» 
20 qui catenam suam rupit. 
Neue Erzählungen und Zusätze. 
impia mordebat consciencia, pro metu, ne cum 
clerico caperetur, ‘sollicita occurrit marito, verbis 
delinans, ne aliquid suspicaretur de perpetrata 
nequiscia, volens si posset non solum eum, sed 
5 socios omnes simulata leticia, ne alicuius rei 
gracia foras egrederentur, quasi tam citae regres- 
Sionis causas requirendo, se laetam in quantum 
poterat contra amicum ostendendo, retinere. Miser 
vero in angulo latitans propter .metum familiae, 
10 donec omnes sopirentur, non est ausus a curia 
-exire; sciebat enim se privari vita, si eum tali 
hora ibi 
Qui in tanta positus 
riens fugae subsidia, 
invenisset aliquis de domini familia. 
angustia, nullius repe- 
ima 
15 parte fundo carentem intra domus atria. Quem 
dum vidit, illue tendit, volens ibi se abscondi; 
subintravit imminensque periculum evadere sic 
speravit. Sed mox illi pavitanti coepit pavor 
augmentari. 
vidit tonellum ex 
Nam erat ursus ligatus in curia illa: 
Quem canes insectan- 
tes, hac illaeque sequentes et morsibus attrec- 
tantes, illum gradu retrogresso in tonellum su- 
pradictum subintrare coegerunt. 
familia cum fustibus et vi magna volens ursum 
Accurrensque 
25 extrahere non valuit perficere. Erat autem corpus 
absconditam totum nisi caput solum. Huius rei 
gracia, ut foras expellerent, currunt ex altera 
Miser intus, qui 
latuerat, tremens, gemens, Deum orat et ne pos- 
30 Sint confringere, multo tenet conamine. Pede vero 
pulsat ursi dorsum et capite tenet fundum; velit 
parte fundum tonelli proicere. 
nolit ursus fugit, et miser latens sic remansit. 
— Huius rei sectatores non sint huius imme- 
mores. 
73 
the lord and his felawship and to hors wern ne- 
In the 
meane while the wikked wif was so gnawen in 
cessary here and ther ran and arraied. 
hir conscience for dreede lest she shuld be take 
with the clerk, mette hir busbond with faire 
delicious wordis that he shulde nat? be suspect 
of hir cursed deedis, willyng if that she myght 
nat only hym, but al his felawship in like glad- 
nes, lest anythyng with grace issued without 
furth as only the cause of his so soone comyng 
to require, she beyng glad in asmoche as she 
myght to withhold as to shewe agenst a friend. 
The wretchid clerk huyding in a corner for the 
dreede of the houshold meyne, til al wern hou- 
sed, was nat so hardy to go out of the court. 
Forsoth he knew hym silf to be prived of his 
lif if he at suche tyme he wer ther founde of 
any of the lordes meyne. Whiche put and sette 
in sofraite seeyng 
subsidie refuge nor help whider to flee, sawe 
a tonne of the whiche that on end was out lay 
in the porche of the house. 
soth whan he had seen, thider tended and willyng 
hym silf ther to huyde entred in, hopyng to 
an angwissh, nowher no 
The whiche for- 
escape the perel folowyng. But with the maner 
of that fere and basshidnes his drede bigan to 
augmente and to encrease. For whi ther was a 
bere tied the whiche brak his 
cheyne at the discours and rennyng of the ser- 
vauntis whom the houndis foloweden hider and 
thider and in their pursute hym bote and driew 
and of veray neede coarted hym to entre into 
the tonne above saide. The meyne and seruaun- 
tis fallyng to with grete and stavis willyng to 
drawe hym out myght nat performe it, whos body 
was al hid save only the hede. The grace of 
this maner thyng of theym withouth furth ex- 
pelleden ran to that other part of the tonne to 
cast out the bottum. The wretche whiche was 
hid withyn tremblyng, quakyng and wailyng, 
praieng god that thei myght nat breke it, hield 
fast with al his myght and with his feete kno- 
cked and smote on the beres bak and with his 
hede he hield the bottum; so the bere, wold he 
nold he, fled and the wretche huydyng remayned. 
The suters of this thyng ne bien thei nat of this 
vnremembred. 
in the court, 
N:o 4. 
10 
20 
30 
35 
