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    <title>De Mulierum Subtili Deceptione</title>
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<!--XXVII De Mulierum Subtili Deceptione-->
<h4>The Subtle Deciption of a Woman</h4>

<p>
<!--
Darius regnavit prudens valde, qui tres filios habuit quos
multum dilexit. Cum vero mori deberet totam hereditatem
primogenito legavit; secundo filio dedit omnia quae in
tempore suo acquisivit; tertio filio, scilicet minori,
tria iocalia pretiosa dedit, scilicet anulum aureum,
monile et pannum pretiosum. Anulus illam virtutem habuit
quod qui ipsum in digito gestabat gratiam omnium habuit,
in tantum quod, quicquid ab eis peteret, obtineret; monile
illam virtutem habuit quod qui eum in pectore portabat,
quicquid cor suum desiderabat quod possibile esset,
obtineret.  Pannus illam virtutem habuit quod, quicumque
super eum sederet et intra se cogitaret ubicumque esse
vellet, subito ibi esset.
-->
 Once upon a time Darius reigned.  He was highly learned,
 and loved his three sons intensely.  Indeed, when he was
 about to die he bequeathed his entire inheritance to the
 first-born; to the second he gave everything that he had
 acquired in his lifetime; and to the third, the youngest
 of course, he gave three costly possesions - a gold ring,
 a necklace and a costly rug.  The ring had the virtue
 that whoever wore it on their finger had the goodwill of
 all men, so much so, that whatsoever they might ask of
 them, they would gain; the necklace had the virtue that
 whoever carried it on their breast, whatever their heart
 desired that might be possible, they would gain.  The rug
 had the virtue that, whoever might sit upon it and think
 to themselves wherever they wished to be, they would
 suddenly be there.

<!--
Ista tria iocalia dedit filio suo iuniori ut ad studium
pergeret et mater ea custodiret et tempore opportuno ei
daret; statimque rex spiritum emisit, qui honorifice
est sepultus. Duo primi filii eius legata occupabant,
tertius filius anulum a matre recepit ut ad studium
pergeret; cui mater dixit: "Fili, scientiam acquire et a
muliere caveas ne forte anulum perdas." Ionathas anulum
accepit, ad studium accessit et in scientia profecit.
-->
 He gave these three possessions to his youngest son so
 that he could proceed with his studies and that his
 mother should watch over them and give them to him at an
 opportune time; and at once the king gave up the ghost,
 and was honorably buried.  His first two sons seized
 their legacies, while the third son recieved the ring
 from his mother so that he might continue with his
 studies.  And his mother said to him: "Son, gain
 learning, and may you avoid a woman, and not by chance
 lose the ring."  Jonathan accepted the ring, undertook
 his studies and became accomplished in learning.
</p>

<p>
<!--
Post hoc cito quadam die in platea ei quaedam puella
occurrebat satis formosa et, captus eius amore, eam secum
duxit; continuo anulo utebatur et gratiam omnium habuit et
quicquid ab eis voluit habere obtinuit. Puella eius
concubina mirabatur quod tam laute viveret cum tamen
pecuniam non haberet; rationem quadam vice, cum laetus
esset, quaesivit, dicens quod creatura* sub caelo non
esset quam magis diligeret; ideo sibi dicere
deberet. Ille, de malitia non praemeditatus sibi, dixit
virtutem anuli esse talem, etc.
-->
 Soon after this there came a day that he met a young
 woman in the high street.  She was pretty enough and,
 seized with love, he led her away with him. He constantly
 made use of the ring and had all goodwill and whatsoever
 he wished to have of them he gained.  The young woman,
 now his concubine, marvelled that he lived so sumptuously
 when he didn't have any money; and one day, when he was
 in a good mood, she asked how it was, saying that there
 was no creature under heaven who loved him more; and
 therefore he should tell her.  He, not considering malice
 towards himself, told her that virtue of the ring was
 such, etc.


