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

[ III. ]
EMPERATOR DEOCLICIANUS.
(OF THE MAGIC IMAGE AND THE ENCHANTED CHAMBER.)Harl. MS. 7333.

Story.

Deoclician was Emperour in þe Cite of Rome, in þe Empire of whom was a philosophre, callid Lenoppus, þe whicℏ had bi his crafte sette vp an ymage, þe whicℏ put out an hond with a fynger, and vp on the finger was wretyn wordis percute hic, That is to sey, Smyte here. This ymage stode þer long, & many a day after þe detℏ of þe philosophre; and many come to þis finger, and Radde the superscripcion̛, but þey vndirstode it not, & therfore þei hadde mocℏ marvaile what it shuld̛ mene. So in a certeyne tyme þer com a clerke of ferr̛ contreys, and ofte tymis he sawe þis ymage, And þis finger with þe scripture. And in a certeyne day he toke a shoviƚƚ, and dyggyd in the ertℏ, vndir [leaf 151, back, col. 2] þe superscripcion̛. And anon̛ he fond a hous of marbiƚƚ vndir þe Ertℏ; and thanne he went down̛, and enterid̛ in to the haƚƚ, and þer he fond so many riche iewelis and marvelous þingys, that no tunge cowde teƚƚ. Aftir þis he sawe a bord or a table, i-sprad with ricℏ metys y-nowe þer vppon̛. thenne he lokid afer, and sawe stonding a charbuncle ston̛, the whicℏ ȝaf liȝt ouer aƚƚ the hous; And aȝenst hit stod̛ a man̛, witℏ a bowe in his hond, redy for to schete. This clerke perceivid weƚƚ this sigℏt,

and þoute, þoȝ I teƚƚ þis siȝtℏ whenne I am a-go hens, no man̛ woƚƚ trowe me, And þerfore I woƚƚ take som̛ of þis goode, in tokne. he stirte to þe bord̛, and tooke a faire gilt̘ cowpe, and put it vp; And anoon̛ the man̛ with þe bowe sheet to the charbuncleston̛, so soore, that it ȝede on sundre, and þo was aƚƚ the liȝt agon̛, And þe hous was fuƚƚ of dorknesse. And whenne þe clerke sawe þis, he wepte soore, for he wiste not how to passe out, for dorknesse; And þerfore he dwelte þer stiƚƚ, and þer he endyd his lif̘, &c.

MORALITE.

Goode men, þis ymage that is thus y-paynt, is the deveƚƚ, þe whicℏ seitℏ euermore, Percute hic, Smyte here, that is to sey, he puttitℏ in our hertes Erthely thingis, And bidditℏ vs take hem, but he woƚƚ neuer speke of hevinly thingis. The clerke þat smytitℏ with the shoviƚƚ bitokenytℏ þe wise men of þis wordle, and ben advocatis, and pletouris, þe whicℏ by sotilte and wickidnesse getitℏ þe goode of þis wordle, and þe vanyteys of þis wordle. And whenne thei have geten hem with sucℏ worching, they fynditℏ many marveilous þingis, þat is to sey, dilectabiƚƚ þingis of þe wordle, in þe whicℏ þei haue gret dilectation̛. The charbuncleston̛ þat ȝevitℏ liȝt is þe yowtℏ of man̛, þe whicℏ ȝevitℏ to man hardinesse to haue dilectacion̛ and liking the wordly þingis. The archer þat shetitℏ is detℏ, þe whicℏ stonditℏ euermore redy in awaite, for to shete his dart. Now the clerke þanne takitℏ a knyfe,—what is that? the wordly man, trowing̘ to haue aƚƚ thingis at his owne wiƚƚ; But in that trust The archer shetitℏ att þe Charbuncleston̛, That is to sey, detℏ shetitℏ his schotys to þe ȝowtℏ of man, and smytitℏ his strengℏt, and his myȝte; And þenne lietℏ [leaf 152, col. 1] the yowtℏ in derkenesse of synne, In the whicℏ derkenesse many men oftyn tyme deyetℏ. And þerefore lat vs fle aƚƚ lustys, and aƚƚ likingys, and þenne we schuƚƚ not faile of Euerlasting liȝt, Ad quam nos perducat, &c.