70. THE COK HATH LOWE SHOONE.
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[From B.M. Harley 2255, leaves 131, back, to 135.]
1
Svm man goth stille of wysdam & resoun,
A-forn provided, can kepe weel scilence;
Ful offte it noyeth be recoord of Catoun
Large language concludyng off no sentence;
Speche is but fooly and sugryd elloquence
Medlyd with language wheer man haue noght to don.
An old proverbe groundid on sapience
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
2
To thynke mochyl, and seyn but smal,
Yiff thow art feerffull to ottre thy language,
It is no wisdam a man to seyn out al,
Sum bird can synge merily in his cage.
The stare wyl chatre and speke of long vsage,
Though in his speche there be no great resoun,
Kepe ay thy tounge fro surffeet and outrage,
All go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
3
Unavised speke no-thyng to-forn,
Nor of thy tounge be nat rekkelees,
Vttre nevir no darnel with good corn,
Be-gyn no trouble whan men trete of pees,
Scilence is good, and in euery prees,
Which of debate yevith noon occasyoun,
Pacience preysed of prudent Socratees,
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
4
Comoun astrologeer, as folk expert weel knowe,
To kepe the howrys and tydis of the nyght,
Sumtyme hih and sumtyme he syngith lowe,
Dam[e] Pertelot sit with hire brood doun-right;
The Fox comyth neer with-oute candellyght,
To trete of pees menyng no tresoun,
To avoyde al gile and ffraude he hath behight;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
5
Vndir fals pees ther may be covert ffraude,
Good cheer outward with face of innocence,
Feyned fflaterye with language of greet laude:
But what is wers than shynyng apparence,
Whan it is prevyd ffals in existence?
Al is dul shadwe, whan Phebus is doun goon,
Berkyng behynde, ffawnyng in presence;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
6
The royall egle with his ffetherys dunne,
Of nature so hih takith his flyght,
No bakke of kynde may looke ageyn the sunne,
Of ffrowardnesse yit wyl he ffleen be nyght,
And quenche laumpys, though they brenne bright.
Thynges contrarye may nevir accorde in oon,
A fowle gloowerm in dirknesse shewith a lyght;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
7
The wourld is tournyd almoost vp so doun:
Vndir prynces ther dar noon officeer
Peyne of his lyff do noon extorcioun;
Freerys dar nat fflatere nor no pardowneer,
Where-evir he walke al the longe yeer,
Awtentyk his seelys euerychoon,
Vp peyne of cursyng I dar remembre heer;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
8
Alle estatys of good condicioun
Will noon of them offende his conscience;
Bysshoppis, prelatys of oon affeccioun
Kepe ther chargys, of entieer dilligence;
Avaunsyd persownys holde residence
Among ther parysshens make a departysoun
Of ther tresours to folk in indigence,
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
9
I saugh a kevell, corpulent of stature,
Lyk a materas redlyd was his coote,
And theron was sowyd this scripture,
“A good be stille is weel wourth a groote;”
It costith nat mekyl to be hoote,
And paye ryght nought whan the feyre is doon,
Suych labourerys synge may be roote,
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
10
Atwen a ship with a large seyl,
And a cokboot that goth in Tempse lowe,
The toon hath oorys to his greet avayl,
To spede his passage whan the wynd doth blowe;
A blynd maryneer that doth no sterre knowe,
His loodmaunage to conveye doun,
A ffressh comparisoun, a goshawk and a crowe;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
11
The royall egle with his fetherys dunne,
Whoos eyen been so cleer and so bryght,
Off nature he perce may the sunne,
The owgly bakke wyl gladly fleen be nyght;
Dirk cressetys and laumpys that been lyght,
The egle a-loffte, the snayl goth lowe doun,
Daryth in his shelle, yit may he se no sight;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
12
The pecok hath fetherys bryght and shene,
The cormeraunt wyl daryn in the lake,
Popyngayes froo Paradys comyn al grene,
Nyghtynggales al nyght syngen and wake,
For long absence and wantyng of his make:
Withoute avys make no comparysoun,
Atween a laumperey and a shynyng snake;
Alle go we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
13
There is also a thyng in-comparable,
By cleer rapoort in al the wourld thorugh right;
The ryche preferryd, the poore is ay cowpable,
In ony quarell gold hath ay moost myght;
Evir in dirknesse the owle takith his flight,
It were a straunge vnkouth devisyoun,
Tersites wrecchyd, Ector moost wourthy knyght;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
14
Is noon so proude, pompous in dignyte,
As he that is so sodeynly preferryd
To hih estaat, and out of poverte,
Draco volans on nyght his tayl is sterryd?
Stelle eratice, nat ffix for they been erryd,
Stable in the eyr is noon inpressioun,
This wourld wer stable, yif it were nat werryd;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
15
Among estatys whoo hath moost quiete,
Hih lordshippes be vexid with bataylle,
Tylthe of ploughmen ther labour wyl nat lete,
Geyn Phebus vprist syngen wyl the quaylle;
The amerous larke of nature wyl nat faylle,
Ageyn Aurora synge with hire mery sown,
No laboureer wyl nat for his travaylle;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
16
Foo vnto hevys and enemy is the drane:
Men with a tabour may lyghtly cacche an hare,
Bosard with botirflyes makith beytis for a crane,
Brechelees beerys be betyn on the bare;
Houndys for favour wyl nat spare,
To pynche his pylche with greet noyse and soun,
Slepith he merye that slombryth with greet care;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
17
I sauh a krevys with his klawes longe,
Pursewe a snayl poore and impotent,
Hows of this snayl the wallys wer nat stronge,
A slender shelle the sydes, al to-rent;
Whoo hath no goold his tresoure soone [is] spent,
The snayl-is castel but a sklendir coote,
Whoo seith trouthe offte he shall be shent;
A good be stille is offte weel wourth a groote.
18
Whoo hath noon hors, on a staff may ryde;
Whoo hath no bed, may slepyn in his hood;
Whoo hath no dyneer, at leyser must abyde,
To staunche his hungir abyde vpon his ffood;
A beggers appetight is alwey ffressh and good,
With voyde walet whan al his stuff is doon,
For fawte of vitaylle may knele afore the Rood;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
19
The ryche man sit stuffyd at his table,
The poore man stant hungry at the gate,
Of remossaylles he wolde be partable,
The awmeneer seyth he cam to late;
Off poore men doolys is no sekir date,
Smal or ryght nought whan the feeste is doon,
He may weel grucche and with his tounge prate;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
20
A good be stille is weel wourth a groote,
Large language causith repentaunce,
The kevel wroot in his rydlyd coote,
But with al this marke in your remembraunce;
Whoo cast his iourne in Yngelond or in Fraunce,
With gallyd hakeneys, whan men haue moost to doon,
A ffool presumptuous to cacche hym acqueyntaunce;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
21
Whoo that is hungry & hath no-thyng but boonys,
To staunche his apetyght is a froward foode,
Among an hundryd oon chose out for the noonys,
To dygestioun repastys be nat goode;
To chese suych vitaylles ther braynes wer to woode,
That lyoun is gredy that stranglith goos or capoun,
Fox and ffulmard, to-gidre whan they stoode,
Sang, be stylle, the Cok hathe lowe shoon.
22
Here al thyng and kepe thy pacience,
Take no quarell, thynk mekyl & sey nought,
A good be stille with discreet scilence,
For a good grote may not wel be bought;
Keep cloos thy tounge, men sey that free is thought,
A thyng seid oonys outhir late or soon,
Tyl it be loost stoole thyng is nat sought;
Alle goo we stille, the Cok hath lowe shoon.
Explicit quod Lydgate.