<!--
At illa: "Cum singulis diebus cum hominibus conversare
soles, perdere posses; ideo custodiam tibi eum fideliter."
Qui tradidit ei anulum, sed cum repeteret, penuria ductus,
illa alta voce clamavit quod fures abstulissent; qui motus
flevit amare, quia unde viveret non habuit. Qui statim
ad reginam, matrem suam, est reversus denuntians ei anulum
perditum. At illa: "Fili mi, tibi praedixi ut a muliere te
caveres; ecce tibi iam trado monile quod diligentius
custodias; si perdideris, honore et commodo perpetuo
carebis."  Ionathas monile recepit et ad idem studium est
reversus, et ecce concubina eius in porta civitatis
occurrit et cum gaudio eum recepit; ille, ut prius,
convivia multa habuit et laute vixit.
-->
 But she said: "You are wont to keep company with men
 every day, you might lose it; therefore I will faithfully
 guard it for you."  And he handed over the ring, but when
 he returned, led by want, she cried out in a loud voice
 that theives had carried it off; and he was agitated and
 wept bitterly, for he didn't have the wherewithall to
 live on. And he returned at once to his mother the queen,
 and announced the loss of the ring to her.  But she said:
 "My son, I warned you to beware a woman.  Look, I am now
 handing over to you the necklace that you must guard
 carefully; if you were to lose it, then you will lose
 honor and profit forever."  Jonathan accepted the
 necklace and returned to his studies, and lo his
 concubine met him at the gate of the city and received
 him joyfully; and he, as before, had great banquets and
 lived sumptuously.
</p>

<p>
<!--
Concubina mirabatur quia nec aurum nec argentum videbat, et
cogitabat quod aliud iocale apportasset, quod sagaciter ab
eo indagavit; qui ei monile ostendit et virtutem eius dixit.
Quae ait: "Semper monile tecum portas; una hora tantum
cogitare posses quod per annum sufficeret tibi; ideo trade
mihi ad custodiendum."
-->
 The concubine marveled, for she saw neither gold nor silver, and
 reflected that he had brought another possession, which she
 shrewdly dug out from him; and he showed her the necklace and
 told her of its virtue.  And she said: "You always carry the
 necklace with you; a single hour is enough for you to imagine
 what would suffice you for a year; therefore hand it over to me
 for safekeeping."

<!--
At ille: "Timeo quod sicut anulum perdidisti sic perderes monile
et sic damnum maximum incurrerem."
-->
 But he said:  "I'm afraid that, just as you lost the ring, so
 might you lose the necklace, and so I would incur a very great
 loss."

<!--
Quae ait: "O domine, iam per anulum scientiam acquisivi; unde
tibi fideliter promitto quod sic custodiam monile quod nullus
posset a me auferre."
-->
 And she said: "O lord, I have already gotten experience from
 the ring; from which I faithfully promise you that I will guard
 the ring so well that no one could carry it away from me."

<!--
Ille credens dictis eius, monile ei tradidit. Postquam omnia
consumpta fuissent monile petiit; ilia, sicut prius, iuravit quod
furtive ablatum esset. Quod audiens Ionathas flevit amare et ait:
"Nonne sensum perdidi quod post anulum perditum monile tibi
tradidi!"
-->
  Believing in her words, he handed the necklace over to her.
  After everything had been used up he asked for the necklace;
  but she, as before, swore that it had been furtively stolen
  away. On hearing this Jonathan wept bitterly and said: "Surely
  I have not lost the thought that, after losing the ring, I gave
  you the necklace!"
</p>

<p>
<!--
Perrexit ad matrem et ei totum processum nuntiavit; illa non
modicum dolens dixit: "O fili carissime, quare spem posuisti in
muliere? Iam altera vice deceptus es per eam et ab omnibus ut
stultus reputaris; ammodo sapientiam addiscas quia nihil habeo
tibi nisi pannum pretiosum quem pater tuus tibi dedit, et si
illum perdideris, ad me amplius redire non valeas."
-->
 He proceeded to his mother and reported to her the entire course
 of events. She, grieving not a little, said: "O my dearest son,
 why have you put your hope in a women?  You have already been
 cheated in another exchange with her and are thought to be
 foolish by everyone; henceforth you should learn wisdom, for I
 have nothing else for you except the costly length of cloth that
 your father gave you, and if you lose that, it will not avail
 you to come back to me."

