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

[ VIII. ]
EMPERATOR FOLLICULUS.
(OF THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH KNIGHTS.)Harl. MS. 7333.

Story.

[leaf 153, back, col. 2]

Folliculus was a wise Emperour regnyd in þe Cite of Rome; He was mercifuƚƚ, and riȝtwis in his werkis, And he made a worthi tour in þe Eest, In þe whicℏ he put aƚƚ his tresour and precius Iewelis; And þe wey toward þe Cite was stony, þorny, and scroggy; And iij. armyd knyȝtys were in þe same wey, to fiȝte with aƚƚ þat euer come in þat wey to þe forsaide cite. And þe forsaide Emperour made a proclamation̛, þat if þer were ony man þat wolde goo to þe cite by þat wey, and ouercome þoo þre knyȝtis, Whenne he come to the cite, he shulde haue habundance of aƚƚ maner richesse & iewels, at his owne wille. And after þis he made to be sette in þe nortℏ an oþer Cite, in þe whicℏ he had ordenyd a perpetueƚƚ peyne, And alle maner iewelis; And the wey to þis Cite was faire, and swete to smelle, and dilicius to goo Inne; And in þis wey were iij. knyȝtys, for to refresshe, and calle to gestenyng or to ostery, Aƚƚ þat went by the wey. And þe Emperour lete make a proclamacion̛, that if ony come, and entrid

into þe Cite, he shuld be bound hond and foote, and cast into prisone, and abide þere vnto þe comynge of þe Iustice, for to stond to his dome. Nowe þer dwelte In a cite twey knyȝtis, þat hiȝte Jonathas and Pirius. This Jonathas was a wise man, and Pirius was a foole, but grete love was bitwix hem too. In a day Jonathas seide to Pirius, "Deere frende, þer is y-made a proclamacion̛ bi aƚƚ þe empire, þat þe Emperour hatℏ sette a cite, in þe whicℏ is aƚƚ his tresoure; And if ony man may entre into it, he shaƚƚ have gret multitude of tresoure; And þerfore it is my conseile that we goo to þis Cite." "Forsotℏ," quoþ Pirius, "it is goode conseile, And I assent þerto, that it be do." Thenne þe wise knyȝt spake, "If so be þat þat þat [sic] þou wolt do after my consaile, I pray the lat me drinke þi blode, and þou shalt drinke myne, in tokening that neiþer of vs shaƚƚ forsake oþer, In wele ne in woo." "I assent," quoþ þe fole knyȝt. And so they were lete blode, and eyþer dranke of otheris bloode, and so þei ȝede theire way. And whan thei had made þe iourney of iij. days toward þis cite, in whicℏ þey sholden finden þe tresour, þei come in a certayn̛ place, where were twey weyes to be chosen, scil. that on stony and thorny, And that oþer specius and faire, sett aboute withe lileis and Rosis. Tho spake þe wise man, "loo! here ben two weyes, as þou seist; Neuertheles, if we goo by this stony & scourgy wey, it shal lede vs to þe plenteuous cyte þat we desire." "Ȝa, ser," seide þat oþer, "I have greete mervaile of you, For I trowe more to myne owne yen than to your wordis. For I see wel, and so may ȝe, þat þis [leaf 154, col. 1] wey is stony, and vnesy for to goon; and as I haue y-hurde say, there ben in it iij. Armyd men, for to turne vs, or to fiȝt with vs, if we come þerin; And þerfore y do þe to knowe, þat I wol go by þis wey, and not by þat." "Certayne," seide þat oþer, "and if we go by þat wey, we shal be led into þe Cite that is in þe nortℏ, where as is no mercy, but gret sorowe and care, to aƚƚ þat goitℏ þerto." "Ȝe, ȝe," quoþ þe foole, "þis whicℏ I see opynly wol I trowe more than sucℏ; And þerfor I woƚƚ algatis holde it." Tho spake þe wise man, "Now sitℏ I dranke þi bloode, in tokne of frendship, forsotℏ I woƚƚ not late þe goo aƚƚ one, what so euer happe with me in tyme to come." So þes too knyȝtis ȝede fortℏ

