The Tales of Susanna and Lucretia

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The fourth article of the first section saith that you must keep yourself in continence and live chastely. I am sure that so you do, and I doubt not concerning it, but because I know that after you and me this book will fall into the hands of our children or other our friends, I readily set down all that I know, and I say that you ought also to lesson your friends and especially your daughters, and tell them, fair sister, that in sooth all good is departed from maid or woman who faileth in virginity, continence and chastity; not riches, nor beauty, nor good sense, nor high lineage, nor any other merit can ever wipe out the ill fame of the opposite vice, above all if in a woman it be but once committed, in sooth if it be but suspected, wherefore many wise women have kept themselves not only from the deed but from the suspicion thereof, in purpose to win the name of virginity; concerning the which name the holy writings of my lord saint Augustine and my lord saint Gregory and many others say and bear witness that all worthy women who have been, are and shall be, of whatsoever estate they be or have been, may be named and called virgins. And my lord saint Paul confirmeth it in the eleventh chapter of the second epistle that he made unto the Corinthians, where he said thus: Despondienim vos, etc. I would have you know, saith he, that a woman who is wedded

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unto a man and liveth chastely without thought of another man, she may be called a virgin and presented unto Our Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning every good and worthy woman Jesus Christ in the thirteenth chapter of the gospel of saint Matthew speaketh thus in a parable: Simile est regnum coelorum thesauro abscondito in agro, etc. The kingdom of heaven, he saith, is like unto a treasure hid in a field, the which when a man digging therein hath found, he hideth and goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth that field. In the same chapter Our Lord saith this parable: The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. By the treasure found in a field and by the precious stone we may understand every good and worthy woman; for in whatsoever estate she be, maid, wife, or widow, she may be compared unto the treasure and the precious stone; for she is so good, so pure, so stainless that she is pleasing unto God Who loveth her as a holy virgin, whatsoever her estate, maid, wife, or widow. And certes, a man in whatsoever estate he be; noble or not, can have no better treasure than a worthy and wise woman. And that he may know well and have proof who will study the acts and good bearing and good deeds of the glorious ladies that were in the time of the old law, as Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel; who were wives to the holy patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who is called Israel, and who were all chaste and lived chastely as virgins. Item, upon this matter we find written in the

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thirteenth chapter of the book of Daniel, how that after the Babylonish migration, to wit after that Jechonias king of Jerusalem and the people of Israel were led into prison and captivity in Babylon and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar, there was in Jerusalem a rich and worthy Jew hight Joachim, and Joachim took to wife the daughter of another Jew that was called Belchias; and the maid was called Susanna, and she was very fair and feared God, for her father and mother that were just and good people, had right well taught and lessoned her in chastity according to the law of Moses. This Joachim, husband of Susanna, was rich and had a right fair garden full of fruit trees. There the Jews were wont to come to take their pleasure, for the place was more seemly than all others, and Susanna herself went often to take her ease in this garden. Now it befel that two old priests of this same law were set up by the people to be their judges for a year, the which judges saw that Susanna was very fair and were taken and inflamed with fleshly love. So they took counsel together and sought how they might deceive her, and they were of accord that they would spy upon her in the aforesaid garden and speak to her if they found her alone. One day it befel that after the midday hour they were musing in a corner of the garden, and Susanna came to the garden to bathe herself, as their law ordained, and with her brought two of her maidens, whom she sent back to her house, that they might bring oil and ointments to anoint her. And when the two elders saw her alone, they ran to her and said:

