The Minor Poems of John Lydgate edited from all available mss. with an attempt to establish The Lydgate Canon: By Henry Noble MacCracken |
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| 23. | 23. THE DEBATE OF THE HORSE, GOOSE, AND SHEEP. |
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 | The Minor Poems of John Lydgate |  |
539
23. THE DEBATE OF THE HORSE, GOOSE, AND SHEEP.
Incipit Disputacio inter Equum, Aucam, & Ouem.
A Disputation between a horse, a sheepe and a goose, for superiotitie
1
Controuersies, pleys & discordisAttween persones, wer it too or thre,
Sought out the ground bi wittnessis of recordis:
This was the costom of antiquyte;
Iuges wer sett that hadde auctor[i]te,
The cas conceyved stondyng indifferent,
Attween parties to yeue a iugement.
2
Parties assemblid of hih or lowe degre,Weren admittid to shewen in sentence
Ground of her quarell; the lawe made hem fre
Without excepcioun to come to audience,
Bi the president comaundid first silence,
540
Bi title of right ther grevis to declare.
3
Vpon this mater shortly to conclude,Nat yoor a-gon as I reherse shall,
I fond to purpos a similitude
Ful craftily depeyntid vpon a wall:
Tweyn sitt in ther estat roiall,
The hardy Leoun famous in al rewmys,
Themperiall Egle pershyng the sonne bemys.
4
These wer the dreedful roiall iugis tweyn,In ther estate sittyng, I took keepe,
That herde the parties bi & bi compleyn,
The Hoors, the Goos, & the symple Sheepe.
The processe was nat to profounde nor deepe,
Off ther debat, but contryued of a fable;
Which of them to man was most profitable.
5
Ech for his partie proudly gan procedeTenforce hym-silf, bi record of scriptur
In philosophie as clerkis seen or rede,
The prerogatives goven hem bi natur;
Which of these thre to euery creatur
In re puplica availeth most to man.
For his partie thus first the hors began:
6
“To procede breffly, & nat [long to] tarie,Fro the trowth that I do nat erre,
541
As is the hors bothe nyh & ferre,
Or so notable to man in pees & werre?
Hors in cronyclis, wo-so looke a-riht,
Hav be savacion to many a worthi knyht.
7
“Marcial prowessis in especiallGod hath bi hors yove to werreiours.
Record of Alisandre whoos hors Busifall
Made hym tascape many sharp[e] shours;
The golden char of old[e] conquerours
Toward the tryumphe for ther knyghtly deedis
Conveied were with four white steedis.
8
“Remembre of Ector the Troian chaumpioun,Whoos hors was callid whilom Galathe;
Vpon whos bak he pleyed the leoun,
And ofte sithe made the Grekis flee.
The stede of Perseus was callid the Pegase,
With swift[e] wengis, poetis seyn the same;
Was, for swifftnesse callid ‘the hors of Fame.’
9
“Eques, ab ‘equo,’ is seid of verray riht,And cheualer is saide of cheualrye;
In Duche, a rudder is a knyght;
Aragon tunge doth also specifie
542
Is name of worship & took bigynnyng
Off spooris of gold & cheeffly of rydyng.
10
“Thes emperours, thes princis & thes kynges,Whan thei been armyd in bright plate & mayle,
Withouten hors what wer her mustrynges,
Ther brode baneres & ther riche apparaile,
To-fore ther enmyes to shew them in bataile?
Withouten hors spere, swerde, no sheld
Miht litel a-vaile for to holde a feeld.
11
“The hardy prikeris vpon hors[e] bakBe sent to-forn what ground is best to take
In that ordynaunce, that ther be no lak
Bi providence the feelde whan thei shal make;
An hors wole weepe for his maistir sake;
Chaunser remembrith the swerd, the ryng, the glas,
Presentid wern vpon a stede of bras.
12
“Tween to hyllis the prophete ZacarieSauh steedis four: the first of hem was red,
In charis four the feeld to magnyfie;
The secunde was blak it is no dreed;
The thrydde was whight, bodi, nek, & hed;
The fourthe was dyuers, & euerichon wer strong:
And to knyghthood alle these colours long.
543
13
“The red hors was tokne of hardynesse,Which apperteneth to euery hardy knyht;
The cole-blak hew a sygne of sobirnesse,
Poraile oppressid to helpe them in ther right;
The mylk-whiht steede that was so glad of siht,
Tokne that knyhthod trewly shuld entende,
Holi chirche & preesthod to deffende.
