The Seconde Example of the Empresse.
There was somtyme an Emperour the whiche had a grete foreste / wherin was a bore yt was so cruell ⁊ so fell that all men goynge through the forest he kylled and deuoured. The emperour was therof ryght heuy, and lete to proclame thrugh all his empyre, that who soeuer he was that coude sle the bore sholde haue his oonly doughter too wyfe, ⁊ therto his Empyre after his deth. ⁊ as this in all places proclamed was there was not one man founde yt durste medle or intromytte. Than was there a shepeherde whyche in hymself thought, myght I this bore sle ⁊ wyn̄e I sholde not only auaunce my self, but also al my generatyon ⁊ kynred. he toke his shepeherdes staf in his honde, and went in to the forest. And as the boore had of hym a syght, he drew hym towardes the herdman, and he for fere clymmed vpon a tree. Than the bore began to byte and gnawe the tree / so that the herde thought shortely that he sholde haue ouer throwe it. This tre was laden wt grete plente of fruyte. The herde gadred and plucked therof and cast them to ye boore. In so moche that whan he had fylled hym therwith he put and layde hym downe to slepe. The whiche perceyuynge the herde by lytell ⁊ lytell he descended ⁊ with the one hande he clawed the bore, ⁊ with ye other he helde hymselfe on the tre / ⁊ seynge yt the boore slepte soundly ⁊ faste, drewe out his knyfe and smote ye bore to ye herte ⁊ kylled hȳ. ⁊ wedded thēperours doughtr to hys wyf: ⁊ aftr ye deth of her fadrhe was made emperour. tho sayd she my lorde wote ye not what I haue sayd. He sayd ryght well. Then sayd she, this myghty bore betokeneth your mooste noble persone / ayenst whome maye no man withstande neyther by wysdom ne with strength. This shepherde with hys staffe is the persone of your vngracyous sone, which wt his staff of connȳge begynneth to play wt you as ye herdman clawed the bore and made him to slepe ⁊ after kylled hym. In ye same maner ye maysters of your sone by theyr fals fables and narracyons clawe ⁊ glose vnto the tyme that your sone slee you, that he may regne. Tho sayd themperour god forbede yt they sholde doo too me as they dyde to ye bore. ⁊ sayd vnto her this day my sone shall be hanged. And she answered yf ye do so ye do wysely. Than themperour ye seconde tyme syttȳge in iugement, cōmaunded to lede hys [son] to ye galowes ⁊ hange hym. And whyles he was goȳge, the seconde mayster came before themperour doynge hym reuerence as it is before shewed in ye comȳge of the fyrste mayster. To whom ye seconde mayster sayd O my lorde themperour yf ye sholde do sle your sone for the wordes of your wyfe, it myghte worst come to you than it dyde to a knyght which for the wordes of his wyfe was vniustly put in a pyller. Themperoure sayd, O good mayster tell me how it hapned. And he sayde my lorde I shall not saye it but yf yt ye will doo call ayen your sone from ye deth vnto the tyme yt thexample be tolde, the whiche yf it tourne you not frome your purpose, your wyll be fulfylled. The emperour cōmaūded yt ye chylde sholde be called ayen. And [after this manner following, the second master began to tell.
The Example of the Second Master.
[In a City was an ancient Knight, which wedded a young wife and fair, as ye hath done, whom he loved above all earthly things; the knight was a very circumspect and careful husband insomuch that every night he locked the door with his own hands and laid the keys under his Beds-head. In that City was a law or custom, that at a certain hour in the night, a bell was used to be rung, that after the ringing of the said bell, if any man or woman were by the watch-men found about the streets, all that night they should be kept in prison, and on the morrow set upon the Pillory, that all people might behold them.
[The said Knight had little lust of fleshly deeds, for he was very old, and might not satiate or perform the desires and appetites of his young wife; wherefore every night she having a Paramour, her Husband sleeping, took the keys from under his Beds-head, and went to her love; and when she came again, laid the keys under her husband's head; and thus they played many a time.
