The Seconde Example of the Empresse.

There was somtyme an Emperour the whiche had a grete foreste / wherin was a bore y^t was so cruell ⁊ so fell that all men goynge through the forest he kylled and deuoured. The emperour was therof ryght heuy, and lete to proclame thrugh all his empyre, that who soeuer he was that coude sle the bore sholde haue his oonly doughter too wyfe, ⁊ therto his Empyre after his deth. ⁊ as this in all places proclamed was there was not one man founde y^t durste medle or intromytte. Than was there a shepeherde whyche in hymself thought, myght I this bore sle ⁊ wyn̄e I sholde not only auaunce my self, but also al my generatyon ⁊ kynred. he toke his shepeherdes staf in his honde, and went in to the forest. And as the boore had of hym a syght, he drew hym towardes the herdman, and he for fere clymmed vpon a tree. Than the bore began to byte and gnawe the tree / so that the herde thought shortely that he sholde haue ouer throwe it. This tre was laden w^t grete plente of fruyte. The herde gadred and plucked therof and cast them to y^e boore. In so moche that whan he had fylled hym therwith he put and layde hym downe to slepe. The whiche perceyuynge the herde by lytell ⁊ lytell he descended ⁊ with the one hande he clawed the bore, ⁊ with y^e other he helde hymselfe on the tre / ⁊ seynge y^t the boore slepte soundly ⁊ faste, drewe out his knyfe and smote y^e bore to y^e herte ⁊ kylled hȳ. ⁊ wedded thēperours dought^r to hys wyf: ⁊ aft^r y^e deth of her fad^rhe was made emperour. tho sayd she my lorde wote ye not what I haue sayd. He sayd ryght well. Then sayd she, this myghty bore betokeneth your mooste noble persone / ayenst whome maye no man withstande neyther by wysdom ne with strength. This shepherde with hys staffe is the persone of your vngracyous sone, which w^t his staff of connȳge begynneth to play w^t you as y^e herdman clawed the bore and made him to slepe ⁊ after kylled hym. In y^e same maner y^e maysters of your sone by theyr fals fables and narracyons clawe ⁊ glose vnto the tyme that your sone slee you, that he may regne. Tho sayd themperour god forbede y^t they sholde doo too me as they dyde to y^e bore. ⁊ sayd vnto her this day my sone shall be hanged. And she answered yf ye do so ye do wysely. Than themperour y^e seconde tyme syttȳge in iugement, cōmaunded to lede hys [son] to y^e galowes ⁊ hange hym. And whyles he was goȳge, the seconde mayster came before themperour doynge hym reuerence as it is before shewed in y^e comȳge of the fyrste mayster. To whom y^e seconde mayster sayd O my lorde themperour yf ye sholde do sle your sone for the wordes of your wyfe, it myghte worst come to you than it dyde to a knyght which for the wordes of his wyfe was vniustly put in a pyller. Themperoure sayd, O good mayster tell me how it hapned. And he sayde my lorde I shall not saye it but yf y^t ye will doo call ayen your sone from y^e deth vnto the tyme y^t thexample be tolde, the whiche yf it tourne you not frome your purpose, your wyll be fulfylled. The emperour cōmaūded y^t y^e chylde sholde be called ayen. And [after this manner following, the second master began to tell.