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"Suffer peacefully that which we would do with thee, and if thou dost not so, we will bear witness against thee and will say that we found thee in adultery." And when Susanna beheld and knew the wickedness of the judges, she avised her in her heart and said thus: " Angustie michi sunt undique, etc. God!" quoth she, "Pitfalls lie all about me, for if I do this thing I am dead before God and if I do it not, I may not escape from their hands save I be tormented and stoned; but better behoveth me to fall into their power without sinning than to sin before God." Then she cried out in a loud voice and the two elders cried out likewise, until the servants of the house ran to them, and the judges said that they had found her in sin with a young man that was strong and lusty, and escaped them, so that they knew not who he might be. Then were the servants marvellously abashed and astonied, for never before had they heard tell such a thing of their lady nor seen any evil in her; nathless she was cast into prison. And the next day the judges were seated in judgment and all the people assembled before them to see the marvel, and Susanna was brought to judgment; her parents and friends looked upon her, weeping right tenderly. Susanna had her head covered, for the shame and abashment that she had, but the judges caused her visage to be uncovered for great disgrace and despite. Then weeping, she lifted her eyes to heaven, for she trusted in Our Lord and in her innocence. Then the two priests told before the people how that they were walking and taking their ease in the garden and saw Susanna come therein and with her two of her

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maidens, the which she sent away and barred the door behind them; and they said that then came there a young man, the which they saw lie with her, wherefore they ran thither and the young man fled away through the door, and they could not stop him nor take him, but only the aforesaid Susanna, who would not name his name; "and of this crime we two be witness, and for this crime we do condemn her to death". Then Susanna cried aloud and spake thus: "O Everlasting God, thou knowest all hidden things and all things that be done and thou knowest well that they bear false witness against me; remember and have mercy upon me!" After this they led her to her torment, and as they passed along a road, Our Lord moved the spirit of a young and little child hight Daniel, the which began to cry with a loud voice: "O people of Israel, this woman is falsely judged, return to judgment, return, for the judgments are false!" Then the people cried out and brought Susanna back to the place where she had been judged, and led there the judges and the child Daniel, who spake these words: "Separate these judges and lead one here and the other there". When this was done he came to the one and asked him under what tree he had seen the man and Susanna doing their sin, and that judge answered that it was beneath an oak. Afterwards the aforesaid Daniel went to the other judge and asked beneath which tree he had seen Susanna with the young man, and he answered: beneath a tree called Lentsicus. Lentsicus is a tree that giveth forth oil and the root thereof is a spice called mace. Thus was their lie discovered and

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Susanna set free and proved pure and clean, without stain of evil embraces. And it is well proven that she was full of the virtue of chastity when she spake these words to the false judges: "Rather would I fall into your hands that be mine enemies and die without sin, than sin before God our Lord." O woman full of faith and great loyalty, who feared so God and the sin of breaking her marriage vow, that she preferred rather to die than to deliver her body to evil embraces! And certes, true it is that the Jews, men and women, that be now in this realm, hold this sin in such horror and their law is such, that if a woman be taken in adultery she shall be stoned and wounded with stones unto her death, according to their law. Even the wicked keep this law and we ought to keep it well, for it is a good one. Another example there is, as Cerxes the philosopher telleth in his book of Chess, in the chapter concerning the Queen, and he saith that the Queen ought in all things to keep her chaste and to lesson her daughters, for, saith he, we read of many maids that have been queens because that they guarded their virginity or maidenhead. Paul, the historian of the Lombards, telleth how that in Italy there was a duchess that was named Raymonde and she had a son and two daughters. It befel that the king of Hungary hight Cantamus quarrelled with the aforesaid Raymonde and came before one of her towns and laid siege thereto. She and her children were within the fortress and she looked forth and saw her enemies making a sally against the folk of her town, that hotly defended themselves, and among the enemy she saw a knight who was fair to look

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upon. She was so afire with love of him that she sent word unto him that secretly, through her fortress, she would deliver up the town to him, if he would take her to wife. And the knight answered yea and thereafter she opened the gates of the fortress unto him and he and his folk entered therein. When they were within the castle, his folk entered thereby into the town, and took men and women and all that they could; and the sons of that woman had so great shame and grief for her treason that they left her and betook themselves away, and afterwards they were so worthy that one of these children that was hight Grimault, to wit the younger, was duke of Benevento and afterwards king of Lombardy. And the daughters, that knew not whither they might flee, and feared lest they should be ravished by the Hungarians, killed pigeons and laid them beneath their breasts, so that at the warmth of their breasts the flesh of the pigeons stank, and when the Hungarians would have come near unto them, then smelt they the stink thereof and their lust cooled and they turned and left them, saying one to the other: "Fie, how these Lombards stink!" And at the last these maidens fled by sea to keep their virginity and nathless by reason of this good deed that they did and their other virtues, one was afterwards queen of France and the other queen of Germany. The aforesaid knight took that duchess and had his pleasure of her for one night to save his oath, and the next day he made her common unto all the Hungarians. The day after he caused a parchment to be set upon her from waist to throat, on the which was writ: "Even such a husband should the whore have who by her bawdry

