The Example of the Thyrde Mayster.
There was in a cyte a ryche burgeys that had a pye the which he loued so moche yt euery day he taught her to speke latyn ⁊ hebrewe. And whan yt she had lerned perfetly to speke those two langages / all yt she sawe ⁊ herde, she shewed ⁊ tolde to her mayster. This good man had a fayre yonge wyfe as ye haue / the whiche he loued moche. but she contrary loued not hym / bycause he myght not furnysshe her of such pleasures ⁊ lustes as she desyred to haue. And therfore had she an other fayre yonge man that she loued aboue her husbōde. And alwayes as her husbonde was out of the towne about his marchaundyse ⁊ other besynesses to do, and she sent for her best beloued yt they myght togyder make good chere. The pye as she that sawe tolde it to her mayster, at his home comyng, in such wyse that ye noyse ranne all ouer the cyte of her aduoutry, wherof her husbōde many tyme brauled ⁊ chydde her. She answered hȳ, ye beleue your cursed pye, whiche as longe as she lyueth shall alwayes make betwix us varyaunce ⁊ dyscorde. And he sayd the pye can not lye, for that she seeth ⁊ hereth that she telleth me, and therfore I beleue her more than you. It fortuned that the good man went in to ferre coūtrees to do his marchaūdyse, ⁊ as sone as was gone his wyfe sent for her frende ⁊ loue to solace ⁊ make good chere wt hȳ. but he durst not come by day lyght. but abode to ye euenynge leste that he sholde be seen ⁊ marked of ye peple. And as ye nyght was comen / he knocked at ye gate: ⁊ she was redy ⁊ opened it ⁊ sayd, Go in frely for n̄o man shall see you. ⁊ he sayd I fere me yt the cursed pye shall accuse vs, for by her is comen grete sclaundre vpon vs through out all the cyte. Entre in she sayd boldely and fere not. And as he sholde passe through ye halle where the pye was in her cage, she herd hym say thyse wordes. O my moste beloued I fere me gretely of ye pye that she shal bewraye vs. And as the wyfe herde that she sayde, Be styll foole. it is derke she may not se you. Then̄e ye py that herynge sayde, If I se the not I here thy voyce, ⁊ thou doost wrong to my mayster, for yu slepest with my maystresse, and whan̄e my mayster cometh I shall tell hym. The yonge man herynge that sayd, Tolde I not you yt the pye sholde dyscouer vs. And ye wyfe sayd fere not for this nyght we shall be auenged vpon the pye. And entred in to ye chamber ⁊ slepte togyder that nyght. About mydnyghte the wyfe arose, ⁊ called to her a mayden and sayde / fetche me a ladder ⁊ set vp too ye rofe of ye house yt I may wreke me on the pye. The mayde dyde so and they bothe went vp ⁊ made an hole through the coueryng of ye house ryght ouer the pye / and there thrugh caste sande clay stones ⁊ water vpon the pye, somoch that the poore pye was nere dede ⁊ on the morne the yonge man went erly out at a backe dore. And whan the good man was comen home as his custume was he went ⁊ vysyted his pye and sayd to her, O pye my welbeloued byrde / say me howe yu haste fared the whiles that I haue been out. She sayd, mayster I shall tel you tydynges that I haue herde. your wyfe as sone as ye were gone by the nyght tyme she lete a man come in and as I that herde I tolde hym yt I wolde shewe it to you at your comynge home / that not withstondynge she lad hym in to your chamber, ⁊ slepte with hȳ al nyght. ye demaunded me also howe yt I haue done in your absence. And I saye you of a trouth that I was neuer so nygh my deth as I was that same nyght wt snowe hayle ⁊ rayne yt fyll vpon my body, so longe durȳge that I was almoste left for dede. The wyfe whā she herde that sayd too her husbonde, Syr ye byleue your pye now may ye here what she sayth / she cōplaynyth yt in ye same nyght there fyll so moche snowe hayle ⁊ rayne vpon her yt she was almost dede, ⁊ yet ther was none of thē al that same nyght, for ther was not in a yere a fayrer ne a clerer nyght than it was ⁊ therfore from hensforth byleue her not. Tho went ye good man to his neyghbours ⁊ demaūded of them yf yt nyght were ony tempest or rayne. They answered yt some of them had waked all ye nyght, ⁊ in all yt yere they had not sene a fayrer nyght. Tho went he to his house ⁊ sayd to his wyfe, I haue foūden you in ye trouth for ye nyght was fayr ⁊ clere as I vnderstonde of your neyghbours. ye may now knowe of a trouth sayd she yt py is a lyer. wt her lesȳges she hath sowen ⁊ made discorde betwix vs, ⁊ ouer that I am diffamed thrugh ye cite by her fals lesyngs. than ye burgeys went to ye pye ⁊ sayd wherfore haste yu made lyes ⁊ fals tales betwix me ⁊ my wyfe. Is this ye thāke that I haue for ye mete that I was wont to gyue ye wt myn owne hōdes euery day ⁊ haste also therby my wyfe brought in to grete dyffamacyon thrugh al the towne. The pye answered, god knoweth yt I can not lye for that I sawe ⁊ herde yt haue I shewed to you. Than sayd he, yu lyest. Haste thou not sayd vnto me that in ye same nyghte was hayle ⁊ snowe ⁊ rayne that yu haddest nerehōnde loste thy lyfe whiche is false. And therfore from hensforth yu shalt make no mo lesynges ne dyscorde betwix me and my wyfe / ⁊ toke ye pye and brake her necke. As the wyfe sawe that she was ryght glad ⁊ sayd now haue ye done well, now maye we all our lyue dayes lyue in reste ⁊ peas. And whan he had slayne ye pye, he loked vp ⁊ sawe in the top of ye house a laddre ⁊ a vessel wt water, sand ⁊ stones. and as he that behelde, he perceyued the falshede of his wyfe, and cryed with a loude voyce, Woo be too me that for my wyues wordes I haue my pye slayne and all my solace and ioye loste. ye why (sic) the in all thynges sayd to me trouthe. And as he had thus doone anone for sorowe lefte his marchaundyse and all his house and went to wardes the holy londe, and neuer retorned ayen towardes his wyfe. Than̄e the mayster sayd to themperour, Syr haue ye vnderstande what I haue sayd. he answered ryght well. the mayster sayd, was not yt a false ⁊ cursed wyfe yt so by her lesynges caused ye pye for to be slayne. The emperour sayd, In trouthe she was full of falsenesse. I forthynke gretly the pye, the whiche for her true saynge lost her lyfe. Verely I say to you yt ye haue tolde me a fayr example therfore ths day my sone shal not dy. Tho sayd the master, Syr yf ye do so ye do wysely, ⁊ I thāke you that ye haue spared your sone, this day for my wyll, and to god I commende you.
The Fourth Complaynte of the Empresse.
Whan thempresse herde that ye chylde was not yet dede, she made grete noyse ⁊ cryenges in such wyse that she was herde thrugh the palays ⁊ sayd, Woo be to me that euer I was made Empresse, wolde god I had dyed whan I was broughte in too thyse partyes. whan the emperour herde ye noyse ⁊ crye that she made, he entred in to the chamber, ⁊ conforted her as moche as he myght ⁊ demaunded the cause of her lamentacyon / whiche sayd, O myn owne lorde haue no wonder though that I be in this grete sorowe and agony for I am your wyfe, ⁊ in your company by your sone I am shamed as ye sawe me lately all be bled ⁊ scratched. ⁊ ye haue promysed me that he sholde therfor be hanged / ⁊ yet he lyueth. Wherfore sholde I not sorow. Themperour answered be content ⁊ pleased / and I shall do iustyse vpon my sone to morowe. But in that I forbare hym yesterday was at the meuyng of one of the maysters by an example. Than sayd she, Haue ye forboren to do iustyce for one worde, were it soo for all the worlde ye sholde not let to do iustyce / ⁊ ye saye for the example of one mayster ye haue lefte it. I fere me it shall happen with you ⁊ wt youre maysters as vpon a tyme it fortuned too an Emperoure with his seuen wyse maysters. The empeperoure (sic) sayde I praye you tell me that example. She sayd.
To what entent sholde I laboure in vayne / for yesterdaye I shewed you a good example and it auayled not. for whatsomeuer I shewe for youre honoure and proufyte that the maysters of your sone torne vp and downe to your destructyon, as in this present example I shall clerely shewe you. To whome themperour sayd O my best beloued lady tell me that example, that by the same I maye the better beware / for though that I respyted my sones lyfe for one daye / I shal not therfore gyue hym his lyfe / for that is dyfferred / it is not therfore auferred. And she saide, gladly I shall shewe it for your proufyte. and began to tell it as here after foloweth.
