Than Combabe mad his weye safly ; and whan thei
were comen to the Holy Cytee thei gan bylde the
temple besily, and thei spenten three yeres in the werk,
and in tho yeres that Combabe dredde befel. For
in companyinge with him a gret whyl Stratonice
began for to love him, and thanne sche wex right
wode over him. Men of the Holy Cytee seyn that
Iuno was voluntarie cause thereof, to the entente
that Combabes godeness scholde not lye hidde and
Stratonice scholde ben punissched be cause that
sche ne behight not the temple buxomly (readily).
 
Atte firste sche was mesurable and hyd hir
maladye; but whan as hir miseyse becam to gret
for pees, sche sorwede openly and wepte everyche
day, and cryde on the name of Combabe, and Com-


 

babe was alle the worlde to hir. And fynally, for
sche ne mighte not susteyne suche adversitee, sche
soughte a wel semynge peticioun. Now sche was
war for to avowen hir love to ony other, yit sche
hadde scham for to assayen ought hirself. _Therfore
sche bethoghte hir of this devys, that sche scholde
make hirself dronke with wyn and thanne speke
with him ; for what tyme wyn cometh inne, boldness
of speche cometh inne with alle, and disconfiture
nys not over schamful, but all that is don passeth
into foryetynge (forgetfulness).
 
Right as hir thoghte, right so sche didde. For
aftre mete sche wente to the house wherin Combabe
was logged, and besoghte him and embraced his
knees and avowed hir love. But he resceyved hir
wordes rudeliche, and wolde not assente to the dede,
and reprevede hir of dronkenesse. But whan sche
made manace to don hirself som gret harm, thanne
for fere he told hir alle the storie and descryved al
his owne cas and discovered his doynge. And
whan Stratonice saughe that hir ne thoghte never
fulness
to seen, sche stente of (desisted from) hir wodenesse, yit sche forgat desisted
not at alle of hir love, but companyed with him “™
alle weyes and in that gyse solacede the love, therin
sche mighte not speden. That maner love abydeth
yit in the Holy Cytee, and is mad now a dayes;
wommen coveyten Galles and Galles wexen wode
for love of wommen; natheles is no man ialous, but
hem thenketh this thing right holy.
 
Now that that had happened in the Holy Cytee
touching Stratonice scaped not the kyng in no
kynde, but manye that retorneden acuseden hem
and reherceden here doynges; wherfore the kyng
was grevously troubled and sompnede Combabe fro


 

the werk or it was finissched. Othere men seyn not
sooth, that whan Stratonice fayled of hir purpos,
sche hir self wroot lettres to hir housbond and
acused Combabe, blamynge him of assayinge _hir.
Right as men of Grece seyn of Steneboye and of
Fedre Cnossien, right so seyn Assuriens of Stratonice. The story of Joseph and his master’s wife (Genesis39) would be in this instance a parallel more apt. And with both compare the scorning of Ishtar by Gilgamesh in the Epic (Schrader-Zimmern, p. 571 sq.). Now to me, I ne beleve not that Steneboye
dide no suche thing, ne Fedre nouther, if Fedre
trewely lovede Ypolite. But lat tho thinges worth (go)
right as thei weren. This sentence parodies Herodotus 2, 28: ταῦτα μέν νυν ἔστω ὡς ἔστι τε καὶ ὡς ἀρχὴν ἐγένετο, and similar transitions. 
 
Whan the tidinges were come to the Holy Cytee,
and Combabe lernede the acusaccioun, he wente
boldely, for because he had laft his answere-at home.
And at arryvinge, anon the kyng bond him and
kepte him in prisoun; and after, whan his frendes
there weren that there weren beforn, whan Combabe
was sent forth, he ladde him in presence and began
for to blamen him, reprevinge him of avowtrie and
vileinye ; and in sore bitternesse of herte he putte
him in remembraunce of feythe and frendschipe,
seyinge that Combabe didde three fold wrong be cause
he was avowtrer and brak feyth and synned ayeyns
the goddesse in whoos servys that he so wroughte.
And manye stode forth and made witnessing that
thei sanghen hem companye togider openly. And
atte laste alle demeden that Combabe scholde dye
right anon, for his dedis disserveden dethe.
 
In this tyme he stondynge seyde noght. But
whan thei wolde leden him to his dethe, he spak,



 

and requered that tresor, seyinge, he wolde sleen
him, not for no vileinye ne avowtrie, but coveytinge
tho thinges that in goynge he hadde betoken him.
Thanne the kyng called his styward and bad him ~
brynge what hadde ben goven him for to kepe; and
whan he broght it, Combabe brak the seel and
schewed what was with inne and what he himself
hadde soffred. And he seyde: “O Kyng, for I was
adrad of this whan ye wolde sende me on this weye,
therfore me was loth to gon; and whan ye gretly constreyned me, I wroghte this maner dede, that is gode
for my maistre but not wel for me. Natheles, I that
am such as ye seen am reprevede of a mannes synne.”