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

[ IV. ]
EMPERATOR TITUS.
(OF THE KNIGHT WHO SAVED A CITY AND WAS UNGRATEFULLY PUT TO DEATH BY SOME OF ITS INHABITANTS.)Harl. MS. 7333.

Story.

Tytus was a wyse Emperour regnyd in þe Cite of Rome; and he made a lawe, þat euery ded knyȝt shuld̛ be buried in his armour and armys, And iff̘ ony man̛ weere so hardy for to spoyle him of his armys, after þat he were y-buried̛, he shuld̛ lese his life, with oute ony ayenst-stondyng̘. So, sirys, hit happid̛ with Inn̛ a fewe ȝeris, þat a certeyn̛ Cite of þe Empire was biseigyd with envious men and enemeys of þe Emperoure, in so mocℏe, þat þe Cite was In pereƚƚ, and in poynt to be loste, Ne þer was non̛ with inne þe Cite þat myȝt defend him selfe with no Crafte; And þerfore grete sorowe and mocℏ siȝyng was in euery strete of þe Cite. So with Inne fewe days after þer com toward þe Cite a faire, yong, and welfaryng knyȝt; And whenne þe cheventeyns of the cite sawe him, Thenking þat he semyd to be a dowty man, Thei prayd him aƚƚ to-geder with a gret voys, that he wold̛ fucℏ-safe to helpe hem ayenst theyre enemeys, in þat grete nede. Thenne seide þe knyȝt, "Parde, sirys, ȝe see weƚƚ that I have noon̛ armour ne armys, to defende yowe; And iffe I hadde, I wold defend you witℏ a goode wiƚƚ." Heryng þes wordes, a grete worthi man of þe Cite seide preuely, "Here beside," quoþ he, "lietℏ a knyȝt ded, and on his body is goode armour̛, and long hatℏ y-leye on þe erthe, as the lawe wold̛; And þerfore, sir," he seide, "if it like you, ȝe may defende þe Cite." And so þis yong knyȝt dude, and armyd him with the armour, and fougℏt with the enemeys, and wan þe victorie, and deliuered þe Cite fro periƚƚ; And after he putte vp aȝen priuely the armour in the sepulcre. But þer were fals traytourys of þe same cite, that hadden indignacion̛ and envie þat he wan so þe victorie; And went and accusid him to [the] Iuge, sayng̘, "The lawe of the Emperour is sucℏ, that if ony man witℏdrawe othir spoile þe dede, he shuld̛ be ded; And sucℏ a knyȝt hatℏ y-spoylid sucℏ a ded knyȝt of his armour̛, with the whicℏ he clothid him, and [leaf 152, col. 2] defendid þe Cite; And þerfore we aske of you, þat it be

