And with that word she preyed him ful ofte,
That with his swerd he wolde smyte softe,
And with that word aswowne doun she fil.
Hir fader, with ful sorweful herte and wil,
Hir heed of smoot, and by the top it hente, 255
And to the Iuge he gan it to presente,
As he sat yet in doom in consistorie.
And whan the Iuge it saugh, as seith the storie,
He bad to take him and anhange him faste.
But right anon a thousand peple in thraste, 260
To save the knight, for routhe and for pitee,
For knowen was the false iniquitee.
The peple anon hath suspect of this thing,
By manere of the cherles chalanging,
That it was by the assent of Apius; 265
They wisten wel that he was lecherous.
For which un-to this Apius they gon,
And caste him in a prison right anon,
Wher-as he slow him-self; and Claudius,
That servant was un-to this Apius, 270
Was demed for to hange upon a tree;
But that Virginius, of his pitee,
So preyde for him that he was exyled;
And elles, certes, he had been bigyled.
[298: T. 12209-12220.]
The remenant were anhanged, more and lesse, 275
That were consentant of this cursednesse.—
252. _All but_ E. Hn. _ins._ hir _before_ softe. 259. E. Hn. anhange;
_rest_ honge. 260. E. Hn. a thousand; _rest_ al the. 263. E. of;
_rest_ in. 264. E. Hn. the cherles; _rest_ this clerkes. 269. E.
Hn. Ther; _rest_ Wher. 271. E. And; _rest_ Was. 275. E. Hn. Hl.
anhanged; _rest_ honged.
Heer men may seen how sinne hath his meryte!
Beth war, for no man woot whom god wol smyte
In no degree, ne in which maner wyse
The worm of conscience may agryse 280
Of wikked lyf, though it so privee be,
That no man woot ther-of but god and he.
For be he lewed man, or elles lered,
He noot how sone that he shal been afered.
Therfore I rede yow this conseil take, 285
Forsaketh sinne, er sinne yow forsake.
=Here endeth the Phisiciens Tale.=
278. E. Hn. whom; _rest_ how. 280. E. Hn. may agryse; _rest_ wol
(wil) arise. 283. E. ellis. Cp. Ln. Whether he be lewed man or
lered; _so_ Pt. (_with_ Where _for_ Whether); so Hl. (_with_ Wher that
_for_ Whether). COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.; Sloane _has_ Here endethe the
tale of the Mayster of phisyk; Hl. Here endeth the Doctor of phisique
his tale.
[299: T. 12221-12239.]
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