14
“The many-fold colours, to speke in generall,Been sondry vertues & condiciouns,
As the fower vertues callid cardynall
Longyng to knyhthod tencrece ther hih renouns—
In re publica callid the chaumpiou[n]s,
Treuthe to sustene shewe hem siluen strong,
Bounde bi ther ordre so no man have wrong.
15
“Withouten hors iustis ne turney att allMay nat be holden, in werr ne in pees;
Nor in palestre nor pleyes marciall,
Yiff hors do faile may come to non encres,
Nor no man sothly dar put hym silf in pres
Withouten hors, for short conclusioun,
To atteyn the palme of tryumphal guerdoun.
16
“Lower degrees ther been of hors al-soDo grett profite to euery comounte:
544
Without[en] hors dayly ye may see,
Tilthe wer lost, ne wer hors parde;
The besi marchant to his avauntage
Nar shippis & hors coude make no cariage.
17
“The ship bi liknesse is clepid an hors of tree(Ful notably who can vndirstond)
To leden men & carien ouer see
As don these hors whan thei ar come to lond:
The poor man ledith vpon a lond
His litel capil his corn, his mele, to selle;
Whan it is grounde hors carye it hom melle.
18
“In wyntir seson, for to make bele cheer,Than is neede wode & stuff to carie;
Wyn, frute, & oyle to serve thoruh the yeer
Is brought to vynters, & to the appotecarie
Divers dragges & many a letuarie,
Sondry bales & shortly, al vitaill:
Off the cariage hors have the travaille.
19
“Hey nor otis (playnly who list lerne,)May from the feeld[is] nor the medewis grene
To the garner nothir fro the berne
545
And to purpos (I sei right as I meene)
Ther is no best (to rekne as I be-gan)
So necessarie as hors is on-to man.
20
“August is a seson mery & glad,Whan euery tre with newe frut is lade,
With drauht of hors the shevis been hom lad;
That moneth past, the levis gynne fade,
Which made in somer a plesant lusti shade:
What doon hors than (to speke in wordis pleyn,)?
The secunde crop thei carie hom roweyn.
21
“Bi draught of hors fro rivers & fro wellisBowges be brouht to brewers for good ale;
Leede, ston, & tymbre, cariage eek for bellis,
We bryng to chirches (of trouthe, this is no tale);
We lede cloth sakkis & many a large male,
And gladly somers ar sent euyr to-forn
With gardeviaundis; how myht we be for-born?
22
“Ye prudent iugis, the Egle & the Leoun,What I haue saide doth wisly advertise;
Weieth this mater in your discrecioun,
Whedir Goos or Sheep (pleynly to devise)
Off ther nature may in any wise
(Iustly demyth, lat it nat be sparid)
Vn-to an Hors be likned & comparid.
546
23
“That I have told is trouth, & no feynyng;No wiht of reson may a-geyn replie,
Goos nor Gandir nor no grene Goslyng,
But if he entre the boundis of envie:
Lat hir come forth & say for hir partie.”
“Yis, trust me weel for the I wil nat spar,
Lik as I fele my verdite to declar:
24
“Wher-as thou hast vnto thi pasturBut oo place to make in thi repair,
It is me grauntid pleynly by nature
Tabide in thre, lond, watir, & ayer;
Now a-mong flours & grevis that been fair,
Now bathe in rivers, swymme in many a pond,
For storme & shour as drie as on the lond.
25
“To myn entent mo thynges ye may seen,As expert knowen that been old:
Whan wilde gees hihe in the ayer vp fleen,
A pronostik o[f] snow & wedris colde
With her weenges displayed & vnfolde,
Kalendis bryng pleynly for to seye
A-geyn wyntir how men shal them purueye.
26
“The grees of gandris is good in medicyne,With sundry gummes tempred for the gout,
547
In thextremytes drawe the malice out;
Fethers of goos whan thei falle or mout,
To gadre hem vp heerdis hem delite,
Selle hem to fletchers, the grey with the whihte.
27
“Men plukke stalkes out of my weengis tweyn,Some to portraye, somme to noote & write,
Whan rethoriciens han doon ther besy peyn
Fressh epistolis & lettris to endite.
