The seuin Seages Translatit out of prois in Scottis meter be Iohne Rolland in Dalkeith, with ane Moralitie efter euerie Doctouris Tale, and siclike efter the Emprice Tale, togidder with ane louing and laude to euerie Doctour efter his awin Tale, & ane Exclamation and outcrying vpon the Empreouris wife efter hir fals contrusit Tale ... Edited, with introduction, notes, and glossary, by Geo. F. Black |
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The Tale of the thrid Maister, of the Burges Pyat. |
 | The seuin Seages |  |
The Tale of the thrid Maister, of the Burges Pyat.
Vpon a time thair dwelt in ane Cietie,Ane Nobill man, and a Burges was he:
That had ane bird weill fed vp in a Cage,
Quhilk we a Py do call in our langage.
This bird scho was sa weill leirnit to speik,
That scho culd talk Latine, Hebrew and Greik,
And quhen scho had thir langages perfite,
Hir Maister tuik of hir ane greit delite.
Sa be proces na thing scho hard nor saw
To hir Maister Incontinent wald schaw.
This Burges man he had ane wife richt fair,
As now ȝe haue, wantoun and debonair.
Quhilk ouir all thing he lufit all the best,
Bot be contrair, hir lufe sa was not drest.
106
Hir appetite to compleis day and nicht:
As scho desirit, at hir plesure to haif,
Quhat wald scho thā, bot cheisit ane vther knaif
With hir to play, as scho thocht maist plesour,
Quhome scho best lude, and held him in fauour.
And sa behude hir husband on ane day
to vther tounis in veyage mak Iornay,
For Merchandice to by and for to sell,
For Merchand men at hame ay may not dwell
Bot in this warld to wander, wirk and win,
Quhill of this life that thay depart and twin,
Bot ȝit this wife had not sic thing in minde
To hir plesure hir thocht was all Inclynd.
Sa quhen hir spous furth of the toun was went
Without tary than for hir lufe scho sent,
That thay micht mak gude cheir and mirrines
As the gude wife thocht best scho culd adres.
And sa thay did at thair awin appetyte,
Quhen luifaris meitis of vthers takis delyte.
This saw the Py, on hir Pirk quhair scho sat,
Quhat mirrines that hir husie was at.
And to hir Maister tauld quhen he come hame
And causit hir husie to get outrage and blame.
Sa thame betuix rais up ane bargane stout,
Quhill mony of thair nichtbouris hard about.
The gude wife said, now weill Schir I persaue
Quhat greit fauour and lufe to me ȝe haue.
And said ȝe gif mair traist vnto ȝour Py
Nor vnto me, and mair hir sittis by.
Bot sa lang as ȝour Pyat is on life
It sall not faill bot we sall be at strife.
The Burges said, my Pyat can not lie,
All that scho seis the treuth scho will tell me.
For scho can not be na way nor Ingine,
Ony lesing into hir hart deuine.
107
All that scho sayis far better than traist ȝow.
Sa day and nicht continuallie thay chide,
Quhill on a day the Burges buskit to ride.
In far countreis to do his Merchandice,
As it effeiris sic men, and is the gise.
Bot als sa sone as he his wayis went,
For hir luifar scho send Incontinent.
To mak hir blyith, greit solace and gude cheir,
Bot on the day he durst neuer cum neir.
For greit sclander of pepill and commoun vois,
All the lang day quhill nicht he held him clois.
As the nicht come, he knokit at the gin,
Scho was reddy thairat, and leit him in.
Scho said ȝe ar richt welcum vnto me,
Ze may cum in, for na man will ȝow se.
He said my lufe, ȝour Pyat sair I feir,
For scho will tell all scho can se or heir.
For scho raisit sic taillis betuix vs ellis
That all the toun to vther plainelie tellis.
Scho said feir not, bot bauldlie enter in
On me I tak baith perrell and the sin.
Sa he enterit, and tuik na mair in thocht,
And be the hand throw the hall scho him brocht,
And as thir twa throw the hall maid passage
The sillie Py quhair scho sat in hir Cage,
To hir husie scho hard hir luifar say
We sall be blyith, and mak mirrie quhill day,
For ȝe ar scho that I lufe all the best,
Bot I feir sair the Pyat vs molest.
Quod scho feir not, I bid not for to lie ȝow
It is sa mirk the Pyat will not se ȝow.
Than said the Py, howbeit I may not se,
I heir thy voice, for richt weill ken I the.
To my Maister thow dois ane greit Iniure,
For of his wife thow makis a commoun hure.
