Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/148

cxxii through his cry awaked out of her sleep, and in her waking the knife fell out of her hand, and with that she looked by her, and found the earl's daughter dead by her side, and all the bed besprinkled with blood, wherefore with an high voice she cried, and said, Alas! alas! and wo is me, my lord's daughter is slain.

"Then cried the countess unto the earl with a piteous voice, and said, my lord, let this devilish woman be put to the foulest death that can be thought which thus hath slain our only child.

"Then when the countess had said thus to the earl, he said to the empress in this wise; The high God knoweth that thou mischievous woman, hast slain my daughter with thine own hands, for I saw the bloody knife in thy hand, and therefore thou shalt die a foul death. Then said the earl in this wise: O thou woman, were it not I dread God greatly, I should cleave thy body with my sword in two parts, for I delivered thee from hanging, and now thou hast slain my daughter; nevertheless, for me thou shalt have no harm, therefore go thy way out of this city, without any delay, for if I find thee here after this day, thou shalt die a most cruel death.

"Then arose this woful empress, and put on her cloaths, and after leap'd on her palfrey, and rode