The Sheep and the Dog

Esope a taill puttis in memorie,
How that a Dog, because that he wes pure,
Callit a Scheip unto the Consistory,
A certane breid of him for to recure.
A fraudfull Wolf was juge that tyme, and bure
Auctoritie and jurisdictioun,
And on the Scheip send furth a strait summoun.

For by the use and course of commoun style
On this maner maid his citatioun:
" I, Maister Wolf, pairtles of fraud or gyle,
Under the panis of hie suspensioun,
And gret cursing and interdictioun,
Schir Scheip, I chairge the straitly to compeir
And answeir till a Dog befoir me heir."

Schir Corby Ravin was maid Apparitour,
Quhilk pyket had full mony schepis E;
His chairge hes tane, and on the letter bure;
Summond the Scheip befoir the Wolf, that he
Peremptourly, within the dayis thre,
Compeir undir the panis in this bill,
And heir what Burry Dog wald say him till.

This sommond, maid befoir witness ennew,
The Ravin, as till his office weill effeird,
Endorsit hes the writ, and on he flew;
The silly Scheip durst lay no mouth to erd
Till he befoir the awfull juge apperd
Be hour of cause, quhilk that court usit thane,
Quhen Esperus to schaw his face began.

The Fox was clerk and notar in the cause,
The Gled, the Grip up at the bar couth stand;
As advocatis expert in to the lawis,
The Doigis ply togiddir tuk on hand,
Quhilk wer confident stret in to ane band,
Agane the Scheip to procure the sentence
Thocht it were fals, thay had no conscience.

The Clerk callit the Scheip, and he wes thair;
The advocattis on this wyse can propone;
"A certane breid, worth fyve schillingis and mair,
Thow aw this Dog, of quhilk the term is gone."
Of his awin heid, but advocat, allone,
The Scheip awysitly gaif answer in the cace:
" Heir I declyne the juge, the time, the place.

" This is my cause in motive and effect;
The law sayis, it is rycht perillous
Till enter in pley befoir a juge suspect;
And thow, Schir Wolf, hes ay been odius
To me, for thow with tuskis ravenous
Hes slane full mony kynnismen of myne;
Thairfoir, as juge suspect, I the declyne.

"And schortly, of this court the memberis all,
Bayth assessouris, clerk, and advocat,
To me and myne ar ennemeis mortal,
And ay hes bene, as mony scheiphird watt;
This place, as for the tyme, is feriat,
In quhilk no juge suld sit in consistory
So lait at evin, I yow accuse forthy."

Quhen that the juge on this wyse wes accusit,
He bad the parteis cheis, with one assent,
Twa arbitouris, as in the law is usit,
For to dissyd and gife abitrement,
Quhiddir the Sheip suld answer in jugement
Befoir the Wolf; and swa thay did but weir,
Of quhome the names eftir ye sail heir.

The Beir, the Brok, this mater tuk on hand,
For to dissyd gife this exceptioun
Wes of na strenth or lawchfully mycht stand,
And thairupoun as jugeis thay sat doun,
And held a lang quhyle disputatioun,
Seikand full mony decretalis of the law,
And glosis als, the verity to knaw.

Of Civil volumis full mony thay revolve,
The codys and degestis new and aid;
Prowe and contra, strait argument thay resolve,
Sum a doctryne, and sum another hald;
For pryse, or prayer, trow ye that thay wald fald?
Bot held the text and gloise of the decreis,
As trew jugeis; I thame beschrew that leis.

Schortly to mak ane end of this debait
The arbitouris summar and plane
The sentens gaif, and process fulminat:
The Scheip suld pass befoir the Wolf agane
And end his pleid: than was he no, thing fane,
For fra thair sentens he mycht no wayis appeil.
On clerkis doid, gife this sentence be leill.

