The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1391]
And when he had thus said, he commanded to bring forth three vessels, the first was made of pure gold, beset with precious stones without, and within full of dead mens bones, and thereupon was ingraven this posey: Whoso chooseth me shall finde that he deserveth.
The second vessel was made of fine silver, filled with earth and wormes, and the superscription was thus: Whoso cbooseth me shall find that his nature desireth.
The third vessel was made of lead, full within of precious stones, and the superscription, Who so chooseth mee shall finde that God hath disposed to him.
These three vessels the emperour shewed to the maiden and said, Lo, here daughter, these be faire vessels, if thou choose one of these, wherein is profit to thee and to other, then shalt thou have my sonne: but if thou choose that wherein is no profit to thee nor to none other, soothly thou shalt not marrie him.
When the mayden saw this, she lift up her hands to God and said: Thou Lord that knowest all things, grant me grace this houre so to choose, that I may receive the emperours sonne. And with that shee beheld the first vessell of gold, which was engraven, and read the superscription, Who so chooseth me, &c. saying thus: Though this vessel be full precious and made of pure gold, neverthelesse I know not what is within, therefore my deare lord, this vessel will 1 not choose.
And then shee beheld the second vessel that was of pure silver, and read the superscription, Who so chooseth mee shall finde that his nature desireth. Thinking thus within her selfe, If I choose this vessel, what is within it 1 know not, but well I wot there shall I finde that nature desiretb, and my nature desireth the lust of the flesh, therefore this vessel will I not choose. When she had seene these two vessels, and given an answere as touching them, shee beheld the third vessell of lead, and read the superscription, Who so chooseth mee, shall finde that God hath disposed. Thincking within her selfe this vessel is not passing rich, nor throughly precious: neverthelesse, the superscription saith: Who so chooseth mee, shall finde that God hath disposed: and with out doubt God never disposeth any harme, therefore now I will choose this vessell, by the leave of God.
When the emperour saw this, hee said, O faire mayden open thy vessell, and see if thou hast well chosen or no. And when this yong lady had opened it, shee found it full of fine gold and precious stones, like as the emperour had told her before.
And then said the emperour, O my deere daughter, be cause thou hast wisely chosen, therefore shalt thou marry my sonne. And when he had so said, he ordained a marriage, and married them together with great solempnitie and much honour, and they lived peaceably a long time together.
THE MORALL.
This emperour betokeneth the Father of heaven, the which was long time without a natural sonne, therefore many men were in danger of perishing in hell. The empresse conceived when the angell Gabriel sayd, Loe, thou shalt con ceive and beare a childe. And then the firmament began to cleere when this little childe lightened the world with his birth. The moone began to waxe pale, when the face of the Virgin Mary was overshadowed by vertue of the grace of the Holy Ghost; and not onely her face was thus shadowed, but also her body, for shee conceived with childe as an other woman, wherefore Joseph would have forsaken her privily, and gone away. The little bird that came from the one side of the moone, betokeneth our Lord Jesu Christ, which at midnight was borne of the Virgin Mary, wrapped in clothes, and laid in an oxes crib. The two beasts betokeneth the oxe and the asse that Joseph brought with him, which honoured him in his birth. These other beasts that came from farre, betokeneth the shepheards in the fielde, to whom the angel said thus, Ecce nuncio vobis gaudium