Читать книгу The History of the Seven Wise Masters of Rome - Various - Страница 5

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Upon a tyme as the emperour laye in his bed he bethought hym inwardly vpon his sone, sayenge in his herte, I haue only but one sone y^e whiche shall be myn heyre. It is good whyles he is yonge that he be sette to lerne connynge and wysdome by the whyche he maye after my dethe gouerne ⁊ rule the empyre. Erly whan he was rysen vp from his bedde, he lete to be called afore hym his lordes of his counseyll and of them toke aduyse what best therin was to done. And they answerd, Lorde, in Rome are vii wyse maysters they excelle and excede all other men in cunnynge ⁊ lettrature, lete them be sent for and delyuer to them your sone to nourysshe ⁊ to lerne. That vnderstandynge the emperour sent his letters sealed with his seale to y^e vii. maysters that they incontinent sholde come to hym without delay. And they anone came before themperour. and he demaū yf they knewe wherfore y^t he had sente for them. They answered the cause ne your wyll we knowe not/ but yf please you to shewe vs your mynde ⁊ entent we ben redy to fulfyll it to the vttermoste of our powers. To whome y^e noble Emperour sayde, I haue but one sone the which I shal delyuer vnto you to nourysshe and to teche. so that by your doctryne ⁊ wysdome he maye the more wysly guyde and gouerne y^e empyre after my decesse.

¶ The fyrste mayster named Pantyllas sayde, Lorde delyuer too me your sone ⁊ I shall teche hym as moche connȳge w^tin vii. yere as I and all my felowes can. Then spake the seconde mayster that named was Lentulus, Syr of longe tyme I haue serued you, ⁊ hytherto I haue had no maner reward. I demaunde nothyng elles of you but that ye delyuer me your sone to lerne and gouerne. and I shall make hym as connynge within vi. yere as I ⁊ all my felowes be. The thyrde mayster sayd that had to name Craton, My lorde many tymes haue I ben with you vpon the se in peryll of my lyfe / ⁊ of you haue I had no maner of rewarde, yf that I myghte for my rewarde obteyne that ye wolde wouchesauf to commytte your sone vnder my rule ⁊ gouernaunce, I sholde enfourme hym as moche within v. yere. yf his wit therto wyll attayne as I and my felowes can. Tho stode vp the fourth mayster that to name had Malquydrac ryght lene of body ⁊ sayd, My lorde calle to your remembraunce how that I and al my predecessours haue serued emperours ⁊ haue receyued no maner of rewarde. Wherfore I shal aske none other thȳge but y^t ye wyll delyuer me your sone to enfourme ⁊ teche / ⁊ I shall make hym to take asmoche scyence ⁊ wysdome within foure yere as I and al my felowes haue lerned in all our lyues. Than spake y^e fyfth mayster y^t was called Joseph, lorde I am old ⁊ many tyms I am called to your coūseyl / ⁊ y^t my coūseyll ye knowe well hath auayled ⁊ perfyted you ⁊ yet I folowe y^e same. But I desyre no more saue to delyuer me your sone ⁊ I shal enstructe ⁊ enfourme hȳ in as moche conynge ⁊ scyence that he w^tin iii yere shal profyte ⁊ wyte as moche as I ⁊ alle my felowes. tho came forth the syxte mayster that was named Cleophas whiche sayd lyke the other promysynge to lerne ⁊ enfourme y^e chylde in alle theyr connynges w^tn two yere. The seuenth muyster (sic) rose vp ⁊ sayd, which also desyred the chylde ⁊ promysed for to lerne hym w^tin one yere y^e scyences and wysdome of them all. As all this was done. Than the Emperour sayde my trusty frendes I am moche bounden to thanke you all, and euery of you, for that eueryche of you haue so effectuelly desyred my sone to nouryssh ⁊ lerne. If I sholde now commytte hym to one and not to an other / therof sholde come y^e descencyon ⁊ varyaunce amonges you. Therfore to you al ⁊ euery of you I commyt my sone to nourysshe and to teche. The maysters heryng this w^t. grete thankȳges gyuynge to the Emperoure toke ⁊ receyued his sone, and ladde hym towardes the courte of Rome. ¶ Upon the waye spake Craton to his felowes, If we this chylde sholde lerne within the Cyte of Rome there is so grete resorte ⁊ concourse of people that it sholde hynder ⁊ lette hym in his lernynge ⁊ fantasyenge. I wote a fayre place withoute rome thre myle ryght pleasaunte ⁊ delectable: there lete vs do make a. iiii square chamber of stone ⁊ put hȳ therin ⁊ vpō y^e walles of y^e syde lete vs paȳte ⁊ wryte .vii. artes lyberales, so y^t y^e chylde al times may se ⁊ beholde therin his doctrine as wel as in his boke ⁊ this aduyse ⁊ counseyll pleased theym all. and was done accordynge in euery poynte. The maysters dylygently euery daye durynge .vii. yere taught ⁊ lettred the chylde. whiche maysters determyned amonge themselfe and sayde / It is good y^t we examen our dyscyple how he is spedde in connynge ⁊ scyence. They al accorded to the same. Tho sayd mayster Pancyllas / howe shall we proue hym. Craton sayde, Lete euery of vs as he slepeth put vnder euery corner of his bed an olyue leue, and than we shall knowe yf he perceyued or felte ony thynge or not, this done he wakynge gretely marueyllynge lyftynge vp his eyen towarde y^e rofe of the chamber feruently. The maysters seynge y^t sayd. Wherfore lyft ye vp your eyen so sharply. He answered it is no merueyll, for in my slepe I saw the vppermost parte of the chamber inclyned towarde the erthe, or vnder me it was lyfte vp. This herynge y^e maysters sayd amonge themselfe, Yf this childe may lyue he shal be a man of grete connȳge ⁊ fame.