The Example of the Thyrde Mayster.

There was in a cyte a ryche burgeys that had a pye the which he loued so moche y^t euery day he taught her to speke latyn ⁊ hebrewe. And whan y^t she had lerned perfetly to speke those two langages / all y^t she sawe ⁊ herde, she shewed ⁊ tolde to her mayster. This good man had a fayre yonge wyfe as ye haue / the whiche he loued moche. but she contrary loued not hym / bycause he myght not furnysshe her of such pleasures ⁊ lustes as she desyred to haue. And therfore had she an other fayre yonge man that she loued aboue her husbōde. And alwayes as her husbonde was out of the towne about his marchaundyse ⁊ other besynesses to do, and she sent for her best beloued y^t they myght togyder make good chere. The pye as she that sawe tolde it to her mayster, at his home comyng, in such wyse that y^e noyse ranne all ouer the cyte of her aduoutry, wherof her husbōde many tyme brauled ⁊ chydde her. She answered hȳ, ye beleue your cursed pye, whiche as longe as she lyueth shall alwayes make betwix us varyaunce ⁊ dyscorde. And he sayd the pye can not lye, for that she seeth ⁊ hereth that she telleth me, and therfore I beleue her more than you. It fortuned that the good man went in to ferre coūtrees to do his marchaūdyse, ⁊ as sone as was gone his wyfe sent for her frende ⁊ loue to solace ⁊ make good chere w^t hȳ. but he durst not come by day lyght. but abode to y^e euenynge leste that he sholde be seen ⁊ marked of y^e peple. And as y^e nyght was comen / he knocked at y^e gate: ⁊ she was redy ⁊ opened it ⁊ sayd, Go in frely for n̄o man shall see you. ⁊ he sayd I fere me y^t the cursed pye shall accuse vs, for by her is comen grete sclaundre vpon vs through out all the cyte. Entre in she sayd boldely and fere not. And as he sholde passe through y^e halle where the pye was in her cage, she herd hym say thyse wordes. O my moste beloued I fere me gretely of ye pye that she shal bewraye vs. And as the wyfe herde that she sayde, Be styll foole. it is derke she may not se you. Then̄e y^e py that herynge sayde, If I se the not I here thy voyce, ⁊ thou doost wrong to my mayster, for y^u slepest with my maystresse, and whan̄e my mayster cometh I shall tell hym. The yonge man herynge that sayd, Tolde I not you y^t the pye sholde dyscouer vs. And y^e wyfe sayd fere not for this nyght we shall be auenged vpon the pye. And entred in to y^e chamber ⁊ slepte togyder that nyght. About mydnyghte the wyfe arose, ⁊ called to her a mayden and sayde / fetche me a ladder ⁊ set vp too y^e rofe of y^e house y^t I may wreke me on the pye. The mayde dyde so and they bothe went vp ⁊ made an hole through the coueryng of y^e house ryght ouer the pye / and there thrugh caste sande clay stones ⁊ water vpon the pye, somoch that the poore pye was nere dede ⁊ on the morne the yonge man went erly out at a backe dore. And whan the good man was comen home as his custume was he went ⁊ vysyted his pye and sayd to her, O pye my welbeloued byrde / say me howe y^u haste fared the whiles that I haue been out. She sayd, mayster I shall tel you tydynges that I haue herde. your wyfe as sone as ye were gone by the nyght tyme she lete a man come in and as I that herde I tolde hym y^t I wolde shewe it to you at your comynge home / that not withstondynge she lad hym in to your chamber, ⁊ slepte with hȳ al nyght. ye demaunded me also howe y^t I haue done in your absence. And I saye you of a trouth that I was neuer so nygh my deth as I was that same nyght w^t snowe hayle ⁊ rayne y^t fyll vpon my body, so longe durȳge that I was almoste left for dede. The wyfe whā she herde that sayd too her husbonde, Syr ye byleue your pye now may ye here what she sayth / she cōplaynyth y^t in y^e same nyght there fyll so moche snowe hayle ⁊ rayne vpon her y^t she was almost dede, ⁊ yet ther was none of thē al that same nyght, for ther was not in a yere a fayrer ne a clerer nyght than it was ⁊ therfore from hensforth byleue her not. Tho went y^e good man to his neyghbours ⁊ demaūded of them yf y^t nyght were ony tempest or rayne. They answered y^t some of them had waked all y^e nyght, ⁊ in all y^t yere they had not sene a fayrer nyght. Tho went he to his house ⁊ sayd to his wyfe, I haue foūden you in y^e trouth for y^e nyght was fayr ⁊ clere as I vnderstonde of your neyghbours. ye may now knowe of a trouth sayd she y^t py is a lyer. w^t her lesȳges she hath sowen ⁊ made discorde betwix vs, ⁊ ouer that I am diffamed thrugh y^e cite by her fals lesyngs. than y^e burgeys went to y^e pye ⁊ sayd wherfore haste y^u made lyes ⁊ fals tales betwix me ⁊ my wyfe. Is this y^e thāke that I haue for y^e mete that I was wont to gyue y^e w^t myn owne hōdes euery day ⁊ haste also therby my wyfe brought in to grete dyffamacyon thrugh al the towne. The pye answered, god knoweth y^t I can not lye for that I sawe ⁊ herde y^t haue I shewed to you. Than sayd he, y^u lyest. Haste thou not sayd vnto me that in y^e same nyghte was hayle ⁊ snowe ⁊ rayne that y^u haddest nerehōnde loste thy lyfe whiche is false. And therfore from hensforth y^u shalt make no mo lesynges ne dyscorde betwix me and my wyfe / ⁊ toke y^e pye and brake her necke. As the wyfe sawe that she was ryght glad ⁊ sayd now haue ye done well, now maye we all our lyue dayes lyue in reste ⁊ peas. And whan he had slayne y^e pye, he loked vp ⁊ sawe in the top of y^e house a laddre ⁊ a vessel w^t water, sand ⁊ stones. and as he that behelde, he perceyued the falshede of his wyfe, and cryed with a loude voyce, Woo be too me that for my wyues wordes I haue my pye slayne and all my solace and ioye loste. y^e why (sic) the in all thynges sayd to me trouthe. And as he had thus doone anone for sorowe lefte his marchaundyse and all his house and went to wardes the holy londe, and neuer retorned ayen towardes his wyfe. Than̄e the mayster sayd to themperour, Syr haue ye vnderstande what I haue sayd. he answered ryght well. the mayster sayd, was not y^t a false ⁊ cursed wyfe y^t so by her lesynges caused y^e pye for to be slayne. The emperour sayd, In trouthe she was full of falsenesse. I forthynke gretly the pye, the whiche for her true saynge lost her lyfe. Verely I say to you y^t ye haue tolde me a fayr example therfore th[i]s day my sone shal not dy. Tho sayd the master, Syr yf ye do so ye do wysely, ⁊ I thāke you that ye haue spared your sone, this day for my wyll, and to god I commende you.