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y-seyled,

Lo Cresus, which that was of Lyde1" king, Mette he nat that he sat upon a tree, Which signified he sholde anhanged be?320 Lo heer Andromacha, Ectores wyf, That day that Ector sholde lese 18 his lyf, She dremed on the same night biforn,

Noot I nat why, ne what mischaunce it | How that the lyf of Ector sholde be lorn, 19

eyled,

280

285

But casuelly the shippes botme rente,
And ship and man under the water wente
In sighte of othere shippes it byside,
That with hem seyled at the same tyde.
And therfor, faire Pertelote so dere,
By swiche ensamples olde maistow3 lere1
That no man sholde been to recchelees5
Of dremes, for I sey thee, doutelees,
That many a dreem ful sore is for to drede.
Lo, in the lyf of seint Kenelm, I rede, 290
That was Kenulphus sone, the noble king
Of Mercenrike, how Kenelm mette a
thing;

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325

If thilke day he wente in-to bataille;
She warned him, but it mighte nat availle;
He wente for to fighte nathelees,
But he was slayn anoon of Achilles.
But thilke tale is al to long to telle,
And eek it is ny20 day, I may nat dwelle. 330
Shortly I seye, as for conclusioun,
That I shal han of this avisioun

335

Adversitee; and I seye forther-more,
That I ne telle of laxatyves no store, 21
For they ben venimous, I woot it wel;
I hem defye, I love hem never a del. 22
Now let us speke of mirthe, and stinte23
al this;

Madame Pertelote, so have I blis, 24

Of o thing God hath sent me large grace; 25
For whan I see the beautee of your face,340
Ye ben so scarlet-reed about your yën, 26
It maketh al my drede for to dyen;
For, also siker27 as In principio,
Mulier est hominis confusio;
Madame, the sentence 28 of this Latin is-
Womman is mannes Ioye and al his blis;346

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And to him rennen thanne his wyves alle.

Thus royal, as a prince is in his halle,

11 am sorry.

* accidentally.

learn.

5 careless.

7 little.

8 saw.

10 for fear of.

11 importance.

13 rather.

15 records.

3 mayest thou.

• Mercia.

17 Lydia.

9 nurse.

12 placed.

16 realms.

14 whether.

21 take no faith in.

18 lose.

19 lost.

20 almost.

22 never a bit.

23 cease

25 favor.

* eyes.

28 meaning.

29 flew.

24 as I hope for heaven.

27 as surely as.

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And what thay seyn of wommen ye may

2 teaching.

1 nature.

▲ voice.

5 certainly.

7 gone.

8 rhetorician.

11 black fox.

12 lived.

15 burst.

16 herbs.

nine o'clock A. M.

a sad accident befell him.
safely.

10 wonder.

13 premeditated. 14 hedges.

17 the middle of the forenoon.

here.

18 lie.

19 dissembler.

20 absolutely.

22 necessarily.

25 constrains.

24 sift the matter.

23 let him witness it.

26 necessarily. 27 baneful. 28 in sport.

21 foresees.

29 authors.

Wommannes counseil broghte us first to

wo,

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451

For Phisiologus seith sikerly,
How that they singen wel and merily.
And so bifel, that as he caste his yë,
Among the wortes, 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;
But trewely, the cause of my cominge
Was only for to herkne how that ye singe.
For trewely ye have as mery a stevene,7 471
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 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 seinte 15 charitee, 500
Let see, conne ye your fader countre-

fete? "16

This Chauntecleer his winges gan to bete, 17 As man that coude his tresoun nat espye, So was he ravisshed with his flaterye.

Allas! ye lordes, many a fals flatour 18505 Is in your courtes, and many a losengeour, 19

That plesen yow wel more, by my feith, Than he that soothfastnesse 20 unto yow seith.

Redeth Ecclesiaste of flaterye;
Beth21 war, 22 ye lordes, of hir trecherye.510
This Chauntecleer stood hye up-on his
toos,

Strecching his nekke, and heeld his eyen cloos,

And gan to crowe loude for the nones;
And daun Russel the fox sterte up at

ones,

23

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cryen,

1 declare.

2 sand.

5 secrets. * to spy out.

have the use of.

11 take such pains.

13 tip-toes. 14 lose.

#holy.

16 imitate.

17 flap.

3 herbs.

4 before.

20 truth.

7 voice.

8 pleasure.

22 wary.

23 at once.

10 eyes.

26 bore.

27 followed.

12 needed to.

29 cared.

30 delight.

24 throat.

28 avoided.

21 be.

25 seized.

31 wouldst thou.

18 flatterer. 19 deceiver.

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They yelleden as feendes doon 16 in helle; The dokes cryden as1" men wolde hem

570

19

quelle; 18

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 maden 20 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

I wol him ete in feith, and that anon.' " The fox answerde, "in feith, it shal be don,"

559

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Ran Colle our dogge, and Talbot, and

Gerland,

And Malkin, with a distaf in hir hand;

1 had I not.

2 learning.

4 lament.

7 such.

10 enclosure.

13 simple.

fear.

& drawn.

11 burned.

3 knowledge.

• grief.

seized.

12 leaped.

14 saw.

15 frightened by. 16 do.

20 did not make.

23 puffed.

17 as if. 18 kill.

21 trumpets.

24 whooped.

28 nimbly.

2 in spite of your head; in spite of all you

27 broke.

19 company.

12 box-wood.

25 surely.

can do.

** high.

But, sire, I dide it in no wikke1 entente; Com doun, and I shal telle yow what I

Hem thoughte18 Iewes rente him noght ynough;

mente.

I shal seye sooth to yow, god help me so." "Nay than," quod he, "I shrewe2 us bothe two, 606 And first I shrewe my-self, bothe blood and | Whiche been the verray develes officeres bones,

And ech of hem at otheres sinne lough. And right anon than comen tombesteres 19 Fetys20 and smale, and yonge fruytesteres, 21 Singers with harpes [eek, and] wafereres, 22

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615

620

Lo, swich it is for to be recchelees, And necligent, and truste on flaterye. But ye that holden this tale a folye, 10 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.

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To kindle and blowe the fyr of [luxurye],
That is annexed un-to glotonye;
The holy writ take I to my witnesse,
That luxurie is in wyn and dronkenesse.

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155

Herodes (who so wel the stories soughte) Whan he of wyn was replet at his feste, 161 Ryght at his owene table he yaf his heste 23 To sleen the Baptist John ful giltelees.

165

Senek24 seith eek a good word doutelees; He seith, he can no difference finde Bitwix a man that is out of his minde And a man which that is dronkelewe, 25 But that woodnesse, 26 yfallen in a shrewe, 27 Persevereth lenger than doth dronken

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Lo, how dere, shortly for to sayn, Aboght28 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 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 and South,

185

190

In erthe, in eir, in water men to-swinke33 To gete a glotoun deyntee mete and drinke!

1 wicked.

$ give.

careless.

2 curse.

3 make me.

bad luck.

7 self-control.

10 silly thing.

12 teaching. 13 practised. 16 brothels.

16 guitars.

11 for.

18 it seemed to them.

21 fruit sellers.

4 prosper.

$ prattles.

24 Seneca.

14 gambling.

17 tear in pieces.

27 wretch.

31 complain.

28 bought.

19 dancing girls.

22 confectioners.

25 a drunkard.

29 without doubt. 32 temperate.

20 graceful. 23 command.

26 madness. 30 forbidden.

33 labor hard.

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