<!--
Ille pannum recepit et ad studium perrexit et concubina eius, ut
prius, gaudenter eum recepit.  Qui expandens pannum dixit:
"Carissima, istum pannum dedit mihi pater meus," et ambo
posuerunt se super pannum.
-->
 He accepted this length of cloth and went on to his studies and
 his concubine, as before, received him with joy.  And he,
 spreading out the cloth, said: "Dearest love, my father gave me
 this cloth," and they both sat down upon the cloth.

<!--
Ionathas intra se cogitabat: "Utinam essemus in tantam
distantiam ubi nullus hominum ante venit!" Et sic factum
est; fuerunt enim in fine mundi in una foresta quae multum
distabat ab hominibus. Illa tristabatur et Ionathas votum
vovit Deo caeli quod dimitteret eam bestiis ad devorandum
donec redderet anulum et monile; quae promisit facere si
posset, et ad petitionem concubinae Ionathas virtutem panni
dixit, scilicet, quicumque super eo quiesceret et cogitaret ubi
esse vellet, ibi statim esset.
-->
 Jonathan thought to himself: "If only we were so far away
 that no man had been there before!" And so it happened; for
 they were at the end of the world in a forest which was far away
 from men.  She was grieved, and Jonathan made a vow to God in heaven
 that he would leave her to be devoured by wild animals unless
 she restored the ring and the necklace.  She promised to do this
 if she could, and Jonathan spoke of the virtue of the cloth,
 namely, that whoever sat on it and thought where they wished to
 go, there they were at once.

<!--
Deinde ipsa se super pannum posuit et caput eius in gremio suo
collocavit et, cum dormire coepisset, ipsa partem panni supra quam
sedebat ad se traxit.  At illa cogitabat: "Utinam essem in loco ubi
mane fui!"  Quod et factum est, et Ionathas dormiens in foresta
mansit.
-->
 Then she positioned herself on the cloth and placed his head on her
 lap and, when he had fallen asleep, drew the part of the cloth on
 which he was lying towards her.  But then she thought: "If only I
 were in the place where I was this morning!"  And this was
 accomplished, and Jonathan remained asleep in the forest.
</p>

<p>
<!--
Cum autem de somno surrexisset et pannum ablatum cum concubina
vidisset, flevit amarissime nec scivit ad quem locum pergeret.
Surrexit et, signo crucis se muniens, per quandam viam ambulavit, per
quam ad aquam profundam venit per quam transire oportebat, quae tam
amara et fervida fuit quod carnes pedum usque ad nuda ossa
separavit. Ille vero, de hoc contristatus, vas implevit et secum
portavit et ulterius veniens coepit esurire, vidensque quandam
arborem, de fructu eius comedit et statim factus est leprosus.  De
fructu illo etiam collegit et secum portavit. Tunc veniens ad aliam
aquam, per quam transivit, quae aqua carnes restaurabat pedum, vas de
ea implevit et secum portavit et ulterius procedens coepit esurire;
et videns quandam arborem, de cuius fructu cepit et comedit et, sicut
per primum fructum infectus erat, sic per secundum fructum a lepra 
est mundatus. De illo fructu etiam attulit et secum portavit.
-->
 But when he awoke from his sleep and saw that the cloth had been
 carried off, along with his concubine, he wept most bitterly and
 knew not where to go.  He got up and, fortifying himself with the
 sign of the cross, wandered along a road, which led him to a deep
 body of water that he needed to cross, but which was so caustic and
 boiling hot that the flesh of his feet was nearly stripped to the
 bone.  Indeed, he was disheartened by this, filled up a vessel and
 carried it with him and, coming to the far side, began to feel
 hunger.  He saw a tree, and ate of its fruit and at once contracted
 leprosy.  He gathered some of this fruit as well and carried it with
 him.  Then he came to another body of water and crossed over it, and
 it restored the flesh to his feet.  He filled a vessel with this
 water and carried it with him and, once on the other side, grew
 hungry.  And when he saw a tree, he seized its fruit and ate it, so
 that as he had been infected by the the first fruit, so by the
 second he was healed of the leprosy.  He picked more of this fruit
 and carried it away with him. 
</p>

