The Booke of Thenseygnementes and Techynge that the Knyght of the Towre made to his Doughters/Chapter 86
HOW CATHON, AFTER HE HAD DONE AGEYNST THE TWO COMMAUNDEMENTS, ESSAYED THE THYRD ON HIS WYF.
S the nyght was come, and that Cathon had slept. his fyrst slepe, he had many vysyons vpon this matere, in so moche that he remembryd how he had broken and done ageynst two of the commaundementes of his fader. And seynge this, he thought that he wold not breke ne do ageynst the thyrd, wherfore he wente to his wyf and sayd thus to her: "My good frende and my wyf, I wold telle yow a grete counceylle whiche touched my persone, and myghte be the cause of my dethe, yf I wyst that ye shold kepe it secretely." "Ha a, my lord!" sayd she, "on my feythe I hadde leuer be dede than to discouere to ony body youre counceylle." "Ha a, my frend! thenne shalle ye knowe hit,** sayd he. "Trouth it is that themperour toke to me his sone, as ye wel knowe, for to lerne and teche hym, but certaynly hit is not longe tyme gone, for somme wordes whiche he sayd to me, that I as a dronken man, and as he that was wrothe of other thynge, hastely take the Child and slewe hym; and more I dyd, for I tooke and arrached oute of his bely his herte, the whiche I made to be confyte in sugre and other spyces, and sente it to themperour his fader, and to his moder, and they ete hit. And thus I auenged me of hym, but I knowe wel now that it is an euyll and abhomynable dede done, wherof I me repente, but it is to late. Therfore, my good Frend and my wyf, I praye yow as affectually as I can, that ye kepe this counceyll secrete withyn your herte as I trust me to yow." But the morowe after she beganne to wepe and maake grete sorowe, and a woman whiche was with her demaunded of her, "Madame, what haue ye that ye make suche sorowe? Haue ye ony heuynesse wythin your herte?" "Veryly," sayd she thenne, "ye, my Frend, and that 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." And whanne themperesse herd her so speke, she with a hyghe voys beganne to crye, and made suche a sorowe that it was pyte to see, in soo moche that the tydynges came to themperour, how the Emperesse made so grete sorowe. Themperour was sore abasshed, and came there as themperesse was, and demaunded of her why she maade suche sorowe. And she with hyghe pleynt ansuerd and reherced to hym al that the damoysell had told her of theyr sone. And whan themperour wyst that they had eten the herte of theyr child, he bicame ryght angre and sorowfull, and commaunded that Cathonet shold forthwith be take and hanged in the myddes of Rome, there as the folke myght loke on hym as vpon a fals murderer and traytour. His Sergeaunts wente and toke hym anone, and told hym the commaundement of them. perour, and that it was for his sone whiche he had slayne. Cathonet thenne sayd to them, "It is no nede that al that men sayn be trouthe. Ye shalle put me in pryson, and shalle saye that it is to late to make ony execucion of lustyse, and that to morowe I shalle be hanged before the peple." The Sergeaunts loued hym moche, and soo dyd alle manere of folke. They dyd as he badde them to doo, and thenne wente and sayd to the Emperoure and themperesse that hit were for the beste to make Iustyse of hym on the morowe nexte comynge, and that hit was to late, and how more people shold thenne be gadered and assembled for to see hym. And the Emperour, whiche made grete sorowe for his sone, graunted hit. And not withstondynge this, in the meane whyle that Cathonet was conueyed to pryson, he callyd to hym a Squyer of his, and seyd to hym, "Goo to suche a knyght, that kepeth themperour's sone, and telle hym how the Emperour weneth that I have put hym to dethe, and that he faylle not to be here to morowe with hym before the houre of pryme, or els I shalle be in grete perylle to receyue a shameful dethe." This Squyer departed, and soo faste rode and waloped that that nyght he came, aboute one of the cloke after mydnyght, there as Cathonet hadde take to kepe the sone of the Emperoure as to his trewe and good Frende whiche was a trewe man, and moch wyse, and merueyllously they loued eche other. The Squyr beganne to calle wyth an hyghe voys, and dyd soo moche that he came to fore the bedde there as the trewe and noble Baron laye, and told hym how somme had done byleue to the Emperour that Cathonet hadde slayne his sone, and how hit was ordeyned that he shold be on that next morowe hanged. And as the Baron herd this, he was sore abasshed, & moche merueylled of this auenture, & forthwith he rose oute of his bedde, and made his men to be redy, and came to the bedde where the sone of themperour laye, and told to hym the merueyll. And whanne the child vnderstood it he had grete sorowe in his herte, for ouermoche he loued Cathonet his maystre. Here I leue to speke of the Baron and of themperour's sone, and tourne ageyne to speke of Cathonet whiche was in pryson.