(10.) The example of the fifth Master.—There was a famous physician named Ypocras—he had a nephew named Galienus, who in time excelled Ypocras—the king of Ungary sent for Ypocras to cure his son—Ypocras sent Galienus instead—Galienus on seeing the sick child said to the queen that the king was not its father, and demanded to know who was—the queen told him the truth and Galienus cured the child. Ypocras on hearing from Galienus that he had cured the child killed him by craft—Ypocras was taken grievously sick, and his scholars and disciples were unable to heal him—He knew that for the death of Galienus he was made sick—confessed from envy he had slain him, and died.
(11.) The sixth example of the Empress.—There was a king marvellously deformed in his visage so that women hated and abhorred him—the king desired his steward to bring a fair and beauteous woman, and promised a large sum of money to the woman—the steward from covetousness insisted on his own wife going to the king and thus obtaining the money—the king found out that the steward had undone his own wife, banished him on pain of death and kept the wife. The king assembled a great army to conquer Rome, but by the stratagems of seven wise masters there was defeated with great slaughter and killed.
(12.) The example of the sixth Master.—There was an emperor of Rome who had three knights whom he loved above all others. There was also in the city an ancient knight who had a fair young wife—this wife would sit at her window looking into the street and sing. The three knights at different times passed her window and fell in love with her—they each offered her a hundred florins—she consented to receive them, promising to send for them on a suitable opportunity. She told her husband, and suggested that when the knights came he should kill them and keep the hundred florins—the husband consented and killed each of the knights—the wife got her brother to dispose of the first body, and by telling him the corpse had come back again, of the other two—the husband afterwards quarrelled with his wife and struck her—she in revenge told how he had murdered the three knights—they were both drawn at a horse's tail and hanged.
(13.) The seventh example of the Empress.—A king loved his wife above all things and locked her up alwayes in a strong castle and kept the keys himself. A knight in distant parts dreamed of a fair queen whose love he would win—the queen dreamt the same night of the knight—the knight travelled about till he came to the queen's tower, and knew her for the lady of his dream.—He entered the king's service—fought bravely, was made the king's steward, and gained permission of the king to build a place adjoining the castle—He built a secret passage to the queen's rooms—gained her love—she gave him a ring the king had given her—the king saw the ring on the knight's hand and demanded of the queen the ring he had given her—she showed it to the king having previously got it back from the knight—the knight asked the king to be present at a banquet at which would be his lady love—presented the queen to the king as a lady of his own country—the king after the banquet went to the queen's rooms, found her there, and thought he had been mistaken a second time—the knight asked the king to be present at his wedding and to give the bride away—the king gave the queen to the knight and saw them sail away from the city—went back to the castle and found out how he had been deceived.
(14.) The example of the seventh Master.—A knight had a fair young wife whom he tenderly loved—one day she cut her hand and the sight of her blood killed her husband—she bewailed his death greatly—would not leave the grave—her friends made a little house close by where she might stay and get food. When a trespasser against the law was hanged the sheriff was obliged to watch all night by the gallows, and if the body was stolen the sheriff had to lose his land and his life. It happened soon after that a man was hanged, and the sheriff watched by the gallows—he saw the little house, asked permission to enter to warm himself—the sheriff went back to the gallows and found the body stolen—told the lady, who advised him, if he would marry her, to take up her dead husband and hang him on the gallows in place of the thief—when the body was dug up, the sheriff said he could not hang her husband up as he was, the thief having lost two front teeth, his ears, and was otherwise mutilated—the lady mutilated her husband in a corresponding manner—she reminded the sheriff of his promise to marry her—he refused, and killed her.
