(43) F1 verso-F2r (Page 82-83)

82 The Fabillis

That with his maister fallis in ressoning.
I did bot till assay quhat ze wald say,
God wait my mynd wes on ane vther thing.
I sall fulfill in all thing zour bidding,
Quhat euer ze charge on nichtis or on dayis.
Weill quod the volff I heir weill quhat thou sayis.

Bot zit I will, thow mak to me ane aith,
For to be leill attour all leuand leid.
Schir said the foxe that ane word maks me wraith
For nou I se, ze haue me at ane dreid.
Zit sall I sweir, suppois it be nocht neid.
Be iuppiter, and on pane off my heid,
I sall be treu to zou, quhill I be deid.

With that ane cadgear, with capill, and with creillis
Come carpand furth: than lawrence culd him spy?
The foxe the flewer off the fresche hering feillis,
And to the volff he roundis priuely.
Schir, zone ar hering the cadgear caryis by.
Thairfoir I reid, that we se for sum wayis,
To get sum fische aganis thir fasting dayis.

Sen I am stewart, I wald we had sum stuff,
And ze ar siluer seik, I wait richt weill.
Thocht we wald thig, zone verray churlische chuff,
He will not giff vs ane hering off his creill,
Befoir zone churle on kneis thocht we wald kneill.
Bot zit I trou alsone that ze sall se,
Off Esope. 83

Giff I can craft, to bleir zone carlis ee.

Schir, ane thing is, and we get off zone pelff
Ze man tak trauell, and mak vs sum supple.
For he that will not laubour, and help him selff,
In to thir dayis he is not worth ane fle.
I think to work als besie as ane be.
And ze sall follou ane lytill efterwart,
And gadder hering, for that sall be zour part.

With that he kest ane cumpas far about,
And straucht him doun in middis off the way,
As he wer deid, he fenzeit him but dout.
And than vpon lenth vnliklie lay,
The quhyte he turnit vp, off his ene tuay.
His toung out hang ane handbreid off his heid.
And still he lay, als straucht as he wer deid.

The cadgear fand the foxe, and he wes fane,
And till him self, thus softlie can he say.

At the nixt bait in faith ze sall be flane,
And off zour skyn I sall mak mittenis tway.
He lap full lichtlie about him quhair he lay,
And all the trace he trippit on his tais,
As he had hard ane pyper play he gais.

Heir lyis the deuyll quod he deid in ane dyke.
Sic ane selcouth sau I not this seuin zeir.
I trou ze haue bene tussillit with sum tyke,
That garris zou ly sa still withoutin steir.