With-out writyng vaileth nat a myte;
For, yiff pennys & writyng wer a-way,
Off remembraunce we had lost the kay.
28
“Off gees also the deede is previd oftIn many a contre and many a regioun,
To make pilwes & fether-beddis soft,
Of provident men plukkid of the doun:
Thus, to make a pleyn comparisoun,
As pilwes been to chaumbris agreable,
So is hard strauh litteer for the stable.
29
“The fyme of Gees & greene Gos[e]lyngisGadred in May among the herbis soote
A-geyn brennyng, scaldyng, & many othir thynges,
Tempred with oile & buttir doth gret boote
Tasswage the peyn [that] perceth to the roote;
But hors[es] dunge as refus al-way
Is good for forneyssis, temprid with clay.
548
30
“A ded hors is but a fowle careyn,The ayr infectyng, [it] is so corrumpable;
But a fatt goos whan it is new[e] slayn,
In disshis of gold, a morsel agreable,
Is sewid vp atte kyngis table,
Swymmyng on lyve in watris cristallyn;
Tendre rostid requeerith to have good wyn.
31
“Th[r]ouh al the lond of Brutis Albion,For fetherid arwes (as I reherse can)
Goos is the best (as in comparisoun,)
Except fetheris of Pekok or of Swan:
Bi bowe & arwis sith the werr began,
Have Ynglysshmen, as it is red in story,
On her enmyes had many gret victory.
32
“Hors in the feeld may mustre in gret pride,Whan thei of trumpetis her the blody soun;
But whan an arwe hath perced thoruh his side,
To ground he goth & cast his maistir doun:
Entryng the feeld he pleyeth the leoun;
What folwith aftir? his careyn stynkith sore;
Sauf skyn & shoon men leve of hym no more.
33
“Mihty capteyns & knyhtis in the feeldMake her wardis & her ordynaunce:
549
Sett in dew ordre to have the gouernaunce;
Which at Peiters toke the kyng of Fraunce.
Thank to the Goos mote be yove of riht,
Which in that feeld so proudly took her flight.
34
“Slouth of my fliht for hasti necligenceOf presumcion the Goos was left bi-hynde,
Whan the famous worthi Duke of Clarence
Rood on Baiard with his eyn blynde,—
Fliht of my fetheris was put out of mynde;
And, for he sett of me that day no fors,
Ful litel or nouht availed hym his Hors.
35
“Bookis old remembren in sentenceSom tyme whan Rome bi his foon was take,
The Capitoile kept with gret deffence:
Noise of a gandr the Capteyn did awake;
Which thyng remembryd thei sett vp for his sake,
In her templis wondir wide & olde,
A large Gandr forgid of fyn golde.
36
“His wakir noise was the savaciounBi which the Capteyn ran vp to the wall:
Thus, bi a gandr recured was the toun,
Callid of the world cite most roiall,
Cite of Citees that day most principall.
Was euyr Hors in bookis that ye can rede,
Pro re publica that dide sich a deede?
550
37
“In the book of Chyvaler de Lynge.The stori tellith (as in sentement)
Ther wer childre of the roiall ligne
Born with cheynes which, whan thei wern of rent,
Thei turned to swannes by enchantement,
Took her fliht (the cronycle is ful cleer,)
And as swannys the[i] swomme in the riveer.
38
“This story is ful autentik & old,In Frenssh compiled often rad & seyn:
Of the cheynes was made a cuppe of gold
Which is yit kept as somme folkis seyn,
And bi descent it longith (in certeyn)
To the Herfordis; ye shal it fynde in dede
Ceriously who list the story reede.
39
“And semblably nat long her-to-forn,(I telle this tale as for this partie)
Ther was a man, in Lumbardy born,
To a goos turned bi craft of sorcerye,
A-bood so seuene yeer (me list nat to lye);
His writ fill of, tho stood he vp a man,
A-bood with the duke in seruyce of Melan.
40
“And for he was a man of hih degre,Born of good blood & notable in substaunce,
551
The seide merveile to put in remembraunce.
Peise all these thyngis iustly in balaunce,
And lat the Hors leven his boost & roos,
To be comparid othir to Gandir or Goos.
