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

[ VII. ]
EMPERATOR ADRIANUS.
(OF THE SERPENT AND THE TOAD.)Harl. MS. 7333.

[leaf 153, col. 2 (cont'd)]

Story.

Adrian regnyd Emperour in þe Cite of Rome, the whicℏ witℏinne a litiƚƚ while hadde lost his siȝt; And he ordeyned for a lawe, that þer shuld be hongyd a belle In the myddis of þe Cite, And ecℏ man þat hadde eny cause þat shuld be shewid, sholde ryng þilke belle, And þe Iuge shold̛ come to sitte in his seruice, with oute delay; And if any man Runge þe belle, and hadde no cause, he shuld be ded. So it happid in A time after þis lawe was made, A serpent had made his nest vndir þe Roope of þis belle, And broȝt fortℏ his briddis þere, whenne tyme was by nature. And after aƚƚ þis, In a hoote day of somer the serpent toke aƚƚ his briddis with him, And ȝede in to þe feld of sporting; And while she was absent, þer com a toode, and entrid into þe nest. And whenne þe serpent come aȝen, she sawe þe toode ocupied hire place; and she foȝt with the toode, but she miȝte [not] haue þe victorie, but þat þe toode contynuely helde hire nest; And For she sawe þat þe toode myȝte not be ouercome, she lappid hire taile aboute þe corde of the belle, and so rang þe belle, by cause þat þe toode vnriȝtfully occupyed hire nest. And whanne

the Iuge was come down̛, as lawe was, for to sitte in iugement, he sawe þis siȝt, and ȝede, and tolde aƚƚ þat he sawe to [the] emperour. And þe Emperour seide aȝen, "Anoon goo down̛, and sle þe toode, that the serpent may have hire owne nest; and so he dude; And þe serpent enterid hire owne place, and dwelte stille with hire briddis. After þat it happid in a tyme, þat þis Emperour wepte soore, And lordis and knyȝtis þat were aboute him come, and comfortid him, in aƚƚ that þei myȝte. "Nay," quoþ he, "howe shuld I be glad, now I have y-lost my siȝt?" And soone after þat þe Emperour had made þis lamentacion̛, þe forseide serpent enterid in to hys chambre; And whenne þe Emperours seruauntis sawe þe serpent, þei tolde it to the Emperour. tho seide the emperoure, "I charge you, [leaf 153, back, col. 1] that no man lette hire to come to me, for y trowe þat she shaƚƚ do you no harme, neþir to me." The serpent come to þe emperours bedde, and att þe last þe serpent openyd his moutℏ over þe visage of the emperour, and late faƚƚ a litiƚƚ stone, þorȝ þe whicℏ þe emperour receivid his siȝt. And aƚƚ men thonkid god, þat so hatℏ comfortid þe emperour by þe serpent, for whom he late sle þe toode, &c.

MORALITE.

This Emperour may be y-Callid emperour, þe whicℏ hatℏ y-made a lawe, or a goode life, that a beƚƚ shal be y-Roung. This beƚƚ is not ellis but consciens, þe whicℏ owitℏ to be Rounge aȝen vicis. And þenne þe Iuge, scil. Reson̛, owitℏ to come don̛, when conscience mevitℏ him to ȝeve dome bitwix þe v. Inwittis; For but if þat were y-don̛, we shulde be in grete peryl, as þe Aposteƚƚ seitℏ, Omne quod fit contra conscienciam, edificabit ad ignem gehenne, This is to sey, Aƚƚ that is y-don̛ aȝenst conscience, bilditℏ toward þe fire of helle. And for to spekyn̛ gostely, a man is ofte tymys blind̛ thorȝ dedly synne, þat lettitℏ his siȝt; And þat is gretly to sorowe for, as dude the emperour. The serpent, þat bilditℏ vndir þe belle, is our lord ihesu Criste, þe whicℏ bilditℏ in a perfite herte, vndir a clene and an holy conscience; And per he genderitℏ, scil. bringitℏ fortℏ goode vertuys. And he goithe by the medewe, scil. out of sucℏ a conscience, witℏ his briddis, scil. vertuys, whenne it is infecte; And

þenne comitℏ a toode, scil. þe deueƚƚ, and entritℏ into þe nest, scil. þe herte of þe synner. But thenne þe serpent comytℏ aȝen, scil. our lord, whenne þat he hatℏ pyte of our wretchidnesse; Thenne he comitℏ, and knockitℏ at þe dore of our hertys, as it is wretin in the gospeƚƚ, Ecce sto ad Hostium, et pulso; si quis michi apperuerit, cenabo cum illo, et ipse mecum, This is to sey, I stond at þe dore, and knocke; who þat openitℏ to me, I shaƚƚ sopye with him, And he with me. But allas! for þis toode, scil. þe deveƚƚ, regnyd in þe hertis of many so stronglye porȝ hir continuaunce of synne, and not doyng penaunce, that god may not come yn,—what is Remedye þerfore? Forsotℏ for to drawe at þe corde of þe grace of god, scil. for to aske grace, And for to sette þe conscience in to a clere way; And þanne shal god entre into þyn herte, And he schalle ȝeve to þe a stone, scil. vertue, bi þe whicℏ þi soule shaƚƚ have liȝt, Ad quam nos perducat. Amen.