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 LXXXVII.]

[Of the daughter of Pharaoh.]

I Shaƚƚ teƚƚ you an ensaumple upon a good dede of charitee of a kingges doughter, that norisshed Moyses, so as y shaƚƚ saie you after the Iues, that were the pepiƚƚ of God, thei were in seruage as prisoners in Egipte, where Pharo was kinge. And bycause that he sawe the pepiƚƚ of Iues multeply gretly, the said king Pharoo had gret displesaunce therof, and comaunded to slee aƚƚ the children excepte one. And whan the moder of Moyses saw that her childe must he deliuered vnto the dethe, she putte her childe in a vessel within a Ryuer, and lete hym dryue foorthe with the streme, and went bi auenture where it plesed vnto God, as she that had gret pitee and sorw, and hadde leuer to putte her childe in the hande of God thanne to see hym be slayne before her. And so it plesed vnto God, the, vesseƚƚ aryued before the chaumbre of the doughter of king Pharoo, within a lyteƚƚ yle, where as the kyngges doughter and other ladies were in her disport and playeng, and sawe the vesseƚƚ aryue fast bi hem; and the kingges doughter with her women, thei went into [The French has " dedens."] the vesseƚƚ, where, thei fonde a yonge childe of gret fairenesse. Wherof the kingges [fol/col 36/2] doughter had bothe pitee and ioye, and bare the childe with her, and made hym to be norisshed in her garderobe, and called hym in bourde her sone; of the whiche childe there come moche welthe afterwardes. For God ches and ordeyned hym to be maister and gouernour of his peple, and shewid hym mani of his secres, and toke hym the yeerde wherewith he departed the see, and wherewith also he made the water to come, oute of the stone. And also he toke hym the tables of the lawe, and shewed hym mani mo secrete thingges, for the loue that God had unto hym. But for the nori-

ture and seruice that this lady had ydo vnto Moyses, she was right weƚƚ rewarded, for God forgetithe not the seruice that is do by waye of charitee and in reuerence vnto hym, as for to norisshe orphelyns and for to endoctrine hem in vertu and science.

THer was a goodly lady that hadde but a yonge childe vnto her sone, that wente forto bathe hym, and happed to plonge and to faƚƚ in a depe pitte withinne the Ryuer, where as he was .viij. dayes. And the moder that had loste the childe was charitable, and, in the reuerence of God and of seint Elizabetℏ, had norisshed before mani pore children that were faderles and moderles. So it befeƚƚ that the .viij. nigℏt the moder dremed that her sone was in a depe pitte fuƚƚ of water, and how seint Elizabeth kepte hym, and spekinge vnto her in this wise, "That forasmoche as ye haue be pitous, and norisshed pore orphelyns, God wiƚƚ not [fol/col 36b/1] that youre childe deye nor perisshe; wherfor drawe hym oute of the pitte where as he is." And hereupon the moder arose; and as she had dremed, she went, and had her childe hole and quicke oute of the depe pitte withinne the Reuer; and the childe saide unto his moder, "A faire lady hatℏ kepte me from dethe, bicause that ye haue be pitous unto pore children, and norisshed the orphelyns for the loue of God and of that ladi that wolde not suffre me to deye, but she hathe saued me." Lo, herein is a faire ensaumple how it is profitable to norisshe, with good wiƚƚ, pore orphelyns and yonge children, and to putte hem to lerning of a science; for it is a charitable dede that plesithe moche God. And also by this how it is sheued us in ensaumple hi the hynde, that, whanne the moder of other bestis be slaine, yet woƚƚ she gladly, of her gentiƚƚ nature, norisshe the yonge ther as she comithe, and kindithe hem tiƚƚ they may susteine hem selff.