The Wolf and the Wether

Quhylum thair wes, as Esope can report,
Ane scheiphird dwelland be ane forrest neir,
Quhilk had ane hound that did him greit comfort;
Full war he wes to walk his fauld but weir,
That nouther wolf nor wild cat durst appeir,
Nor foxe on feild, nor yit na uther beist,
Bot he thame slew, or chaissit at the leist.

Sa happinnit it, as everie beist man de,
This hound of suddand seiknes to be deid;
Bot than, God wait, the keipar of the fe
For verray wo woxe wanner nor the weid:
" Allace! " quod he, " now se I na remeid
To saif the selie beistis that I keip,
For with the Wolf werryit beis all my scheip."

It wald haif maid ane mannis hart sair to se
The selie scheiphirdis lamentatioun:
" Now is my darling deid, allace! " quod he;
" For now to beg my breid I may be boun,
With pyikstaf and with scrip to fair of toun;
For all the beistis befoir bandonit bene
Will schute upon my beistis with ire and tene."

With that ane Wedder wrechitlie wan on fute:
" Maister," quod he, " mak mery and be blyith;
To brek your hart for baill it is na bute;
For ane deid doig ye na cair on yow kyith.
Ga fetche him hidder and fla his skyn off swyth;
Syne sew it on me; and luke that it be meit,
Baith heid, and crag, body, taill and feit.

" Than will the Wolf trow that I am he;
For I sail follow him fast quhair ever he fair.
All haill, the cure I tak it upon me,
Your scheip to keip at midday, lait and air.
And he persew, be God, I sail not spair
To follow him als fast as did your doig,
Swa that, I warrand, ye sail not want ane hoig."

Than said the Scheiphird: " This cume of ane gude wit;
Thy counsall is baith sikker, leill and trew;
Quha sayis ane scheip is daft, thay leit of it."
With that in hy the doggis skyn off he flew,
And on the scheip rycht softlie couth it sew.
Than worth the Wedder wantoun of his weid.
" Now of the Wolf," quod he, " I haif na dreid."

In all thingis he counterfait the dog;
For all the nicht he stude and tuke na sleip,
Swa that weill lang thair wantit not ane hog.
Swa war he wes and walkryfe thame to keip,
That Lowrence durst not luke upon ane scheip;
For and he did, he followit him sa fast,
That of his lyfe he maid him all agast.

Was nouther Wolf, Wild Cat, nor yit Tod
Durst cum within thay boundis all about,
Bot he wald chace thame baith throw rouch and snod.
Thay bailfull beistis had of thair lyvis sic dout,
For he wes mekill and semit to be stout,
That everilk beist thay dred him as the deid,
Within that wod, that nane durst hald thair heid.

Yit happinnit thair ane hungrie wolf to slyde
Out throw his scheip, quhair thay lay on ane le;
" I sail haif ane," quod he, " quhatever betyde,
Thocht I be werryit, for hunger or I de;
With that ane lamb in till his cluke hint he.
The laif start up, for thay wer all agast;
Bot God wait gif the Wedder followit fast.

Went never hound mair haistelie fra the hand,
Quhen he wes rynnand maist raklie at the ra,
Nor went this Wedder baith ouer mois and strand
And stoppit nouther at bank, busk, nor bra;
Bot followit ay sa ferslie on his fa,
With sic ane drift, quhill dust and dirt ouerdraif him,
And maid ane vow to God that he suld haif him.

With that the Wolf let out his taill on lenth,
For he wes hungrie, and it drew neir the ene,
And schupe him for to ryn with all his strenth,
Fra he the Wedder sa neir cummand had sene.
He dred his lyfe, and he ouertane had bene;
Thairfoir he spairit nouther busk nor bog,
For weill he kennit the cunning of the dog.