41
“Withynne Rome the Gandr was deified,Set in ther templis of gret affeccioun,
Bi senatours of costom magnyfied
As cheeff protector & saviour of the toun:
Lat Hors & Sheep ley her bost a-doun,
But yiff the Ram, with his brasen belle,
Can for the Sheep any bettir story telle.”
42
The Sheep was symple, loth to mak a-fray,Lik a beste disposid to meeknesse:
The sturdy Ram aduocat was that day:
Be-for the iuges anon he gan hym dresse,
With an exordie in Latyn, this texppresse:
“Verte pupurea, O Egle, & thou Leoun,
Induti sunt Arietes Ouium.
43
“Off this notable roiall hih scriptur,The blissid Doctour Austyn, as I reede,
Be maner [of a] gostly fayr figur
Off a chast Sheep (thus he doth procede,)
552
Brouht forth the Lambe, Lambe of most vertu,
The Lambe of Grace which is callid Ihesu.
44
“Austyn callith this Lambe, in his estat(Bi many-folde recorde of Scriptur,)
The Roial Lambe of colour purpurat,
Which for mankynde list passioun to endur,
Born of a maide bi grace, a-geyn nature,
Whan He, bi mene of hir humylite,
Took the meeke clothyng of our humanyte.
45
“Born bi descent to be bothe Preest & Kyng,Kyng bi successioun fro Dauid doun bi line,
Of purpil red was His roial clothyng,
This Agnus Dei born of a pur virgyne,
Which wessh a-wey all venym serpentyne
On Calvarie whan He for man was ded,
With His pur blood purpurat & red.
46
“This Paschale Lamb withouten spot, al whiht,Bi His passioun in Bosra steyned red,
Which cam from Edom, Lamb of most delite,
That yaff His bodi to man in forme of bred
On Sheerthursday be-forn ar He was ded.
Was euyr founde afore this in scriptur,
Off Hors or Goos so solempne a ffigur?
47
“This Lamb was Crist which lyneali doun cam,Bi descent conveide the peedegre
553
Bi Isaac, Iacob & so doun to Iesse,
Which, bi the vertu of His humylite,
List to be callid the blissid Lord Ihesu,
For His hih meekenesse Lamb of most vertu.
48
“And to reherse worldly comoditees,In re publica make no co[m]parison:
Ther is no best which, in all degrees,
Nouthir Tigre, Olifant, nor Gryffon—
Al thynges rekned thoruh euery region—
Doth so gret profite, Hors, nor Goos, nor Swan,
As doth the Sheep, vn-to the ese of man.
49
“Lat be thi bost, thou Hors, & thi iangelyng!Ley doun thi trapurs forgid of plate & maile!
Cast of thy brydyl of gold so fressh shynyng!
What may thi sadil or bos the availe?
This gostly Lamb hath doon a gret bataile;
Bi His meknesse He offred vp for man,
Clad in pur purpil venquysshid hath Satan.
50
“The Goos may gagle, the Hors may prike & praunce;Neithir of hem in prowes may atteyne
For to be set or put in remembraunce
A-geyn the Lamb, thouh thei ther-at disdeyn:
For comon profite he passith bothe tweyne,
554
To hym in valew be-tween poor & riche.
51
“Off Brutis Albion his wolle is cheeff richesse,In prys surmountyng euery othir thyng
Sauff greyn & corn: marchauntis al expresse,
Wolle is cheeff tresour in this lond growyng:
To riche & poore this beeste fynt clothyng:
Alle naciouns afferme vp to the fulle,
In al the world ther is no bettir wolle.
52
“Of Sheep al-so comyth pilet & eke fell,Gadrid in this lond for a gret marchaundise,
Caried ovir see wher men may it sell:
The wolle skynnys makith men to rise
To gret richesse in many sondry wise;
The Sheep al-so turnyth to gret profite,
To helpe of man berith furris blak & white.
53
“Ther is also made of [the] Sheepis skyn,Pilchis & glovis to dryve awey the cold.
Ther-of also is made good parchemyn,
To write on bookes in quaiers many fold;
The Ram of Colcos bar a flees of gold;
The flees of Gedeon of deuh delectable
Was of Maria a ffigur ful notable.
555
54
“His fleessh is natural restauracioun,As summe men seyn aftir gret siknesse:
Rostid or sodyn, holsom is motoun,
Wellid with growel, phisiciens expresse,
Ful nutritiff aftir a gret accesse.
