The Fourthe Example of the Empresse.

Somtyme was in the cyte of rome seuen wyse maysters by whome all y^e empyre was gouerned ⁊ ruled. And themperour that than was dyde no thynge or attempte w^tout the counseyll of them, as they vnderstode that themperour was to them soo inclyned, y^t without theym he sholde ordeyne or doo noo thynge. in y^e meane tyme they made by theyr arte and connȳg y^t themperour sholde clerely se as longe as he was in his palays but anone as he was out of his palays, he was made blynde / ⁊ that dyde they to the entent y^t they myght the more frely intromytte themself of all thynges that apperteyned to themperour, by y^e whiche they gate ⁊ wanne too theym grete profyte ⁊ lucre of goodes. ⁊ after that they had made ⁊ wroughte that experyment, they coude neuer chaunge it ne fordo it, afterwarde, but themperour abode styl blȳd many yeres. Then the vii maysters made ⁊ ordeyned throughout thempyre, that yf ony man had dremed a dreme he sholde come vnto them w^t a florene of golde or of syluer, ⁊ they sholde expowne ⁊ declare vnto them the Interpretacyon of theyr dremes wherby ⁊ by other vniuste meanes they obteyned moche more substaunce ⁊ money of y^e people than themperour dyde. Soo vpon a tyme whan he sate at the table w^t the empresse he began to syghe ⁊ sorowe in hymselfe. and whan she perceyued that she enquyred dylygently of hym y^e cause of his heuynesse ⁊ doloure. Themperour sayde / sholde not that to me be heuy ⁊ sorowfull y^t I so longe haue been blynde ⁊ out of my palays / ⁊ of y^t can haue or fynde no remedy. To whome spake thempresse ⁊ sayd, my lorde here my counseyll ⁊ it shall neuer repent you yf ye do therafter. In your courte ye haue vii wyse maysters by whome ye ⁊ all y^e empyre is gouerned yf ye nowe beholde ⁊ marke this in your mȳde / ye shall fynde that they are y^e cause of your blyndnesse ⁊ dysease. ⁊ yf it be so they are worthy too dye a shamefull deth. Therfore take hede to my coūseyl and aduyse. Sende ye for them ⁊ shewe vnto them youre dysease ⁊ infyrmyte, ⁊ threte them on payne of theyr lyues, y^t they sholde fynde a remedy to make you hole of your syknesse ⁊ blyndnes. This coūseyl pleased the emperour well. ⁊ anone sent for y^e maysters And whā they were come, themperour anone shewed vnto them his infyrmyte ⁊ blyndenes. ⁊ charge them vpon payne [of] deth / y^t they sholde seke a rememedy (sic) ⁊ make hym hole therof. Tho answered they, Ye desyre of vs a thinge that is dyffusyfe ⁊ harde for vs to do thus shortly but gyue vs respyte ⁊ dayes ⁊ in y^e tenth day we shall gyue you answere. Themperour was therwith well content ⁊ pleased. Then y^e seuen wyse maysters went to counseyll, how they myght y^t best chaunge ⁊ alter / ⁊ that in noo maner coude they fynde y^e meane howe they myght put awaye y^e blyndnes from the Emperour. Wherfore they were all ryght sorowfull. ⁊ sayde amonge them self, w^toute we fynde a remedye we are all but dede men. Soo went they from thens thrugh out al thēpyre ⁊ sought yf they coude fynde ony remedy or coūseyll therfore. It hapned them vpon a tyme goynge thrugh a cyte, ⁊ in y^e myddes therof they founde chyldren playnge. ⁊ a[f]ter them came a man w^t a talente or florene of golde ⁊ sayd to them, Good maysters this nyght I haue dremed a dreme, thenterpretacyon therof I wolde fayne knowe. Wherfore I pray you shewe me what it sygnyfyeth ⁊ take this golde to you. That herde one of y^e chyldren y^t played amonge y^e other ⁊ sayd too hym, gyue me y^e golde ⁊ not them, ⁊ I shall expowne thy dreme. The man sayde, I dremed this nyghte y^t in the myddes of myn orchyerde was a grete sprynge of water, wherof came many smal sprynges y^t al myn orchyerde was full ⁊ overflowen w^t water. The chylde sayd, take a spade ⁊ dygge in y^e same