To mak him lycht, he kest the lamb him fra,
Syne lap ouer leis, and draif throw dub and myre.
" Na," quod the Wedder, " in faith we part not swa:
It is not the lamb, bot the, that I desyre;
I sail cum neir, for now I se the tyre."
The Wolf ran till ane rekill stude behind him,
Bot ay the neirar the Wedder he couth wyn him.

Sone efter that he followit him sa neir,
Quhill that the Wolf for fleidnes fylit the feild;
Syne left the gait, and ran throw busk and breir,
And schupe him fra the schawis for to scheild.
He ran restles, for he wist of beild;
The Wedder followit him baith out and in,
Quhill that ane breir busk raif rudely off the skyn.

The Wolf wes war, and blenkit him behind,
And saw the Wedder come thrawand throw the breir;
Syne saw the doggis skyn hingand on his lind.
" Na," quod he, " is this ye that is sa neir?
Richt now ane hound, and now quhyte as ane freir:
I fled ouer fer, and I had kennit the cais:
To God I vow that ye sail rew this rais.

" Quhat wes the cause ye gaif me sic ane cache? "
With that in hy he hint him be the home
" For all your mowis ye met anis your mache,
Suppois ye leuch me all this yeir to scorne.
For quhat enchessoun this doggis skyn haif ye borne? ""
" Maister," quod he, " bot to haif playit with yow;
I yow requyre that ye nane uther trow."

" Is this your bourding in eirnist than? " quod he,
For I am verray effeirit, and on flocht;
Cum bak agane, and I sail let yow se."
Than quhair the gait wes grymmit he him brocht.
" Quhether call ye this fair play, or nocht?
To set your maister in sa fell effray,
Quhill he for feiritnes hes fylit up the way.

" Thryis, be my saull, ye gart me schute behind;
Upon my hoichis the senyeis may be sene;
For feiritness full oft I fylit the wind.
Now is this ye? Na, bot ane hound, I wene;
Me think your teith ouer schort to be sa kene.
Blissit be the busk that reft yow your array,
Ellis, fleand, bursin had I bene this day."

" Schir," quod the Wedder, " suppois I ran in hy,
My mynd wes never to do your persoun evill;
Ane flear gettis ane follower commounly,
In play or ernist, preif quha sa ever will.
Sen I bot playit, be gracious me till,
And I sail gar my freindis blis your banis,
Ane full gude servand will crab his maister anis."

" I haif bene oftymis set in grit eflray,
Bot, be the Rude, sa rad yit wes I never,
As thow hes maid me with thy prettie play.
I schot behind, quhen thow ouertuke me ever,
Bot sikkerlie now sail we not dissever."
Thane be cragbane smertlie he him tuke,
Or ever he ceissit, and it in schunder schuke.

Moralitas

Esope, that Poete, first Father of this fabill,
Wrait this parabole, quhilk is convenient,
Because the sentence wes fructuous and agreabill,
In moralitie exemplative prudent:
Quhais problemis bene verray excellent;
Throw similitude of figuris, to this day,
Gevis doctrine to the redaris of it ay.

Heir may thow se that riches of array
Will cause pure men presumptous for to be;
Thay think thay hald of nane, be thay als gay,
Bot counterfait ane lord in all degre.
Out of thair cais in pryde thay clym sa hie,
That thay forbeir thair better in na steid,
Quhill sum man tit thair heillis ouer thair heid.

Richt swa in service uther sum exceidis
And thay haif withgang, welth, and cherissing,
That thay will lychtlie lordis into thair deidis,
And lukis not to thair blude, nor thair ofspring:
Bot yit nane wait how lang that reull will ring;
Bot he was wyse that bad his sone considder:
Bewar in welth, for hall benkis ar rycht slidder.

Thairfoir I counsell men of everilk stait
To knaw thame self, and quhome thay suld forbeir,
And fall not with thair better in debait;
Suppois thay be als galland in thair geir,
It settis na servand for to uphald weir,
Nor clym so hie, quhill he fall of the ledder;
Bot think upon the Wolf and on the Wedder.