The Sheep al-so concludyng dout[e]lees
Of his nature louyth rest & pes.
55
“Of the Sheep is cast a-way no thyng:His horn for nokkis, to haftis goth the bon;
To the lond gret profite doth his tirdelyng;
His talwe eke seruyth for plaistres mo than on;
For harp strynges his roppis serue echon;
Of his hed boiled [holl] with wolle & all,
Ther comyth a gelle, an oyneme[n]t ful roiall!
56
“For ache of bonys & also for brosourIt remedieth & dooth [men] ese ful blyve;
Causith men starkid bonys to recur;
Dede synnewis restorith a-geyn to live.
Blak sheepis wolle with fresh oile of olive—
Thes men of armys with charmys previd good,—
At a streiht neede thei can weel staunche blood.
57
“But to the Wolff contrarie of natur,As seyn auctours, it is the humble best,
Louyth no debat, for with eche creature,
556
Wher-fore, ye Iugis, I hold it for the best,
Rem publicam ye must of riht preferre,
Alwey consideryng that pees is bet than werre.
58
“In this mater breffly to conclude,Pees to preferre as to my devis,
Bi many an old previd symylitude:
Makith no delay, yeuyth to the Sheep the pris,
Of oon assent, sith that ye be wis;
Lat al werr & striff be sett a-side,
And vpon pees dooth with the Sheep a-bide.”
59
“Nay,” quod the Hors, “your request is wrong,Al thyng considerid me wer loth to erre:
The Sheep is cause & hath be ful long,
Of newe striff & of mortal werre.
The circumstancis me list nat to defferre:
Thi wolle was cause & gret occasion
Whi that the proude Duke of Burgo[uy]n
60
“Cam befor Caleis with Flemynges nat a fewe,Which yaff the sakkis & sarpleres of the toun
To Gaunt & Brugis his fredam for to shewe,
And of thi wolle hiht hem pocessioun;
But his boistous baistill first was bete doun;
He vnethe escapid with the liff:
What but thi wolle was cause of al this striff?
557
61
“Wher richesse is of wolle & sich good,Men drawe thidir that be rek[e]les,
And soudiours that braynles been, & wood,
To gete baggage put hem silf in prees:
Causist werre, seist thu louest pees.
And yiff ther wer no werre nor bataille,
Lityll or nouht gret Hors[is] shuld availe.”
62
“No,” quod the Goos, “nor my ffetheris white,Withoute werre shuld do non avauntage,
Nor hookid arwis profite but a lite:
To mete our e[n]myes magre ther visage,
And from our enmyes to save vs from damage,
Fliht of my ffetheris despite of Sheep echon,
Shal vs deffende a-geyn our mortal foon.”
63
“Sothe,” quod the Hors, “as in my inward siht,Without[en] werre (be-forn as I yow told),
We may nat save nor keepe [wele] our riht,
Our garisons nor our castelis old.
But her this Sheep rukyng in his fold,
Set litill stoor of swerd or arwis keene,
Whan he, in pees, may pastur on the greene.
64
“Yiff it so stood that no werre were,Lost wer the craft of these armoreres.
What shuld availe pollex, swerd or spere,
558
Bowes, crosbowes arwis or fletcheres?
All these instrumentis for the werre wrouht,
Yif werr stynt shuld[e] serue of nouht.
65
“Her occupacioun shold have non encres;Knyhthod nat flouren shuld in his estat;
In euery contre yiff ther were pees,
No man of armys shold be fortunat:
I preve that pees is grond of all debat,
For on five spookis lik as on a wheel,
Turnyth al the world, who can considre weel.
66
“Gyn first at pees which causith most richesse,And riches is the originall of pride,
Pride causith, for lak of rihtwissnesse,
Werre between rewmys, look, on euery side,
Hertis contrarye in pees can nat a-bide:
Thus, fynally (whoo can considre & see,)
Werre is cheff ground & cause of pouerte.
67
“Pouert bi werr brouht to disencrece,For lak of tresour than he can no more,
Sauff only this he crieth aftir pees.
And compleyneth on the werris sore:
He seith, ‘bi werris he hath goodis lore,’
Can no recur but grutchyng & disdeyn,
Seith he wold fayn have pees a-geyn.
