25
In this tyme he stondynge seyde noght. But whan thei wolde leden him to his dethe, he spak, and requered that tresor, seyinge, he wolde sleen him, not for no vileinye ne avowtrie, but coveytinge tho thinges that in goynge he hadde betoken him. Thanne the kyng called his styward and bad him ~ brynge what hadde ben goven him for to kepe; and whan he broght it, Combabe brak the seel and schewed what was with inne and what he himself hadde soffred. And he seyde: “O Kyng, for I was adrad of this whan ye wolde sende me on this weye, therfore me was loth to gon; and whan ye gretly constreyned me, I wroghte this maner dede, that is gode for my maistre but not wel for me. Natheles, I that am such as ye seen am reprevede of a mannes synne.”
26
At this seyinge that other youled and toke him in armes and wepynge seyde: “O Combabe, wherfore hastow wrought gret mescheef? Wherfore hastow don thiself suche a despyt that never yit no man ne sayde? I preyse this not at alle. O herde herte, that wast hardy for to don suche thinges, that I wolde thou hadde neer soffred ne I neer seen! Me wantede not this answere. But for als moche as it was goddes wille, first shaltow han vengeaunce of oure grace, the dethe of thi false chalengeres hem self, and after schal comen a gret yifte, moche gold and gret plentee silver and Assuriene clothes and rialle destreres (royal chargers). And thou shalt come before me withouten that ony man presente thee, and noon schalle lette thee fro sight of me, thoghe I be abedde with my wyf.”A plain reminiscence of Herodotus3, 84 and118, with the significant change of fv uh yuraki to οὐδ᾽ ἣν γυναικί (Allinson). Right as he seyde, right so he didde. Tho weren ladde to dethe anon, but to him the yiftes were goven and grettere frendschipe was graunted. And it semede that Combabe hadde not his pere in Assurye for wisdom and for blisse.
