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 LVIII.

[Of king Pharaoh's wife and of Joseph the son of Jacob.]

DOughtres, y wiƚƚ teƚƚ you an ensaumple upon this synne of lechery, how that Ioseph, the sone of Iacob, that was solde bi his bretheren to the kinge Pharao. This Ioseph was humble, curteys, and seruisable, and gouerned hym with the kinge in suche wise that he was beloued of the kinge and of aƚƚ other, and he was faire, yonge, and wise [fol/col 25/2] man. And the kinge lete hym haue gouernaunce of his Reme and good. And so the quene caste her loke upon Ioseph, and beganne to desire to haue hym to foly with her; and she shewed hym mani foly signes and semblauntz of fals loue and sinfuƚƚ. And whan she sawe and perceiued that he wold̛ not mediƚƚ with her, thanne she was wode for sorugℏ, and called hym into a chaumbre, and praied hym of foly. And he, that was a good man, said her that he wolde not mediƚƚ with her, and that he wolde neuer be traitour to his maister and lorde. And [whan] she saw he wolde not graunt to her fals horible and dampnable wiƚƚ, she caute hym bi the manteƚƚ and beganne to crie, and saide, "This fals traitour wolde haue rauisshed and disworshipped me here." And thanne

the kinge, thorugℏ her false subieccion, putte Ioseph into stronge prison, and therein kepte hym longe. And God gaue knoulage to the kinge Pharon of the falshede of the quene and the trouthe of Ioseph, and he was hadde oute of prison, and made gretter maister thanne euer he was, and was more worshipped. And the quene was shamed as she was worthi, and deied an eueƚƚ dethe. And thus God quitithe bothe good and eueƚƚ. And therfor doughtres, be ware that ye do none auoutry, nor caste not youre desire to haue no man saue youre husbonde, that ye be not shamed as this quene was.