Book of the Knight of La Tour-Landry : compiled for the instruction of his daughters : translated from the original French into English in the reign of Henry VI / [by Geoffroy de La Tour Landry] ; edited ... with an introduction and notes by Thomas Wright

CHAPTER CXLII.

How themperours sone [soue, Caxton.] came to saue his mayster Cathonet, and̛ of his escape. Capitulo Cxlij.

[A]Nd whan the people perceyued̛ and sawe the horses rennynge toward̛ them, and̛ sawe anone the sone of themperour, whiche cryed, "Touche not, neyther ley hand on my maysters body, for I am alyue!" they were gretely merueylled̛. The child̛ anone lyght of his hors, and̛ wente and̛ vnbonde his mayster, & sore wepyng, kyssed hym ful tendirly & said, "Ha, a ! my swete frend & maister! who hath this purchaced, & so grete a lesyng founde & contryued vpon you, the which my lord my fader hath so lyghtely byleued?" And thenne he embraced & kyssed hym ageyne; & al the people, whiche was gretely merueylled, as they sawe the pyte & good nature of the child̛, thanked & mercyed God with al theyr hertes, of the delyueraunce of Cathonet. The child̛ made his mayster to be sette on horsbak, & ledde hym thurgh the stretes of Rome by the raynes of his brydell, till they came in to the palais where themperour his fader was. And whanne themperour and̛ his wyf knewe for certayne the comynge of theyr sone, they wente and̛ met hym with grete Ioye; and̛ as they sawe hym ledynge ℏis mayster Cathonet by the raynes, they were gretely merueylled̛, & held them ashamed̛ and vergoynous toward̛ Cathonet, and̛ cam to hym, and̛ eche of them kyssed̛ hym, and̛ made to ℏym the grettest ioye and̛ chere and̛ the grettest honoure that they couthe, And̛ excused them toward̛ hym of this dede. Thenne sayd̛ the child̛ to his fader themperour, "Ha! my lord̛, wylle ye vse of so hasty Iustyce, withoute makynge of

none enqueste vpon the dede or faytte ? For a man of so hyghe estate as ye be, sℏold & ouȝt to be more blamed therfore, than another of lower degre or estate. For (yf) ye hadde maade hym to be dampned̛ and̛ [page sign. n., p. iii.] destroyed̛ withoute cause, it had̛ be grete pyte and̛grete dommage; And̛ certaynly neuer after I shold̛ haue had Ioye in my herte. For yf I can ony good̛, it cometh of hym." Themperour ansuerd̛, "Fayr sone, hit was euylle done of vs, and̛ in this we haue gretely offended̛ and̛ gete sℏame, but the loue that we haue in the, and the trust that we haue in thyn preferrement, toke reason fro vs, and bestourned̛ our wytte." Thenne spake Cathonet, and̛ sayd̛ to themperour, " Syre, merueylle yow not of this thynge; I shalle now telle vnto yow, why al this was sayd̛. My fader, wℏiche in his tyme was a ryght wyse man and a trewe, and̛ borne in tℏis land̛, sℏewed to me many good̛ enseygnementes, yf I had be so wyse to haue had̛ them euer stylle in memorye; And̛ yet as he was seke in his bedde, and̛ nyghe at his last ende, he callyd̛ me to hym, as he whiche moche desyred̛ that I myght lerne and̛ knowe som good, and̛ prayd̛ me that I wold̛ wel kepe in my memorye thre enseygnements, emonge al other that he before that hadde taught to me, the whiche I wylle now recorde and̛ declare them, to thende that they may be ensample in tyme to come to euery man, as to hym to whome they haue happed, and̛ that done the contrarye.