Early English versions of the Gesta Romanorum / edited by Sidney J.H. Herrtage
Original Online Version with Notes at Humanities Text Initiative (headings added on this page only)
Jovinianus Boasts... and Then Goes Hunting... and Takes a Bath
IOvinianus [was] regnyng a wys Emperour in the cite of Rome; and he was riche in possessions. Hit happid þat he thougt in a nygt, as he lay in his bed, whethir þere be any god withoute me? And when he aros, he callid his knygtis & Squiers, and seid, "sers, loke ye be redy, for I woll go hunte to day." Anon thei yede to hunte; and as þemperour rode by the wey, þere toke him a grete hete, and þat so strongly, þat him thougt he was ny ded, but he may haue refresshing of water. And anon þere ros a clowde, so derk and so thik, þat hit hundrid, & hit assundrid, & departid him fro all þe people. So as he rode by him self, he saw a water afore him; & he smote the hors with his sporis, and yede in to þe water, and þere did of all his clothing, and kelid him in þe water.
His Clothes Are Taken
And as he was in the water, þere come a man in his owen lyknesse, but he saw him not; and he toke the Emperours clothing, and clothid him therewith, and lept vpon the Emperours hors, and rode forth to the Emperours men, as he had be emperoure him self; and as Emperour he was receiued, & turnyd home with hem to þe paleis. Aftirward when the Emperour had I-bathed ynowe, he yede vp to londe, & sougt his hors, & his clothing, but all was goo, so he went aboute nakid. & he cowde see no man, But he wept sore, and cried with an hye vois, & seid, "Allas! allas! what shal I now do!" and as he cried, he thougt in his hert, here ny duellith a knygt, þe which I avaunsed; I woll go to him, and telle him my cas, & haue clothing of him, & so go home.
He Goes to the Knight's House
He yede to the knyghtis hous, and knokked atte the yate; and þe porter asked of him what he wold. Þen he seid, "Let me yn, withoute lenger delay, for I am your emperour." Then anon the porter openyd the yatis; and when he saw him naked, he seid to him, "what art þou?" "your emperour," quod he. "thou liest," quod the porter, "for þe emperour rode rigt now here by the yate, with a grete multitude with him; and þerfore þou seist þat þou art Emperour, thou shalt appere afore my lord." And anon the porter brougt him byfore the knygt; and the Emperoure had good knoulache of the knygt. And when the knygt had herd þe wordis of the porter, he seid to þemperour, "O! ribawde, seist þou that þou art Emperoure?" "yee, withoute doute I am he, þat avaunced the." "I sey þou liest, "quod the knygt, "and þerfore þou shalt sore aby." He made him to be sore beted and scourged, tyll þe blode ren oute, and aftir to be put oute at þe atis.
He Goes to the Earl's House
Then themperour wept sore, & seid, "Allas! for care how may this be?" tho he thougt, "I woll go to an erle here beside, þat was grete of my counseill, þe which I avaunced I woll to him, and be refresshid of him, & so go home." He knokked at his ate; and the Porter come ny, and asked what he knokked. "Open the yatis," quod he, "for I that knok am þemperour." When the porter herd þat, he opened the yatis, as sone as he mygt fynd þe keys. When he come, and saw him naked, he seid to him, "O! rybawde, whi hast þou presumyd thi self for to sey that þou were emperour? The Emperour hath ben here a litell afore, and hath y-ete with my lord the erle, and is gon to his paleis, wit grete multitude of men; and for þat thou callist the Emperour, þou shalt come afore my lord, and avow thi pele."
In the Earl's Hall
And when he was y-brougt to-fore the erle, he knew the Erle wele, but the erle knew not him. When the Erle had herd, þat he had callid him themperour, he bad him telle, & sey, what was þe cause þat suche a ribawde as he presumyd so hiely in him self? "Forsot," quod he, "I am themperour your lord; and the I avaunced, & made the chief of counseill, & in this tokene, þat I tretid in þe last parlement in suche materes and erandis." Þe Erle had þerof merveill, but he wold not trow him, for he had no knoulache of him; and þerfore he made him to be presoned, and to sitte there þe space of thre daies, withoute mete & drinke; and aftir he chargid him þat he shuld go oute of his contre, vpon peyne of lesing of his lyf. when themperour was withoute the atis, he wept sore, and seid, "Allas! what shal I do now? I am but lorne, for no man knowith me. Best is, þat I go home to my palys, & wete if þe Emperesse, my wif, or any of my meyne woll know me."
Jovinianus Goes Home
He yede home; and anon a Grehound, þe which he had lovid moche afore, come wyghtly rennyng to him, and wold haue slayn him, had not ben þat herd him crye had pite of him, and holpyn of him. then themperour yede forth to the yatis of þe palys, and þere he knokked; and þe porter openyd the yate, and asked why he knokked. "Dere Frend," quod themperour, "hast þou no knoulache of me?" "No," quod the Porter, "I haue no knoulache of the." "I am," quod he, "your Emperour, & your lord, & þou berist my clothing vpon the." then seid þe porter, "thou liest, harlot; my lord the emperour sittith at mete, & my lady the emperes by his side, with Erlis & dukys." Tho seid themperour, "good Frend, I pray the for the loue of god, þat þou herkene what I shall sey to the; & go to the emperesse, and sey to her in her ere by suc tokyns which non knowithe but oonly she & I; and sey to hir, þat I her husbond & hir lord stonde nakyd at þe ate; & pray hir to senden me some clothis, þat I may come yn."
