Disciplina Clericalis/Tale 10

by Peter Alphonse

 

X.^[1] The Procuress and Her Weeping Bitch.

"It is saide that suche oon had a wif of a noble kynred, inly faire, beautevous, and chast. So haply it fil that [he] with busynes of Reason wold go to Rome. But he wold nat make non other depute keper of his wif but hirsilf, he trusted so moche in hir chast maners and of worshipful proef. Forsoth this man redy went furth with felawship. The wif forsoth lived chastly and in al thynges prudently doyng remayned. So it fil that of necessite compulsed out of hir owne house [she] went out to hir neyghburgh in felawship. That neede and busynes don [she] went hir hom to hir owne house. That suche a yong man bihielde and with brennyng love bigan to love hir and many messangiers (f. 124) sent vnto hir coveityng of hir whom he so brennyngly loved; Eft^[2] to whom with contemptis [she] hym vttirly dispised. The yongman whan he felt hymsilf so dispised, was made so moche sorowyng and over moche kynde of sikenes hevied and greved. Oftentymes here and ther wher he sigh that faire womman goyng out desiryng with hir to meete and felawship, but in no wise it myght availe. To whom for sorowe weepyng he mette with an old wif clenly clad in Religious habite askyng of hym what was the cause that compelled hym so to sorowe. But . the yongman so avexed and troubled in his conscience wold nat discovere. To whom thold wif saide: 'How moche that a sike man hidith and takith awey the knowlache of his infirmyte from his leche, so moche more grevous and sharp shal his grevaunce and sikenes be.' Whiche so heryng [he] told hir bi order and shewid hir al his secrete counsail of this that hym bifil. To whom thold wif: 'Of this whiche now thow hast saide with goddis help I shal fynde a Remedie.' And so left hym and went hir hom to hir house. And a litel whelp that she had at hom [she] made it to fast two daies without mete; and the thrid day to the fastyng hound yaf brede jnowogh with an oynoun^[3] froted. Whiche whan the hound had tasted and eten for the bitternes the eyen bigan to teare. After this that old wif went hir to the house of the shamefast womman whom the yongman loved so moche; whiche worshipfully for the gretnes of hir Religioun with a demure spirite toke hir in. To this forsoth folowed hir whelp. Whan this goode womman saw that litel hound so weepyng [she] askid what it had and ailed and wherfor it so the eyen tered and wept. To this thold wif aunswerd: 'Diere friende, ne aske nat what is the cause forwhi it is so grete a sorow that I may nat tel it.' Forsoth the womman somoche the [more] stired hir to telle. Than thold wif or old Vek saide: 'This litel hounde the whiche thow biholdist was my doughter, a chast maiden and a faire and right beautevous, whom suche a yongman loved; but she was so chast that in althyng vttirly his love she dispised.'^[4] Wherof he somoche sorowyng was streyned in to a grete sikenes; for the whiche blame wrecchidly my doughter here is chaunged in to an hounde.' And this saide, for grete sorowe she brake out in teeris wepyng, that old wif. To that the goode womman: 'What! therfor diere dame, I feele mysilf that I am made in like synne. Me forsoth a yongman lovith, but of my chastite his love I have vttirly dispised, and in like maner to hym it fallith.' To whom that old wif: 'Ewer I praise the, my diere friende, but rather (f. 124^b) than this wrecchidnes of eschaunge in to an hounde shuld fal to the, do that he askith and desirith. If forsoth I had knowen the love bytwene the forsaide yongman and my doughter, mi doughter shuld never have be[n] chaunged.' To whom the chast womman saide: 'I beseche the as in this thyng that thow tel me holsum and profitable counsail that my forme and shap be nat deprived and made like an hound.' To whom thold wif: 'For the love of god^[5] right gladly, and forwhi of the, my doughter, I am merciful and have on the compassioun; and that forsaide yongman I shal seeke if he may be in any place founde and bryng hym vnto the.' To whom the womman dide thankynges. And so thold wif with hir crafty spechis and wordis yaf hir feith; and the yongman whom she promysed brought and so felawshipped hem toguyder."

"A," quod the disciple to the Maister, "Never herd I of suche a mervaile, whiche as I trowe was don bi craft of the devil." Quod the Maister: "Ne doubte the nat it was so." Than quod the disciple: "I hope if any suche man were so sapient, as alwey he drad hym how he myght be disceived bi the engyne and craft of womman haply he myght kepe hym from hir engyne and wiles." Quod the Maister: "I have herde of suche a man whiche that moche laboured, as in kepyng of his wif, but nothyng it profited hym." The disciple saide: "Goode Maister, tel me what he dide that I may knowe if I wed that womman how I may kepe hir." [The maister]:

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1. No. XIII in the original, I, 17, l. 3.
2. The Ms. reading appears to be 'Of or 'Ef to:' the Lat. (I, 17, l. 10) has this simple sentence: Quibus contemptis eum penitus sprevit.
3. Lat. sinapi i. e. 'mustard'.
4. Lat. ut eum omnino sperneret et eius amorem respueret. See I, 17, l. 27.
5. Lat. Pro Dei amore et animae remedio meae.