[In the city of Rome was a Burgess which had a fair Garden, wherein he had a noble Tree, the which every year brought forth fruit of good vertue for whosoever eat thereof that were sick of any manner of sickness or leprosie he should soon be whole and receive his sight. It happened on a day, as the Burgess went into his garden to visit the Tree, he espied under the Tree a fair young Imp, and called to him the Gardiner and said: my friend, of this young Imp I give thee charge for I trust of that to plant a better Tree than this is. The Gardiner said: I shall it gladly do. Another time the Burgess came again into his garden to visit the young Plant, and it appeared unto him that it grew not so much as it should do, and he said to the Gardiner: how may this be and he said, it is no wonder, for this great Tree hath so great arms and branches, that the air may not come to the root of the young tree, then said the Burgess, cut and hew off the arms and the boughs, that the air may come thereto. The Gardiner did as he commanded. The Burgess came again another time to see the young plant, and thought that it grew never the better and said to the Gardiner, what is it that letteth this plant not to grow now: and he said, I suppose the height of the Old Tree letteth the Sun, that the rain may not come thereto, and therefore it cannot grow. Then said the Master unto him, hew down that tree to the ground, for I hope of this Plant to have a better than ever] this was. The gardyner heryng his mayster obeyed hym, ⁊ hewe downe the tree. And as this was done yt yonge plant all holy perysshed and came to nought. wherof came grete harme, for whan ye poore ⁊ the seke people perceyued yt the tree was so destroyed they cursed all them that were of counseyll ⁊ helpers therto / by the whiche they all afore tyme were heled ⁊ cured of theyr infyrmytees ⁊ maladyes. Then sayd the Empresse vnderstande ye what I haue sayd. Yes ryghte well. Than sayd she, I shall declare to you what I haue sayde.
The Declaratyon of the Example.
This tree mylorde betokeneth your moste noble persone / that with your counseyll and helpe many pore ⁊ seke folke are gretly holpen ⁊ conforted. And the yonge ympe that vnder the grete tre is vp growen is your cursed sone that now by his cunnynge begȳnith to growe and studyeth how he fyrste may the armes and bowes of your myght cutte of / and to wynne too hym the londe ⁊ praysynge of the people, and ouer yt he ymagyneth to destroy your person that he may hȳselfe reygne. But what shall fall than therof come, all poore and feble people shall curse all them the whiche myght haue destroyed your sone ⁊ haue not done it / I counseyll you whyles ye are in your power ⁊ helth yt ye destroye hym leste yt the curse of the people fall vpon you. Tho sayde the Emperour, ye haue gyuen me good counseyll. Tomorowe I shall condempne hym to the moost vylest deth that can be thought. Whan ye daye was come / ye Emperour went ⁊ sate in Jugemēte, ⁊ commaunded his seruauntes yt they sholde lede his sone to be hanged wt trompettes blowynge in to kenynge of deth. And as themperours sone was lad throughe the Cyte, the comen people began too wepe ⁊ crye alas ye onely sone of themperour is lad towardes his deth / ⁊ therwithal came Pancyllas rydyng vpon a hors ye fyrste mayster. Whan the chylde sawe hym / he bowed his hede to hym, as though he had sayde, Haue mynde vpon me whan ye come afore my fader, se how I am lad towardes the galowes. Than ye mayster sayd to the seruauntes / make no haste, for I hope by the grace of god this day to delyuer hym frō the deth. Then sayde all the people, O good mayster haste you to ye palays and saue your dyscyple. he smote his hors with ye spores tyll he came to the palays ⁊ kneled before the Emperour ⁊ dyde hym reuerence / To whome themperour sayd, It shall neuer be to the good, which answerd I haue deserued a better rewarde. The Emperour sayd there lyest yu, for I delyuered to the ⁊ thy felowes my sone well spekynge / ⁊ in alle thyng well manered, ⁊ now he is dompe / ⁊ that wors is, he wolde haue oppressed my wyf, therfore this day he shall dye, ⁊ ye all shall dye a shameful dethe. The mayster sayd, O lord as for your sone yt ye saye that he speketh not, yt knoweth god, ⁊ without a cause it is not as ye shall vnderstande. And that ye saye more yt he your Empresse wolde haue befowled. I shall saye you of a trouth, he hath ben in our company by ye space of xvi yeres ⁊ we neuer coude perceyue suche thinges by hym. And therfore my dere lorde I shall shew you one thynge that yf ye put your sone to deth for ye wordes of your wyfe, it sholde happen too you wors than to a knyght the whiche that kylled his best grey hounde thrugh the wordes of his wyfe whiche saued his sone from ye deth. Tho sayd themperour to ye mayster tell me yt example. The Mayster sayd, Lorde that shall I not do / for afore or I coude make an ende therof your sone myght be dede ⁊ thenne in vayne ⁊ without fruyte I sholde reherce it, but yf it please you this notable example to here / call ayen her sone tyll to morowe ⁊ as ye thynke by reason then do with hym youre pleasure. As themperour that herde anone he lete the chylde too be called ayen ⁊ in the meane tyme he sette hym in pryson whyles the mayster sholde fynisshe his tale. And then he beganne to saye in suche maner as folowith.