Jovinianus in his Own Court
And þe porter in scorne toke hede to his wordis, & with scorne yede to themperesse, & rownyd with her, & told to hir all the prive tokyns þat were ysaid bytwene hem two. Anon the emperesse made him to be fet yn; and he knew all men, and no man knew him. Þen the Emperour seid, þat sat at the table, "sey, lorell knave, seist þou that thou art Emperour?" "Ya, ser," quod he. tho spake þat othir to alle the lordis aboute him, "Sirs and Frendis, I charge you aboute him, by þe feith ye owe to me, þat ye sey soth, whethir this man be Emperour or I?" "A! ser," quod thei, "this question is not wort for this losell saw we neuer here to-fore, and the we haue yknow long." Thenne the Emperour chargid hem, þat thei shuld take him, and tey him to Tailles of hors, vpon the hard pavement,--"but I woll not þat ye slee him, but, forsoth, if he euer presume any more so fouly, he shalbe dampnyd to the foulest det þat I can deme." And in dede, þe cacchepolis drow him vpon the pavement at þe Tailles of hors, and putte him oute of the cite.
Jovinianus Goes to the Hermit
Sone aftir this Emperour bygan to thenk, what haue I do, or what haue I grevid god, þat I am thus put oute of the Empire, and þat no man knowith me? And as he thougt these wordis, hit come to his mynde, how he had I-thougt afore in his bed, is þere any god but I?--"A! lord god, now I se wele þat was þe cause þat grevid the, and þerfore I shal go to a confessour, and clansy me, and take penaunce þerfore." There beside duellid an heremyte, þat vsid to shrive him afore; and he yede to this heremite then, & knokked at þe dore. "Who is þere?" quod the heremite. "Opyn, opyn," quod the Emperour, "for I am the Emperour, and haue certein prevites to speke with the." And the Heremyte openyd the dore; and when he saw þe Emperour, anon he put to the dore ayen with all his myght, and seid, "nay, þou art not Emperour but the devill." Þen themperour bygan sore to wepe, and seid, "alas! alas! vnappy wrecche þat I am; I pray the, for goddis loue, here my confession þere as I stonde; and let thi dore stond yshit, as hit dot." "For the loue of god," quod the heremyte, "I wolle gladly here the; say what thou wilt."
Jovinianus Makes Confession
Tho the Emperour makyd confession, and told how he had grevid his god; "and þerfore I had suche venIaunce." When þe heremite had assoiled him, he openyd a wyndowe, and knew him for emperour, and kist for Ioye. "Telle me," quod the Emperour, "hast þou knoulache of me yit, or doutist of me?" "yis," quod the heremyte, "I know þe now, þat thou art emperour; but as long as þou duelledist in synne, I coude not know the." "I pray the," quod the Emperour, "lene me som clothis, and kever my body; and þen wolle I turne home, & loke if any man can or wolle know me." "yis, my lord," seid þe heremyte; "suche clothis as I haue, thou shalt haue, and I trow to god thei woll know the; but, ser, I merveill what he is, þat occupiet thi dignite."
Jovinianus Goes Home Again
When themperour was I-clothid, he went to his paleis, and knokked at þe yate. the porter openyd the yate, and knelid doun, & seid, "ser, my lord, by what wey yede ye oute; for I haue here abide & I-stond long, & I cowde not se you?" "Knowist þou me," quod themperour. "ye, my lord," quod he, "and long haue ydon; But yisterday there come an harlot naked, & come to þe halle, & seid he was emperour." So hit was, þat the Emperour entrid in to þe halle. when knygtes and lordis saw him come, thei fille doun on kne, eche man in his degre, and salowid him, as þei aught to do to themperour. And þat oþer Emperour was in chamber with the lady, & herde a grete noise in the halle; [and] he commaundid his chamberleyn to go loke what hit was. Whan þe chamberleyn had I-seyn what hit was, he come rennyng vp agein, and seid to þe Emperour, "Sir, there is a feir man in the halle, and seith he is Emperour; and he is like to you, þat there is no man in þis world þat may know wheþer of you to be Emperoure." Then seid the Emperour to þe lady, "goth ye forth, and seth him, and telle me what it is." And the lady did so; and when she saw him, She had so grete merveill, þat no man wolde trowe hit. & sone she entrid þe chamber ayen, and seid, "A! ser, what shal I sey now or do? Forsoth I note whethir of you I shal take for my husbond, suche a liknes is atwene you two." Then spake the Emperour, and seid, "I shall se him my self." When themperour come to þe halle, and þei stode both to-gidre, þere was no man cowde discryve wheþer of hem shuld be Emperour.
The Truth Revealed
Then spak themperour þat come doun of þe chamber, "Dere frendis echon, withouten doute þis is your lord, & your Emperour, & þe same þat I made to be drawen with hors, thoug non of you had knoulache of him; and alle was for this skyle. Hit happid þat this man bygan to be so hy in hert, & so proudely, and therfore god put him oute of his empier, tyll þat he had made amendis; and in this tyme I was commaunded by god to occupie his stede, þat the Empire shuld not periss; and I am his aungell, that haue I-be in the gouernaile and keping, as ye know, vnto þe tyme that he were reconsiled to god, & þat peas be made bytwene god & him; and þerfore receiuet him for your lord." & so he vanysshed fro hem. And themperour hily thonkid god, þat so savid him; and aftir he was a devoute man, & faire endid his lyf.
