tum naturaliter precellunt. Et ponit exemplum de Adriano Romano fenatore, qui in quadam forefta venacionibus infiftens, dum predam perfequeretur, in cifternam profundam nefcia fa
Through happe, which no man efcheueth, milia corruit, ubi fu
He felle unware into a pit, Where that it mighte nought be let. The pit was depe, and he fell lowe, That of his men none mighte knowe, Where he became, for none was nigh, Which of his fall the mischefe figh. And thus alone there he lay Clepende and criend all the day For focoure and deliverance, Till ayein eve it fell per chance, A while er it began to night, A pouer man, which Bardus hight, Cam forth walkend with his affe And hadde gadered him a taffe Of grene stickes and of drie
To felle, whom that wolde hem bie, As he, which had no livelode, But whan he mighte fuche a lode To towne with his affe carie. And as it fel him for to tarie, That ilke time nigh the pit And hath the truffe fafte knit, He herde a vois, which cried dimme,
And he his ere to the brimme
perperveniens quidam pauper, nomine Bardus, immiffa cordula putans hominem extraxiffe, primo fimeam extraxit, fecundo ferpentem, tercio Adrianum, qui pauperem defpiciens aliquid ei pro benefacto reddere recufabat. Sed tam ferpens quam fimea gratuita benevolencia ipfum fingulis donis fufficienter re
muneraverunt.
Hath leide and herde it was a man, Which faide: O helpe here Adrian, And I will yive half
my good. The pouer man this understood, As he that wolde gladly win,
And to this lord, which was within, He spake and faid: If I the fave, What fikerneffe fhall I have Of covenant, that afterwarde Thou wolt me yive fuch rewarde, As thou behightest now before? That other hath his othes swore By heven and by the goddes alle, If that it mighte so befalle, That he out of the pit him brought, Of all the goodes, which he ought, He shall have even halven dele.
This Bardus faid, he wolde wele. And with this worde his affe anon He let untruffe and therupon Down goth the corde into the pit, To whiche he hath at ende knit A staff, wherby, he saide, he wolde, That Adrian him fhulde holde. But it was tho per chaunce falle, Into that pit was alfo falle
An ape, which at thilke throwe,
Whan that the corde cam down lowe,
All fodeinly therto he skipte
And it in both his armes clipte.
For helpe and cride and preide faste. And he eftfone his corde caste. But whan it came unto the grounde, A great ferpent it hath bewounde, The which Bardus anone up drough. And than him thoughte wel inough, It was fantasme that he herde The vois, and he therto answerde: What wight art thou in goddes name? I am, quod Adrian, the fame, Whose good thou shalt have even halfe. Quod Bardus than a goddes halfe, The thridde time affaie I fhall. And caft his corde forth withall Into the pit, and whan it came To him, this lord of Rome it name And therupon him hath adressed And with his hond ful ofte bleffed. And than he bad to Bardus hale. And he, which understood his tale, Betwene him and his affe all fofte Hath drawe and fet him up a lofte Withouten harm all efely.
He faith not ones graunt mercy,
But ftraught him forth to the citee
And let this pouer Bardus be. And netheles this fimple man
His covenaunt, fo as he can, Hath axed. And that other faide, If fo be that he him upbraide
Of ought, that hath be fpoke or do, It shall be venged of him fo,
That him were better to be dede. And he can tho no other rede, But on his affe ayein he caft
His truffe and hieth homward fast. And whan that he came home to bed, He tolde his wife, how that he fped. But finally to speke ought more Unto this lorde, he drad him fore, So that a word ne durft he fain. And thus upon the morwe ayein In the maner, as I recorde,
Forth with his affe and with his corde,
To gader wode, as he did er,
He goth, and whan that he cam ner Unto the place, where he wolde, He gan his ape anone beholde, Which had gadered al aboute Of stickes here and there a route And leide hem redy to his honde, Wherof he made his truffe and bonde. Fro daie to daie and in this wife This ape profreth his fervise,
So that he had of wode inough. Upon a time and as he drough Toward the wode, he figh befide The greate gastly serpent glide, Till that she cam in his presence And in her kinde a reverence She hath him do and forth withall A ftone more bright than a cristall Out of her mouth to-fore his way She let down fall and went away, For that he shall nought ben adrad. Tho was this pouer Bardus glad, Thonkende god and to the stone He goth and taketh it up anone And hath great wonder in his witte, How that the beste him hath aquitte, Where that the mannes fone hath failed, For whom he hadde most travailed. But all he put in goddes honde
And torneth home and what he fonde Unto his wife he hath it shewed And they, that weren bothe lewed, Accorden, that he fhulde it felle. And he no lenger wolde dwelle, But forth anone upon the tale The stone he profreth to the sale, And right as he him felfe it sette, The jueller anone forth fette The golde and made his paiement, Therof was no delaiement.
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