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PROLOGUE AND FABLE I. The Tale of the Cok, that founde a precyous stone, groundyd by Isopus, the phylosopher of Rome, that yche man shuld take in gree suche as God sent.

1

W]isdom ys more in prise, þen gold in cofers,
To hem, þat haue sauour in lettrure.
Olde examples of prudent philosophers
Moche auaylyd to folke þat dyd her cure
To serche out lykenes in nature,
In whyche men myght conceue & clerely see
Notable sentence of gret moralyte.

2

Vnto purpos þe poete laureate
Callyd Isopus dyd hym occupy
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Whylom in Rome to plese þe senate,
Fonde out fables, þat men myght hem apply
To sondry matyrs, yche man for hys party,
Aftyr þeyr lust, to conclude in substaunce,
Dyuerse moralytees set out to þeyr plesaunce.

3

Som of foules, of bestis and of fyssh,
Thys Isopus founde out exsample pleyne.
Where syluer fayleþ, in a pewter dyssh
Ryall dentees byn oft tymes seyne,
And semblably poetes, in certeyne,
In fables rude includyd gret prudence
And moralytees full notable of sentence.

4

Vnder blak erþe byn precious stones founde,
Ryche saphyres & charbuncles full ryall,
And, who þat myneþ downe lowe in þe grounde,
Of gold & syluer groweþ þe mynerall;
Perlys whyte, clere & orientall
Ben oft founde in muscle shellys blake,
And out of fables gret wysdom men may take.

5

For whyche I cast to folow þys poete
And hys fables in Englyssh to translate,
And, þough I haue no rethoryk swete,
Haue me excusyd: I was born in Lydgate;
Of Tullius gardeyn I passyd nat þe gate,
And cause, why: I had no lycence
There to gadyr floures of elloquence.

6

Yet, as I can, forþe I woll procede
In þys labour & my style dresse
To do plesaunce to þeym, þat shall hit rede,
Requiryng hem of verrey gentylnes
Of her grace to rewe on my rudenes,
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Thys compilacion for to take at gree,
Whyche theym to plese translatyd was by me.

7

And, yef I fall bycause of ignoraunce,
That I erre in my translacion,
Lowly of hert & feyþfull obeysaunce,
I me submyt to þeyr correccion,
Of hem, þat haue more clere inspeccion
In matyrs, þat touche poetry,
Me to reforme þat þey nat deny.

8

And, as myn auctor doþe at þe cok begyn,
I cast me to folow hym in substaunce,
Fro þe trouþe in sentence nat to twyn,
As God and grace woll yeue me suffysaunce,
Compyle þys lybell for a remembraunce:
To the reders hereaftyr may be founde
The thanke þerof fully to rebounde.

9

The Cok of kynde haþe a crest rede
Shape lyke a crowne, token of gret noblesse,
By whyche he haþe, whyle hit stont on hys hede,
As clerkis seyn, corage & hardynes,
And of hys berde melancolyk felnes:
Aboute hys nek by mercyall apparayll
Nature haþe yeue hym a stately auentayll.

10

Thys hardy foule with brest & voyce so clere
Most trewly kepeþ þe tydes of þe nyght,
Of custom namyd comon astrologere
In throwpes smale to make þeyr hertis lyght;
With spores sharpe enarmyd for to fyght
Lyke a champion iustly doþe attende,
As a proud capten, hys broode for to defende;
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11

Beteþ hys wyngis, aforn or he do syng
B[i]t sluggy hertis out of þeyr slepe to wake,
When Lucyfer toward þe dawnyng
Lawgheth in þe oryent & haþe þe west forsake
To chase awey þe myghty clowdys blake:
Towarde Aurora þys foule, who takeþ kepe,
Byddyþ folk ayene awake out of þeyr slepe,

12

Whos waker callyng þryes tolde in nombre
With treble laudes youe to þe Trinite,
Slouþe auoydyng, clepeþ folk out of þer slombre
(Good hope repeyreþ to all, þat heuy bee),
Comforteþ þe seke in hys infirmite,
Causeþ merchauntis & pylgryms to be glad,
The þeuys swerde hyd vndyr þe shad.

13

Callyd þe prophete of ioy & all gladnes,
Embassiatour of Phebus fyry lyght,
Whyche put awey by musicall swetnes
The vgly blaknes of þe derk[e] nyght;
For whyche me semeth, me shuld of dew[e] ryght
For .iij. causes preferre þys foule among,
For waker kepyng, for hardynes & song.

14

Thys foule ys waker ayen þe vyce of slouþe,
In vertu strong & hardy as a lyon,
Stable as a geaunt, opon a grounde of trouþe,
Ayene all vyces þe morall champion,
And with þe entewnes of hys melodious soun
He yeueþ ensample, as he hys voyce doþ reyse,
Howe day & nyght we the lord shall preyse.
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15

And, for because hys brest ys strong & cleere
And on hys tipto dysposeþ for to syng,
He ys of poettis callyd Chaunceleer.
And, as myn auctour remembreþ by wrytyng,
Whylom þys foule in a glad mornyng
Reioysyd hym ayene the son[ne] shene
With all hys flok to walke opon a grene.

16

He was furst besy for to breke hys faste,
With hys wyues about hym euerychone,
On a small donghyll to fynde a good repaste
Gan scrape & sporne & fast about[e] gone.
Hyd in þe dong hyll he fonde a iacynct stone,
Yet hys labour & hys besy cure
Was for nat elles, but for hys pasture.