procedid aȝenst him, as owitℏ to be don aȝen a breker of þe lawe of þe Emperour." Then the Iuge made the knyȝt to be Itake, and to be brougℏt afore him, and þer he Reprevid him of sucℏ a trespace. And þenne the knyȝt answerid̛, and seide, "Sire, hit is wreten, that of too Evelis þe lasse Eviƚƚ is to be chosyn̛. For it is not vnknowe to you, þat þe cite was in gret periƚƚ, And if I hadde not take þat armour, I hadde not deliuered þe cite, nor yow neiþer; And þerfore me thenkitℏ I shold̛ raþer have hye honour and thonking of you for my goode dede, than sucℏ vilany; For I am y-brouȝt hedir as a thefe to be hongid. Also, sire, anoþer resone is for me. who so witℏdraweþ ony thing̘ thefly, he purpositℏ not to bere it aȝen; But, sir, it was not so witℏt me, For þoȝ I toke as in borowing þe armour of þe ded knyȝt, to deliuer the Cite þer with, as soone as I hadde deliveryd þe Cite, and hadde þe victorye, I bare the armour aȝen, so that the dede had his owne, as þe lawe woƚƚ it." Then spake þe Iuge, and seide, "I sette cas, þat a thefe make an hole in a hous, for to take out good, and after to bring it aȝen, I pray þe, knyȝt, lat see, say whedir doitℏ he wele or no?" "Sir," quoþ the knyȝt, "Some tyme is sucℏ holiyng and perforacion goode, and not wikkid̛, as if ony þirle or make an hole in a feble walle of a feble hous, in entent þat þe lord of þe hous make þe waƚƚ strenger, for periƚƚ of thefis, þat þei entre not so liȝtely, if thei come." Thenne seide the Iuge, "sir, þoȝ sucℏ perforacion̛ be goode, and don for þat þe waƚƚ shuld be made moore sikir and stronger, ȝit is violence y-made to þe lord of þe hous; and so with þe, For þoȝ þat þou dudist goode with þe armys of þe knyȝt, ȝit þou dudist violence to þe dede, in that þu toke away his armour." Thenne seide þe knyȝt, "Sir, I seide to you erwhile, þat if too Ivelis wer̛ commaundid, þe lesse were to be chosyne, And that Iviƚƚ, by doyng̘ of whicℏ comitℏ good and profitt̘, shold not be y-callid an Iveƚƚ dede, but a goode dede þat was like to an Iviƚƚ; as thus, loo! If þer weere an hous in þe cite I-sette afire, and bigonne to brenne, weere it not better to drawe downe þe hous þat stonditℏ next, or elles þat þei take fire also, And so aƚƚ þe cite be brend? And so, sir, þe armour, If I hadde not [leaf 152, back, col. 1] taken it out for a tyme þe armour of the dede knyȝt, ellis þe Cite and ȝe aƚƚ shuld̛ haue

ben distroyd." Thenne the Iuge hering his resonabiƚƚ and his wise answeris, he myȝt ȝeve no dome aȝenst him. But the false traitours that accusid him, slowe him, and morderyd him, and þerfore was made grete sorowe in þe Cite. And þenne thei buryed þe body of þe knyȝt, worthely among hem in a newe sepulcre.

MORALITE.

Worshipfuƚƚ Seris, þis Emperour is þe Fadir of heuene. The city bisegid is þis wordle, the whicℏ is bisegid with develis, and with synnys; And aƚƚ þat were in þe Cite were in poynt to be loste, when aƚƚ þat were afore the passion̛ of Criste were in þe power of þe deviƚƚ, and myȝte not helpe hem selue. The yong knyȝt þat comytℏ to þe cite, scil. that is to sey, to þe wordle, is oure lord, þe doȝty werrour, ihesu criste, þat hadde noon armour, scil. manhode, vnto þe-time that he had gon vnto þe sepulcre, scil. þe wombe of the blessid virgin seynt Marie, by þe annunciacion̛ of the aungel, seying̘, Spiritus sanctus superueniet in te. Ecce concipies et paries filium, &c. And so he toke in þe wombe of þe virgin marie þe armure of the dede knyte, scil. kynde of þe first fadir Adam; And þer he foȝte with þe enemeys by his blessid passion, and deliuered the wordle, with aƚƚ mankynde, fro periƚƚ. And þenne he put þe armour aȝen in þe ertℏ, whenne his body was put in þe sepulcre. But þe Citeseyns, þat is to say, Jewis and paynyms, þoȝ þei were of peple þat crist come for to save, ȝit þei accusid him to pilat, and alegid þer aȝen hym, For þe Emperour and his lawe, this seying̘, Si hunc dimittis, non es amicus Cesaris, This is to sey, Iffe þou leve him, and sle him not, þou art not Frend neþer trewe to þe Emperour; for after þe lawe he owitℏ to be dede. But ȝit þe Iuge cowde not ȝeve dome him selfe, as þey askyd, but committyd him to hem aȝen; and þenne þei slowe him, and morderyd him; and in þe thirde day he ros fro his detℏ, and after ascendid vp to ioye and glorye, Ad quam nos perducat, qui cum Patre & Spiritu Sancto, &c.