(57) [ G7v-G8r (Page 110-111) ]

110 The Fabillis

And settis to the mailleris ane village:
And for ane tyme gressome payit and tane.
Syne vexis him, or half his terme be gane,
With pykit querrellis, for to mak him fane
To flit, or pay his gressome new agane.

His hors, his meir, he man len to the laird,
To drug, and draw, in cairt, and cariage.
His seruand, or his self may not be spaird,
To swing, and sweit, withoutin meit, or wage.
Thus how he standis in labour, and bondage,
That scantlie may he purches by his maill,
To leue vpon dry breid, and watter caill.

Hes thow not reuth, to gar thy tennentis sweit,
In to thy laubour, with faynt, and hungrie wame?
And syne hes lytill gude to drink, or eit,
With his menze, at euin quhen he cummis hame.
Thow suld be rad, for richteous Goddis blame.
For it cryis ane vengeance vnto the heuinnis hie,
To gar ane pure man wirk, but meit or fe.

O thow grit lord, that riches hes and rent:
Be nocht ane wolf, thus to deuoir the pure.
Think that na thing cruell, nor violent,
May in this warld perpetuallie indure.
This sall thow trow, and sikkerlie assure,
For till oppres, thow sall haif als grit pane,
As thow the pure with thy awin hand had slane.

God keip the lamb, quhilk is the innocent,
From wolfis byit, and men extortioneris.
God grant, that wrangous men of fals intent,
Be manifest, and punischit as effeiris.

Off Esope. 111

And God, as thow all rychteous prayer heiris,
Mot saif our king, and gif him hart and hand,
All sic wolfis to banes of the land.

Finis.

The taill of the paddok, & the mous.

Vpon ane tyme as esope culd report
Ane lytill mous come till ane reuer syde.

Scho micht not waid, hir schankis wer sa schort
Scho culd not swym, scho had na hors to ryde,
Off verray force behouit hir to byde.
And to, and fra, besyde that reuir deip,

Scho ran, cryand, with mony pietuous peip.
Help ouer, help ouer, this silie mous can cry,
For Goddis lufe, sum bodie ouer the brym.
With that ane paddok in the watter by,
Put vp hir heid, and on the bank can clym.
Quhilk be nature culd douk, and gaylie swym.
With voce full rauk, scho said on this maneir.
Gude morne schir mous quhat is zour erand heir?

Seis thow quod scho off corne zone iolie flat
Off ryip aitis, off barlie, peis, and quheit.
I am hungrie, and fane wald be thair at.
Bot I am stoppit be this watter greit,
And on this syde, I get na thing till eit,
Bot hard nuttis, quhilkis with my teith I bore.