place there as ye thought that y^e water outsprange, ⁊ there shall ye fynde an horde of golde so grete that ye ⁊ all your chylderne & lynage shall be for euer ryche. The man dyde as y^e chylde had shewed hym ⁊ found ye tresoure accordynge to hys wordes. Tho went y^e man to y^e chylde ⁊ offred hym a pounde weyght of y^e golde y^t he had founde for y^e interpretacyon of his dreme ⁊ he wold none receyue but cōmytted hym to y^e prayers of y^e man. The vii. maysters whan they herde y^e chylde so wysely expowne y^e dreme, they sayd to hym, gode chylde what is your name he answered ⁊ sayde I called Merlyne. Then sayd y^e maysters, we se clerely grete wysedome in you, we shal shewe vnto you a grete mater, ⁊ of y^t we wolde gladly y^t ye coude fynde a remedy. The chylde sayd, shewe me your mater. And they sayd themperour of rome as longe as he is in his palays he hath his syght clere w^tout ony impedymēt and as sone as he is gone out of his palays he is soo blȳde y^t he may not se. Yf ye can now determyne y^e cause herof ⁊ fynde a remedy y^t he may be eased ⁊ haue h[i]s syght ayen ye shall haue grete rewardes ⁊ honoures of thēperour. The chylde sayd, I know y^e cause as wel of his blȳdhede as of y^e remedy. They sayd to hym, Come w^t vs to themperour ⁊ ye shal be rewarded so largely y^t ye shall be pleased. To whome y^e chylde sayd, I am redy to go w^t you. And whan they came w^t y^e chylde before themperour they sayd to hym. Lorde loo here this childe y^t we haue brought afore you y^e which shal fulfyll your desyre as touchȳge the cause of your blȳdenes as y^e recouerȳge of your syghte. Themperour sayd, Good maysters woll ye take it vpon you ⁊ abyde therby that y^e chylde shall do w^t me. They all sayd ye, for we be experte in his wysedome. Themperour torned hymself towardes y^e chylde and sayde, wyll ye vndertake to tell me the cause of my blindnesse ⁊ the remedye. The chylde answered ⁊ sayd, my lorde the emperour lede me in to your bedchamber, ⁊ there I shal shewe you what is to be done And as he was therin broughte he sayd to y^e seruaūtes, take of y^e clothes of the bedde, ⁊ all thapparayle, ⁊ ye shall se wonders. And as y^t was done they sawe a well smokyng y^t had vii sprȳges or floodes, the whiche whan thēperour sawe meruayled gretly. y^e chyld sayd ye se this wel ⁊ w^tout it be quēched ye shal neuer haue your sygt. thēperour sayd, how may y^t be. y^e chyld sayd, but by one way. Themperour sayde, Shewe vs than the meane, ⁊ yf it be possyble to me it shall be done, y^t I maye recouer ayen my syght as well w^tout as w^tin. To whome the chylde sayd my lorde y^e vii. sprynges of this well are thyse vii. wyse maysters, y^e whiche you ⁊ your Empyre hythertoo haue trayterously gouerned ⁊ haue you made blȳde as ye be w^toute your palays y^t they youre subgettes by extorcyon myght plucke ⁊ pyll, ye not seynge, but nowe they knowe not y^e remedy. Here ye nowe my counseyll. ⁊ this well shal be quenched ⁊ extyncte. do stryke of y^e fyrste maysters hede ⁊ anone ye shall y^e fyrste sprynge quenched. ⁊ so by ordre one after an other, tyll y^t they are all beheded, ⁊ anone all the sprynges w^t the well shall be vanysshed and gone awaye / ⁊ ye shall haue ayen your syght as ye had afore. And as this was done ⁊ fulfylled / the well with the vii. sprynges were vanysshed. And as themperour had his syghte ayen he made the chylde a grete lorde ⁊ gaue hym grete habundaūce of goodes. After that spake thempresse, my lorde haue ye this example well perceyued that I haue tolde you. ⁊ he sayd ye in the best wyse. ye haue recyted a good and a ryall example. Than sayd she, In the same wyse your vii. wyse maysters intende too doo with you, by theyre false narracyons, that your sone may reygne vpon you / that god forbede.