(8) [ A6v-A7r (Page 12-13) ]

12 The Fabillis

Off fog and farne full misterlyk wes maid,
Ane sillie scheill vnder ane erdfast stane,
Off quhilk the entres wes not hie nor braid.

And in the samin thay went but mair abaid,
Withoutin fyre or candill birnand bricht,
For comonly sic pykeris luffis not lycht.

Quhen thay wer lugit thus thir sely myse,
The zoungest sister into hir butterie hyid,
And brocht furth nuttis, and peis in steid off spyce,
Giff thair wes weilfair I do it on thame besyde.
This burges mous prunzit forth in pryde.
And said sister is this zour dayly fude?
Quhy not quod scho think ze this meit nocht gude?

Na be my saull I think it bot ane scorne.
Madame quod scho ze be the mair to blame,
My mother sayd efter that we wer borne,
That I and ze lay baith within ane wame,
I keip the ryte and custome off my dame,
And off my syre levand in pouertie,
For landis haue we nane in propertie.

My fair sister quod scho haue me excusit.
This rude dyat and I can not accord.
To tender meit my stomok is ay vsit,
For quhy I fair alsweill as ony lord.
Thir wydderit peis, and nuttis, or thay be bord,

Off Esope 13

Wil brek my teith, and mak my wame ful sklender
Quhilk vsit wes before to meitis tender.

Weil, weil, sister quod the rurall mous,
Geue it zow pleis sic thing as ze se heir,
Baith meit and dreink, harberie and hous,
Salbe zour awin, will ze remane al zeir.
Ze sall it haue wyth blyith and hartlie cheir,
And that suld mak the maissis that ar rude,
Amang freindis richt tender sueit and gude,

Quhat plesans is in feistis delicate,
The quhilkis ar geuin with ane glowmand brow?
Ane gentill hart is better recreate,
With blyith visage than seith to him ane kow.
Ane modicum is mair for till allow,
Swa that gude will be keruer at the dais,
Than thrawin vult and mony spycit mais.

For all this mery exhortatioun
This burges mous had littill will to sing.
Bot heuilie scho kest hir browis doun,
For all the daynteis thatt scho culd hir bring.
Zit at the last scho said halff in hething,

Sister this victuall and zour royall feist,
May weill suffice for sic ane rurall beist.

Lat be this hole and cum vnto my place,
I sall zow schaw be trewe experience,