(13) [ B3v-B4 recto (Page 22-23) ]

22 The fabillis

Qhen I behald zour fedderis fair and gent,
Zour beik, zour breist, zour hekill, and zour kame.
Schir be my saull, and the blissit sacrament,

My hart warmys me think I am at hame,
Zow for to serve I wald creip on my wame,
In froist and snaw, in wedder wan and weit,
And lay my lyart loikkis vnder zour feit.

This fenzeit fox fals and dissimulate,
Maid to this cok ane cauillatioun.
Ze ar me think changit and degenerate,
Fra zour father off his conditioun
Off craftie crawing he micht beir the croun,
For he wald on his tais stand and craw.
This is na le, I stude beside and saw.

With that the cok vpon his tais hie,
Kest vp his beik, and sang with all his micht.
Quod schir lowrence weill said sa mot I the.
Ze ar zour fatheris sone and air vpricht.
Bot off his cunning zit ze want ane slicht.
Quhat quod the cok he wald and haif na dout,
Baith wink, and craw, and turne him thryis about.

The cok inflate with wind and fals vane gloir,
That mony puttis vnto confusioun.
Traisting to win ane grit worschip thairfoir,
Vnwarlie winkand walkit vp and doun,
And syne to chant and craw he maid him boun.

Of Esope 23

And suddandlie be he had crawin ane note,
The foxe wes war and hint him be the throte.

Syne to the woid but tarie with him hyit,
Off countermaund haifand bot lytill dout.
With that pertok, sprutok, and coppok cryit.
The wedow hard, and with ane cry come out.
Seand the cace scho sichit and gaif ane schout.
How murther reylok with ane hiddeous beir,
Allace now lost is gentill chantecleir.

As scho wer woid, with mony zell and cry,
Ryuand hir hair vpon hir breist can beit,
Syne, paill off hew, half in ane extasy
Fell doun for cair in swoning, and in sweit.
With that the selie hennis left thair meit.
And quhill this wyfe wes lyand thus in swoun,
Fell in that cace in disputatioun

Allace quod pertok makand sair murning,
With teiris grit attour hir cheikis fell.
Zone wes our drowrie, and our dayis darling,
Our nichtingall, and als our orlege bell.

Our walkryfe watche vs for to warne and tell
Quhen that aurora with hir curcheis gray,
Put vp hir heid betuix the nicht and day.

Quha sall our lemman be? Quha sall vs leid?
Quhen we ar sad quha sall vnto vs sing?
With his sweit bill he wald brek vs the breid,