mysfalle in his body or in his goodes, I trow hit shold not moche goo to my herte so that another dyde it. Neuertheles I shal neyther hate hym ne haue enuye at hym. I shal for goddes loue forgyue hym, yet is it not so clere out of myn herte, but a lytyl ylle wylle to hym ward abideth therin, as this cometh to my remembraunce, and the cause is that the sensualyte of my flessh fyghteth ayenst reson. How Ther stode also in that myrrour, of the wulf. he fonde ones vpon an heth a dede hors, slayn: but al the flessh was eten. Thenne wente he and bote grete morsellis of the bones, that for hongre he toke thre or iiij att ones and swolowed them in. For he was so gredy that one of the bones stack thwart in his mouth. Wherof he had grete payne, and was in grete fere of his lyf. He soughte al aboute for wyse masters and surgyens, and promysed grete yeftis for to be heled of his disease. Atte laste whan he coude nowher fynde remedye, he cam to the crane wyth his longe necke and bille; and prayde hym to helpe hym, and he wolde loue and rewarde hym so wel that he sholde euer be the better. The crane herked after this grete rewarde, and put his heed in to his throte and brought out the boon wyth his bylle. The wulf sterte a syde wyth the pluckyng and cryde out, Alas thou doost me harme! but I forgyue it the doo no more soo, I wolde not suffre it of an other. The crane saide, Sir Isegrym, goo and be mery, for ye be al hool now. Gyue to me that ye promysed. The wulf saide, Wyl ye here what he sayth: I am he that hath suffred, and have cause to playne, and he wille have good of me. He thanketh not me of the kyndnes that I dyde to hym; he put his heed in my mouth, and I suffred hym to drawe it out hole, without hurtyng; and he dyde to me also harme, and yf ony hier shold have a reward, it shold be I by ryght. Thus the unkynde men now a dayes rewarde them that doo them good. Whan the false and subtyl aryse and become grete, thenne goth worship and prouffyt al to nought. Ther ben many of right that ought reward and doo good to suche as have holpen hem in her nede, that now fynde causes and saye they be hurte, and wolde have amendis, where they ought to rewarde and make amendes them self. Therfore it is said, and trowthe it is, whoo that wyl chyde or chastyse, see that he be clere hym self. Alle this, and moche more than I now can wel remembre, was made and wrought in this glasse; the maister that ordeyned it was a connyng man, and a profounde clerk in many sciences; and by cause thise jewells were over good and precious for me to kepe and have, therfore I sente them to my dere lord the kynge, and to the quene in presente. Where ben they now that gyve to theyr lordes suche presentes? the sorowe that my ij. chyldren made whan I sente away the glasse was grete, for they were woned to loke therin and see them self how theyr clothyng and araye bycam them on their bodyes. O alas; I knewe not that Kywart the hare was so nyghe his deth whan I delyveryd hym the male with thise jewellis! I wiste not to whom I myght better have taken them, though it shold have coste me my lyf, than hym and Bellart the ramme. They were two of my best frendis. Oute, alas, I crye upon the murderar! I shal knowe who it was, though I shold renne thurgh al the world to seke hym; for murdre abydeth not hyd, it shal come out. Peraventure he is in this companye that knoweth where Kywart is bicomen, though he telleth it not; for many false shrewys walke wyth good men, fro whom no man can kepe hym. They knowen theyr craft so wel and can wel covere their falsenes. me. But the most wondre that I have is that my lord the kyng hier saith so felly, that my fadre nor I dyde hym never good; that thynketh me mervayl of a kynge. But ther come so many thyngis to fore hym that he forgeteth that one wyth that other, and so faryth by Dere lorde, remembre not ye whan my lord your fadre lyvyd, and ye an yonglyng of two yere were, that my fadre cam fro skole fro Monpellier, where as he had fyve yere studyed in receptes of medycynes. He knewe al the tokenes of the uryne as wel as his honde; and also alle the herbes and nature of them whiche were viscose or laxatyf. He was a synguler maister in that science, he myght wel were cloth of sylke and a gylt gyrdle. Whan he cam to court he fonde the kynge in a grete sekenes, wherof he was sory in his hert, for he lovyd hym above alle other lordes. The kynge wold not forgoo hym, for whan he cam alle other had leve to walke where they wold, he trusted none so moche as hym. He said, Reynard, I am seke, and fele me the lenger the werse. My fadre said, My dere lord, here is an urynal, assone as I may see it I shal telle what sekenes it is, and also how ye shal be holpen. The kynge dyde as he conseilled hym, for he trusted noman better that lyuyd. Though so were that my fader dyde not as he shold have don to you, but that was by counseyl of evyl and foule beestis, I had wonder therof but it was a rasyng ayenst his deth. He sayd, My lord, yf ye wyl be hole, ye muste ete the lyver of a wulf of vii. yere old, that may ye not leve, or ellis ye shal deye, for your uryne sheweth it playnly. The wulf stode ther by and said nought, but the kynge said to hym, Sir Ysegrym, now ye here wel that I muste have your lyver yf I wil be hool. Tho answerd the wulf, and said, Nay, my lord, not soo. I wote wel I am not yet fyve yere olde, I have herde my moder saie soo. My fadre sayd, What skylleth his wordes? late hym be opened and I shal knowe by the lyver yf it be good for yow or not. And therwyth the wulf was had to kychen, and his lyver taken out, whiche the kynge ete, and was anon al hole of alle his sekenes. Thenne thanketh he my fadre moche, and commanded alle his household, upon their lyvys, that after that tyme they shold calle hym Mayster Reynard. He abode stylle by the kynge, and was beleuid of alle thyngis, and muste alleway go by his side. And the kynge gaf to hym a garlond of rooses, whiche he muste alway were on his heed. But now this is al torned. Alle the old good thingis that he dyde, ben forgoten; and thise covetouse and rauenous shrewys ben takin vp and sette on the hye benche, and ben herde and made grete; and the wyse folke ben put a back. By whiche thise lordes ofte lacke, and cause them to be in moche trouble and sorowe; for whan a couetous man of lowe byrthe is made a lord, and is moche greet, and aboue his neyghbours hath power and myght, thenne he knoweth not hym self, ne whens he is a comen, and hath no pyte on nomans hurte; ne hereth nomans requeste, but yf he may haue grete yeftis. Al his entent and desyre is to gadre good and to be gretter. O how many couetous men ben now in lordes courtes. They flatre and smeke, and plese the prynce for theyr synguler auayl. But and the prynce had nede of them or their good they sholde rather suffre hym to deye, or fare right hard, er they wold gyue or lene hym. They be lyke the wulf that had leuer the kynge had deyed than he wolde gyue hym his lyuer. Yet had I leuer er the kynge or the quene shold fare amys, that xx suche wulves shold lose theyr lyues; hit were also the leest losse. My lorde al this bifelle in your yougthe that my fader dyde thus. I trowe ye haue forgoten it. And also I haue myself don yow reuerence, worship and courtosye. Vnroused be it, thaugh ye nowe thanke me but lytyl, but parauenture ye remembred not that I shal nowe saye; not to ony forwyttyng of yow, for ye be worthy alle worship and reuerence that ony |