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

Story.

Theobaldus regnyd̛ Emperour̛ in þe cite of Rome; and he ordenyd for a lawe, that no man, in payne of detℏ, sholde wedde ony woman̛ for hire fairnesse, but for hire Richesse; and also, if that the woman̛ were Ricℏ, and he poor̛, he ordenyd̛ þat þe woman̛ shuld̛ not take hym, but if he wer̛ as ricℏ as she. So þer was in þe Empire a gentiƚƚ knyȝt, but he was poor̛, and he hadde no wife; and þerfore he sougℏt abowte fro kyngdom̛ to kyngdom̛ to gete him a wife. At the last he mette witℏ a faire semely lady, and she was riche in possession̛. And þe knyȝt come to hire, and saide, "Dame, is it thi wiƚƚ to haue me to thyn husbond̛?" Thenne

she answerid̛, and saide, "Deer̛ frend, þou knowist þe lawe, þat no man shuld take a woman̛, ne no woman̛ a man̛, but if that thei wer̛ lyke bothe in possession̛; and þerfore goitℏ, and getitℏ you as moche goode as I haue, and ye shaƚƚ haue me to your wife aƚƚ redy." Whenne he had hurde this answer̛, he ȝede fro hire witℏ hevy cheere, and hadde grete care by what way þat he myȝt geete þat goode, to be abiƚƚ to wed hure. And at the last he hurde telle, þat þer was a ricℏ Erle in þat same contre, þe whicℏ was blynde aƚƚ þe tyme of his life; and whenne þe knyȝt hurd of him, he þoȝte & ymagenyd̛, how that he mygℏt best haue him slayne; and þerfore he ȝede to his casteƚƚ. but ecℏ day there were certeyne men armyd̛, fro morowe to eve to kepe þis Erle; and on the nyȝt þer was a certayne hund, that vsid̛ to berke euere, when ony enmy was nye, and þat so cruelly, þat noon dorst for him come nye the bed of þe Erle; for he wolde wake the Erle, and witℏ his berkinge make him to knowe þe comyng̘ of his enmeys. And thenne þe knyȝt saide to him selfe, "In the day y may not sle þe Erle, for his armyd men, neithir in the nyȝt, for þe hond; and þerfor̛ the best þat is for me, is for to kiƚƚ the hond̛, and þenne I shaƚƚ haue my purpose." So it

happid in a certayne nyȝt, þat þe knyȝt enteryd in to þe chambir preuely of the Erle; and whenne he hurde þe hond bygynne to berke, he shot an arowe in to his bely, and slowe him; and þe erle trowid, when he hurde no moor̛ berking̘, þat aƚƚ was in goode pes, and slepte aȝen. And when þe knyȝt sawe þat, he drowe out his swerde, and slowe þe Erle, and tooke aƚƚ the goodys away with him; and went to þe lady, and saide to hir̛, "nowe, lady, I dar̛ say þat our goodys ben even, þat þou may not excuse þe, but þat þou may take me to husbond̛." Thenne saide she, "sir, or þou wedde me, I woƚƚ aske oo thing of þe. thow shalt go to þe sepulcre of sucℏ a dede man, and þou shalt ligge down̛ beside [leaf 197, back, col. 2] it, to herken what þou shalt here, and þenne telle me what þou hast herde." "This shaƚƚ I do," quod̛ he. He armyd̛ hym, and went to þe sepulcre, and lay þer aƚƚ nyȝt; and abowte mydnyȝt he hurd a voys passe ther away, seiyng, "A! erle, what askist þou of me for to do!" "A! rigℏtwys Iuge," quoþ the dede, "socour me, for I aske not ellys of þe but

veniaunce for my bloode, for falsely I am slayne for my gode." Thenne saide þe Iuge, "in þis day xxxti. ȝere þou shalt fynde veniaunce for þat deede." And whan þe knyȝt had hurde þis, he was hevy, and went to þe lady, and tolde hire what he hadde hurde. And whenne þe lady hurde that, she saide, "the tyme of xxxti. ȝere," quoþ she, "holditℏ a gret space." And so she grauntyd him, and he weddid hure, and levid to-geder aƚƚ þis tyme in gret ioy and solas. And when þe tyme of xxxti. ȝere was come out, the knyȝt maade a casteƚƚ witℏoute comparison̛ in strengℏt; and in þe doore of it he sette thes vers: ¶ Bum fero langorem, bolo religionis amorem;Expers langoris, non sum memor huius amoris.Geu! eum languebat lupus, agnus esse bolebat,Postquam conualuit, talis bt ante fuit. The exposicion̛ of theise vers is this, While I suffre and am in sekenesse, I woƚƚ lede þe life of religion̛, and of goode Rule, but while I was witℏoute sucℏ thraldom̛ and sekenesse, not lovid̛ I sucℏ life; and so it faritℏ by me as it doitℏ by a wolfe, for whenne she is syke, she wold haue ben a lambe, But when she is Recoueryd̛, she

is a shrewe as she was before. And whan lordys come fortℏ by, and radde theise versis, they hadde gret mervaile, and praide him that he wolde declare and expone tho versys to hem. And thenne he saide, "I was sometyme poor̛, and thenne sykenesse tooke me, þat for my pouerte and syknesse I was lowe and simpiƚƚ, as a religious man; and then aftirward̛, whan that y was Rekeueryd̛ fro my infirmite of pouerte, the mynde of god̛ passitℏ fro me. And also, when y was in my pouerte, I shewid me to my wife lyke a lambe, in tyme of my wowing̘, and I lovid̛ hire so mocℏ, that I slowe an Erle for his goode, that y myȝt wedde hire; and whan I hadde slayne him, y hurde a voys sey, that his bloode shulde be vengyd̛ þat day xxxti. ȝere. And I tolde this to my wife, and ȝit not witℏstonding̘ she tooke me to husbond; and so we haue levid euer hidertoward̛ witℏ Ioy and prosperite. And nowe this day viij. days shaƚƚ be þe ende of xxxti. ȝere; and þerfore I pray you, be witℏ me þat day at meete, and we shuƚƚ preve whethir þe voys saide sotℏ or no." And thei grauntyd̛ it to him. So when þe day come, ther was ordenyd̛ a grete fest, and grete multitude of peple was ther; and whan̛ they were sittinge at mete, and servid̛ witℏ greet diuersite of daynteys, ther come in at the wyndowe a brid, colourid

witℏ diuerse colours, and he bigan in a merveilous maner swetly to sing̘. And the knyȝt him selfe herkenyd wele to, and saide, "I trowe þat þe song of this brid̛ be a pronosticacion̛ and a bitokeni[n]g̘ of yvel." And þerfore he tooke a bowe and an arowe, and slowe þe bryd̛; and̛ thenne anoon the Ertℏ openyd, and the casteƚƚ, witℏ the lord and þe lady, and aƚƚ þat er therin, sonke don̛. And nowe þer is a passing̘ depe water, and no thing may abyde in it, but that it goitℏ to the grounde.