The Fox and the Wolf

Leve we this Wedow gled, I yow assure,
Of Chanteclere mair blyith than I can tell,
And speke we of the fatal aventure
And desteny that to this Fox befell,
That durst na mair with miching intermele,
As lang as leme and lycht was of the day,
But, bydand nycht, full still lurkand he lay;

Quhile that Thetes, the goddess of the flude,
Phebus had callit to the herbery,
And Esperus put on his cloudy hude,
Schawand his lusty visage in the sky.
Then Lourance lukit up, quhare he coud lye,
And kest his hand upoun his Ee on hicht,
Mery and gled that cummyn was the nycht.

Out of the wod unto ane hill he went,
Quhare he mycht se the twynkling sternis clere,
And all the planetis of the firmament,
Thair coursis and thair moving in thair sphere,
Sum retrograde, and sum war stationere;
And in the zodyak in quhat degree
Thai were ilkane, as Lowrance lerit me.

Than Saturne aide was enterit in Capricorne,
And Jupiter movit in Sigittarye,
And Mars up in the Rammy's hede was borne,
And Phebus in the Lyoun furth wud carye;
Venus in the Crab, the Mone was in Aquarye;
Mercurius, the god of eloquence,
Into the Virgine maid his residence.

Bot astrolab, quadrant, or almanak,
Techit of nature be instructioun,
The moving of the hevin this Tod can tak,
Quhat influence and constillatioun
Was lyk to fall upon this erd heir down;
And to himself he said, withouttin niair,
" Weill worth the, fadir, that sent me first to lair.

" My destany and eik my werd I wait;
Myn aventure is cleirly to be kend;
With mischeif myngit is my mortall fait,
My mysleving the soner bot I mend;
Deid is reward of syn and schamefull end.
Thairfoir I will ga seik sum confessour,
And schryfe me clene of all synnis to this hour.

" Allace! " quod he, " rycht waryit ar we thevis;
Our lyfe is sett ilk nycht in aventure;
Our cursit craft full mony ane mischevis;
For evir we steill, and evir alyk ar pure:
In dreid and schame our dayis we indure;
And Widdy-nek and Crakraip callit als,
And tili owre hyre ar hangit be the hals."

Accusand thus his cankerit conscience,
Unto a craig he kest about his E;
So saw he cumand, a lytill than from thence,
A worthy Doctour of Divinite,
Freir Wolf Waitskaith, in science wondrous sle,
To preche and pray was new cum of clostir,
With beidis on hand, sayand his Paternoster.

Seand the Wolf, this wyly tratour Tod
On kneis fell, with hud in to his nek:
" Welcome, my gaistly fadir undir God! "
Quod he, with mony binge and mony bek.
Than quod the Wolf, " Schir Fox, to quhat effek
Mak ye sic feir? Rise up; put on your hude."
" Fadir," quod he, " I haif grit cause to dude.

" Ye ar the lanterne and the sicker way,
Suld gyd sic sympill folk as me to grace;
Your bair feet, and your russet cowl of gray,
Your lene cheikis, your paill and piteous face,
Schawis full weill your perfyt halynace;
For weill war him that anis in his lyfe
Had hap to yow his synnis for to schryfe."

" A, silly Lowrance," quod the Wolf, and leuch:
" It plesis me that ye are penitent.'
" Of reif and stowth, Schir, I can tell ennewch,
That causis me full sair for till repent;
Bot, Fadir, byd still heir upon this bent,
I yow beseik, and heir me now declair
My conscience that prikis me sa sair."

"Weill,'" quod the Wolf, "sit down upon thy kne."
And so he did, bairheid, full hummily,
And syn began with Benedicite.
Quhen I thus saw, I drew a littill by,
For it effeiris nowdir to heir nor spy,
Nor to reveill thing said undir that sele:
Bot to the Tod thus-gait the Wolf couth mele.

" Art thow contreit and sory in thy spreit
For thy trespas? " " Nay, Schir, I can nocht dude:
Methink that hennis are sua hony sweit;
And lambis flesch that new ar lattin blud;
For to repent my mynd can nocht conclude,
Bot of this thing, that I haif slane so few."
"Weill," quod the Wolf, "in suth thou art a schrew.