108
Thow defuilȝeis, quhilk is weill kend and sene
Quhilk my maister quhē he cūis hame sal knaw
And the trew treuth swyithlie I sall him schaw.
Than said hir lufe, my hart tauld I ȝow not
That we wald baith be spyit be the Pyot.
And tell the treuth of baith scho hard and saw,
And euerie word mak hir Maister to knaw.
Tak ȝe na feir thairof than said the wife,
Zone talking sall perchance coist hir the life.
And this same nicht I sall reuengeit be
Vpon the Py, as ȝe sall heir and se.
Sa thay to bed past baith withouttin feir,
Bot quhat become the Pyat ȝe sall heir.
About midnicht vp this gude wife scho rais,
Cryit on hir Mayd, & put on baith thair clais,
Incontinent ane lang ledder thay gat,
And to the rufe of the hous thay it sat.
And tyruit the hous abone the Pyats Cage,
Quhair yt fireflauchts & raine micht get passage
Blenks of Candill about the Pyats heid,
Maist like fireflauchts wt cauld water yair ȝeid
Small stanis like peis, vpon hir heid thay kest,
Maist like hailstanis, sa this pure Py was drest
Sa all this nicht without ony remeid
Was this Py pynit, almaist vnto the deid.
Sa on the morne away the ȝoung man staw
At ane bak dure, quhair nane him hard nor saw
Sa this Burges come hame within few dayis
And to his Py first he gais to and sayis,
O my best bird, now tell me of thy cheir,
How hes thow fairne sen I departit heir?
My bird (said he) quhat hes thow sene or hard?
Tell me the treuth for thy gudlie rewaird.
Maister (scho said) I sall ȝow trewlie tell,
Quhat that I hard, I saw and quhat befell.
109
Quhē that ȝour wife did to ȝow greit vnricht.
Ane vther man into ȝour bed scho laid
And all that nicht togidder thay twa plaid.
And I them schew yt thay war baith to blame,
That I suld tell to ȝow quhen ȝe come hame.
Maister but dout this is ane treuthfull taill,
Zour wife is not I se for ȝour auaill.
To the nixt point, at me quhair that ȝe speir
How I haue fairne, in quhat sort was my cheir
In ȝour absence surelie I say ȝow richt
Sa greit ane storme as thair was ȝisternicht
Baid I neuer, sen first time I was clekkit,
Nor ȝit my deid sa sair I not suspekkit:
As that same nicht, but dout I say ȝow plaine,
For verray feir of fyreflauchts hale and raine,
All the nicht ouir it ranit sa on me,
That I beleuit but dout drownit to be.
Than said the wife, Schir ȝe beleue ȝour Py,
Now ȝe may knaw quhat kin a woman am I.
Ze may now se, and alswa may persaif,
In times bygaine how that ȝour Py did raif.
Ane fairar nicht was neuer on the plaine
Nor was yt nicht that scho sayis it was raine:
Ane fairar nicht, ane softer and mair cleir
Mair plesand nicht I had not all this ȝeir,
Thairfoir ȝe sall in all times furth to cum,
Gif hir na faith na mair nor scho war dum.
Than this Burges wist not weill quhat to say
Bot to nichtbouris sone past he on his way
And demandit gif sic ane nicht was fair
That his Pyat tholit the cauld and cair.
Thay said nichtbour, I walkit all that nicht,
Mair solatious, mair softer and mair bricht
Mair stabill ane nicht, mair curious and cleir:
Nor was that nicht saw I not this seuin ȝeir.
110
And thocht richt weill his wife had seruit na blame
The sillie Py he put all in the wite,
And of all faults he thocht his wife was quite.
And said to hir I find ȝow traist and trew
Quhairfoir ȝe sall haue na caus for to rew.
At my nichtbours I haue speirit all about
Euin as ȝe say Ilk ane thay say but dout.
Ane fairar nicht thay said culd not be found,
Nor was that nicht, mair softer and mair sound
And it requyris to vther quha offendis
With all thair hart for to mak thame amendis.
To ȝow thairfoir ane garmound of the new
I promeis ȝow, becaus I find ȝow trew.
Scho said gude Schir sauing ȝour reuerence
Ze said not sa quhen ȝe gaue firme credence
Vnto ȝour Py, quhilk falslie on me leid,
Sayand that I committit sic ane deid:
That neuer was into my minde nor thocht,
Nor in this warld sic thing I neuer wrocht.
With hir lesingis betuix vs scho hes sawin
Ane greit discord, quhilk all about is knawin,
Quhairthrow I am blasphemit and defamit,
Throw all the toun, be ȝour fals Py & schamit,
Quhairfoir na meit nor drink sall do me gude,
Quhill that I se ȝour fals Pyats hart blude,
Than the Burges vnto the Pyat past,
And said fals Py, tell how become this cast:
Vpon my wife sa falslie for to lie,
Causing discord oft times with hir and me.
