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

[ I. ]
EMPERATOR FELICIANUS.
(HOW A WIFE EMPLOYED A NECROMANCER TO CAUSE THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND, AND HOW HE WAS SAVED BY A CLERK.Harl. MS. 7333.

Story.

[leaf 150, col. 2]

Felician regnyd emperour in the Cyte of Rome, In the empeire of whom þer was a knyȝt þat hadde weddid a yong dameseƚƚ to wif̘. And withinne fewe yerys þis woman lovid by wey of synne an oþer knyȝt, vndir hire husbond̛, and þat so mocℏ, þat she ordeyned for hire husbonde to be ded. Happyng̘ þat þis knyȝt wold goo on pilgrimage ouer þe see; And þerfore he seide to his wif̘, "Dame, y woƚƚ goo on pilgrimage, ouer þe see; And þerfore gouerne the wele the while til I come home aȝen." And with that she was glad, and seide, "Sir, wiþ þe grace of God aƚƚ shaƚƚ be wele y-do." And shortly for to touche þis mater; he tooke his leve, and ȝede his wey. Nowe þis false quene, his wif̘, ordeyned for his dethe in aƚƚ þat she cowde, and spake þerfore to a nigromauncer in þis forme: "Myn husbond," quod she, "is biȝende þe see; I woƚƚ wite, if þou cowde helpe þat he were ded by ony Crafte. Aske of me what þou wolt, and þou shalt have hit." Then spake he to hyre [leaf 150, back, col. 1] aȝen, and saide, "Ȝis, forsotℏ, lady, that I can. That knyȝt shaƚƚ dye by my crafte, yn what cuntre of the wordle so euer þat he be ynne. And y woƚƚ haue no thing of þe for my trauayle but þe love of thyne hert."

And she it grauntid to him. So þis nigromancien dyd make an ymage of erþe, And fastenyd it in þe waƚƚ afore him. And þe knyȝt, þat was gon on pilgrimage, walkyd yn the same day in the stretys of Rome. So þer met wiþ him a clerke, the whicℏ hielie beheld̛ him. And when þe knyȝt perceyvid it, he seide to him, "goode Sir, teƚƚ me why and what skile, þat þou so beholdest me?" Thenne seid the clerke, "Forsotℏ, Sir, for þy detℏ; For douteles þou shalt yn þis same day beded, but if̘ þou be the better holpyn." And he told þe knyȝt how þat his wif was a strompet, and whicℏ purveitℏ in þat day that hire husbond shuld be ded. And when þe knyȝt hurde theise wordes, he had grete merueile, and seide, "A! Sir, I knowe weƚƚ þat my wif̘ is an hore, and long tyme haþ y-be; But þat she euer pursuyd for my detℏ, þat is vnknowe to me, and þerfore I pray þe teƚƚ me if þer be ony remedye ayenst my detℏ; and if þou mowe save my lyf̘, sotℏly aƚƚ my goodys shuƚƚ be at þyne owne wiƚƚ." "Ȝys," quoþ þe clerk, "A Remedye þer is, Iff þou wolt do aftir my conseil." "Ȝis, ȝis," seide þe knyȝt, "I am redy to fulfiƚƚ aƚƚ in dede þat þou wolt sey vnto me." Thenne seide þis clerke, "Thy wif," he seide, "hatℏ this day spoken with a man̛ that can of nigromancye, to sle the by his crafte and sotilte; and so the nigromancien hatℏ y-made an ymage, and sette it in a waƚƚ; and anoon he woƚƚ take a bowe and arowis, and shete att it. And if he wounde þis ymage, þyne herte shaƚƚ brest, where so euer þou be in þe wordle. And so þou sholdiste dye; Neuertheles do aftir my Conseil, and sone I shaƚƚ save þi life. Do of alle thy cloþis, and be nakid̛, and go into a baþ, þat I shaƚƚ make for the." And þe knyȝt dyd riȝt as he bad him. And when he was in þe baþ, þe clerk toke him a myrour in his hond, and seide, "Nowe þou shalt see in this myrour aƚƚ that I spake of to þe." And thenne seide he, "ye, sotℏly I see aƚƚ opynly in myne hous, þat þou spakist of to me. And now þe myster-man takitℏ his bowe, and woƚƚ schete att þe ymage." Thenne seide the clerk, "Sir, as þou lovist þi lif, what tyme that he drawitℏ his bowe, Bowe thyne hed̛ vndir the watir; For if þou do not, certenly þy ymage shaƚƚ be smytene, and þou botℏ." And when þe knyȝt sawe him begynne forto drawe his bowe, he dyd as þe

