The Syxte Example of the Empresse.
There was a kyng ryght proude ⁊ merueylously dyfformed in his vysage in suche wyse that wȳmen hym hated ⁊ abhorred. This kynge thought Rome to destroye ⁊ the romaynes to slee, ⁊ ye bodyes of Peter ⁊ Poule to take ⁊ cary awaye, whiche while he was in this mynde he called to hym his stewarde that was ryght secrete wt hym of his pryue counseyll and sayd to hym. Seke me a fayre woman yt this nyghte may slepe wt me. The stewarde answered, My lorde ye knowe wel your infyrmyte ⁊ dysese, ⁊ yt no woman wyll doo it wtout a grete somme of money. The kynge sayd, thynke ye yt for money I wyll want one, haue I not golde ⁊ syluer ynough though it were a thousande florenys I sholde it gladle gyue. The stewarde herynge yt was anone smyten wt couetyse, went too his owne wyfe whiche was ryght fayre, chast, ⁊ of a gode kynrede, ⁊ sayde to her, O my good wyfe, my lorde desyreth ⁊ coueyteth fore to slepe wt a fayr ⁊ beauteuouse woman, ⁊ wyll not forbere it, though yt she wold aske of hym a thousande florenys, and hath commaunded me too puruey hym of one. And therfore I counseyll you that ye to vs gete that money. The wyfe sayde, were it not so that the kynge so proude and foule of vysage were, yet wolde I not to that euyl consente bycause of the synne ayenst god. The stewarde answered, ⁊ I consente that ye shal do it, ⁊ therto I counseyl and cōmaunde you, and promyse you wtoute that ye consente to me herin, ye shall neuer haue good daye wt me. She heryng that trembled, in so moche that for drede she consented to hym. The stewarde yt herynge went to the kynge ⁊ sayd Syr I haue founde a fayre woman ⁊ she is comen of a good house, whiche wil not lesse haue than a thousande florenes ⁊ in the euin she shall come, ⁊ erly in the mornyng she must away that she be not seen of the people. The kynge answered ⁊ sayd, I am well content. whan the nyght was comen the stewarde lad his wyfe to ye kynges bed and made faste the dore ⁊ yede his waye. Erly in the mornynge the stewarde arose ⁊ went vnto ye kynge ⁊ sayd. My lord it shall be daye wtin a whyle, it is good that ye performe your promise ⁊ let the woman go. The kyng sayd this woman pleseth me so well yt so sone she shall not departe from me. whan the stewarde that herde he departed thens al sory. unneth he taryed ony whyle but came to the kynge and sayd. My lorde the mornynge is comen, therfore let the woman goo, leste yt she be ashamed, as I have promysed her. The kyng sayd yet shall she not go from me. ⁊ therfore goo out and shet the dore ayen. The stewarde ryght sorowfull departed and wente vp ⁊ downe with an heuy ⁊ an angry herte, tyll that the fayre ⁊ the clere daye appered, and than entred ayen in to the chamber and sayd. My lorde it is clere daye, suffre that woman to departe that she be not therwith ashamed. The kynge answered/ I saye to you for a trouth she shall not yet departe for her company is to me ryght pleasaunt ⁊ acceptable. The stewarde yt herynge coude no lenger forbere ne holde his owne counseyll, but sayd vnto ye kyng. O my good and gracyous lorde I beseche you suffre her to departe for it is myn owne wyfe. The kynge herynge that sayd to hym. Open ye wyndowe. ⁊ whan it was open, the fayre ⁊ and the bryght day appered. he behelde the woman ryght fayre and goodly. perceyued yt it was ye wyfe of the stewarde ⁊ sayd to hym. O thou moste ⁊ worste rybaude or knaue, why haste thou for so lytell money ashamed ⁊ vndone thy good ⁊ fayre wyfe. ⁊ her vnto me vnwetyngly haste delyuered. Therfore haste ye ⁊ gete the out of my realme ⁊ neuer more herafter come in my syghte, for frome hensforth yf euer I may se the thou shalt dye ye moost shamefull ⁊ horryblest dethe that euer canne be ymagyned. Whan ye stewarde herde yt he fled his waye ⁊ durste not abyde ⁊ was neuer so hardy ony more to come in to that realme. And ye kynge kepte ye wyfe al hys lyuedayes in grete worshyp, and gaue to hyr plente of all thynges that to her behoued ⁊ appertayned. After that the kynge lete do gadre ⁊ assemble a grete ⁊ a myghty armye ⁊ puyssaunce of men of werre. ⁊ went to Rome with grete myght, ⁊ besyeged the cyte on all sydes, so long tyll that the Romayns wolde haue delyuered hym for to haue departed and withdrawen hymself from thens the bodyes of the holy apostles Petyr ⁊ Poule. Than was there in ye cyte seuen wyse maysters as ye nowe haue, by the counseyll of whome all the cyte was gyded ⁊ gouerned. And the cytezeyns came too theym and sayd. what shall we do, it behoueth vs as that we delyuere vnto oure dedely ennemyes the bodyes of the holy apostles or elles ye cyte. Tho answered ye fyrste mayster. I shall wt my wysdome ⁊ connynge this day ye cyte ⁊ ye body of the apostles saue. ⁊ so one after another promysed