451

For Phisiologus seith sikerly,
How that they singen wel and merily.
And so bifel, that as he caste his yë,
Among the wortes,3 on a boterflye,
He was war of this fox that lay ful lowe.455
No-thing ne liste him thanne for to crowe,
But cryde anon, "cok, cok," and up he
sterte,

As man that was affrayed in his herte.
For naturelly a beest desyreth flee
Fro his contrarie, if he may it see,
Though he never erst1 had seyn it with his
yë.

460

This Chauntecleer, whan he gan him espye,

He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon Seyde, "Gentil sire, allas! wher wol ye gon?

Be ye affrayed of me that am your freend?
Now certes, I were worse than a feend, 466
If I to yow wolde harm or vileinye.

I am nat come your counseils for tespye;6
But trewely, the cause of my cominge
Was only for to herkne how that ye singe.
For trewely ye have as mery a stevene, 471
As eny aungel hath, that is in hevene;
Therwith ye han in musik more felinge
Than hadde Boece, or any that can singe.
My lord your fader (god his soule blesse!)
And eek your moder, of hir gentilesse, 476
Han in myn hous y-been, to my gret ese,8
And certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese.
But for men speke of singing, I wol saye,
So mote I brouke wel myn eyen10 tweye,480
Save yow, I herde never man so singe,
As dide your fader in the morweninge;
Certes, it was of herte, al that he song.
And for to make his voys the more strong,
He wolde so peyne him,11 that with both
his yën 10
485
He moste12 winke, so loude he wolde.

490

And stonden on his tiptoon13 therwithal,
And strecche forth his nekke long and smal.
And eek he was of swich discrecioun,
That ther nas no man in no regioun
That him in song or wisdom mighte passe.
I have weel rad in daun Burnel the Asse,
Among his vers, how that ther was a cok,
For that a preestes sone yaf him a knok
Upon his leg, whyl he was yong and nyce,
He made him for to lese14 his benefyce. 496
But certeyn, ther nis no comparisoun
Bitwix the wisdom and discrecioun
Of youre fader, and of his subtiltee.
Now singeth, sire, for seinte15 charitee, 500
Let see, conne ye your fader countre-
fete?"16

17

This Chauntecleer his winges gan to bete," As man that coude his tresoun nat espye, So was he ravisshed with his flaterye.

Allas! ye lordes, many a fals flatour18505 Is in your courtes, and many a losengeour,"

That plesen yow wel more, by my feith, Than he that soothfastnesse20 unto yow

Ran cow and calf, and eek the verray hogges,

565

So were they fered for15 berking of the dogges

And shouting of the men and wimmen eke, They ronne so, hem thoughte hir herte breke.

They yelleden as feendes doon16 in helle; The dokes cryden as17 men wolde hem quelle; 18 570 The gees for fere flowen over the trees; Out of the hyve cam the swarm of bees; So hidous was the noyse, a! benedicite! Certes, he lakke Straw, and his meynee,' Ne maden20 never shoutes half so shrille, Whan that they wolden any Fleming kille, As thilke day was maad upon the fox. 577 Of bras thay broghten bemes,21 and of box,22

19

Lo, how fortune turneth sodeinly The hope and pryde eek of hir enemy! This cok, that lay upon the foxes bak, 585 In al his drede, un-to the fox he spak, And seyde, "sire, if that I were as ye, Yet sholde I seyn (as wis25 god helpe me), 'Turneth agayn, ye proude cherles alle! A verray pestilence up-on yow falle! Now am I come un-to this wodes syde, Maugree your heed,26 the cok shal heer abyde;

590

180

Adam our fader, and his wyf also, Fro Paradys to labour and to wo Were driven for that vyce, it is no drede;29 For whyl that Adam fasted, as I rede, He was in Paradys; and whan that he Eet of the fruyt defended30 on the tree, Anon he was out-cast to wo and peyne. O glotonye, on thee wel oghte us pleyne!31 O, wiste a man how many maladyes 185 Folwen of excesse and of glotonyes, He wolde been the more mesurable32 Of his diete, sittinge at his table. Allas! the shorte throte, the tendre mouth, Maketh that, Est and West, and North

4

prosper.

8 prattles. 11 for.

18 it seemed to them. 21 fruit sellers.

14 gambling.

17 tear in pieces.

Sente him a paire of dees of gold in scorn,
For he hadde used hasard ther-biforn; 296
For which he heeld his glorie or his renoun
At no value or reputacioun.
Lordes may fynden other maner pley
Honeste ynough to dryve the day awey. 300
Now wol I speke of othes false and grete
A word or two, as olde bokes trete.
Gret swering is a thing abhominable,
And fals swering is yet more reprevable.
The heighe god forbad swering at al,
Witnesse on Mathew; but in special
Of swering seith the holy Ieremye,
"Thou shalt seye sooth thyn othes, and
nat lye,

305

And swere in dome, and eek in rightwisnesse;"

But ydel swering is a cursednesse.
Bihold and see, that in the firste table
Of heighe goddes hestes honurable,

310

Forswering, ire, falsnesse, homicyde.
Now, for the love of Crist that for us dyde,
Leveth your othes, bothe grete and smale;
But, sirs, now wol I telle forth my tale. 332

Thise ryotoures three, of whiche I telle,
Longe erst er pryme16 rong of any belle,
Were set hem in a taverne for to drinke; 335
And as they satte, they herde a belle clinke
Biforn a cors, was caried to his grave;
That oon of hem gan callen to his knave,
"Go bet," quod he, "and axe redily,
What cors is this that passeth heer forby;
And look that thou reporte his name
wel."

341

"Sir," quod this boy, "it nedeth
neveradel.18

It was me told, er ye cam heer, two houres;
He was, pardee, an old felawe19 of youres;
And sodeynly he was yslayn to-night,
For-dronke, 20 as he sat on his bench

upright;

345

Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth21
Deeth,

That in this contree al the peple sleeth,
And with his spere he smoot his herte
atwo,
And wente his wey with-outen wordes mo.
He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence:

349

this

Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an adversarie: Beth redy for to mete him evermore. Thus taughte me my dame, I sey namore.' "By seinte Marie," seyde this taverner, "The child seith sooth,22 for he hath slayn this yeer,

14 three.

11 plainly. 12 depart. 13 five. 15 cursed. 16 nine o'clock A. M. 17 quickly. 18 there is no need of it. 19 companion. 20 dead drunk.

21 name.

22 truth.