of the known manuscript versions of the original Disciplina Clericalis.
Caxton designates this tale as follows: 'The xii fable is
of a blynd man and of his wyf.' In Steinhöwel's compilation[1] the
Latin title is, 'De ceco et eius uxore ac rivali;' the German, 'Von
dem blinden und synem wyb.' Machault has, according to the
Black Letter edition (without date) which belongs in the British
Museum, 'La xii fable dun aueugle et de sa femme.' Now since
Hilka and Söderhjelm do not mention this tale as being in any one
of the 63 Mss. of the Latin versions of the Disciplina Clericalis
which they have so carefully described and collated, it is not improbable
that Steinhöwel incorrectly attributed this tale to Peter
Alphonse (or one of his sources had done it) in gathering the
materials for his compilation. The tale falls immediately after that
of 'The Old Procuress with the Weeping Bitch'—one of the most
popular of Peter Alphonse's collection — which is No. xiii of the
original as arranged by Hilka and Söderhjelm,[2] and immediately before
the story of 'The King's Tailor and his Servants'—No. xx of
the Hilka-Söderhjelm edition and xviii of the earlier edition as
reprinted by Migne (op cit. cols. 693-694.) On account the interest
of the tale and for the sake of giving the reader an opportunity to
compare the English of the Worc. version with that of Caxton (both
being probably of about the same date) I reprint it herewith complete
according to the original edition.
III.
The Blind Man Deceived by His Wife.
There was sometyme a blynd man whiche had a fayre wyf,
of the whiche he was much Jalous. He kepte her so that she myght
not goo nowher, for euer (Jacobs 'ewer') he had her by the hand.
And after that she was enamoured of a gentil felawe, they coude
not fynde the maner ne no place for to fulfylle theyr wyll. But
notwithstandyng the woman whiche was subtyle and Ingenyous
counceylled to her frende that he shold come in to her hows and
that he shold entre in to (Jacobs omits 'to') the gardyn, and that
there he shold clymme vpon a pere tree. And he did as she told hym.
And when they had made theyr enterpryse, the woman came
ageyne in to the hows and sayd to her husbond: "My frend, I praye
yow that ye wylle go in to our gardyn for to disporte (Jacobs
'despose') vs a lytel whyle there." Of the whiche prayer the blynd
man was wel content and sayd to his wyf: "Wel my good frend, I
