About the Author 

A medieval English Franciscan whose name we do not know told this tale of a superficial attraction which led to the fall of a man and his wife together. In the Middle Ages preachers sometimes drew on books of exempla, moral tales that were suitably exciting but ended with a lesson that would reinforce the subject of the sermon. In this case, the friar encouraged married people to grow in virtue together – you never knew what tomorrow might bring.

The Tale of a Cursed Marriage

A certain great lady was left a widow by the death of her husband, and wooed by many in marriage, one of her many suitors was handsome and strong practised and renowned in arms, but poor. When, therefore, he made his case, trying to win her heart to the marriage, seeing also that his body pleased her while his poverty (according to the way of the world) displeased her, she gave him one day the following answer: “ Beloved sir, how could I, being such a lady as I am, take you who are so poor a man and of so few resources? It’s not you but your poverty that displeases me; if you had a fief I would gladly take you.” Hearing which the noble departed, and laid wait in a certain public way where the merchants often passed; until, finding a merchant that went by with great riches, he killed him and carried away all his goods. Thus he came to sudden wealth and, being raised from his poverty to glory, he went to the lady, showed her his wealth, and pressed that she would deign to receive him. She, amazed at his so sudden fortune, asked him how he had come to so great riches; nor would she listen until he told her the truth. He was so deeply in love with this lady that he dared not offend her in anything, but clean confessed the whole matter. She, having heard his tale, told him go to the place where the dead man lay, if he would have her hand in marriage, and watch there one whole night long. He did according to her bidding; and, as he kept earnest watch, he saw how in the silence of the night a storm arose, and the dead man sat up and stretched out his hands to the heaven and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Lord, Who art the just judge of all, Thou knowest how unjustly I died! If it be Thy will, do justice now.” Then from above there came a rushing mighty voice that said: “ This day thirty years, thou shalt be avenged.” With that the dead man fell back again to the earth; and the murderer went back and told his lady all that he had seen and heard. But she, thinking within herself that she would atone for the deed by penance before the time appointed, took him for her husband; and from then they grew daily in wealth and worldly glory. They prospered and increased with many happy children, and bound their family by marriages to the noblest of their neighbours. So when the time began to glide by, year by year, the lady asked her husband many times to do his penance; but he, blinded by the glory of this world, put it off so long that year after year stole away, and at last the thirtieth came. When therefore the appointed day of vengeance was at hand, then that nobleman made great preparations in one of his castles, and invited all his friends for that day to a feast. When therefore they were all assembled, he made sure that none should enter from whom he might fear aught. So, while all feasted and made merry, a fiddler came to the door and asked to come in as such men are wont to do. The porter, not daring to let anyone in without permission, announced the fiddler to his lord, who said: “Let him in!” So he came in, and in due time would have liked to have done what he came to do, and played music on his fiddle: but someone had crept up as a joke and greased the strings of his fiddlebow with lard or some other fat. Then the fiddler picked up his bow and would have drawn it over the strings; but all was silent, for the grease smothered the melody. What then could the poor fiddler do? Utterly confounded, he thrust his fiddle into his bag, rose from his spot, and hurried forth from the castle. He was already gone some distance from the spot, when he realized that he had lost one of his gloves; and, looking anxiously around, as we do at such times, he turned by chance towards the place whence he had come: when lo! he saw naught there but the level earth. Amazed at the sight, he retraced his steps to the place where that castle had been; yet here again he found a level flat, and in the midst a fountain, by the side of which lay his glove: for the castle and all that was therein had been swallowed up by the earth. In truth the Lord showed plainly by this example that He is a patient payer; if therefore, while time glides by, vengeance draws near by God’s just judgment, then “delay not to be converted to the Lord, and defer it not from day to day.” (Sirach 5:7)

This example was preached by Brother Hugh de Sutton in the parts over sea [i.e. in Palestine]; who told how he knew it by hearsay; and, when he had told the story like this with that qualification, up spoke one of his congregation: “Brother, you may tell that story without misgiving; for I know the very place where it came to pass.”