Howe thempresse ladde Dioclesyan themperours sone with her
in her chamber for to make good chere wt hym the whiche
he withstode.
Thempresse lad hym wt her in to her chamber ⁊ commaunded all other to auoyde ⁊ set hym by her afore her bedde, ⁊ sayd, O my best beloued dyoclesyan, I haue moche of your persone ⁊ beaute herde, but now I am glad yt I may se you wt myn eyen that my herte coueyteth ⁊ loueth, for I haue caused your fader to sende for you / that I haue solace ⁊ joy of your persone. Wherfore I wtout faute gyue you knowledge that I for your loue vnto this daye haue kepte my vyrgynyte. Speke to me ⁊ lete vs goo bed togyder. But he gaue her no worde to answer. She seynge that sayd to hym, O good dyoclesyan haue the half of my soule wherfore speke ye not to me / or at ye leest shewe me some token of loue / what shall I do, speke to me. I am redy to fulfyll and perfourme your wyll. ⁊ whan she had thus sayd she embraced hym ⁊ wold haue kyssed hys mouth ⁊ he torned his vysage from her, ⁊ in no wyse wolde cōsent. Tho sayd she ayen to hym, O sone wherfore do ye thus wt me: beholde there is none yt may se vs lete vs togyder slepe / ⁊ than shall ye well perceyue yt for your loue I haue kept my vyrgynyte, and he torned his vysage frome her. She seynge yt he was of her ashamed shewed vnto hym her naked body and brestes and sayde, beholde my sone what body I haue att your wylle, gyue me youre consent or elles it shall be herde for me to passe with my ryght mȳde. He neyther wt sygne ne wt countenaūce of vysage shewed her ony maner of loue, but as much as he coude withdrewe hym from her, whā she sawe yt she sayd, O my moste swete sone yf it please you not to cōsent to me ne yet speke, haply for some resonable cause, Lo here is paper pen ⁊ ynke yf ye wyl not speke wt your mouth than wryte your wyl yt I ony tyme herafter may trust in your loue or not. The chylde wrote as hereafter folowed, O lady god forbede yt I sholde defoule my faders orcheyerde, yf I shulde defoul it: I wote not what fruyte I shold haue of it. I knowe wel one thȳge yt I sholde syn̄ in ye syghte of god ⁊ I sholde ren in ye maledictyon of my fader, ⁊ therfore from hensforth prouoke or styre me no more therto / Whan she had yt cedule seen ⁊ red she brake it wt her teth: ⁊ tare or rent her clothes wt her nayles to her nauyll. ⁊ her vysage al to scratched, it was al blody, ⁊ cast from her al ye ornamētes of her hede ⁊ cryed wt a loude voyce: come hither my lords ⁊ help me afore yt ths rude ⁊ euyll body shame ⁊ rauyssh me.
Howe Thempresse complayned to themperour of the shame to
her done by his sone.
The Emperour was in his halle and herde the crye ⁊ noyse of thempresse. he hastely ranne towardes his chambre ⁊ his knyghtes and other of his seruauntes folowed hym after for to see what there was to [be] done. Tho beganne thempresse to crye and to speke to themperour thus, O my lorde haue pyte and compassyon vpon me, beholde this yonge man is not your sone, but ye foulest rybaude ⁊ harlot yt euer was borne, ⁊ a defouler of wymmen, for as ye knowe wel I lad and brought hym with me in to my chamber, ⁊ sholde haue exhorted and caused hym to haue spokē. I haue done asmoche therto as I can or may. ⁊ whyles I with my wordes exhorted and meued hym for to haue spoken, he hath endeuoyred hymself with me to haue synned. ⁊ by cause I wolde not to hym consēte, but withstode as moche as I myght for to flee the shame, he my vysage had made all blody, ⁊ my vesture and ornamentes of my heed broken ⁊ all to torne, as ye may openly se: And yf ye had not so sone comen vnto my callynge / he had accomplysshed in me his mooste foule and worste wyll. whan themperoure this sawe and herd, fulfylled wt grete malyce ⁊ woodnesse / commaunded his seruauntes that they sholde lede hym to the galowes ⁊ hange hym. And after his lordes herde that sayde / Lorde ye haue no moo but this sone only. It is not good yt ye thus lyghtely putt hym to deth / the lawe is put and ordeyned for transgressours ⁊ mysdoers, and yf it be so that he must edeye, lete hym by ye lawe dye leest that it be sayd yt themperour in his grete furour and Ire without lawe and Justyce he hath put his only sone to dethe. As themperour this herde commaunded him to be put in pryson vnto the tyme that iugement were gyuen ayenst hym. And whan thempresse vnderstode that the chylde was not put to dethe / she cryed ⁊ weped bytterly ⁊ wold haue no reste. whan the nyght was comen the Emperour entred in to his chamber to go to bed. and founde his wyfe wepynge ⁊ sorowyng. To whome he sayde, O my mooste dere lady / for what cause are ye thus sorowfull. She answered, Knowe ye not how yt your cursed sone hath me thus moche shame done ⁊ offended / and ye haue commaunded hym too be hanged and yet he lyued / ⁊ your worde is not performed ne my shame is not wroken. Tomorowe sayde themperour he shall dye by ye lawe. Then sayd she, shalle he so longe lyue. Then̄e myght it happen to you as it dyd vpon a burgeys of Rome of whome an example is sayd. The Emperoure sayd, I praye you shewe me that example. That shall I doo gladly sayd the Empresse.