The Fourthe Example of the Empresse.
Somtyme was in the cyte of rome seuen wyse maysters by whome all ye empyre was gouerned ⁊ ruled. And themperour that than was dyde no thynge or attempte wtout the counseyll of them, as they vnderstode that themperour was to them soo inclyned, yt without theym he sholde ordeyne or doo noo thynge. in ye meane tyme they made by theyr arte and connȳg yt themperour sholde clerely se as longe as he was in his palays but anone as he was out of his palays, he was made blynde / ⁊ that dyde they to the entent yt they myght the more frely intromytte themself of all thynges that apperteyned to themperour, by ye whiche they gate ⁊ wanne too theym grete profyte ⁊ lucre of goodes. ⁊ after that they had made ⁊ wroughte that experyment, they coude neuer chaunge it ne fordo it, afterwarde, but themperour abode styl blȳd many yeres. Then the vii maysters made ⁊ ordeyned throughout thempyre, that yf ony man had dremed a dreme he sholde come vnto them wt a florene of golde or of syluer, ⁊ they sholde expowne ⁊ declare vnto them the Interpretacyon of theyr dremes wherby ⁊ by other vniuste meanes they obteyned moche more substaunce ⁊ money of ye people than themperour dyde. Soo vpon a tyme whan he sate at the table wt the empresse he began to syghe ⁊ sorowe in hymselfe. and whan she perceyued that she enquyred dylygently of hym ye cause of his heuynesse ⁊ doloure. Themperour sayde / sholde not that to me be heuy ⁊ sorowfull yt I so longe haue been blynde ⁊ out of my palays / ⁊ of yt can haue or fynde no remedy. To whome spake thempresse ⁊ sayd, my lorde here my counseyll ⁊ it shall neuer repent you yf ye do therafter. In your courte ye haue vii wyse maysters by whome ye ⁊ all ye empyre is gouerned yf ye nowe beholde ⁊ marke this in your mȳde / ye shall fynde that they are ye cause of your blyndnesse ⁊ dysease. ⁊ yf it be so they are worthy too dye a shamefull deth. Therfore take hede to my coūseyl and aduyse. Sende ye for them ⁊ shewe vnto them youre dysease ⁊ infyrmyte, ⁊ threte them on payne of theyr lyues, yt they sholde fynde a remedy to make you hole of your syknesse ⁊ blyndnes. This coūseyl pleased the emperour well. ⁊ anone sent for ye maysters And whā they were come, themperour anone shewed vnto them his infyrmyte ⁊ blyndenes. ⁊ charge them vpon payne [of] deth / yt they sholde seke a rememedy (sic) ⁊ make hym hole therof. Tho answered they, Ye desyre of vs a thinge that is dyffusyfe ⁊ harde for vs to do thus shortly but gyue vs respyte ⁊ dayes ⁊ in ye tenth day we shall gyue you answere. Themperour was therwith well content ⁊ pleased. Then ye seuen wyse maysters went to counseyll, how they myght yt best chaunge ⁊ alter / ⁊ that in noo maner coude they fynde ye meane howe they myght put awaye ye blyndnes from the Emperour. Wherfore they were all ryght sorowfull. ⁊ sayde amonge them self, wtoute we fynde a remedye we are all but dede men. Soo went they from thens thrugh out al thēpyre ⁊ sought yf they coude fynde ony remedy or coūseyll therfore. It hapned them vpon a tyme goynge thrugh a cyte, ⁊ in ye myddes therof they founde chyldren playnge. ⁊ a[f]ter them came a man wt a talente or florene of golde ⁊ sayd to them, Good maysters this nyght I haue dremed a dreme, thenterpretacyon therof I wolde fayne knowe. Wherfore I pray you shewe me what it sygnyfyeth ⁊ take this golde to you. That herde one of ye chyldren yt played amonge ye other ⁊ sayd too hym, gyue me ye golde ⁊ not them, ⁊ I shall expowne thy dreme. The man sayde, I dremed this nyghte yt in the myddes of myn orchyerde was a grete sprynge of water, wherof came many smal sprynges yt al myn orchyerde was full ⁊ overflowen wt water. The chylde sayd, take a spade ⁊ dygge in ye same place there as ye thought that ye water outsprange, ⁊ there shall ye fynde an horde of golde so grete that ye ⁊ all your chylderne & lynage shall be for euer ryche. The man dyde as ye chylde had shewed hym ⁊ found ye tresoure accordynge to hys wordes. Tho went ye man to ye chylde ⁊ offred hym a pounde weyght of ye golde yt he had founde for ye interpretacyon of his dreme ⁊ he wold none receyue but cōmytted hym to ye prayers of ye man. The vii. maysters whan they herde ye chylde so wysely expowne ye dreme, they sayd to hym, gode chylde what is your name he answered ⁊ sayde I called Merlyne. Then sayd ye maysters, we se clerely grete wysedome in you, we shal shewe vnto you a grete mater, ⁊ of yt we wolde gladly yt ye coude fynde a remedy. The chylde sayd, shewe me your mater. And they sayd themperour of rome as longe as he is in his palays he hath his syght clere wtout ony impedymēt and as sone as he is gone out of his palays he is soo blȳde yt he may not se. Yf ye can now determyne ye cause herof ⁊ fynde a remedy yt he may be eased ⁊ haue hs syght ayen ye shall haue grete rewardes ⁊ honoures of thēperour. The chylde sayd, I know ye cause as wel of his blȳdhede as of ye remedy. They sayd to hym, Come wt vs to themperour ⁊ ye shal be rewarded so largely yt ye shall be pleased. To whome ye chylde