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 LV.

[Of Lot's daughters.]

YEt y wol teƚƚ you an ensaumple upon this orible synne of lechery, of Loothis .ij. doughtres, and how the deueƚƚ tempted hem in synne ayenst nature. They sawe her fader lye naked, withoute any breche, and thei were bothe tempted to haue flesshely to do with her fader. And thus that one doughter discouered her to that other, and that one counsailed to make hym gret chere tyl he were dronke, and thanne they two goo to bedde to hym, and so thei dede, and made hym to dele with hem flesshely. And he had thus the maydenhode of his owne ij doughteres. And therfor seitℏ and takithe hede what periƚƚ is to synne in glotenie, as dede Looth, thorugh the whiche he wist not what he dede with his doughtres, notwithstondinge he begate hem bothe with childe that nigℏt, [A leaf is here wanting in the MS., and I have been obliged to supply the lacuna from Caxton's varying translation, sign. e. 5. bk at top, but neglecting his pause-bars and some of his capitals. The MS. catchword is "whiche," not "and."] [page sign. e., p. v. b.] [and had̛ two sones, the one named Moab, and the other was called Amon, of whiche two sones cam first the paynyms and̛ the fals lawe, and many euyls; and sorowe cam by that synne. And men saie they were bycome passynge proude after the transformacion of their moder, and that all their entent was to coyntyse and arraye them self; whiche caused the deuyll fyrst to tempte them lygℏtlyer, and the sooner he brought them to that fowle synne of lechery. I wold also ye couthe, and well hadde withold within youre thougℏtes, thexample of the fowle damoysel, the whiche, for a hood that a knyght gaf her, she dyde soo moche by certayne yeftes and promesses that her lady dyd his wylle, and made her to be diffamed and disℏonoured, wherof grete mescℏyef befelle. For a seruaunt

of her lord, whiche of yougth he hadde brougℏt vp and norysshed, perceyued ℏym of it and told it to his lord, in so moche that soone after he toke & fond the knyȝt with ℏis wyf; he kylde hym, and dyde his wyf to be mewred and putte in pryson perpetuel, where-as she deyde in grete sorowe and langoure. It happed ones, or she was dede, that her lord came forth by the pryson where she was in. He thenne stood styll and harked what she said, and she sorowed sore, and cursid her that had counceyled her so to doo. And thenne he sent one to wete what was she that so had connceyled her. And she saide how it was her damoisell. The lord made her come tofore hym, and commaunded and straytly charged her that she sholde say trouthe. And at the last she confessed that she was cause of her mescℏyef, and that she had counceyled her, & for her laboure she had of the knyght a hoode. And thenne the lord saide, "For a lytel thynge ye haue vndo yow, and haue be to me traitresse ; and therfore I iuge and gyue sentence that the hood and the neck be bothe cutte togeder." And soo was her Iugement.

Now maye ye see how good is to take with hym good companye, and in his seruyse good and trewe seruauntes, that be not blamed of no man lyuynge. For the saide damoysell was not wyse. And therfore good is to take wyse seruauntes, and not fooles. For fooles and shrewd seruauntes be sooner brought to doo somme euylle, and to gyue euylle counceylle to their lorde or lady, than other; as dyde the two dougℏters of Lothe one [page sign. e., p. vi.] to other, and the saine damoysel whiche had̛ and receyued̛ the gwerdon of her deserte.