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hath betrayed her city and delivered her people into the hands of her enemies". And these words he caused also to be writ upon several parts of her garment, and bade bind and tie her all dead to the outer walls and before the gate of her city, that all might see her, and so left her. Again he giveth another example how to cherish the marriage [vow] and chastity and saith how saint Augustine in the book of the City of God telleth (and I have seen it likewise in Livy) that there lived in Rome a very good lady, of great and virtuous heart, hight Lucrece, that was wife to a Roman hight Collatine, who once bade and invited the emperor Tarquin the proud and his son Sextus to dine with him. And they dined and were feasted and after dinner they took their pleasure, and Sextus looked upon the countenance of all the ladies that were there, and among all and above all the others, Lucrece and her beauty pleased him well. A short while afterwards, the people of a castle which stood five leagues away, near unto Rome, rebelled against the emperor, who went to lay siege thereto, and with him went Sextus his son, in whose company were several of the young men of Rome and among them Collatine, the husband of Lucrece. Long time were the Romans in siege before that place, and on a day that was fair and fine, there were in company and drinking together, Sextus, the emperor's son and several of these same young Romans, among whom was Collatine, and they plotted among themselves to sup betimes, and afterwards to go speedily to Rome to the houses of each of these young men, that they might see the bearing and behaviour of each of their wives

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and their governance, agreeing that he whose wife should be found in best disposition of mind, should have the honour of lodging Sextus the emperor's son in his house. Thus they were accorded, and came to Rome; and some ladies they found talking, others playing at bric, others at hot cockles, others at "pinch me", others playing at cards and other games of play with their neighbours; others, who had supped together, were singing songs and telling fables and tales and asking riddles; others were in the road with their neighbours playing at blind_man's_buff and at bric and so likewise at other games; save only Lucrece who within and in the innermost part of her house, in a great chamber far from the road, had with her workers in wool, and there, all alone, seated in little space away from her workers and apart, she was holding her book devoutly and with bent head, and saying her hours full humbly. And it was found that neither then nor at other times when her husband Collatine was away, in whatever company or feast she was, could man or woman make her to dance or sing, save only on the day when she had letters from him or when he came back to see her; and then she sang and danced with the others, if there were a feast. Wherefore Collatine bore away the honour of their coming and Sextus the emperor's son was lodged in his house, and there was served and companioned by all the others and their wives; and the next day very early was awakened and dressed by the ladies and heard mass and they saw him mount and take the road. And on this journey was Sextus smitten with love for Lucrece, so deeply that he bethought him to return to her in company with other

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folk that were not friends of her nor of her husband. Thus did he and came at eve to Lucrece's house, who received him full honourably, and when the time came to sleep, they prepared a bed for Sextus as for the emperor's son, and this evil emperor's son spied where Lucrece lay, and after that all there were abed and sleeping, came Sextus unto her and set one hand on her breast and the other on his sword and said unto her, "Lucrece, be silent! I am Sextus, son to the emperor Tarquin, if thou speakest thou art dead". And she cried out in fear, and Sextus began to beseech her. It availed not. Then offered he and promised her gifts and services. It availed not. And then he threatened her that she should yield to him or he would destroy her and all her line. It availed not. When he saw that nought of all this availed him, he spake thus to her: "Lucrece, if thou dost not my will, I shall slay thee and I shall slay likewise one of thy varlets, and then shall I say that I found you both abed together, and for your bawdry slew you". And she, who feared rather to be shamed before the world than to die, consented to do his will. And as soon as Sextus was gone away, the lady sent letters bidding her husband, who was with the army, that he should come to her, and she sent also to seek her father, her brothers and all her friends and a man that was hight Brutus and was nephew to Collatine her husband. And when they were come, she said unto them full dreadfully: "Sextus, the emperor's son, came yesterday as a guest unto this house, but he went not forth as a guest, but as a foe to thee, Collatine, for know that he hath dishonoured thy bed. Nathless,

