Here foloweth the churle and the byrde

PRoblemes / of olde lykenesse and fygure which proued ben / fructuous of sentence And haue auctorites / grounded in scripture By resemblaunce / of notable aparaunce with moralities / concludynge on prudence Lyke as the byble reherseth by wrytynge How trees somtyme chose them a kynge . Fyrste in theyr choyse / they named Olyue To rayne amonge them / iudicum doth expresse But he hymselfe gan excuse blyue That they myght nat forsake the fatnesse Nor the fygge tre / her amorous swetnes Nor the vyne tre / his holsome fresshe corage which gyueth comforte / to all maner of age And semblable poytes laureate By darke parables full conuenient Fayne that byrdes and beestes of estate As royall Egles / and lyons by assent Sent out writtes to holde a paralyment And made the crye / breuely for to say Some to haue lordeshyp / and some to obeye . Egles in the ayre / hyest to take theyr flyght Power of lyons / on the grounde is sene Cedre amonge trees / hyghest in syght The laurell of nature / is aye grene Of floures all Flora / aye goddesse and quene Thus in all thynges / there ben dyuersytiees Churle & byrde . Some of estate / and some of lowe degrees . Poytes wryte / wonderfull lykenesse And vnder couert / kepe them selfe full close They take beestes and foules to wytnesse Of whose sayenges / fables fyrst a rose And here I cast on my purpose Out of frenche / a tale to translate which in a pamflete / I saw and redde but late This tale / which I make mencyon In grose reherseth playnly to declare The great prouerbe / payed for the raunson Of a lytell byrde / taken in a snare wonderfull desyrous / to escape out of care Of myn auctor folowynge the processe So as it fell / in ordre I shall you expresse Somtyme there dwelled in a small vylage As myn auctor maketh mencyon A churle / which had lust and corage within hym selfe / by dyligent trauayle To aray his garden / with notable aparayle Of length and brede / in lyke square and longe Hedged and dytched / to make it sure and stronge All the alayes / were made playne with sande The benches couered / with newe turues grene with the swete yerbes / and condytes at hande Than welled vp agaynst the sonne shynynge Lyke vnto syluer / or any christall clere The byrbyll wawes / in theyr vp boylynge Rounde as byrrall / theyr beames out shynynge . In myddes of the garden / stode a fresshe laurere Theron a byrde syngynge day and nyght with shynige fethers / bryghter than the golde wyre which with her songe / made heuy hertes lyght That her to beholde / it was an heuenly syght How towarde euyn / and in the dawnynge She dyd her payne moost amerously to synge Esperous / enforced her corage Towarde euyn / whan phebus went to the west Amonge the braunches / to take her aduauntage To synge her complaynte / and than to go to rest And at the rysynge of the quene Alcest To synge agayne / as it were her den Early on the morow / the day after to salue . It was a very heuenly melody Euen and morow / to heare the byrdes songe And the swete sugred ermony with vncouth warbles and tunes draw alonge That all the garden / of the noyse ronge Tyll on the morowe / whan Tytan dyd shyne clere The byrde was trapped / and caught in a pantere ¶ The churle was glad / that he that byrde had take Mery of chere / of loke and vysage And in all hast / he cast for to make within his house / a lytell prety cage And with her songe / to reioyse his corage Tyll at the last / the cely byrde abrayde And soberly to the churle she sayd I am take and stande vnder daungere Holden strayte / that I may nat fle A due my songe / my lusty notes clere Now haue I loste my lyberte Now am I thrall / that somtyme was fre And trust me well / whyle I stande in distrisse I can nat synge / nor make no gladnesse . And though my cage forged were of golde And the pynacles / of byrrall and chrystall I remembre a prouerbe of olde who leseth his fredome he leseth all For I had leauer / vpon a braunche small Merely synge / amonge the leaues grene Than in a cage of syluer bryght and shyne Sothe and pryson / haue none accordaunce Trowest thou I wyll synge in pryson Nay / for songe procedeth of ioy and plesaunce And pryson causeth deth and distruction Redynge of letters maketh no mery sounde Or who shulde be mery or iocounde Agaynst his wyll that lyeth in chaynes bounde what auayleth a Lyon to be a kynge To be shyt vp in a towre of stone Or an Egle vnder streyte kepynge Called kynge of foules euerychone Fye on lordshyp whan lyberte is gone Answere hereto / and let it not astarte who syngeth merely / that syngeth not at the herte But and thou wylt reioyce of my syngynge Suffre me to go fre from all daunger And euery day in the greue mornynge I wyll repayre vnto the laurere And merely synge with lusty note clere Vnder thy chamber / or a fore thyne hall Euery season / whan thou lyst me to call . To be shyt vp and pynned vnder drede Nothynge accordeth to my nature Thoughe I were fedde with mylke & wastell brede And swete curdes brought to my pasture Yet had I leuer to do my busy cure Erly on the morow to scrape in the wall To fynde my dyner / amonge the wormes small . The labourer is gladder at the ploughe Erly on morowe to fede hym with bacou Than some man is / that hath treasour ynoughe And of all deinties plente and foyson And no fredome with his possessyon To go at large / but as a bere at a stake To passe his bondes yf he leue take . Take this answere for a shorte conclusyon To synge in pryson thou shalte me nat constreyne Tyll I haue fredome in wodes vp and downe To flye at large / on boughe roughe and playne And