Is this the thank, the gansell and gude deid,
Thow randers me, sa weill I culd the feid,
With my awin hands, with meits delicait,
Airlie at morne, and als at euin lait.
Throw thy lesings thow hes maid throw the toun
Ane greit sclander, & foull defamatioun.
111
Nor I my self gaue vnto Goddis deid.
The sillie Py hard hir Maister say so,
Intill hir hart scho was richt wonder wo.
Maister (scho said) God knawis gif that I lie,
Zour self will traist the verray thing ȝe se.
And weill I wait the thing I said to ȝow,
I hard and saw, quhy suld I not that trow.
The Burges said, I heir the loudlie lie,
Kennis yu not weill this taill thow tald to me,
Thair was ane nicht sa troublit in the Air
With storme, fyreflauchts, hale, raine & mekill mair
Of Ill wedder thow had na vther reid,
Bot bydand ay the bitter hour of deid.
Quhilk is richt fals, and neuer a word is trew,
Thairfoir but dout thy falset thow sall rew:
And fra hence furth thow sall na lesingis mak,
Nor of trew taillis thow sall not mak ane crak.
And in speciall betuix me and my wife,
The Law will weill that it coist the thy life.
For the greit leis thow did Inuent and forge,
With this same knife I sall cut out thy gorge.
Sa in greit wraith he tuik hir be the nek,
And with ane knife hir heid he did of snek.
The wife saw that, and scho was wonder glaid
To hir husband with mirrynes scho said:
Now ȝe haue done as ane man of prudence,
Howbeit befoir ȝe gaue ouir greit credence
Vnto ȝour Py, quhilk ay richt falslie leid,
My hart is blyith quhen I se hir bleid.
Now we may leif all our lifetime in rest,
Sen scho is gone, that did vs ay molest.
For scho was ay the verray Instrument
Betuix vs twa, all lesingis did Inuent.
Be blyith said he, that Instrument is hence,
Forsuith to hir I gaue ouir greit credence.
112
Bot now thairfoir scho hes loist life and hals.
The Burges then blent vp about his bigging
And saw ane hole tyruit in the hous rigging,
And weill persauit ane lytill Ledder stand,
Ane watter tub, with stanis watter and sand,
Quhilk was doun cast vpon the sillie Py,
Than the Burges weill vnderstude quhairby,
The pure Pyat had tauld hir taill richt trew,
All the falset and fassoun than he knew:
How thay had causit the Pyat for to lie,
Throw thair falset and greit subtilitie.
Now of my wife the falset I persaif,
In time bygaine how scho hes plaid the knaif.
Not regarding sin schame nor honestie,
Bot on hir lufe lyand in harlatrie.
Full wo is me how greit ane Fule was I,
For hir falset to slay my sillie Py,
Quhairin I had my plesure and delyte,
Allace, allace, my wife had all the wyte.
Bot in na way my self I can excuse,
That hir counsall sa greitlie I did vse.
Bot in ane part but dout sa I was blindit,
And now the treuth full sickerlie I find it.
Wa worth the time I gaue hir sic credence,
Or till hir taill I gaue sic audience.
Wa worth sic wifes, that ar sa Ill Inclinde,
Euer hauing sic fenȝeit hart and minde.
With dowbill hart full of subtilitie,
I ȝow assure thay ar euill companie.
Becaus my wife hes wrocht me siclike wo,
Heir I gif ouir all mirth, blyithnes and Io.
All Merchandice, houshalding and harbrie,
In time cūming, and Pilgrim I will be,
And markis me heir vnto the halie land.
Becaus I find na faith in woman stand.
113
Vnto his wife, left land and all the laif.
The Maister said vnto the Empreour,
Schir haue ȝe tane this taill into fauour:
And quhat it menis, the samin vnderstand,
He said richt weill, Maister I tak on hand.
The Maister said was scho not ane fals wife
With hir lesingis gart reif the Py hir life.
The Empreour said, scho was of falset fow
Hir greit lesingis nor hir life I allow.
Of the pure Py, sairlie I do repent,
That loist hir life for saying verament.
Surelie Maister ane gude taill ȝe haue tald
And for ȝour saik this day I sall gar hald
My Sone vndeid, the morne quhill it be none,
God thank ȝour grace (quod he) that sic hes done
To the Lord God hartlie I ȝow commend,
Sa this Maister with blyithnes hame he wend.
| The seuin Seages | |