8

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,
And certes, sire, ful fayn wolde I yow plese.
But for men speke of singing, I wol saye,
So mote I brouke9 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, that with both
his yën 10
485
loude he wolde

He moste12 winke, so

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?

916

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 thought hir herte breke.

They yelleden as feendes doon16 in helle; The dokes cryden as17 men wolde hemquelle; 18

570

19

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 Iakke 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

Of horn, of boon, in whiche they blewe and pouped, 23

And therwithal they shryked and they houped;24

580

It semed as that heven sholde falle. Now, gode men, I pray yow herkneth alle!

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

a knowledge. • grief. seized.

12 leaped. 14 saw.

26 in spite of your head; in spite of all you can do.

28 nimbly.

10

615

620

Lo, swich it is for to be recchelees,9 And necligent, and truste on flaterye. But that holden this tale a folye," ye As of a fox, or of a cok and hen, Taketh the moralitee, good men. For seint Paul seith, that al that writen is, Toll our doctryne12 it is y-write, y-wis. Taketh the fruyt, and lat the chaf be stille. Now, gode god, if that it be thy wille, As seith my lord, so make us alle good men; And bringe us to his heighe blisse. Amen.

O glotonye, ful of cursednesse,
O cause first of our confusioun,
O original of our dampnacioun,
Til Crist had boght us with his blood
agayn!

Lo, how dere, shortly for to sayn,
Aboght 28 was thilke cursed vileinye;
Corrupt was al this world for glotonye!

175

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, 180 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.

Maketh that, Est and West, and North

4

prosper.

18 it seemed to them.

8 prattles.

21 fruit sellers.

14 gambling. 17 tear in pieces.

19 dancing girls. 22 confectioners. 25 a drunkard. 29 without doubt. 32 temperate.

20 graceful. 23 command. 26 madness. 30 forbidden. 33 labor hard.

Bledinge ay at his nose in dronkenesse;
A capitayn shoulde live in sobernesse.
And over al this, avyseth yow18 right wel 255
What was comaunded un-to Lamuel—
Nat Samuel, but Lamuel, seye I-
Redeth the Bible, and finde it expresly
Of wyn-yeving19 to hem that han Iustyse;
Namore of this, for it may wel suffyse. 260

And now that I have spoke of glotonye,
Now wol I yow defenden20 hasardrye.21
Hasard is verray moder of lesinges, 22
And of deceite, and cursed forsweringes,23
Blaspheme of Crist, manslaughtre, and

wast24 also

Of catel25 and of tyme; and forthermo,
It is repreve26 and contrarie of honour
For to ben holde27 a commune hasardour.
And ever the hyer he is of estaat,
The more is he holden desolaat.2
If that a prince useth hasardrye,
In alle governaunce and policye
He is, as by commune opinoun,
Yholde the lasse in reputacioun.

Stilbon, that was a wys embassadour,275 Was sent to Corinthe, in ful greet honour, Fro Lacidomie, to make hir alliaunce. And whan he cam, him happede, par chaunce,

That alle the grettest that were of that lond,

Pleyinge atte hasard he hem fond.
For which, as sone as it mighte be,

280

He stal1 him hoom1 agayn to his contree, And seyde, "Ther wol I nat lese2 my name;

Ne I wol nat take on me so greet defame,3
Yow for to allye un-to none hasardours. 285
Sendeth othere wyse embassadours;
For, by my trouthe, me were lever1 dye,
Than I yow sholde to hasardours allye.
For ye that been so glorious in honours
Shul nat allyen yow with hasardours
As by my wil, ne as by my tretee."
This wyse philosophre thus seyde he.

290

Loke eek that to the king Demetrius The king of Parthes, as the book seith

us,

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,"17 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, 345 For-dronke, 20 as he sat on his bench upright;

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