clerke conseilid him. And thenne seide þe clerk, "What seist þou now?" "Forsotℏ," quoþ he, "now hatℏ he schote an arowe at the ymage; And for þat he [leaf 150, back, col.2] failitℏ of his strook, he makitℏ mocℏ sorowe." Thenne seide þe clerke, "Ȝe, that is goode tydyng for þe; For if he had smyten þe ymage, þou sholdist have I-be ded̛. But loke nowe on the myrour, and teƚƚ me what þou seist." "Now he takitℏ an oþer arowe, and woƚƚ shete aȝen." "Do thenne," quoþ the Clerke, as þou dyd afore, or ellis þou shalt be ded." And þerfore the knyȝt putte aƚƚ his hede vndir þe water. And whenne he had so y-done, he raisid̛ hit vp aȝen, And seyde to þe clerke, "He makitℏ sorowe nowe more þan ony man woƚƚ trowe, For he smot not þe ymage; And he Cryed to my wif, seiyng̘, þat if I fayle the third̛ tyme, I am but ded my selfe, And þyne husbond shaƚƚ lyve; And my wif makiþ þerfor mocℏ lamentacion." "loke aȝen," seide þe clerke, "and teƚƚ me what he doþ." "Forsoþe," seide he, "he hatℏ bend his bowe, and goitℏ ny to þe ymage for to shete; and þerfor I drede now gretly." "Do þerfore," seide the clerke, "do as I bade doo afore, and dred þe noþyng̘." So þe knyȝt, whenne he sawe the scheter drawe his bowe, he swapte his hed vndir þe watir, as he dyd afore; And thenne he toke it vp aȝen, And lokid yn þe myrour, and he lowȝ with a gret myrtℏ. "I sey," quod the clerke, "whi lawȝist þou soo?" "For the archer wold have y-schot at the ymage, And he hatℏ y-schotte him selfe in þe lungen̛, and lyetℏ ded; And my wif makitℏ sorowe with oute ende, And woƚƚ hyde his body by hire beddys syde." "Ȝe, Sir," quod the clerke, "now þou haste þi lif savid, do ȝeld to me my mede, and go; farweƚƚ." Thenne the knyȝt ȝaf him mede as he woƚƚ aske. And þe knyȝt went hom, and fond þe body vndir the bedde of his wif̘; and he ȝede to þe Meyre of þe towne, And told him howe his wife hadde don in his absence. Thenne when þe Meyre and þe statys sawe þis doyng, þey made þe wif to be slayne, And hire herte to be departid yn to þre parteis, in tokne and emsampiƚƚ of veniaunce. And the goode man̛ toke an oþer wif, and faire endid his liffe.

MORALITE.

Seitℏ nowe, goode men; þis emperour I Caƚƚ owre lord̛ ihesu Criste; þe empire is þis wordle, in whicℏ is mocℏ aduersite; For aƚƚ þat is in þe wordle oþer it is fals couetise of flescℏ, or fals couetise of yen, or prowde of lif. The wif that lovitℏ not hire husbond̛ is þi flescℏ, þat dispisitℏ aƚƚ werkis that þe spirite lovitℏ. Now in speking̘ gostely of þis mater, while þat a man goitℏ in pilgrimage, Serys, that is to sey, In werke of ony goode dede to be fuƚƚ-filled̛, Thenne the flesℏ spekitℏ with þe nigromancier, scil. þe deviƚƚ; And þat he dotℏ as ofte tyme as he grucchitℏ aȝenst þe spirit, and sesitℏ fro werkis of penaunce, wherby þe spirit may be slayne. For it is as þe apostiƚƚ seitℏ, Caro concupiscit aduersus spiritum, et spiritus adversus carnem, This is to vndirstonde, The flescℏ desiritℏ thing þat is aȝenst þe spirite, And þe spirit desiritℏ thing aȝenst þe flescℏ. The clerke þat helpitℏ þe knyȝt is a discrete confessour or a prechour, Whicℏ techitℏ a man How þat he shaƚƚ defende him aȝenst þe dartys of þe deviƚƚ. This nigromancer [that] is þe deviƚƚ, biginnitℏ to schete an arowe att the ymage,—what is þat? The Reson̛ within a man̄. But beware þat he hit not him with his arowe, scil. Envy or auarice, For if he do, wi—thoute doute he shaƚƚ dye in euermore lastyng̘ detℏ. And þerfore þou most putte downe þyn̛ hed̛,—what is þat? Thyne old lif of synne, and entre yn to þe batℏ of confession̛. And þou most hold̛ in thy hond a myrour, scil. holy doctrine, þat prelatis and prestis euery day shewitℏ, by þe whicℏ þou shalt see aƚƚ perilis þat perteynitℏ to þi soule. And also holdyng downe of þe hed in þe batℏ, is to be redy to goo vndir þe ȝoke of penance, and submitte þe to it that shaƚƚ be enioyned to þe; and þat is not hard, witnessing þe sauiour him selfe, wher he seitℏ, Jugum meum suaue, et onus meum leue, Lo! my ȝoke, he seitℏ, is swete, and my charge is ligℏt̘. And if þou do þus, no doute of þou shalt stonde aȝenst aƚƚ the shotis þat þe deviƚƚ can shete to þe; And his shotis shaƚƚ turne to his owne sorowe, and encresing of his peyne in þe bed of heƚƚ, wher he shaƚƚ be buryed. Now þan most a prelate honge the wif̘—what bymenytℏ that? Forsotℏ þat consciens and discrecion̛ late þe flesℏ

be hongyd on þe iebet of penaunce, Of þe whicℏ maner of living þe Apostiƚƚ spekitℏ þis, Suspendium elegit anima mea, This is to sey, my soule hatℏ chosen þe iebet, scil. doyng of penaunce. And after þe herte is departid ynto thre parteys, that is, the flesℏ is devidid̛ ynto þre, scil. praying̘, Almysdede, and fastyng. And thenne þou shalt take a new wif̘, scil. a spiritobediente to a new gouernaunce; And thenne per consequens þou shalt have euermore lastyng lif̘, Ad quam nos et vos perducat, &c.