17

He yaue ensample, whyche gretly may auayle,
As he was oonly taught by nature,
To auoyde slouþe by dylygent trauayle,
By honest labour hys lyuelood to procure.
For, who woll þryue, labour must endure;
For idylnes & froward negligence
Makeþ sturdy beggars for lak of þeyr dyspence.

18

Losengowres, þat fele hem strong ynough,
Whyche haue sauour in slouþe & slogardy,
Haue leuer to beg, þen go at þe plough,
Dyche or delue, þeymsylf to occupy.
Thus idylnes[se] causeþ rob[e]ry
In vacant pepyll, þat to and fro dyd wende:
For þeft arestyd at Tyburn make an ende.
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19

They be no men, but folkis bestiall,
Voyde of reson oonly for lak of grace,
Whyche ete & drynke & labour nat at all.
The cok was besy hys lyuelood to purchase
The long day in many diuerse plase,
Hym & hys broode oonly to forstre, in trouþe,
Suche folke rebukyng, þat lyue in slombre & slouþe.

20

Vertu gynneþ at occupacion,
Vyces all procede of idelnesse,
Vnto þeues foundres & patroun;
As thryft commeþ of vertuous besynesse,
So of myschyef slouth ys chief maistresse:
Thys ydelnes causeþ folk in dede
To waste þeyr dayes in myschief & in nede.

21

With scrapyng, spornyng all þe long[e] day
The cok was besy hym & hys broode to fede,
Founde a iacyncte, whyche in þe donghyll lay,
A ryche stone & a precious, as I rede;
Of whyche stone when þe cok toke hede,
Stynt awhyle, sodenly abrayde,
And to þe ston euyn þus he sayde:

22

“Who þat knew þy nature & þy kynde,
All þe propurtees, whyche of the be tolde,
A ieweller, yef he þe myght fynde,
Wolde for þy vertues close þe in golde.
Euax to the yeueþ praysyng manyfolde,

Euax rex Arabum


Whos lapydary bereþ opynly wytnesse,
Geyn sorow & wo[e] þou bryngest in gladnesse.
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23

“The best iacyncte in Ethiope ys founde
And ys of colour lyke þe saphyre ynde,
Comforteþ men, þat ly in prison bounde,
Makeþ men strong & hardy of hys kynde,
Contract synewes þe iacyncte doþ vnbynde:
Yet for all þy vertuous excellence
Twene þe & me ys no conuenience.

24

“For me þou shalt in þys place abyde,
With the I haue lyght or nought to done.
Late þese merchantis, þat go so ferr & ryde,
Trete of þy valew, wheþer hit be late or sone,
Deme how þe cherle came furst in þe mone:
Of suche mysteryes I take but lytell hede;
Me lyst nat hewe chyppes aboue myn hede.

25

“Precyous stones longen to iewellers
And to princes, when þey lyst wel be seyn:
To me more deynte in bernes or garners
A lytell rewarde of corn or good greyn.
To take þys stone to me hit were but veyn:
Set more store (I haue hit of nature)
Among rude chaffe to shrape for my pasture.

26

“Lyke as folkis of relykis haue deynte,
Theron þey set a valew or a pryce,
Hygh maters profounde & secree
Ne shuld nat without gret auyce
Be shewyd in opyn to hem, þat be nat wyse;
For, as a wyseman in wysdom haþe delyte,
Ryght so a foole of doctrine haþe dyspyte.

27

“Golde & stones be for a kyngis hede,
Stele ys tryed for platis in armure,
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To couer churches couenable ys lede,
Brasse for belles, iren long to endure
(Thus euery þyng foloweþ hys nature),
Pryncys to reygne, knyghtis for batayll,
Plowmen for tylþe, shypmen for to sayll.

28

“The hert desyreþ to drynke of crystall welles,
The swan to swymme in large brood riueres,
The gentyll faucon with gesse & ryche belles
To cache hys pray lyke to hys desyres,
I with my brode to scrape afore garneres:
Precious stonys noþyng apperteyne
To gese nor fovlys, þat pasture on þe grene.

29

“Of þeyr nature as folke byn dysposyd,
Diuersely þey make eleccion.
Double of vertu þe saphyr in gold closyd.
Yche man cheseþ lyke hys opinion:
On cheseþ þe best of wysdom & reson,
And anoþer (hys eyen byn so blynde)
Cheseþ þe werst, þe best he lyt behynde.”

Lenuoy.

30

Though þys fabyll be boysters & rurall,
Ye may þeryn consider þyngis þre:
Howe þat diligence in especiall
Haþe agayn slouþe caught þe souereynte,
And, where fre choyse haþ hys liberte,
Cheseþ þe werst in ernest or in game,
Who, but hymsylf, þerof ys to blame?

31

Who foloweþ vertu, vyces doþ eschew,
He cheseþ þe best in myn opinion.
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The cok demyd, to hym hit was more dew
Small simple grayne, þen stones of hygh renoun,
Of all tresour chief possessioun.
Suche as God sent, eche man take at gre,
Nat prowde with ryches nor groge with pouerte.

32

The worldly man laboreth for rychesse,
And on þe worlde he set all hys intent.
The vertuos man to auoyde all ydelnesse
With suffisaunce hold hymsylf content.
Eche man þerfore with suche as God haþ sent,
Thanke þe Lorde, in vertu kepe hem stable,
Whyche ys conclusioun of þys lytyll fable.
Explicit.
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