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if my body be dishonoured, so is not my heart, wherefore do I absolve me of the sin but not of the punishment". Then Collatine her husband saw that she was all pale and wan and her face all white and tearful, for the mark of tears was upon her visage from her eyes even to her lips and her eyes were large and swollen, the lids thereof dead and blue, and within red from the running of her tears, and she looked and spake piteously. Then began he to comfort her full gently and to pardon her, and showed unto her many fair reasons why her body had done no sin, sith that the heart had not consented thereto nor taken delight therein, and he fell to quoting ensamples and authorities. But it pleased her not; she brake into his words, saying full sharply, "Oh, oh, nay, nay! 'Tis too late, all is of no avail, for I am not worthy now to live; and he that hath done this to me hath done it to his own great mishap, if ye be worth aught, and for that no bawdry may prevail by example of Lucrece, let him who would take example of the sin and the loss, take likewise example of the amends." And straightway with a sword that she had beneath her robe, she struck herself through the body and died before them all. Then Brutus, the counsellor and Collatine the husband of this same Lucrece, and all her friends, weeping and mourning, took the sword all stained with blood, and swore upon the blood of Lucrece that never would they hold their hand until they had destroyed Tarquin and his son, and pursued him with fire and bloodshed, and cast forth all his race, so that none henceforth might rise to any honour. And even so was it shortly done, for they bore her through the town

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of Rome and so moved the people thereby that each man swore to destroy the emperor Tarquin and his son by fire and by bloodshed. Then shut they the gates that none might go forth to warn the emperor of their intent, and they armed and sallied forth, hurrying like mad folk to the place where lay the emperor's army. And when they drew near to the emperor and he heard the noise and the tumult and saw the people all dusty and the smoke of the horses, and heard what was told him, then he and his son fled away, fearful and all undone. Whereupon the Romance of the Rose saith thus:

N'onc puis Rommains, pour ce desroy, Ne vouldrent faire à Romme roy. Ne never was ther king in Rome toun Sin thilke day.

So have you two ensamples, the one to keep honourably widowhood or virginity or maidenhood, the other to keep marriage or chastity. And wot you that riches, beauty of form and face, lineage and all other virtues be all perished and wiped out in a woman that hath any stain or suspicion against one of these virtues aforesaid. Certes, then all is lost and blotted, all is fallen never to rise again, after a woman hath once been suspected or bruited to the contrary; and even supposing that she be wrongly so suspected, never can that ill fame be wiped away. See then in what ceaseless danger a woman sets her honour and the honour of her husband's line and her children, when she shunneth not such blame, which she may easily do. And upon this it is noteworthy, as I have heard tell, that the

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Queens of France, after that they be wed, read never sealed letters, save such as be by the hand of their husband, as is said, and those read they all alone, and for the others they call company and bid them to be read by others before them, and say often that they know not how to read letter or writing, save that of their husband; and this they do by wise teaching and full well, that they may be far even from whisper and suspicion, for there is no fear of the deed itself. And since ladies so great and so honourable act so, the lowly ones that have as great need of their husband's love and of good fame ought in troth to do so too.

And I counsel you that you receive with great joy and reverence the loving and private letters of your husband, and secretly and all alone read them unto yourself, and all alone write again unto him with your own hand, if you know how, or by the hand of another very privy person; and write unto him good and loving words and tell him your joys and diversions, and receive not nor read any other letters, nor write unto no other person, save by another's hand and in another's presence, and cause them to be read in public.

Item, they say likewise that after the Queens be wed, they never kiss any man, nor father, nor brother nor kinsman, save only the King as long as he liveth. Why they forebear and whether it be true, I know not. These things, dear sister, be enough to give unto you for this article, and they be given you rather for the tale, than for the teaching. There is no need to teach you in this matter, for, thanks be unto God, from this danger and suspicion you are well kept and shall be.