Thomas Lodge - Broadview Press Publisher's Blog

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imprisoned on the charge of having poisoned her
late husband. The courts command Editha within
a year to find a champion to defend her innocence
in a trial by combat or to be burned at the stake as
a murderer. Editha, helpless, laments her state:]
[...] One day looking out of her prison window
(from whence she might behold the thick forests
and pleasant meads 1 ), she bethought herself how
wretchedly she had cursed her womb and the
unhappy fruits of her tempting God; for which
cause, humbling herself on her knees, and shedding
tears of compassion, she spoke thus:
“O my God, thou art just, but I injurious. I
tempted thee by unlawful curses, thou chastisest
me with deserved cruelty. I imputed my barrenness
to thy wrath not to my wickedness, and
sought help from the fiend in hope to be fruitful.
This my tempting of thy majesty exempteth me
from thy mercy, and my lewd 2 desires are the cause
of my lamentable destruction. O mothers, learn
by me! Let him that made all things moderate all
things; let him that granteth increase prefix the
time of increase. Except not against his glory, lest
he exempt you of his goodness. His delays are no
dalliance, his decrees are divine. Since, therefore,
he doth dispose of us, let us not oppose ourselves
against him. O father of mercy, pardon my
impiety! Let mine innocency have rescous, 3 as
thou art the God of the righteous! Thou that
savedst Susanna, succour me; thou that relievedst
Daniel, 4 deliver me!”
In this sort and with these sighs full often and
many times did this poor princess bemoan her
1 meads meadows.
2 lewd wicked, immoral.
3 rescous rescue, aid, assistance.
4 Susanna In the apocryphal Book of Susanna, the titular heroine is
a virtuous Jewish wife who is charged with adultery by two lustful
elders whose sexual advances she has earlier declined. Condemned to
death, she cries out to God, who gives the young Daniel the ability to
ferret out the truth; Daniel See Daniel, ch. 6, where the apocalyptic
prophet and visionary is miraculously preserved from certain death,
after being sealed in a den full of lions on the false witness of jealous
officials. In both stories, those who bear false witness are put to death
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mischief, 5 exclaiming on the impiety of her accusers,
whilst suspicious Villiers thought every hour
an age and every day a year till her days were determined.
Yet in outward show he bemoaned her,
visiting her oftentimes, presenting her with many
delicates, enterprising with all possible industry to
rid himself of suspicion and abuse her simplicity.
Divers of the princes privily murmured, seeing his
ambition by his behaviour and his craft cloaked
under courtesy, but as times have their revolutions
so truths are discovered, which shall manifestly
appear by the sequel that ensueth, wherein it is evidently
proved that God never faileth those who
put their trust in his mercy.
How Robert after He Was Invested in the
Empire, Heard of His Father’s Death, and
Departed to Take upon Him his Dukedom,
Accompanied with Emine His Empress, and
Pepin of France, with Other Princes.
[Chapter 19].
[Arriving home and being informed of his mother
Editha’s impending execution on the false charge
of murder, Robert volunteers to be his mother’s
champion, unbeknownst to her.]
[...] Well, the summons was sounded according to
order, and brave Robert of Normandy boldly
entered the lists, offering to adventure his life in
the behalf of Editha. Great was the joy of all the
ladies to see so goodly a knight enterprise the
Duchess’ right, and Editha in thought seemed to
claim some part of him. But leaving tedious circumlocutions,
this in brief was the effect of the
matter: the champions were sworn, and the judges
appointed, and after sound of trumpet and
proclamation, the combat was commenced. Great
was the courage of the accuser, but greater the
constancy of the defendant: the one fought for
money, the other fought for his mother; the one
trusted to his force, the other to his faith; the one
fought with fear, the other with confidence; in
in precisely the manner they have planned for the innocent. 5 mischief calamity, distress, trouble.