" wordes, I wyll not lese mine herytage.' Thus, the clerk de" parted from the lord of Corasse, and went I cannot tell whe"der to Avygnon or into Catalogne, and forgat nat the pro"mise that he had made to the lord of Corasse or he departed. "For whan the knight thoughte leest on hym, about a three " monethes after, as the knyght laye on a nyght a-bedde in his "castelle of Corasse, with the lady, there came to hym mes " sangers invisible, and made a marvellous tempest and noise " in the castell, that it seemed as thoughe the castell shulde "have fallen downe, and strak gret strokes at his chambre "dore, that the goode ladye, his wife, was soore afrayde. The "knight herd alle, but he spoke no word thereof; bycause he " wolde shewe no abasshed corage, for he was hardy to abyde "all adventures. Thys noyse and tempest was in sundry places " of the castell, and dured a long space, and, at length, cessed " for that nyght. Than the nexte mornyng, all the servants of " the house came to the lord, whan he was risen, and sayd, 'Sir, "have you nat herde this night, that we have done? The lord " disseinbled, and sayd, 'No! I herd nothyng-what have you "herde?" Than they shewed him what noyse they hadde herde, "and howe alle the vessel in the kechyn was overtowrned. "Than the lord began to laugh, and sayd, 'Yea, sirs! ye dre"med, it was nothynge but the wynde.'-' In the name of "God!" quod the ladye, 'I herde it well.' The next nyght "there was as great noyse and greatter, and suche strokes gy " ven at his chambre dore and windows, as alle shulde have " broken in pieces. The knyghte starte up out of his bedde, " and wolde not lette, to demaunde who was at his chambre "dore that tyme of the nyght; and anone he was answered by "a voyce that sayd, 'I am here.' Quod the knyght, 'Who " sent thee hyder?'-' The clerk of Catelogne sent me hyder,' "quod the voice, 'to whom thou dost gret wronge, for thou " hast taken from hym the ryghtes of his benefyce; I will nat " leave thee in rest tylle thou haste made hym a good ac 66 compte, so that he be pleased.' Quod the knight, 'What is "thy name, that thou art so good a messangere? Quod he, 'I " am called Orthone.'-' Orthone!' quod the knight, 'the ser"vyce of a clerke is lytell profyte for thee. He will putte "thee to moche payne if thou beleve hym. I pray thee leave "hym, and come and serve me; and I shall give thee goode "thanke. Orthone was redy to aunswere, for he was ina"mours with the knyghte, and sayde, 'Woldest thou fayne " have my servyce?'-' Yea, truly,' quod the knyghte, 'so thou "do no hurte to any persone in this house.'-' No more I will "do,' quod Orthone, 'for I have no power to do any other "yvell, but to awake thee out of thy slepe, or some other.'"Well,' quod the knyght, 'do as I telle thee, and we shall "soone agree, and leave the yvill clerke, for there is no good "thyng in him, but to put thee to payne; therefore, come and " serve me. Well,' quod Orthone, 'and sythe thou wilt have "So this spyrite Orthone loved so the knight, that oftentymes "he wold come and vysyte hym, while he lay in his bedde "aslepe, and outher pull him by the eare, or els stryke at his "chambre dore or windowe. And, whan the knyght awoke, "than he wolde saye, Orthone, lat me slepe.'-' Nay,' quod "Orthone, that will I nat do, tyll I have shewed thee such "tydinges as are fallen a-late.' The ladye, the knyghtes wyfe, "wolde be sore afrayed, that her heer wald stand up, and "hyde herself under the clothes. Than the knyght wolde " saye, 'Why, what tidynges hast thou brought me?-Quod "Orthone, 'I am come out of England, or out of Hungry, or some other place, and yesterday I came hens, and such things are fallen, or such other. So thus the lord of Corasse knewe, " by Orthone, every thing that was done in any part of the "worlde. And in this case he contynued a fyve yere, and " could not kepe his own counsayle, but at last discovered it to "the Erle of Foiz. I shall shewe you howe. "The firste yere, the lord of Corasse came on a day to Or"tayse, to the Erle of Foiz, and sayd to him, 'Sir, such things " are done in England, or in Scotland, or in Almagne, or in any " other countrey.' And ever the Erle of Foiz found his saye"ing true, and had great marveyle how he shulde knowe such "things so shortly. Aud, on a tyme the Erle of Foiz exami " ned him so straitly, that the lord of Corasse shewed hym alle "toguyder howe he knewe it, and howe he came to hym firste. "When the Erle of Foiz hard that, he was joyfull, and said, "Sir of Corasse, kepe him well in your love; I wolde I hadd "suche an messanger; he costeth you nothyng, and ye knowe " by him every thynge that is done in the worlde.' The knyght " answered, and sayd, 'Sir, that is true.' Thus, the lord of Co rasse was served with Orthone a long season. I can nat saye " if this Orthone hadde any more masters or nat; but every " weke, twise or thrisse, he wolde come and vysite the lord of "Corasse, and wolde shewe hym such tidyngs of any thing "that was fallen fro whens he came. And ever the lord of "Corasse, when he knewe any thynge, he wrote thereof to the "Erle of Foiz, who had great joy thereof; for he was the lord, "of all the worlde, that most desyred to here news out of "straunge places. And, on a tyme, the lord of Corasse was "wyth the Erle of Foiz, and the erle demaunded of hym, and "sayd, 'Sir of Corasse, dyd ye ever as yet se your messen"gere?" Nay, surely, sir,' quod the knyghte, 'nor I never "desyred it. That is marveyle,' quod the erle; if I were as well acquainted with him as ye be, I wolde have desyred " to have sene hym; wherefore, I pray you, desyre it of hym, "and then telle me what form and facyon he is of. I have "herd you say howe he speketh as good Gascon as outher you " or I.'