Let us therefore as suppliants pray constantly for the great
mercy of the omnipotent God, in order that we may by means of
our good works deserve to be placed after the day of final judgment
on the right hand of his Son, to enjoy eternal rest in the
heavenly home together with the faithful in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ, to whom are honor and glory with the Father and the
Holy Spirit throughout the infinite ages. Amen.[1]
XXVIII.[2] The Knight in Exile and His Friend Whose Wife Played Him False
Svche a knyght of his cuntrey of many hasty enemyes convict of his prevy synnes iuged to the deth, but withe kynges saieng and of the people knowen soone from the people was he exiled. And forwhi he left to hym no friend owther in the cuntrey or in thendis of the cuntrey, fled fer of wher nat only the act of his wikkednes but moche wors it was to hem purposed an vnknowen name with a laudable novelte thold cruelte and mansuete and the vndouted intemperat strength to converte and turne. Applied hymsilf to suche a myghti man, to whom so prudently is infelawshipped, and as of the Subiectis of that lord he myght be leest anoied and to hymsilf most profite, while and whan thei promytted plentevously as moche feith and lasse noied than dide vnkynde cruelte, and while tho open signes bitokened moche more power than he myght do.
Forsoth he had in the same felawship a felawe of high vertu, a
man the whiche with symilitude and liknes of vertu chosen, asked
hym as in friendship thei myghten come. He nat denyed, an oth[3]
halwed and rightfully to swere friendship and covenaunt affermed
and stidefastly to be comuned[4] and commune to wynnyng and losse.
[And he] bitooke and lad that exul his felaw in to his Citee. Forsoth
willyng with hym to comune, his wif separat brought he[5] to
- ↑ Cf. I, 46. The English version has nothing correpsonding to this epilogue and does not end here, but continues the discussion of the philosophers for several paragraphs more, cf. above p. 65, footnote 246. Then the three additional tales mentioned above (Introd. p. 11, footnote 9) are given without the usual philosophic discussions which link together the preceding exampla.
- ↑ (The following three tales were printed by Hilka and Söderhjelm (op. cit. I. Anhang ii, pp. 68-73) with the corresponding Latin from Cambr. Univ. Libr. Ms. li. 6. 11 in parallel columns. The second one of the three (No. XXIX) was also printed by the present writer in vol. XXIV (Nov. 1909, pp. 218-22) of Mod. Lang Notes (A Middle English Addition to the Wager Cycle). The present text has been carefully, collated with the rotograph of the original Ms. The Hilka-Söderhjelm text is on the whole reliable, though it contains a considerable number of mistakes of minor importance. Each case in which my own transcript differs from their reprint I have settled by reference to the original.
- ↑ H. & S. read 'quoth'; but the Ms. has 'an oth', which suits the context, and the Latin agrees: Non abnegavit ille: sanctita est iureiurando amiscicia et. cet. I, 69, ll. 4-5.
- ↑ H. & S. incorrectly 'stedfast. . . .communed.'
- ↑ Ms. 'hym.'
