The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 45
OF THE QUENE GESABEL WHICHE HAD MANY EUYLLE CONDYCIONS.
OW wylle I telle yow thexample of an euylle, cruel, and dyuerse quene, how it befelle to her. It was the quene Gesabel, whiche had many euyl tatches. Fyrst, she hated the jndygent and power; she hated the holy and good heremytes and al prestes and men of holy chirche, and alle them that to the laye peple taught the feythe. She made them to be beten and robbed, in soo moche that of nede they must wyde and goo oute of the reame. She had of none mercy ne pyte, wherfor she was cursed and hated of god and of al the peple. A good man was at that tyme, whiche was named Nabor, whiche had an Aker of a vyne yerd ryght fertyle and good, whiche the kynge coueyted and desyred moche to haue it by byenge or otherwyse. But the good man Nabor consented not to hit with good wylle. The kyng told to this quene his wyf that he was ryght sory that he myght not haue that vyneyerd, and she sayd that well she shold make that he shold haue it, as she dyde. For by treson she made the good man Nabor to be murdred and slayne, and thenne she brought forth and made to come fals men whiche wytnessid that he had gyuen the kyng Achas her lord his vyneyerd: whiche thynge was moche displeasynge to god, wherfor he sente Josue to make werre ageynst hym, in so moche he toke prysoner the kynge Achas, and with hym .lx. children, grete and smal. And anone after Josue made theyr hedes to be smyton of. This was the punycion of the vengeaunce dyuyne. And as for the euylle and cruell quene gesabell, I shalle telle yow the ende of her. She wente vp vnto a hyhe portayll or yate where as Josue shold passe, and there she coynted and arayed her with clothes of gold and flourynge of ryche ermyns, with grete plète of precious stones, al desguysed and in other maner of clothynge than ony other woman of that lond was. And as she sawe the kynge go by the waye, she biganne of a hyghe voys to curse hym and all his lygnage also, and proudely she spake to hym, sayenge of hym al the vylonye that her cruel and proude herte couthe thynke. The kynge thenne beganne to loke vp, and sawe the couetyse and desguysynge of her and herd her proud and shamefull wordes, wherof he was merueylled and wrothe. And seyng she held not her fals and venymed tongue, but cursed and euer spake euylle, commaunded to his men that they shold go where as she was, and that they shold caste her before alle the peple the heed dounward fro the place where she was vnto the strete. And so they dyde. And thus by her cruell courage and pryde she shamefully and vylaynsly ended her lyf. And for the grete crueltees and euyles that she in her lyf had done & made to be done, commaunded kynge Josue that she shold haue [no] sepulcre, but that she shold be eten and deuoured of dogges, as she was. By suche wayes god taketh vengeaunce oftyme of them that haue no pyte of the power & indygent, and that loue not his chirche and his seruauntes, and that by couetyse make grete crueltees and many euylle dedes, and also them that brynge fals wytnes to disheryte other of his ryght, as dyd the fals quene gesabel, whiche susteyned her lord in his folye, wherfor euylle happed to her. Here ye maye take ensample to be pyteous, charytable toward the poure folke, and to loue holy chirche and the mynystres of hit, and also to kepe hym self fro gyuyage ony euylle counceyl to her lord, also to take no desguysed rayment, but only thestate of the good and worshipful wymmen of the lond,