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

Story.

POlemius was a wise Emperoure Reignynge in the sitee of Rome, þe wiche weddid̛ to wyve þe dowter of the kyng of tunyke; & þe womman̛ was fair̛, & gentill in shape; and̛ she conseyuid̛ & bare a faire sone. And̛ whenne lordes harde her̛ of, þey come Echon̛ aftir oþere to the Emperoure, and̛ askid̛ of him the childe to norishe. And̛ thenne the Emperoure seide to hem, "to-morow shaƚƚ be [a] turnament, and̛ who so of yow wynniþe þere þe victory, he shalle have my sone in his gouernayle, vndir this conducion̛, þat if he gouerne [leaf 197, col. 1] wele my sone, I shall highly avaunce him, and if he do not, he shalbe shamely shent." "sir," quod̛ thei, "this liketh wele to vs." So the thridde day aƚƚ were in the

turneament, & pleid; & among aƚƚ othir ther̛ was a noble knygℏt, and a hardy, namyd Iosias, and he gate the victory. & þerfore he toke the child̛, & bare him with him, & sent messangers home afore to his casteƚƚ, for to make aƚƚ clene, both ynward̛ and outeward̛, and also a bed in myddis of þe place, for the child̛. & he ordeined̛ also vij. craftis abowte it y-peynt, in the entent þat the childe myȝte, what tyme that he sholde be wakyd̛, beholde the craftis, and̛ the Riaƚƚ payntynge yn hem, and haue delectacion̛ in hem. Now beside þe bed̛ of the childe was a weƚƚ, and ouer the weƚƚ was a wyndowe, by the whicℏ ligℏt come yn; and a man was assigned̛ to kepe the key of the dor̛ of that house. But it happyd̛ in a tyme, þat þe lady lefte þe dor̛, of negligence; and̛ whan þe dore was y-lefte opyn̛, ther come a beer̛, and entryd̛ in to þe weƚƚ, and̛ bathid̛ hym in it, þorȝ whom aƚƚ the water was infecte witℏ venym̛, and then he ȝede his way. Anoon after come the lord̛ and the lady, and dronke of the water, and after hem come aƚƚ hir̛ meyne, and̛ dronke of the same, for grete hete of the ȝere; and as many as dronke þer of were

y-maad lepremen̛, scil. botℏ the lord and þe lady, and aƚƚ that othir meyne. And sone aftir ther come in at the wyndowe a gret Egle, and tooke the child̛ oute of his bed̛, and fly his way. And whan the knyȝt hadde perceyvyd̛ that, he bitterly wepte, and saide, "Allas! that euer I was borne, for nowe I am but ded, witℏ my wife and aƚƚ my meyne!" And as he was in sucℏ care and sorowe, þer com to him a lecℏ, and saide, "Do aftir my conseil, and þou shalt be hole. Thow most be latyn̛ blode, witℏ thi wife, and̛ aƚƚ thyne meyne; and after thowe most be bathid̛; and thenne I shaƚƚ leye a medecyn̛ to the; and thenne, whan þou art hole, þou shalt go by downys and by dalys, with aƚƚ thy meyne, for to seke þe childe, for it may not be but þat þe Egle hatℏ late him faƚƚ in some place." And̛ the knyȝt wroȝte in aƚƚ thes thinges, right̘ as the leche told̛ him; and when he vsyd̛ his medecyn̛, after that þei wer̛ latyn̛ blode, he was, witℏ aƚƚ his meyne, clensyd̛ of the lepre. And then he roode on his palfray, and̛ tooke iii. sqwyerys witℏ him, and̛ souȝte þe childe; and at þe last they founde þe childe in a valey. And̛ thenne the knyȝt was so mury in herte, that þer cowtℏ no man

telle it, and in his gret ioy he maade a grete fest, and [leaf 197, col. 2] so he brouȝt the childe to the Emperour, his fadir. And whenne þe Emperour sawe his childe in good̛ helthe, and in goode state, he commendid̛ hyely the knyȝt, and avauncyd̛ him to hye dignite, and a faire lyfe he endyd̛.