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

[ LXVII. ]
ANTONIUS THE EMPEROUR.
(HOW A YOUNG MAN WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON BY THE DAUGHTER OF A PIRATE.)Harl. MS. 7333.

[leaf 200, back, col. 2 (cont'd)]

Story.

Antonius regnyd a wise Emperour in þe cite of Rome; and as he went on a tyme by þe see-syde, he sawe howe þat pirati, scil. thevis of þe see, hadde taken the sone of a gret myȝty man, And brouȝt him in to þe prison̛ of̘ þe Emperour, faste y-bounde. This yong̘ man wrote to his fadir, praying̘ him to bey him out; But þe fadir sent word ayen, and saide, That he wold not bye him, ne pay no goode for him. And when þe yong̘ man hurde þe wordis, he wepte soor̛, þat noon migℏt confort him. And þe Emperour hadde a dowter, þat vsid̛ euery day to visite þis prison̛, And to comforte þe yong̘ man in aƚƚ þat she myȝte; And then þe yong man wolde saie to hire þus, "what ioy or comforte shulde I make, þat sitte I-bounde in prison̛ fro sigℏt of aƚƚ men, And also my fadir is so vnkynde, þat he woƚƚ not pay my raunsom̛ for me?" This mayde hadde of him gret pyte, in so mocℏ þat she seyde, "I haue gret sorowe for þe in myne herte; and þerfore, if þou wolt graunt me oo thing̘ þat I shaƚƚ aske of þe, I shaƚƚ deliuer þe fro aƚƚ þis Angre, scil. þat þou wedde me, if I deliuer þe." "Ȝis," quoþ he, "and þerto I ȝive þe my truthe." Thenne she deliueryd him out of prison̛, And stale awey with him to his fadir. And when̛ þe fadir sawe his sone, and þe dameseƚƚ with him, he askid of him wherto

she was with him. "Sir," quoþ he, "for she deliueryd me out of prison̛, And þerfore she shaƚƚ be my wyf̘." Þenne saide þe fadir, "I wolle not assent þerto, by no maner, þat she be þi wife, And þat for two cawsis; The furste cause is þis, for she knewe wele þat hir̛ fadir myȝte haue had for þi ranson̛ grete goodis, and sithe she deliuered þe so frely, she dud̛ grete preiudice and harme to hire fadir; And sithe she is vnkynde and fals to him, no doute of she may not be iuste to þe. That othir cause is this, þat whenne she deliuered þe, it was not for cause of pyte, it was for cause of lust; For whenne she deliuered þe, she took þi trowthe þat she shulde be þi wife; And þerfore, sithe she dude it for luste of flesℏ, þou shalt neuer haue hire to wife." Thenne spake þe dameselle to þe furst reson̛ and cas, and saide, "Sir, þer þou seiyst I was vnkynde to my fadir, þat is not sotℏ; for my fadir is a riche lord, and neditℏ not of his goode, For he was poore and simpiƚƚ, And hadde nothing̘, And þerfore, for þe grete pyte that I hadde of him, and of his gret nede, I tooke of me boldly to socour him. But þou þat bigat him, þou forsoke him, and denyed him; And so I dude non̛ harme to my Fadir; for my fadir was riche y-nowe, And of this sone he myȝte haue hadde no mor̛ but haue pynyd him in prison̛, For þou saidist, þat þou woldist not pay for him; And so I was mor̛ kynde to þi sone þan þi selfe, And þerfore he is mor̛ holden̛ to me than to þe. To þat oþer reson̛, wher as þou saiest þat I dude it more by cause of luste, I say that it is not sotℏly saide of þe, For luste risitℏ of Fairnesse of a man̛, or ellis for his strengℏt; But þi sone was not streng̘, for þe disese þat he had in prisone toke if from him, Ne he [leaf 201, col. 1] was not faire, for he was aƚƚ disfigurid̛ in þe prison̛; and þerfore I say, only pyte mevid me to do as I dude, & not luste." Thenne spake þe sone to þe fadir, and saide, "Fadir, whenne þat I was in periƚƚ of perisshing̘, I wrote to þe, for to be deliuered of þe, And þou woldist not do it; But þis dameselle deliuered me fro dethe, & savid me, and þerfore douteles she shaƚƚ be my wife." Anoon he weddid þe dameselle, and in faire pes endid, &c.

MORALITE.

Deere frendis, þis Emperour is the Fadir of hevene, þe whicℏ regnyd alway in hevene. The childe, þat was y-take, is aƚƚ mankynde, take by develis for þe synne of þe furst fadir Adam; the whicℏ mankynde was y-put in þe prison̛ of helle, and holdyn̛ in grete sorowe. The fadir wolde not bye him, scil. þe wordle, þe whicℏ is his fadir, in þe same maner, for by him he is sustenyd. The douȝter, þat is so faire, is þe godhede, when he come down̛ fro heuene to erthe, and ioyned̛ him to manhede, when he took̘ flessℏ and bloode in þe virgine marie; and so he made gostely matrimonye witℏ man̛, And he deliueryd vs vndir þis condicion̛, þat our soule shulde be his spouse; as witnessitℏ þe wordis of Osea, Desponsabo eam mihi, I shaƚƚ wedde hire to me. And so he lefte þe courte of heuene, and of angelis, and dwelte with vs here in þis wordle. but þe fadir, scil. þe wordle, grucchitℏ ayenst vs, And wold̛ not þat þe soule wer̛ þe spouse to crist, but þat we serue aƚƚ to it. And if þat we plese the wordle, Certenly we faƚƚ into þe gilder of þe devel, For aƚƚ þe wordle is sette in wickidnesse; And þerfore lat vs fle þe wordle, and take refute in criste, and by good Argument we shuƚƚ haue þe kyngdom̛ of heuene. Ad quod perducat &c.