The Scheip agane befoir the Wolf derenyeit,
But advocat, abaisitly can stand,
Upraise the Dog, and on the Scheip thus plenyeit:
" To the a sowme I payit befoir hand
For certane breid; " thereto a borch he fand,
That wrangusly the Scheip held fra the breid;
And he denyit: and so began the pleid.

Thus quhen the Scheip this stryfe had coxi- tes tat,
The jugeis into the cause furth couth proceid;
Lawrence the actis and the proces wrait,
And sone the ply unto the end thay speid.
This cursit court, corruptit all for meid,
Agane gud fayth, gud law and conscience,
For this fals Dog pronuncit the sentence,

And it to put in executioun.
The Wolf chairgeit the Scheip, without delay,
Undir the pane of interdictioun,
The soum of silver, or the breid, to pay.
Of this sentens, allais! what sail we say,
Quilk dampnit hes the silly innocent,
And institut to wrangus jugement?

The Scheip, dredand moir persecutioun,
Obeyit the sentence, and couth tak
His way untill a merchand in the town,
And said the fleise that he bur on his bak;
Syne bocht the breid, and to the Dog can mak
Reddy payment, as he foirjugeit was;
Nakit and bair syne to the field couth pass.

Moralitas

This silly Scheip may present the figure
Of pure commounis, that daylie ar opprest
Be tirrane men, that settis all thair cure
With fals menys to mak a wrang conqueist,
In howp this present lyfe sail evir lest;
Bot all begyld thay will in schort tyme end,
And eftir deid to crewall panis wend.

This Wolf I likin unto a Shiref stout,
Quhilk byis a forfalt at the Kingis hand,
And hes with him a cursit assyis about,
And dytis all the pure men uponland,
And fra the crownar lay on thame his wand,
Suppoiss he be als trew as was Sanct Johne, .
Slane sail thay be, or with the juge compone.

This Revin I likin till a fals crownar,
Quhilk hes a porteouss of the endytment,
And passis furth befoir the justice air,
All misdoaris to bring till jugement;
Bot luke gife he be of a true intent,
To scraip out Johne, and write in Will or Wat,
And so a bud at bayth the pairteis skat.

Of this fals Tod, because I spak befoir,
And of this Gled, what thay mycht signify
Of thair natur as now I speik no moir;
Bot of the Scheip - and of his cairfull cry
I sail reherse; for as I passit by
Quhair that he lay, on caise I lukit doun,
And hard him mak this lamentatioun:

'"Allace," quod he, "this cursit consistory,
In middis of the winter now is maid,
Quhen Boreas, with blastis bittirly,
With frawart frostis, the flowris down can faid;
On bankis bair now may I mak no baid."
And with that word in till a coif he crap,
Fra sair weddir and frostis him to hap.

Quakand for cauld, and murnand sair amang,
Kest up his ene unto the hevinis hicht,
And said: " O Lord, quhy slypis Thow so lang?
Walk, and discerne my cause, groundit in richt:
Luk how I am, be fraud, maistry, and slycht
Pelit full bair: " and so is mony one
Now in this warld, rycht wondir, wo begone!

" Se how the cursit syn of cuvatyse,
Exylit hes bayth lufe, lawty, and law.
Now few or nane will execute justice,
In fait of quhom the pure man is ourthraw.
The verity, albeid the judge it knaw,
He is so blindit with affectioun,
But dreid, for meid, he thoillis the rycht go doun.

" Seis Thow nocht, Lord, this warld ourturnit is,
As quha wald chenge gud gold in leid or tyn;
The pure is pelit; the lord may do no miss;
Now symony is haldin for no syn;
Now is he blyth quha okir maist may wyn;
Gentreis is slane and pety is ago;
Allace! Lord God, quhy tholis Thow it so?

" Thow tholis this, bot for our grit offens
Thow sendis us truble and plaigis soir,
As hungir, derth, wer, and pestilens;
Bot few amendis thair lyfe now thairfoir.
We pure peple, as now may do no moir
Bot pray to The, sen we ar thus opprest
In to this erd, grant us in hevin gud rest."