdes best, to this entente, yt he myght therby growe to more parfyte charyte. It fortuned after vpon a day, yt this Emperoure walkede to the forest to take his dysporte, where as he founde the nest of a grete byrde, yt is called in latyn Strucio, wt her byrde / ye whiche byrde themperour toke with hym, & closed hym in a vessel of glasse. The moder of this lytell byrde foloweth after to themperours palace, & entred in to the halle where her byrde was closed. But whan she sawe her byrde, and myght not by no menes come to her, ne gete her out, she torned agayne to the forest, and there she abode thre dayes / & at ye last she torned agayne to ye pallays, berynge in her mouthe a worme yt is called Thumare. Whan she came where her byrde was, she lete the worme falle vpon the glasse, thrugh vertue of whose blode the glasse brake, & the byrde escaped, & flewe forth

wt his moder. Whan the Emperour sawe this, he praysed moche ye moder of this byrde, whiche so dylygently laboured for the delyueraunce of her byrde.

Moral.

¶ My frendes, this Emperour is the fader of heuen, whiche wonderly loued them yt ben perfyte in loue & charyte. This lytell byrde closed in the glasse, & taken fro ye forest, [signature A vj.] was Adam our forefader, whiche was exylled fro Paradyse, & put in the glasse / yt is to saye, in helle. This herynge the moder of the byrde / yt is to wete, the sone of god, [he] descended fro heuen, & came to the forest of the worlde, & lyuede here .iij. dayes & more, berynge wt hym a worme / yt is to saye, manhode, accordynge wt the psalme saynge thus, Ego sum vermis et non homo. That is to saye, I am a worme, & no man. This manhode he suff[er]ed to be slayne amonge ye Iewes / of whose blode the vessel eternall was broken, & the byrde wente out, that is to saye, Adam wente forthe, with his moder, the sone of almyghty god, and flewe vnto heuen.