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 LVII.]

Of Thamar that hadde companye with hir husbondes fadre. Capitulo lvij.

I Wylle that ye here thexample of Thamar, whiche was wyf to Henam, that was sone of Iuda, sone of Iacob, & broder [page sign. e., p. vi. b] to Iosepℏ. This Henam was yrous and felon, and̛ of euyl lyf, of whiche I wylle not say moche nor al, bycause God wold that he deyd sodenly and pytously. And as Thamar sawe, that of her

lord she myℏt haue no lygnage, sℏe bethought her that the fader of her lord shold yet engendre & gete children wel, and that sℏe was not barayn, and coueyted̛ and desyred̛ to haue his flesshely companye, whiche was ageynst the lawe. Neuertheles, so moche sℏe dide that she cam by nyght in his Chambre and leid her with ℏym, and, as I wene, she conceyued̛ of hym two Children, of wℏiche the one was named Phares, and the other had to name Zaram. Wherfor many tribulacions and euylls befelle afterward̛. For the children that ben not of trewe maryage, they be they by whome the grete herytages and Auncestri ben loste. Wherof I shalle telle you an Ensample of a kynge of Naples, as it is conteyned̛ in the Cronycles of that lond. There was somtyme a quene of that lond, whiche clenly ne truly kepte her body toward̛ her lord̛, in so moche she gate a sone by another than her lord. It befelle afterward, that this sone was made kynge of the lond after the dethe of the kynge. This newe kynge was passynge prowde, and loned not his lordis ne barons, but was to them full hard̛ and felon; & also to al his comyns he was vnresonable. For he took fro them all that he couthe, and enforced their wyues, and̛ vyoled their doughters, and vsed all euyl dedes whiche he couthe ymagyne to doo. He bigan werre to his neyghbours and̛ to his Barons, in so moche that alle the reame was put in exyle and brought to grete pouerte; whiche longe tyme lasted. In that tyme was ther a Baron, a good man and a right good knygℏt, whiche went vnto an Heremytage, where as was an hooly heremyte moche relygious, and that many thynges knewe. The knyght demaunded̛ and asked of hym, "how and wherfore they had so longe warre in the lond, and yf it shold yet last long tyme." And] [The MS. begins again here. Caxton has "the hooly Heremyte answered hym," &c., &c.] [fol/col 25/1] the Ermite saide it shulde dure as longe as this man were kinge, for he is not rightfuƚƚ heire, but misgoten, and therfor the Reme that he hathe no right [to] may neuer acorde with hym, nor may not haue the loue of the peple; and whanne he ys dede, ye shuƚƚ haue rest and habundaunce of aƚƚ good. And as the Ermite saide, in al thinge it was; and that the Ermite saide,

that the fals quene his moder shulde be punisshed or she deyde for her falshede, for the king her sone shulde find̛ her lyeng with a preest, and he shuld̛ brenne hem bothe in a brenninge furnayse; and thus was her ende. Therfor, doughtres, be ware for brekinge of youre mariage, and of getinge of false heires, the whiche may putte aƚƚ a londe in tribulacion. And the moder shaƚƚ be dampned perpetuelly, as long as thaire chyldren kepithe awey the londe that they haue no right to from the rightfuƚƚ heyres, that is to saie, her moderis husbondes londes. And therfor be ware, doughtres, of this auouutry, and that ye take no man saue hyin that ys ordeined you by sacrement of mariage and kepithe and holdithe hym to you truly.