on þis wey; And anoon iij. knyȝtis mette witℏ hem, And receivid hem worshipfully, and servid hem as for oo nyȝt; And on þe morowe þey arose, and tooke hire wey toward þe forsaide Cite of the norþ. And anoon as þei were with Inne þe Cite, the Cachepollys And the mynistris of the Emperour mette with hem, and seide, "Siris, what doo ȝe here in þis cite? For it is long a-gon sitℏ ȝe wel knewe what was þe lawe of þis place, And þerfore, seris, ȝe most haue þe lawe." Anoon þei bond the wise knyȝte, and put him in prison̛; and þe fond knyȝt þei cast in a dicℏ place. And so it happid after aƚƚ this, þat þe domys-man come to þe Cite, for to sitte vp on̛ brekers of þe lawe. And anoon̛ aƚƚ þat were in prison̛ apperid afore þe Iuge, Among̘ þe whicℏ come þes too knyȝtis, þat is to sey, þe wise knyȝt and þe lewde, scil. the wise knyȝte out of prison̛, And þe lewde knyȝte out of þe dicℏ. Anoon̛ the wise man seide, "Sir, I make her̛ complaynt vpon̛ my felowe, and sey that he is cause of my detℏ. For whenne bothe we wer̛ atwene þe too weys, þat is to sey, bitwene þe Cite of þe Eest And þis Cite, I tolde to my felowe the periƚƚ of þis Cite, And þe profit of þat oþer; And he wolde not trowe me, but seide, that he trowid mor̛ to his owen̛ yen̛ þan to me; And for he was felawe, I wold not late him goo by him selfe, but come with him; And þerfore, sir, I say þat he is cause of my detℏ." Thenne spake þe lewde knyȝte, and saide, "sir he is gilty of my detℏ, and I shaƚƚ teƚƚ you cause why. For ȝe knowe wele echon̛, that I am a foole, And he is a wise man, And þerfore he shold not so liȝtely haue levid my lewdenesse, but I-goo þe goode wey; For if þat he had lefte þat wey, I wold at þe last haue folowid him." Then spake the Iuge, "For þat þou so liȝtly consentedist to his lewidnesse, And þou, foole, for þou woldist not folowe þe consaile of þe wise man, Therfore I deme yowe bothe to be hongyd." and so it happid in dede; And aƚƚ men [leaf 154, col. 2] hiely commendid þe Iuge, þat ȝafe so rightfully a doom, &c.

MORALITE.

Siris, þis Emperour is to vndirstond our Lord ihesu crist. The Cite in þe Eest is þe kyngdom of hevene, In þe whicℏ is tresour vntold, But to þis Cite is a þorny wey and a sharp, scil. penaunce and tribulacion̛ in erþe; For it is wretyn̛ thus, Arta et angusta est via que ducit ad vitam, This is to sey, Strait and disesy is þe wey þat leditℏ to life. And in þis ben knyȝtys iij. scil. þe flesℏ, þe wordle, and þe deviƚƚ, with þe whicℏ þou most fiȝt, and haue þe victorie, or thowe come to Hevene. By þe Cite in þe Northe is vndirstond Heƚƚ, As it is wretin, Pandetur omne malum, This is to sey, fro þe nortℏ shaƚƚ be shewid aƚƚ Iveƚƚ. And to þis Cite in þe nortℏ, þat is to vndirstond Helle, is a broode way, And is bisette with many thingis dilectable; And by þis wey goitℏ many. By þe iij. knyȝtis þat ben in þis wey, þat fyndith necessarijs, ben vndirstond pryde of lyfe, Couetise of yen̛, And Couetise of flesℏ, by þe whicℏ iij. a wrecchid man is gretly delitid for þe tyme, And lad to the Cite of Helle, þat is fuƚƚ of sorowe. And by þe ij. knyȝtis, scil. þe wise man and þe lewid man, ben vndirstonde þe soule and þe flesℏ; For þe soule is wise, and þe flesℏ is euer lewid, and buxom to do Evil. Theise ij. ben felowis, & fastenyd to-geder, for to stonde to wele or to wo. The soule chose þe wey of penaunce, And in aƚƚ þat it may, it steritℏ the flesℏ þerto, But þe lewde flesℏ, þat hatℏ no mynde of perilis þat ben to come, takitℏ dilectacion̛ of the wordle, and fleitℏ þe way of penaunce; So þat in tyme of detℏ þe soule is y-bondon̛ in þe prisone of helle, And þe flesℏ is castyne in to a dicℏ, scil. a grave or a buryeƚƚ. And when þe domys-man, scil. our Lord ihesu crist, comytℏ to deme, Than þe soule shaƚƚ pleyne vpon þe flesℏ, And þe flesℏ vpon̛ þe soule, But þe domys-man, that woƚƚ not be stoppyd for prayer ne for mede, Shaƚƚ þanne dampny þe soule, for she folewid þe instigacion̛ of þe flesℏ, And the flesh, for it wolde obeye and triste to þe soule. And þerfore late vs study to tame our flesℏ, þat it obey vnto god, And so by argument we shuƚƚ haue euerlastyng life In blisse. God graunt vs þat of his endeles mercy! Qui cum patre, &c.