559
68
Thus pride & richesse to conclude in a clause,Betwen thextremytes of pes & pouerte,
Off all debatis & werre be cheeff cause;
And, sith wollis bryngith in gret plente,
Wher thei habounde (as folk expert may se),
Than may I seyn (yiff men wole takyn keepe),
Werr is brouht in al only bi the Sheep.”
69
“Her is a gentil reson of an Hors!I trowe he be fallen in a dotage,
Which of madnesse bi wolle set no fors,
Falsly affermeth it doth non avauntage.
Vertuous plente may do no damage:
Sheep berith his wolle, I told so whan I gan,
Nat for hym-silf, but for profit of man.
70
“Divers comoditees that comen of the SheepCause no werris what men iangle or muse,
As in her gilt, ye Iuges, takith keep
What that I sei her innocence texcuse!
Of coveitise men may falsly mysvse
Her beenfetis & wrongly hem attwite
Of sich occasiouns wher he is nat to wite.
71
“What is the Sheep to blame in your sightWhan she is shoorn & of hir flessh made bare,
560
Causelees to stryve foolis wil nat spare.
Wher pees restith ther is al weelfare;
And sith the Sheep louyth pes of innocence,
Yeuyth to his party diffynytiff sentence.”
72
The roial Egle, the Leon, of assent,Al thyng considerid rehersid heer-to-forn
Of all these thre bi good avisement,
Of Hors, of Goos, of Ram, with his gret horn,
Sauh in re publica myht nat be for-born;
Bi short sentence tavoyde al discorde,
Cast a meene to sett hem at a-corde.
73
This was the meene tavoide first the stryves,And al old rancour with her hertis glade,
Vse her yiftes & her prerogatives
To that eende which that thei wer made,
War, with presu[m]pcioun her bakkis be nat lade,
Vndevidid with hert[e], will & thouht
To doon her office as natur hath hem wrouht.
74
The Hors, bi kynde, to lyve in travayle,Goos, with his Gooslynges [to] swymme in the lake,
The Sheep, whoos wolle doth so myche availe,
561
Her comparisouns bi on assent for-sake,
Al-wey remembryng how God & Natur,
To a good ende made euery creatur.
75
That noon [of hem] to othir shuld do no wrong,The ravenous wolf the sely lambe toppresse;
And thouh oon be more than an othir strong,
To the febler do no froward duresse.
Al extorcioun is groundid on falsnesse;
Will is no lawe whethir it be wrong or riht:
Treuthe is put doun, the feeble is put to fliht.
76
Odious of old been all co[m]parisouns,And of comparisons is gendrid hatereede;
All folk be nat of lik condiciouns,
Nor lik disposid of thouht, wil, or deede;
But this fable which that ye now reede,
Contreued was that who that hath grettest part
Off vertuous yiftis shold with his freend depart.
77
Thus all vertues alloone hath nat oo man:That oon lakkith God hath yove a-nothir:
That thou canst nat parcas a-nothir can:
So entircomon as brothir doth with brothir;
562
And in oo clause speke in wordis pleyn,
That no man shold of othir ha disdeyn.
[Amor uincit omnia]
The Auctour makith a lenvoie vpon all the mateer be-fore said.
78
Off this fable conceivith the sentence;At good leiser doth the mateer see,
Which importith gret intelligence
Yiff ye list take the moralite
Profitable to euery comounte,
Which includith in many sondry wise,
No man shuld of hih nor lowe degre,
For no prerogatiff his neihbore despise.
79
Som man is strong, hardi as a LeounTo bynde Beeris or Booris to oppresse,
Wher-as anothir hath gret discrecioun;
Som man hooly liveth in parfitnesse,
A-nothir besi to gadre gret richesse:
But with al this tak heed of this emprise,
No man presume so hih his hornes dresse,
For no prerogatiff his neihbour to despise.
80
Trappurs of gold ordeyned wer for steedis;Sheep in the pastur gresen with mekenesse,
Yit of ther wollis be woven riche weedis,
Of smothe doun maad pilwis for softnesse,
Fethirbeddis to sleep, whan men dresse
563
Rolle vp this problem, thynk what it doth expresse:
For no prerogatiffe thi neihbour nat despise.
81
The inward meenyng to-forn as it is told,The Hors is tokne of marcial noblesse
With his hi belle & bocis brood of gold.
