HOW THEMPEROUR'S SONE CAME TO SAUE HIS MAYSTER CATHONET AND OF HIS ESCAPE.
ND whan the people perceyued and sawe the horses rennynge toward them, and sawe anone the sone of themperour, whiche cryed, "Touche not, neyther ley hand on my mayster's body, for i am alyue," they were gretely merueylled. The child anone lyght of his hors and wente and vnbonde his mayster, & sore wepyng kyssed hym ful tendirly & said, "Ha a, my swete frend & maister! Who hath this purchaced & so grete a lesyng foūde & contryued vpon you, the which my lord my fader hath so lyghtely by leued?" And thenne he embraced & kyssed hym ageyne, & al the people, whiche was gretely merueylied, as they sawe the pyte & good nature of the child, thaked & mercyed god with al theyr hertes of the delyuerauce of Cathonet. The child made his mayster to be sette on horsbak, & ledde hym thurgh the stretes of Rome by the raynes of his brydell tyll they came in to the palais where themperour his fader was. And whanne themperour and his wyf knewe for certayne the comynge of theyr sone, they wente and met hym with grete. Ioye, and as they sawe hym ledynge his mayster Cathonet by the raynes they were gretely merueylled, & held them ashamed and vergoynous toward Cathonet, and cam to hym, and eche of them kyssed hym, and made to hym the grettest ioye and chere and the grettest honoure that they couthe, and excused them toward hym of this dede. Thenne sayd the child to his fader themperour, "Ha, my lord! Wylle ye vse of so hasty lustyce withoute makynge of none enqueste vpon the dede or faytte? For a man of so hyghe estate as ye be shold & out to be more blamed therfore than another of lower degre or estate, for hadde ye maade hym to be dampned and destroyed withoute cause, it had be grate
