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

Second Version. 9.Cambr. MS. Kk. 1. 6.

[leaf 226, back]

Menelaus regned in Rome þat was right mercyfuƚƚ; þerfor he made a lawe þat if a miller were take and put in prison if he myght scape & fle to the palays, he shold̛ haue refute with out eny contradiction / It fiƚƚ þat þer was A man-sleer take & put in pryson & put to his diete / wherfor he sorowed gretely þat he was put out of mannes sight / & priued̛ fro the lyght of the sonne / saue a lytyƚƚ wyndowe, by þe whych the lyght shone in / By the whiche lyght he toke his mete & ete / The keper of the pryson̄ euery day brought hym his mete at a certeyn̄ oure / And̛ whan the keper of þe pryson̄ was gone-a-way A nyghtyngale was wont to come in at the wyndowe & syng̘ wonder swetely, of þe which song the knyght was gretely comfortyd / And after the song̘ þe byrd flye in to þe knyghtes skyrte; & þe knyght euery day fed þe byrd with a porcion of his mete. After this It fyƚƚ on a day þat þe knyght was wondyr heuy & seyde to the byrde syttyng̘ in his skyrte þes wordes, "O good byrd, what shalt þou gefe me þat so many dayes haue fed þe?

Bryng̘ in to memory for þou art goddys creature & I also" / Whan the byrd had herd þis he fly forthe / And the .iij. day he come a-gayne / [leaf 227] & brought in his mowthe a stone & lete it faƚƚ in the knyghtes lappe & fly forth. The knyght whan he sawe the stone he had grete meruayle / After it happed to falle on his feters, And a-non̄ aƚƚ the Eron þat he was bound with was broke / The knyght whan he sawe þis he was ryght glad, & rose & touched the dores with the stone, þe whyche were openyd̛ A-none: he went out & ran to þe paleys. The Iayler, whan he perceyuyd this, he blewe .iij. with an horne & brought aƚƚ out of the Cite / And seyde, "Se þe þefe, Folow ye hym!" And aƚƚ folowed hym, but þe keper ran by-fore / the knyght sawe that & shot at hym An Arowe & slowe hym, & so the knyght ran to þe [paleys], & ther he fonde refute After þe lawe.