(37) [ E3v-E4 recto (Page 70-71) ]

70 The Fabillis

All wyld beistis than from the bentis bair
Drawis for dreid vnto thair dennis deip,
Coucheand for cauld in coifis thame to keip.

Syne cummis ver, quhen winter is away,
The secretar off somer with his sell.
Quhen columbie vp keikis throw the clay,
Quhilk fleit wes befoir with froistes fell.
The mauis, and the merle, beginnis to mell:
The lark on loft, with vther birdis smale,
Than drawis furth fra derne, ouer doun and daill.

That samin seasoun, in to ane soft morning,
Rycht blyth that bitter blastis wer ago,
Vnto the wod to se the flouris spring,
And heir the mauis sing, and birdis mo
I passit furth, syne lukit to and fro
To se the soill, that wes richt sessonabill,
Sappie, and to resaue all seidis abill.


Mouing thusgait grit myrth I tuke in mynd
Off lauboraris to se the besines.
Sum makand dyke, and sum the pleuch can wynd,
Sum sawand seidis fast frome place to place.
The harrowis hoppand in the saweris trace.
It wes grit ioy to him that luifit corne,
To se thame laubour, baith at euin and morne.

And as I baid vnder ane bank full bene,
In hart gritlie reiosit off that sicht.

Off Esope. 71

Vnto ane hedge, vnder ane hawthorne grene
Off small birdis thair come ane ferlie flicht.
And doun belyif can on the leifis licht,
On euerilk syde about me quhair I stude,
Rycht meruellous ane mekill multitude.

Amang the quhilks, ane swallow loud couth cry,
On that hawthorne hie in the croip sittand.
O ze birdis on bewis, heir me by,
Ze sall weill knaw, and wyislie vnderstand,
Quhair danger is, or perrell appeirand,
It is grit wisedome to prouyde befoir,
Itit to deuoyd, for dreid it hurt zow moir.

Schir swallow (quod the lark agane) and leuch,
Quhat haue ze sene, that causis zow to dreid?
Se ze zone churll quod scho bezond zone pleuch.
Fast sawand hemp, lo se and linget seid
Zone lint will grow in lytill tyme in deid,
And thairoff will zone churll his nettis mak,
Vnder the quhilk he thinkis vs to tak.

Thairfoir I reid we pas quhen he is gone,
At euin, and with our naillis scharp and small,
Out off the eirth scraip we zone seid anone,
And eit it vp, for giff it growis, we sall
Haue cause to weip heirefter ane and all.
Se we remeid thairfoir furth with instante,
Nam leuius laedit quicquid praevidimus ante.