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And with his mouth into my water spew." "Sir," quoth the lamb, "they twa are noways true.

X.

"The law sayis, and ye will understand, There should no man, for wrong nor

violence,

His adversar punish at his own hand,
Without process of law and evidence ;
Quhilk should have leave to make lawful
defence;

And thereupon summons peremptorily
For to propone, contrary, or reply.

XI.

"Set me a lawful court: I shall compear Before the lion, lord and leal justice; And, by my hand, I obliss me right here That I shall bide ane unsuspect assize. This is the law; this is the justest wise :2 Ye should proceed therefore, and summons make

Against that day, to give reason and take."

XII.

"Na," quoth the wolf, "thou would

intruss 3 reason,

Till he was full; syne went his way apace. Of this murthour what shall I say, alas! Was not this reuth? was not this great pity?

To gar this silly lamb but' guilt thus die?

MORAL.

XIV.

The poor people this lamb may signify, As mail-men, merchands, and poor labourers,

Of whom the life is half a purgatory, To win with lawty2 living as effeirs. 3 The wolf betokens false extortioners, And oppressors of poor men, as we see, By violence, or craft, or subtlety.

XV.

Three kind of wolfis in the world now rings:4

The first are false perverters of the laws, Quhilk under polite termis falset mingis,5 Lettand that all were gospel that he

shaws:

But for a bud? the poor man he o'erthraws, Where wrong and reif4 should dwell in Smoirand the right, garrand9 the wrong

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proceed.

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XVII.

O man! but' mercy, what is in thy thought? Waur2 than a wolf, and thou could understand;

Thou has enough; the poor husband 3 has nought

To dring' and draw, in court or in carriage;

His servant, or himself, may not be spared, To swink3 and sweat, withouten meat or

wage:

Thus how he stands in labour and bondage, But crop and calf, upon ane clout 5 of That scantly may he purchase by his maill, land.

For Goddis awe, how dare thou take on hand,

And thou in barn and byre so bene? and big,

To live upon dry bread and water kail.5

XXI.

Has thou no reuth to gar thy tennant sweat,

To put him frae his tack, and gar him Into thy labour, with faint and hungry thig ?9

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wame? 7

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And God, as thou all righteous prayer hears,

Mot save our King, and give him heart and hand,

All sic wolfis to banish out of the land.

THE PROLOGUE.

I.

Though feignèd fables of auld poetry,
Be not all grounded upon truth, yet than
Their polite terms of sweet rhetorie,
Are right pleasant unto the ear of man ;
And also the cause that they first began,
Was to reprove the hale misliving'
Of man, by figure of another thing.

II.

In like manner, as through the busteous erd 2

(Sae it be laboured with great dilligence), Springis the flowris, and the corn on

breird, 3

Wholesome and good to mannis sustenance;

Sae springis there ane moral sweet

sentence

Out of the subtle dite 4 of poetry

To good purpose, who could it well apply,

III.

IV.

For as we see, ane bow that is aye bent,
Worthis unsmart,' and dullis on the string
Sae goes the man that is aye delligent
In earnestful thought, and in studying:
With sad matteris some merryness to ming,
Accordis well, thus Æsop said, I wis,
Dulcius arrident seria picta jocis. 3

V.

Of this author, my masteris, with your leave
Submitting me in your correction,
In mother tongue of Latin I would prieve
To make ane manner of translation;
Not of myself for vain presumption,
But by request, and precept of ane Lord,
Of whom the name it needs not here re-
cord.

VI.

In homely language, and in termis rude,
Me needis write for why! of eloquence
Nor rhetoric I never understood;
Therefore meikle I pray your reverence,
Gif that ye find ought through my negli-
gence,

Be diminute, or yet superfluous,
Correct it at your willis gracious.

VII.

My author in his fables tellis how
That brutal beastis spake and understood,
And to good purpose dispute, and argow,
Ane syllogism propone, and eke conclude;

The nuttis shell, though it be hard and Putting example and similitude,

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And that through custom, and the daily Jewels are tint, as oft-times has been seen rite

Syne in their minds sae fast is radicate,1 That they in brutal beastis are transformate.

IX.

This noble clerk, Æsop, as I have told, In gay metre, as poet laureate,

By figure wrote his book; for he nought would

Lack the wisdom of high, nor low estate, And to begin, first of ane cock he wraite. Seekand his meat, which found ane jolly stone,

Of whom the fable ye shall hear anone.

THE COCK AND THE JASP.

I.

Upon the floor, and sweepèd forth anonePeradventure so was this samen stone.

III.

Sae marvelland upon the stone, quoth he, "O gentle jasp! O rich and noble thing; Though I thee find, thou gainis nought for me!

Thou art a jewel for a lord or king;
Pity it were thou should lie in this midding,"
And buried be thus in this muck 3 and
mould,

And thou so fair, and worth sae meikle gold.

IV.

"It is pity I should thee find, for why,
Thy great virtue, nor yet thy colour clear,
It may me neither extol nor magnify,
And thou to me may make but little cheer.
To'great lords though thou be leifs and dear,
I love far better thing of less avail,

Ane cock, sometime with fetheram 2 fresh As draff, or corn, to fill my toom entrail.

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Where should thou sit but on ane kingis Without science? over all thing I you

crown,

Exalted in worship and great honour?
Rise, gentle jasp, of all stanis the flower,
Out of this midding, and pass where thou
should be,

Thou gainis nought for me, nor I for thee.

VIII.

Leavand this jewel low upon the ground,
To seek his meat this cock his wayis went;
But when, or how, or whom by it was found,
As now I set to hold no argument;
But of the inward sentence and intent
Of this fable, as mine author does write,
I shall rehearse in rude and homely dite.

THE MORAL.

IX.

This jolly jasp had properties seven :
The first, of colour it was marvellous;
Part like the fire, and part like to the heaven
It makis ane man stark and victorious;
Preservis als 3 frae cases perilous :

assure,

It is riches that ever shall endure;
Whilk moth nor moist, nor other rust
can freit ;2

To mannis soul it is eternal meat.

XII.

This cock desirand mair,3 the simple corn
Than any jasp, may till ane fool be peer,
Whilk at science makes but ane mock

and scorn,

And nae good can, as little will he lear;4
His heart wamillis wise arguments to hear,
As does ane sow to whom men for the
nones, 5

In her draff trough would sow the precious
stones.

XIII.

Wha is enemy to science and cunning,
But ignorants that understandis nought?
Whilk is so noble, so precious, and so ding,
That it may not with erdly 7 thing be
bought.

Weel were that man o'er all other that
moght

Who has this stone, shall have good hope All his life days in perfite study wair,

to speed,

Of fire or water him needs nought to dread.

X.

This gentle jasp right different of hue,
Betokennis perfect prudence and cunning:4
Ornate with many deedis of virtue

To get science; for him needs nae mair.

XIV.

But now, alas! science is tint 9 and hid;
We seek it not nor prize it for to find;
Have we riches, nae better life we bid,

I Resound. 2 Decay.

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3 More.

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