" Sen thow can nocht forthink thy wicketnais,
Will thow forbeir in tyme to cum and mend? "
" And I forbeir, how sail I leif, allais!
Haifand na uthir craft me to defend?
Neid causis me to steill quhair-evir I wend,
I schame to beg. I can nocht wirk, ye wait,
Yit wald I fane pretend a gentill start."

"Weill," quod the Wolf, "thow wantis pointis twa,
Belangand to perfyt confessioun.
To the thrid pairte of pennance lat us ga.
Will thow tak pane for thy transgressioun? "
" A, Schir, consedir my complexioun,
Seikly and waik and of my natur tendir,
So, will ye se, I am baith lene and sklendir.

" Yit nevir-the-les I wald, sa it wer lycht,
And schort, nocht grevand to my tendirness,
Tak pairte of pain, fulfill it gife I micht,
To sett my silly saule in way of grace."
"Thow sail forbeir," quod he, "flesche hyne to Paiss,
To tame thy cors, that cursit carioun;
And heir I reik the full remissioun."

" I grant thairto, sa ye will gife me leif
To eit puddingis, or laip a littill blude,
Or heid and feit, or penchis lat me preif,
In caise I fant of flesche in to my fude."
" For grit mister, I gife the leif to dude
Twyse in the owlk, for neid may haif no law."
" God yield yow, Schir, for that text weill I knaw."

Quhen this was said, the Wolf his wayis went
The Fox on fute he fare unto the flude.
To fang sum fische was haillye his intent;
Bot quhen he saw thir walterand wavis wode,
All stoneist still into a stair he stude,
And said, "Bettir that I had biddin at hame,
Than be a fischar in the devillis name.

" Now mon I skraip my meit out of the sand,
For I haif nowdir net, nor bottis, nor bate."
As he wes thus for fait of meit murnand,
Lukand about his leving for to late,
Undir a tre he saw a trip of gait;
Than wes he fane, and in a huche him hid,
And fra the gait he stall a littill kid.

Syne our the huche unto the se he hyis,
And tuk the kid rycht be the homis twane,
And in the wattir outhir twyse or thryse
He doukit him, and thus-gait cowth he sane:
"Ga down Schir Kid, cum up Schir salmound agane! "
Quhill he wes deid; syne to the land him dreuch,
And of that new made salmond eit enneuch.

Thus fynally fillit with young tendir meit,
Unto a den for dreid he hes him drest,
Undir a busk, quhair that the sone cowth beit,
To beke his breist and bellye he thocht best;
And raklesly he said, quhair he coud rest,
Strakand his wambe agane the sonnis hete,
" Upoun this belly ware sett a bolt full mete."

Quhen this was said, the kepare of the gayte,
Carefull in hert his kid was stollin away,
On every side full warly culd he wayte,
Till at the last he saw quhair Lowrance lay;
His bow he bent, a flane with fedderis gray
He hailit to the heid; or evir he sterd,
The Fox he prikkit fast unto the erd.

" Now," quod the Fox, " alace and welloway!
Gorrit I am and may no forther gane;
Methink na man may speke a word in play,
Bot now on dayis in ernist it is tane."
The hynd him hynt, and out he drew his flane;
And for his kid and uther violence,
He tuke his skyn, and maid a recompence.

Moralitas

This suddane deid and unprovisit end
Of this fals Tod, without contritioun,
Exemple is exhortand folk to mend,
For dreid of sic a lyke conclusioun;
For mony gois now to confessioun
Can nocht repent, nor for thair synnis greit,
Becaus thai think thair lusty lyfe so sweit.

Sum bene also, throw consuetude and ryte,
Vincust with carnall sensuality;
Suppose thai be as for the tyme contryte,
Can nane forbere, nor fra thair synnis flee:
Use drawis nature so in propertie
Of beist and man that nedlingis thai mon do,
As thai of lang tyme have hantit thame to.

Beware, guid folk, and dreid this suddane schote,
Quhilk smytis sair withouttin resistence;
Attent wyisly, and in your hartis note,
Aganis deid may no man mak defence;
Ceis of your syn, remord your conscience,
Do wilfull pennance here, and ye sail wend,
Eftir your deid, to joy withouttin end.