[It happened upon a night that the knight awaked from his sleep, and missed his wife, and the keys and his Beds-head, whereupon he rose up and went unto the doors, and found them open, the which he bolted fast within, and went up again into his chamber, and looked out of the window towards the street: and when it was near the third cocks crow, his wife came from her best beloved, and found the door shut and bolted within: then was she] sorowfull. neuerthelesse she knocked to haue come in. Tho spake the knyght out of the wyndowe. O yu moste euyll ⁊ vnclene wyfe, now I knowe ⁊ am experte that many a tyme ye haue forsaken my bedde ⁊ gone and done auoutrye. now shall ye stande tyll the bel be rongen and yt the wakers may take you and doo with you according to the lawe. The wyfe answered, My lorde wherfore lay ye that to me. In trouth I shall saye you I was called by my moders mayden ⁊ fetched in the nyght, ⁊ whan I sawe that ye slepte so swetely I durste not awake you bycause that ye are olde, and therfore I toke ye keyes ⁊ went to my moder the whyche is sore seke, that I fere too morowe she must bee anoynted or aneeled notwithstandyng for that I sholde not you offende or dysplease I haue hasted me ayen to you ⁊ haue lefte her lyenge in grete payne ⁊ infyrmyte. Therfore I pray you for the loue of god lete me in afore the bel be rongen. The knyght answered So shall ye not come in, ye muste there abyde vnto the tyme that the bell be rongen, ⁊ tyll that ye wakers come and take you. The she sayde that sholde be to you ⁊ to me: to all our frendes ⁊ kynred a grete shame and rebuke. Therfore atte the reuerence of almyghty god lete me come in. Than sayd he, Haue in thy mȳde euil and false wyfe how oftentymes ye haue forsaken my bedde and doone auoutrye. It is moche better that ye suffer shame and beewayle for youre synnes here in this worlde, thanne for too suffer payne in helle. She sayd ayen to hȳ I praye you for the loue of hȳ yt was crucyfyed ⁊ dyed vpon the crosse haue mercy vpon me. The knyght answered, ye laboure all in vayn̄ for ye shall not come in, but ye shall tary the comynge the wakers. As she herde that, she sayde my lorde ye knowe well that by this dore standyth a well, yf ye lete me not come in I shall therin drowne my selfe, rather thanne all my frendes sholde be shamed for me. Then̄e sayd he, wolde god yt ye had be drowned long afore or ye in my bedde came. And as they thus spake togyder, ye mone went down ⁊ was al derke. Tho sayde she, yf it wyll none otherwyse be I shal drowne miselfe, but yet afore as a trewe crysten woman I wylle make my testament. Fyrst I bequethe to god ⁊ to oure lady my soule, my body too be buryed in ye chyrche of saynt Peter ⁊ of all other thȳges ⁊ goodes yt god hath sent me, I gyue vnto you to dyspose for my soule after your wysdome ⁊ dyscrecyon, ⁊ whan she had thus sayd, she went to the well, ⁊ a grete stone ther beynge wt bothe her armes she lyfte vp ⁊ sayd, Nowe I drowne myselfe, ⁊ caste ye stone downe in to the well ⁊ went ayen pryuely and stode by the dore. The knyghte herynge that noyse cryed wt a lowde voyce saynge / alas alas my wyfe is drowned, and hastely came downe and rāne to the well. And whan she sawe that the dore was open, anone she entred and locked and made faste ye yate / ⁊ went vp to ye chamber ⁊ laye ⁊ loked out of ye wyndowe. The knyghte stode by ye welle ⁊ cryed and wepte bytterly and sayd, woo be to me I haue now loste my moost beloued wyfe, cursed be the tyme that I made faste the dore ayenst her. The lady herde that ⁊ sayd, O ye cursed olde grysarde, why stade ye there this tyme on ye nyght, was not my body to you suffycyent, wherfore goo ye thus euery nyghte, out to your harlottes ⁊ hores and leue my bed. As he herde the voyce of his wyfe