[The Complaint of the Emperor's Son on the Empress.]

Thenne sayd the sone vnto the fader, beholde this rybaude that many a nyghte hathe with your wyfe lyen in your chamber in auoutrye, ⁊ haue defouled your bedde. ⁊ therfore the empresse loued hym so well, the whiche ye knewe not. whan the emperour sawe y^t he was impacyent ⁊ wrothe, y^t he cōmaunded y^t she with y^e rybaude sholde be brent. y^e sone sayd, lorde fader make no haste of y^t iugement before that I haue reproued her of the cryme y^t she layde vpon me falsely, ⁊ that she vntruly ⁊ falsly hathe complayned ⁊ lyed vpon me. Tho sayd the fader, My dere sone I cōmytte all the iugemente in to your hands. The sone answered yf she be founde false ⁊ a lyer y^e lawe shall iuge her. But my dere fader whan ye sent after me at y^e instaunce of hyr, then I with my maysters behelde the sterres in y^e fyrmamente. ⁊ there we sawe y^t yf I sholde speke ony worde within seuen dayes I sholde haue deyed a shamefull dethe, and therefore that was the cause that I spake not. And where as the empresse sayd ⁊ put vnto me, that I wolde haue oppressed ⁊ rauysshed hyr, in y^t she lyeth falsly but she dyd hyr best to haue caused me to do it. And whan she in no wyse coude bryng me therto, she toke me paper penne ⁊ ynke, ⁊ badde me wryte the cause why y^t I refused her. And whan y^t I had wryten y^t I wolde not do or commytte so greate ⁊ abhomynable synne, and also wolde not my faders orcharde defoule, tho began she to tere hyr clothes ⁊ scratche her vysage y^t it ran on blode, ⁊ cryed w^t a loude voyce, ⁊ cōmytted vnto me the cryme or blame. And whan y^e Emperoure herde this he behelde her w^t a fell countenaunce, and sayd to her in this maner, O thou wretched woman was it not suffycyent to fulfyll thy foule ⁊ lecherous appetyte I ⁊ thy rybaude, but wolde also haue hadde my sone. Than fell the Empresse to themperours fote ⁊ she cryed hym mercy. Then y^e Emperoure sayd, O thou cursyd ⁊ most vnhappy woman thou askest forgyuenesse ⁊ thou art worthy none to haue, for y^u haste deserued to dye in thre maner wyse. The fyrst is y^t y^u haste done auoutrye. The seconde is that thou haste prouoked and styred my sone to syne ⁊ haste to hym commytted, ⁊ layde y^e cryme falsely ⁊ vntruly. And y^e thyrde y^t thou haste euery daye entyced ⁊ prouoked me w^t thy false tales for to put hym to dethe. ⁊ therfore y^e lawe shall haue y^e course vpon ye, ⁊ iuge the to the dethe. Then sayd the sone, Fader ye knowe well, that for y^e lesynge that she lyed vpon me, I was dayly lad to hangynge. But god with the helpe of my maysters hathe delyuered me. O my moost honourable fader, it was sayd vnto you by y^e Empresse that I wolde also by y^e helpe of my maysters depose you out of youre Empyre, ⁊ that I laboured to dystroye you, ⁊ for to sette me in your place. Sholde not ye then haue sorowed, Ye haue the Empyre to gouerne, ⁊ wherfore shold I not holde you for my fader. God defende that, for of you I haue my lyuyng. And I shall holde and repute you for my souerayne lorde and fader durynge the terme of my lyfe. And I will not in ony manere depryue you of youre honoure, but I shall laboure and besye my selfe about the gouernaunce of y^e same, and all your cōmaundementes I shall fulfyll in every thynge. But it is in lyke wyse as the fader caste his sone in to the see for too drowne hym, bycause he sayd y^t he in tyme comynge sholde be his lorde, ⁊ yet y^e sone by the helpe of god was saued, and was made a gretter lorde than he was, ⁊ yet was it no hynderaunce to the fader but prouffyte. Also ye sholde see ⁊ remembre y^t my lyfe ⁊ gouernaunce shall neuer hynder you but it shal be to your greate solace ⁊ joye. Than sayd y^e Emperoure, blessed be almyghty god ⁊ the houre y^t I euer begate you, ⁊ deserued to haue such a sone y^t I fynde soo wyse ⁊ good in all thynges. Telle me nowe an example by y^e whiche I maye parfytly thy wysdome vnderstande, & that myn herte maye the better joye in the. Thenne sayd the sone fyrst cōmaunde sylence to your people y^t I be not letted in my wordes tyll y^t I haue done. And whan y^t it is ended, gyue sentence w^t y^e ryght wysnesse of the lawe vpon me and vpon the Empresse. Tho cōmaunded the Emperour sylence. ⁊ the chyld began to tell in maner as hereafter foloweth.