<p>
<!--
Dum vero ulterius ambularet vidit quoddam castrum, et duo homines ei
obviabant, quaerentes quis esset.  At ille: "Medicus peritus sum."
Qui dixerunt: "Rex istius regni manet in isto castro et est homo
leprosus; si eum a lepra curare posses, multas divitias tibi daret."
At ille: "Etiam."
-->
 Truly, while he wandered on the far shore he saw a castle, and two
 men met him, asking who he might be.  And he said, "I am a skilled
 physician." And they said: "The king of this realm lies in that
 castle and is a leper; if you can cure him of the leprosy, he will
 give you great riches."  And he said: "Very well."
</p>

<p>
<!--
Qui adducentes ipsum ad regem, dedit ei de secundo fructu et curatus
est a lepra, et de secunda aqua ad bibendum, quae carnes eius
restaurabat. Rex ergo multa donaria ei contulit.  Ionathas igitur
postea invenit navem de civitate sua et illuc transfretavit. Rumor
per totam civitatem exivit quod magnus medicus advenisset et
concubina sua, quae abstulerat iocalia ei, ad mortem infirmata est
mittens pro medico isto.
-->
 They conducted him to the king, and he gave him some of the second
 fruit and he was cured of the leprosy.  And he gave him some of the
 second water to drink, and his flesh was restored.  And so the king
 gathered together many gifts for him.  And so Jonathan afterwards
 found a ship and sailed from that city to there.  The rumor issued
 through the entire city that a great physician had arrived, and his
 concubine, who had stolen his possessions, was sick unto death and
 sent for this physician.

<!--
Ionathas ignotus est ab omnibus sed ipse eam cognoscens dixit ei quod
medicina sua non valeret ei, nisi prius confiteretur omnia peccata
sua, et si aliquem defraudasset, quod redderet. Illa vero alta voce
confitebatur quomodo Ionatham decepisset de anulo, monili et panno et
quomodo eum in loco deserto reliquisset bestiis ad devorandum. Ille
hoc audiens ait: "Dic, domina, ubi sunt ista tria iocalia?" Et illa:
"In area mea."  Et dedit ei claves arcae et invenit ea. Ionathas ei
de fructu illius arboris a qua lepram recepit ad comedendum dedit et
de aqua prima, quae carnem de ossibus separavit, ad bibendum ei
tribuit; et cum gustasset et bibisset statim est arefacta et, dolores
interiores sentiens, lacrimabiliter clamavit et spiritum
emisit. Ionathas cum iocalibus suis ad matrem suam perrexit, de cuius
adventu totus populus gaudebat. Ille vero matri a principio usque ad
finem narravit quomodo Deus eum a multis malis periculis liberavit et
per aliquos annos vixit et vitam in pace finivit.
-->

 Jonathan was a stranger to all, but he recognized her and said to
 her that his medicine would avail her nothing, unless she would
 first confess all of her sins, and if she had cheated anyone, then
 she must pay them back.  Indeed she confessed in a loud voice how
 she had abandoned Jonathan to be devoured by the wild animals.  He
 heard this and said: "Tell me, lady, where are the three
 possessions?" And she said: "In my courtyard."  And she gave him the
 keys to the courtyard and he found them.  Jonathan gave her the
 fruit of the first tree and she recieved leprosy from it.  And he
 gave her some of the first water, which strips the flesh from the
 bones, and presented it to her to drink; and when she had eaten and
 drunk she at once withered up and, feeling pain within her, cried
 out mournfully and gave up the ghost.  Jonathan took his possessions
 and proceeded to his mother, and the whole population rejoiced at
 his coming.  Indeed he related to his mother from beginning to end
 how God freed him from many grim perils, and lived for some years,
 and finished his life in peace.

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