The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact mec-info@umich.edu. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact libraryit-info@umich.edu.
DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States
SOmtyme there dwelled in Rome a myghty emperour, the whiche was named Dunstane. In whose Empyre dwelled a gentyll knyght, ye whiche had two sones. One of his sayd sones wedded hym selfe, agaynst his faders wyll, to a comune woman of the bordell. The knyght herynge this exyled his sone frome hym. And whan he was thus exyled, he begate on this woman a sone / and sone after that, he wexed seke
and nedefull, wherfore he sente messengers to his fader, besechynge hym of his mercy. This herynge, his fader had compassyon and ruthe of hym, wherfore he was reconsyled. And whan he was thus brought agayne to his faders grace / he gaue his sone, whiche he had begoten afore of this nedeful woman, to his fader. And he kyndely receyued it as his sone, and norysshed tt. whan his other sone herde this, he sayd to his fader, "Fader," quod he, "it semeth yt thou arte out of thy ryght mynde, the whiche I preue by this reason. For he is out of his mynde, that receyueth a false heyre / & nouryssheth hym / whose fader hath done hym anguysshe & dysease afore. But my brother, whiche begate this chylde, hath done the grete Iniurye, whan that he wedded ye comune woman agaynst thy wyll and commaundement. Therfore me semeth, that thou arte oute of thy ryght mynde." Thenne answered ye fader, and sayd, "By cause that thy brother is reconsyled, thou arte enuyous to me, and also vnkynde to thyn owne brother / wyllynge for to put hym from my felawshyp for euermore / & sothely none vnkynde man shall haue myn herytage, but yf that he be reconsyled. But yet yu were neuer reconsyled of his vnkyndenesse, for thou myght haue reconsyled hym, but thou woldest not / therfore of myn herytage getest thou no parte.
¶ The fader of the two bretherne betokeneth the fader of heuen. And this two sones betokeneth ye nature of aungelles, and nature of man. For man was wedded vnto a comune woman of the bordelle, whan he ete of the apple agaynst the commaundement of god, wherfore he was exyled by ye fader of heuen, and putte fro the Ioyes of paradyce. The sone of the comune woman betokeneth mankynde. This knyghtes sone, that is to saye, Adam, began to be nedefull / for after his synne he was putte from ioye in to this wretched valey of teares and wepynge, accordynge to this scrypture, In sudore vultus, &c. In the swete of thy vysage thou shalte ete thy brede. But after, by the passyon of Cryste he was reconsyled. But the other sone, whiche betokeneth the deuyll, was euer vnkynde, & grutcheth dayly agaynst oure reconsylynge, sayenge, that by synne we oughte not to come [signature L iv.] vnto the herytage of heuen. Unto the whiche brynge vs our lorde Ihesus! Amen.