sayd, I am redy to go wt you. And whan they came wt ye chylde before themperour they sayd to hym. Lorde loo here this childe yt we haue brought afore you ye which shal fulfyll your desyre as touchȳge the cause of your blȳdenes as ye recouerȳge of your syghte. Themperour sayd, Good maysters woll ye take it vpon you ⁊ abyde therby that ye chylde shall do wt me. They all sayd ye, for we be experte in his wysedome. Themperour torned hymself towardes ye chylde and sayde, wyll ye vndertake to tell me the cause of my blindnesse ⁊ the remedye. The chylde answered ⁊ sayd, my lorde the emperour lede me in to your bedchamber, ⁊ there I shal shewe you what is to be done And as he was therin broughte he sayd to ye seruaūtes, take of ye clothes of the bedde, ⁊ all thapparayle, ⁊ ye shall se wonders. And as yt was done they sawe a well smokyng yt had vii sprȳges or floodes, the whiche whan thēperour sawe meruayled gretly. ye chyld sayd ye se this wel ⁊ wtout it be quēched ye shal neuer haue your sygt. thēperour sayd, how may yt be. ye chyld sayd, but by one way. Themperour sayde, Shewe vs than the meane, ⁊ yf it be possyble to me it shall be done, yt I maye recouer ayen my syght as well wtout as wtin. To whome the chylde sayd my lorde ye vii. sprynges of this well are thyse vii. wyse maysters, ye whiche you ⁊ your Empyre hythertoo haue trayterously gouerned ⁊ haue you made blȳde as ye be wtoute your palays yt they youre subgettes by extorcyon myght plucke ⁊ pyll, ye not seynge, but nowe they knowe not ye remedy. Here ye nowe my counseyll. ⁊ this well shal be quenched ⁊ extyncte. do stryke of ye fyrste maysters hede ⁊ anone ye shall ye fyrste sprynge quenched. ⁊ so by ordre one after an other, tyll yt they are all beheded, ⁊ anone all the sprynges wt the well shall be vanysshed and gone awaye / ⁊ ye shall haue ayen your syght as ye had afore. And as this was done ⁊ fulfylled / the well with the vii. sprynges were vanysshed. And as themperour had his syghte ayen he made the chylde a grete lorde ⁊ gaue hym grete habundaūce of goodes. After that spake thempresse, my lorde haue ye this example well perceyued that I haue tolde you. ⁊ he sayd ye in the best wyse. ye haue recyted a good and a ryall example. Than sayd she, In the same wyse your vii. wyse maysters intende too doo with you, by theyre false narracyons, that your sone may reygne vpon you / that god forbede.
The Declaratyon of the Example.
This welle is youre sone wherof oute flowen seuen sprynges, that sygnefye the seuen wyse maysters the whiche soone ye maye not destroye withoute the vii. maysters be made feble ⁊ broughte too noughte that done this well that is your sone wt all his cauyllacyons ⁊ wyles shal not scape / but lete hym be hanged fyrste leste that he haue helpe of his maysters / ⁊ forth after co[n]sequently ye vii. maysters. And so ye shall gouerne ⁊ guyde your empyre in reste ⁊ peas. Themperour anone cōmaunded his seruauntes to lede his son to the galowes / whiche they were lothe to do. So was there than a grete multytude of people gadred with grete noyse ⁊ bewaylynge so that the noyse came to ye eres of ye fourth mayster named Malquydrac. ye whiche lepte vpon his hors / ⁊ hasted hym to ye palays. So mette wt hym his dyscyple ⁊ dyde reuerence to hym / ⁊ recommaunded hym vnto hym / ⁊ whan he came before themperour ⁊ had done his obeysaunce ⁊ reuerence as apperteyned. Themperour answered ⁊ sayde. Lytell thanke haue ye olde cursed caytyfe for ye techȳge of my sone for I delyuered you my sone well spekȳge ⁊ in all thynge ryght vertuous. And ye haue sent hym a fole dompe / ⁊ a rybaude / for he wolde haue belayne wt force my wyfe / ⁊ therfore all ye with him togyder shall be hanged. Tho sayd ye mayster, My lorde I haue not that deserued of you. god knoweth why your sone speketh not. in shorte tyme ye shal perceyue other thȳges. but ye tyme is not yet comen. But in yt ye say he wolde haue oppressed your wyfe, yt is not gospel ne proued, ne for one synguler p[er]sone ye shold not iuge to deth your sone. yf now for ye wordes of your wyfe ye iuge your sone to dye, it wil be wors to you than to an olde man of his wyfe. ⁊ that I shall proue. Too whome themperour sayd, Thynke ye to doo with me ye olde dotarde, as somtyme seuen wyse men dyde to an emperour. Therto sayd ye mayster The offence or trespace of one or yet of twenty, may not founde to the rebuke ⁊ blame of all other, for ouer al the worlde there bee bothe good ⁊ euyll. But one thynge of a trouth I shall shewe you. that euyll shall come to you yf ye this daye do your sone to deth for the wordes of your wyfe. the whiche I wolde shewe by a notable example. Than sayd the emperoure woll ye that recyte for our lernynge. The mayster sayde, Yf ye wyll calle ayen your sone, ⁊ kepe hym tyll I haue made recytacyon of the example. ⁊ than what someuer ye shal thinke best to done with hym, doo it. I shall reherce this example or elles not. The emperour cōmaunded that he sholde be called ayen and desyred the mayster to say as here after ensueth or foloweth.