-" Truely, sir,' quod the knyght, 'so it is: he speketh " as well, and as fayr, as any of us both do. And surely, sir, "sithe ye counsayle me, I shall do my payne to see him as I "can.' And so, on a night, as he lay in his bedde, with the "ladye his wife, who was so inured to here Orthone, that she was no longer afrayd of him; than cam Orthone, and pulled "the lord by the eare, who was fast asleep, and therewith he "awoke, and asked who was there? 'I am here,' quod Or"thone. Then he demaunded, From whens comest thou "nowe?"-"I come,' quod Orthone, 'from Prague, in Boesme.' "-How farre is that hens? quod the knyght. A threescore "days journey,' quod Orthone. 'And art thou come hens so "soon? quod the knyght. 'Yea truely,' quod Orthone, ' I "come as fast as the wynde, or faster.'-' Hast thou than "winges?" quod the knyght. 'Nay, truely,' quod he. How "canst thou than flye so fast? quod the knyght. 'Ye have "nothing to do to knowe that,' quod Orthone. 'No? quod "the knyght, ' I wolde gladly se thee, to know what forme "thou art of.'-' Well,' quod Orthone, 'ye have nothing to do "to knowe: it sufficeth you to here me, and to shewe you ti"dynges. In faythe,' quod the knyght, 'I wolde love the "moche better an I myght se thee ones.'-' Well,' quod Or"thone, sir, sithe ye have so gret desyre to se me, the first "thynge that ye se to-morrowe, whan ye ryse out of your "bedde, the same shall be I.'-' That is sufficient,' quod the "lorde. Go thy way; I gyve thee leave to departe for this "nyght.' And the next mornynge the lord rose, and the ladye "his wyfe was so afrayd, that she durst not ryse, but fayned "herself sicke, and sayd she wolde not ryse. Her husband "wolde have had her to have rysen. 'Sir,' quod she, 'than "shall I se Orthone, and I wolde not se him by my gode " wille.'-' Well,' quod the knyght, 'I wolde gladly se hym.' "And so he arose, fayre and easily, out of his bedde, and sat "down on his bedde-syde, wenying to have sene Orthone in "his owne proper form; but he sawe nothynge wherbye he "myght saye, Lo, yonder is Orthone.' So that day past, and "the next night came, and when the knyght was in his bedde, "Orthone came, and began to speke, as he was accustomed. 'Go "thy waye,' quod the knyght, 'thou arte but a lyer; thou pro" mysest that I shuld have sene the, and it was not so.'-' No? " quod he, and I shewed myself to the.'-' That is not so,' " quod the lord. 'Why,' quod Orthone, 'whan ye rose out of your bedde, sawe ye nothynge?" Than the lorde studyed a "lytell, and advysed himself well. Yes, truely,' quod the "knyght, 'now I remember me, as I sate on my bedde-syde, "thynking on thee, I sawe two strawes upon the pavement, "tumblynge one upon another.'-' That same was I,' quod Or"thone, 'into that fourme I dyd putte myself as than.'-' That " is not enough to me,' quod the lord; 'I pray thee putte thy" selfe into same other fourme, that I may better se and knowe "thee. Well,' quod Orthone, 'ye will do so muche, that "ye will lose me, and I to go fro you, for ye desyre to moch " of me.'-' Nay,' quod the knyght, 'thou shalt not go fro me, let me se thee ones, and I will desyre no more.'"Well, quod Orthone, 'ye shall se me to-morrowe; take "hede, the first thyng that ye se after ye be out of your "chamber, it shall be I.'-' Well, quod the knyght, I am "than content. Go thy way, lette me slepe.' And so Or"thone departed, and the next mornyng the lord arose, and "yssued oute of his chambre, and wente to a windowe, and "looked downe into the courte of the castell, and cast about "his eyen. And the firste thyng he sawe was a sowe, the "greattest that ever he sawe; and she seemed to be so leane "and yvell-favoured, that there was nothyng on her but the "skynne, and the bones, with long eares, and a long leane "snout. The lord of Corasse had marveyle of that leane sowe, " and was wery of the sighte of her, and comaunded his men "to fetch his houndes, and sayd, 'Let the dogges hunt her to "dethe, and devour her.' His servaunts opened the kenells, " and lette oute his houndes, and dyd sette them on this sowe. "And, at the last, the sowe made a great crye, and looked up " to the lord of Corasse as he looked out at a windowe, and so " sodaynely vanyshed awaye, no man wyste howe. Than the "lord of Corasse entred into his chambre, right pensyve, and "than he remembered hym of Orthone, his messangere, and "sayd, 'I repent me that I set my houndes on him. It is an "adventure, an I here any more of hym; for he sayd to me " oftentymes, that if I displeased hym, I shulde lose hym.' "The lord sayd trouthe, for never after he came into the cas" tell of Corasse, and also the knyght dyed the same yere next " followinge. " So, sir," said the squyer, " thus have I shewed you the lyfe " of Orthone, and howe, for a season, he served the lord of "Corasse with newe tidynges." -" It is true, sir," sayd I, " but nowe, as to your firste purpose. Is the Earl of Foiz served "with suche an messangere?"-" Surely," quod the squyer, " it is the ymaginacion of many, that he hath such messengers, |