he was ryght gladde and sayd Blessed be god that yet she is not drowned. But my good lady wherfore laye ye suche thynges ayenst me. I thoughte to haue chastysed you, and therfore I locked the dore. But in no wyse I entended your peryl / ye knowe well whatte sorowe I made for you whan I herde you to haue fallen in the well, ⁊ therfore I came lyghtly to haue holpen you. Therupon she sayde, falsly ye lye. I neuer dyde suche thinges as ye laye to me. But it appereth by a comyn prouerbe, he yt is defectyfe or culpable hymself in a synne, he iugeth euery man to be in the same, or elles yt fader soughte neuer his sone in ye ouen: but yf he had ben therin hȳselfe. And therfore ye put that to me yt ye yourselfe haue oftentymes done ⁊ vsed but one thynge I promys you. ye shall abyde there tyll ye wakers come, ⁊ that ye bell be rongen that they may lede you before ye iuges to abyde ⁊ suffer the law. Tho sayd the knyght, wherfore laye ye suche thynges too me / I am olde ⁊ all my lyfe dayes I haue ben conuersaunt in this cyte, ⁊ in this was I neuer dyffamed, [et] therfore lete me in that to me ne to your self ye do no shame. She sayd, ye speke in vayne, It is better that ye forthynke your sȳnes in this worlde than in hell. Haue in mynde what the wyse man sayth. A poore man proude, A ryche man a lyer, An olde man a fole god hatyth. So ye be a lyer and ryche. what nede was it too you for too lye vpon me. And ye are a fole, for ye had ye floure of my youth at your pleasure, and yet ye muste renne to hoores ⁊ harlottes. And therfore it is a grete grace of god that ye haue tyme and space too forthynke it, leste that ye sholde perysshe and be dampned for eurmore. ⁊ for yt suffre your penaunce pacyently. Tho knyght sayd, O my best and well beloued lady all though it be so, yet is god mercyfull, and he asketh noo thynge of a synner, but he amende his lyfe and forthynke and doo penaunce for his synnes. Nowe lete me come in and I wyll make amendes, She sayde, Whiche deuyll hath made you so good a prechour, So come ye not in. And as they thus spake the bell was rongen / ye knyght herynge that sayd, O my mooste dere lady the bell ryngeth now, suffer me to come in that I be not ashamed for euer. whiche answered, ye ryngȳge of the bell pretendeth the helthe of youre soule take it pacyently in your penaūce. And as this was sayd come ye wakers yt aboute the cyte went ⁊ founde the knyght standynge in ye strete ⁊ sayd to hym, O good man it is not gode yt ye in this houre of ye nyght stande here. And as she herde the voyce of ye wakers / she sayd, Good felowes venge me on yt olde cursed horehunter ⁊ rybaude, for ye knowe whose doughter and what I am. This cursed olde man is wont euery nyght to leue my bed, ⁊ gothe to his hoores ⁊ harlottes. I haue longe forborne hym and wolde not shewe it ne complayne vpon hym too my frendes, for I trusted that he wolde haue amēded his mysrule, ⁊ it helpeth not. And therfore take hym ⁊ punysshe hym after the lawe, yt all suche olde dotardes may take example by hym. Then ye wakers toke hym and all nyght chastysed hym in pryson. ⁊ on ye morne they put hym on ye pyllery. Tho sayd to the Emperoure, Lorde haue ye ynderstonde what I haue sayd ⁊ he sayd ryght well. Tho sayd ye mayster, yf ye put to dethe your sone by ye excytacyon of your wyfe, it shall to you worse come than it dyd to ye knyght. The Emperour sayd she was the worste woman yt euer I herde of that so falsely her husbande brought to shame ⁊ rebuke. I say to you mayster yt for ye reason of this example, my sone shall this daye not dye. The mayster sayd to hym, yf ye do so than do ye wysely. And yt herafter ye shall ioye, ⁊ I commende you to god / ⁊ thanke you of your pacyent herynge / and of the sparynge of your sone and so he departed.