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 LVI.]

Of the doughter of Iacob that was depuceled or her maydenhode taken fro her. Capitulo lvj.

I Shalle telle you another example of the dougℏter of Iacob, whiche for lyghtnes and Iolyte of herte lefte the hous of

her fader and of her bretheren, for to goo and see the atoure or aray of the wymmen of another lande. Wherfore hit happed that Sychem, the sone of Amor, which was a grete lord in that londe, sawe her so faire that he coueyted her, and prayd her of loue, in so moche he took fro her her maydenhode. & thenne when her twelue bretheren wyste and knewe of hit, come thyder and slewe hym, and also the moost parte of his lygnage, and of his folke, for the shame that they had of their suster that so had he depuceld or defowled. Now loke ye and see, how by a foolysshe woman cometh many euyllis & domages ; for by her yongthe and by her lyght courage was made grete occysion and shedynge of bloode. As it fortuned and happed by a dougℏter of a kyng of Grece, whiche by her foolyssh loue acoynted her of the sone of an erle of that countre. Wherfore the kynge made hym werre, duryng the which more than a thousande men were slayn. And yet ℏadde the werre lenger lasted, when the kynges broder, whiche was a wyse man, come to the kynge, and saide to hym, "Syre," quod he, "I merueyle moche that, only for the sport and delyte of youre dougℏter, so many good knyghtes ben lost, & also so many good men. It were better that neuer she hadde be borne." The kynge thenne saide, " Ye saye trouthe." And anone he made his doughter to be take, by whiche the meschyef was bygonne, and made her to be hewen in smal pyeces. And thenne hefore all he said, that wel right it was that sℏe sℏolde be so detrenchid by whome so many had ben hewen and slayn.