Page:The booke of thenseygnementes and techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his doughters - 1902.pdf/203

a grete, but rather I shold deye er it shold be knowen." "Ha a " madame! She were wel oute of her wytte that shold telle and dyscouere suche a counceylle yf ye had sayd hit, and as for me rather I shold lete me drawe than I shold telle it ageyn." "Ye," sayd the wyf of Cathonet, "maye I truste in yow?" "Ye, by feyth," saith the other woman. She tooke her feythe and her othe, and thenne to her she told and discouered her secrete, how her lord had slayne themperour's sone, and his herte confyted in spyces had sente to themperour his fader and to his moder & how they had ete of hit. This woman maade a Crosse as she were sore merueylled, and sayd that she shold kepe hit secretely. But certaynly her taryenge there, after that she knewe hit, thought her longe for to have go and telle it to other. For as soone as she was departed fro Cathon's hows, she wente forthwith where themperour's wyf was, and came and kneled before her and sayd, "Madame, to your good gracej wyll speke secretely of a grete counceylle." And thenne themperesse commaunded her ladyes to go a parte, and the sayd woman beganne thus to speke: "Madame, the grete loue whiche I bere vnto yow, and for the grete good that ye have done to me, and as I truste that ye yet wylle doo, maketh me to come hyder for to telle yow a grete counceylle, the whiche I wold not telle but to youre persone, for I myght not suffre ne see your dishonour for none erthely good. Madame, it is so that ye loue and haue dere Cathonet more than ony other, as it appyereth wel. For ye haue made hym gouernour of the Cyte of Rome, and ye shewed hym gretter loue whanne ye gaf to hym the kepynge of your sone, to whome he hath hold such felauship that he hath slayne hym, and hath take his hert out of his bely, and wel dressyd and confyted in sugre and spyces, and hath made yow to ete it." "What saye ye?" sayd themperour's wyf. " Madame," sayd she, "j telle yow trewe for certayn, for I knowe this by the mouthe of Cathonet's wyf, whiche sorowful and wepynge told it to me in grete counceylle."