Estat of tirantis the poraile doth oppresse;
The Woolff in ffoldis to Sheep doth duresse,
Rukkyng in ffoldis for dreed dar nat arryse,
Ye that han power be war in your hihnesse,
For no prerogatiff, your sogettis to despise.
82
A pronostik clerkis ber wittnesse:Beth war of Phebus that erly cast his liht,
Of reyn, of storme, of myste or of derknesse
Shal aftir folwe longe or it be nyht;
Signe of gret wyntir whan wild gees tak her fliht
Like as Natur hir stoundis can devise:
Lat hih nor lowe presumen of his myht,
For no prerogatiff his neihbour to despise.
83
Of many strange vncouth simylitude,Poetis of old fablis have contryvid,
Of Sheep, of Hors, of Gees, of bestis rude,
Bi which ther wittis wer secretly apprevid,
Vndir covert tyrauntis eeke reprevid
Ther oppressiouns & malis to chastise
Bi exanplis of resoun to be mevid,
For no prerogatiff poore folk to despise.
84
Fortunes cours dyversly is dressidBi liknessis of many othir tale;
Man, best, & fowle & fisshis been oppressid
564
Of grettest fissh devourid been the smale,
Which in natur is a ful straunge guyse,
To seen a Kokkow mordre a Nityngale,
An innocent brid of hattreede to despise.
85
With this processe who that be wroht or wood,Thynges contrarie be founde in euery kynde:
A cherl of berthe hatith gentil blood;
It wer a monstre a-geyn natur, as I fynde,
That a gret Mastyff shuld a Leoun bynde;
A parlious clymbyng whan beggerrs vp arise
To hih estat—merk this in your mynde—
Bi fals prerogatives ther neihbours to despise.
86
Fals supplantyng clymbyng vp of foolis,Vnto chaires of wordly dygnyte,
Lak of discrecioun sett iobbardis vpon stoolis,
Which hath distroied many a comounte:
Marcolff to sitt in Salamon-is see.
What folwith aftir? Nor resoun nor iustise,
Vn-iust promocioun & parcialite,
Bi fals prerogativis ther neihbours to despise.
87
Tweene riche & poore what is the difference,Whan deth approchith in any creature,
Sauff a gay tumbe ffressh of apparence?
The riche is shet with colours & pictur
To hide his careyn stuffid with fowle ordur;
The poore lith lowe aftir the comoun guyse,
To techyn al proude of resoun & natur,
For no prerogatiff ther neihbour to despise.
88
Ther was a kyng whilom as I rede,As is remembrid of ful yore a-gon,
Which cast away croune & purpil weede,
565
Of poore nor riche hym sempte thei wer al on,
Refusid his crounne gan to aduertise:
Pryncis buried in gold nor precious ston,
Shuld, of no pompe, ther suggettis nat despise.
89
This thyng was doon in Alisandris tyme,Bothe autentik & historiall;
Bood nat til nyht, left his estat at pryme,
His purpil mantil, his garnement roiall,
Texemplifie in especiall
To imperial power what perel is to a-rise:
Whoo clymbith hihest most dreedful is his fall
Beeth war, ye princis, your sogettis to despise.
90
Hih & low wer maad of oo mateer;Of erthe we cam, to erthe we shal a-geyn;
Thees emperours with diademys cleer,
With ther victories & triumphes in certeyn,
In charis of gold lat hem nat disdeyn,
Thouh thei, eche day, of newe hem silf disguyse.
Fortune is fals, hir sonne is meynte with reyn:
Beth war, ye pryncis, your suggettis to despise.
91
Hed & feete been necessary bothe;Feet beryn vp all & hedis shal provide;
Hors, Sheep, & Gees, whi shuld thei be wrothe,
For ther comoditees tabreyden vpon pride?
Natur hir giftis doth dyversly devide,
Whoos power lastith from Cartage into Fryse:
He lastith weel that wisly can a-byde,
For any prerogatiff his neihbour to dispise.
566
Conclusio.
To beest & foule Nature hath set a lawe:Ordeyned steedis in iustis for the knyht,
In carte & plouh stokkis for to drawe,
Sheep in ther pastur to grese day & nyht,
Gees to swymme a-mong to take ther fliht;
Of God & kynde to take ther ffraunchise,
Yeuyng exaumple that no maner wiht
For no prerogatiff his neihbour shal dispise.
Explicit.
| The Minor Poems of John Lydgate | |