(15.) The example of Dioclesian, the King's son.—A knight had one son, who was sent away to learn, and returned well favoured—as they sat at table a nightingale sang—the son interpreted the song to mean that he should become great and be waited upon by his father and mother—the knight was angered, and cast his son into the sea—the son swam to land, from which he was rescued by a ship—the shipmen sold him to a duke—the duke took him into favour—the king of the country (Egypt) summoned his council to tell him why ravens followed him wherever he went, and promised to give his daughter to him who would interpret the event—the child, who went with the duke, interpreted the event, and the ravens left the country—the king thereupon took the child, Alexander, to live with him—before marrying his daughter, Alexander asked leave to visit the court of Titus—leave was granted, and he went and was much loved—there came also the son of the King of France, Lodwyke—the two, Lodwyke and Alexander, were much alike—the emperor had a daughter whom Lodwyke fell in love with—Alexander used to attend her—she fell in love with him—he, however, allowed Lodwyke to attend her in his stead—he assisted Lodwyke in his suit—presented gifts to her three times on behalf of Lodwyke—finally she consented to receive Lodwyke—the knights found out the intrigue, and sought to slay Lodwyke, but Alexander defended his friend—letters came to tell Alexander of the death of the King of Egypt—Alexander went to Egypt—Lodwyke at parting gave him a ring—Guydo, son of the King of Spain, then came to the court—he found out Lodwyke with the emperor's daughter, and told the emperor—a day of battle between Lodwyke and Guydo was appointed—Lodwyke was afraid to meet him, and by advice of the emperor's daughter got the day of battle adjourned, and went to Alexander—Alexander was going to be married to his betrothed—being so like Lodwyke he agreed to take his place, and Lodwyke was to take Alexander's place at the wedding, and to put a naked sword between him and Alexander's wife on the night of their marriage—Alexander went, as Lodwyke, and defeated and slew Guydo—Lodwyke, as Alexander, married his betrothed and kept the compact of putting a sword between them—when Alexander returned his wife, annoyed at him not loving her the first night, would not accept his embraces—she grew to love a knight, and by poison made Alexander a leper—he was driven from Egypt—he travelled to Lodwyke's court (who had succeeded Titus on the throne)—he made himself known to Lodwyke—Lodwyke asked his master to cure his friend—they could not do so—the only cure was revealed to Alexander in a dream—it was for Lodwyke to kill his two sons and wash his body with the blood of them—Lodwyke does this, and his wife afterwards agrees to it—Alexander is restored—the sons come to life again—Lodwyke assists Alexander in the recovery of Egypt—after a time he resolved to see his father and mother—he goes to them without revealing himself—they wait upon him—he then reveals himself to them, forgave them, and took them, honoured, to Egypt.
Of these fifteen stories only three are the same as those given in the Book of Sindibad, as published by Professor Comparetti—namely, No. 2, the example of the first Master, which is told by the fifth Master in the Sindibad version; No. 6, the example of the third Master, which is told by the first Master of the Sindibad version; and No. 11, the sixth example of the Empress, which is told by the fourth Master of the Sindibad version. No. 3, the second example of the Empress, may perhaps be a variant of the fifth example of the Empress in the Sindibad version. The remaining stories then might, prima facie, be considered of Western origin; and perhaps genuine Folk-Tales thus early enshrined in literature. No. 4 is to be found in Peter Alfonsi's Disciplina Clericalis and in the Decameron. And Mr. Wright, in his Introduction to The Seuyn Sages (Percy Society), p. liii. says he heard the same story told traditionally in an English country town of a townsman who had a scolding unruly wife. No. 5 is a variant of the legend of Rhampsinitus, king of Egypt, as told by Herodotus; and a similar legend is given in Pausanias, lib. ix. c. 37. No. 7 contains some of the incidents of Merlin's story told by the Chroniclers. No. 10, the example of the fifth Master, is something like Campbell's "Fearachur Leigh," No. xlvii. of his Highland Stories (vol. ii. p. 161). No. 13 bears an analogy to the plot of the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus. Upon the entire question of the occurrence elsewhere of these stories I would refer to Mr. Clouston's Book of Sindibad privately printed in 1884.
There are one or two curious words and expressions which may be of use to the philologist, but the reader will find that the language used is mainly that of the present day with a different spelling. Some of the difficulties of this style have been obviated by the insertion, where necessary, of letters left out in contracted words, and these insertions are printed in italics to distinguish them from the original.