to doo ye same, eueryche of theym for one daye. In lyke wyse as ye maysters haue promysed your sone. wt that ye kynge began to assaute the cyte on all partyes. Tho began ye fyrste mayster to saye, ⁊ to alledge so wysely for to haue pease, yt ye kynge that day lefte his assaute makynge ⁊ withdrewe hym a lytyll fro the cyte. ⁊ soo dyde all the maysters one after an other vnto the laste. To whome came ye burgeyses ⁊ sayd. O mayster ye shall vnderstande that ye kynge hath made his othe ⁊ sworne that to morowe wt al his puyssaunce ⁊ strength he wyll haue ⁊ wynne the cyte. Or elles we muste all be in jeoperdye too lese our lyues. Therfore in aquytynge of your promyse defende ⁊ kepe vs from daunger lyke as all your felowes afore haue done. to that answered ye mayster ⁊ sayd be of good comforte ⁊ fere not, for too morowe I shall by my connynge shewe suche a werke and operacyons / that the kyng with all his puissaunce and myght shal fle ⁊ leue the syege. The nexte daye the kynge made ⁊ gaue a grete assaute too the cyte. Tho went the mayster and endued or clothed hymselfe with a meruayvesture or clothynge hauynge therin the fethers or ye tayles of pecockes and of other foules of dyuers coloures. and toke two bryght swerdes in eche hande one. and went there with all and stode vpon the hygheste toure of all the cyte. and began to meue and torne or shewe hymselfe aboute on all partes towarde the oste so that they myght all beholde ⁊ se hym. and he helde in his mouthe the two bryght swerdes yt merueylously shyned. They wtout of ye kynges hoost that seyeng sayd to hym. O lorde beholde vpon hyghest of yonder toure a wonderfull thynge or fygure. Ye I se it wel yt it is merueylous / but what it is I knowe not. They sayd to hym It is Jhesus the god of ye crysten folke yt is come out of heuen vs al to sle ⁊ destroye wt his two swerdes yf wee here ony lenger abyde. The kynge herynge that trembled for fere and sayde what shall we do, there is but one way and that is that we anone go and departe fro hens leste that theyr god auenge hvmselfe vpon vs. Tho began ye kynge wt all his oste to fle, notwithstondȳge there was no nede. but yt they of ye mayster were begyled ⁊ deceyued. And whan ye romaynes yt sawe they hastely moued after al armed in good ordynaunce. ⁊ the kynge wt many of his people they kylled and destroyed, ⁊ also in that manere by grete subtylte of ye mayster was ye myghty kynge wt his folke ouercomen. Then sayd thempresse to themperour, Lorde haue ye vnderstande what I haue sayde. He sayd ye, well in ye beste wyse. She sayd, haue ye no herde what I haue sayd to you at the begynnynge of this narracyon, of the stewarde that the kynge trusted so moche, which for lucre of good shamed his owne wyfe, ⁊ he for that was dryuen ⁊ banysshed out of the londe. In lyke wyse your sone for the desyre and appetyte that he hath to the empyre, entendeth to confounde and destroye you. But while ye be in your myght ⁊ power do with hym as ye kynge did wt his stewarde yf ye wyll not put hym to deth, banysshe him out of your empyre, yt ye without fere may leue in surete of your lyue. And haue ye not also herde how ye kyng lay before ye cyte of Rome, ⁊ howe he was by the wyse maysters dec[e]yued ⁊ scorned yt he with his folke were kylled ⁊ slayne. In the same wyse ye seuen maysters entende to do wt you. ⁊ by theyr false wyles and subtyltees to deceyue you, ⁊ in the ende to sle you yt your sone may regne. Therupon answered themperour ⁊ sayd that shall not so be, for my sone too morowe shal deye. Than commaunded his seruaūtes that they sholde lede his sone to hangynge. And as the folke herde that there was a grete noyse ⁊ a gaderynge of theym and bewayled the dethe of ye only sone of themperour. And as ye syxte mayster herde that, he hasted hym too the Emperour ⁊ salued hym moche honourably, ⁊ he toke it vnthankfully, ⁊ thretned hym or menaced him to dye wt his sone for that he was wt them made dompe, and a rybaude, ye whiche he had shewed vpon his wyfe. The mayster sayd. I haue deserued no deth wt your sone, but grete ⁊ large gyftes, for he is not dompe as ye shall here wtin thre dayes yf he may lyue soo longe. and yf ye put hym too deth for wordes of your wyfe, than shall I merueyll of your wysdome. ⁊ without doute it shall happen to you as it somtyme happened to a knyght that so moche alowed the saynges of his wyfe that he was bounde to an horse tayle ⁊ drawen thrugh out all the cyte to the galowes. Themperour sayde for the loue of god shewe me that example that I may the better beware of that peryl. That wyl I not doo sayd the mayster, wtout ye do cal ayen your sone. Than themperour commaunded to call his sone. And the mayster began afore al the folke to tel in this maner folowynge.