of reason thou shuldest not disdayne Of my desyre / but laughe and haue good game But he that is a churle / wolde eche man were the same ¶ well quod the churle / syth it wyll nat be That I desyre as by thy talkynge Maugry thy wyll / thou shalte chose one of thre within a cage merely to synge Or to the kechyn I shall thy body brynge Plucke thy fethers / that ben bryght and clere And after rost or bake the to my sopere well quod the byrde / as to reason I say not nay Touchynge my songe / a full answere thou hast And whan my fethers ben plucked away Yf I be roste and baken in paste On me thou shalte haue but a small repaste But and y● thou wylte worke after my counsayle By me mayst thou haue great auayle Yf thou wylte vnto my reason assent And suffre me to go fre from pryson without ●●●n●o●n / or any other rent I shall the gyue a notable guerdon Thre great wysdomes / accordynge to reason More of value / take hede what I profer Than all thy golde that is shyt in thy cofer Trust me well / I wyll the nat disceyue well quod the churle / tell on let se Nay quod the byrde / thou must afore conceyue who that shall teche of reason must go fre It sytteth / a mayster to haue his lyberte And at large to teche his lesson Haue me not in suspecte I meane no treason well quod the churle I holde me content I trust thy promyse which thou makest me The byrde flewe forth / the chorle was of assent And toke her flyght vnto the laurer tre Than thought she / now stande I fre ●●●h no panters I cast nat all my lyfe Nor with lyme twygges / any more to stryue . He is a fole that scaped is daungere Broken his fetters / and fled out of pryson To resorte / for the brent chylde dredeth fyre Eche man beware of wysdome and reason Of sugre strewed / whiche hydeth false poyson There is no poyson venim so perylus of sharpenesse As is / whan it hathe of tryacle a lykenesse ¶ Who dredeth no peryll / in peryll he shall fall Smothe waters ben oftentymes depe The quayle pype can most fasly call Tyll the quayle vnder the net doth crepe A blere eyed fouler / trust not though he wepe Eschewe his tombe / of wepynge take no hede That symple byrdes can nype by the hede . And I that now such daungere am escaped I wyll beware / and afore prouyde That of no fouler I wyll no more betaked From their lyme twygges / I wyll flee fer a syde where paryll is / great paryll is to abyde Come nere thou churle / herken to my speche Of thre wysdomes that I wyll the teche Gyue nat of wysdome to hasty credence To euery tale of eche tydynge But consydre of reason and prudence Amonge many tales / is many a great lesynge Hasty credence / hath caused great hynderynge Reporte of tales & tydynges brought vp newe Caused many a man / to beholde vntrewe For one parte take this of my raunson Lerne the seconde / grounded on scrypture Desyre thou nat by no condycion Thynge / which is impossible to recure worldly desyre stande in auenture As who desyreth / to clym hye on lofte By sodeyne turne / he falleth vnsofte The thyrde is this beware both euyn and morowe Forget it nat / but lerne this of me For treasour lost / make neuer to great sorowe which in no wyse / may recouered be For who so taketh sorow / for loue of any degre Reken his loue and after his payne And of one sorowe / he maketh sorowes twayne After this lesson / the byrde began a songe Of her escape greatly re●●ysynge And she remembred also the great wronge Done by the churle / firste at her takinge Of her afray / and her emprysoninge Glad that she was out of drede Sayd vnto hym / houerynge aboue his hede Thou were quod she a naturall fole To suffre me departe of lewdenesse Thou ought to complayne and make dole And in thy herte to haue great heuynesse That thou lost so passynge great rychesse which myght suffyce by value in rekenynge To pay the raunson / of a myghty kynge There is a stone which is called a Iacounce Of golde engendred in myn entrayle which of fyne golde / passeth a great ounce Cytryne of colour lyke a granet of entayle which maketh men vyctoryous in batayle And who so euer bereth on him this stone Is fully assured agaynst his mortall fone . who that hath this stone in possessyon Shall suffre no pouertye ne no indygence But of all treasour / haue plente and foyson And euery man shall do him reuerence And none enemy shall do to hym offence But fro thy handes / now that I am gone Playne yf thou wylt / for thy part is none . It causeth loue / and maketh men gracyous And fauourable in euery mannes syght It maketh acorde / bytwene men Enuyons It conforteth sorofull / it maketh heuy hertes lyght Lyke to poyson in colour shyneth bryght I am a fole to tell all at ones Or to teche a churle / the price of precious stones Men shulde nat put a precyous margaryte As rubyes saphyres / and other stones Iude Emera●●e● / nor rounde peries whyte Afore rude swyne that loue draffe of kynde For a sowe delyteth as I fynde More in foule draffe her pygges for to glade Than in all the pery / that cometh of garnerd Eche thynge draweth to his semblable Fysshe in the see / beestes on the grounde The ayre for foules is moost comendable And to the ploughe man totyl the lande And a churle to haue a mucforke in hande I lese my tyme / any more to tary Or to teche a churle of the lapydary That thou haddest / thou gettest no more ageyne Thy lyme twygges and thy panters I defye To let me go / thou were foule ouersene To lese thy rychesse / only of foly I am nowe fre to synge and to fle where that my lyste / he is a fole at all That goeth at large / and maketh hymselfe a thrall To here of wysdome thyne eares ben defe Lyke to an asse / that lysteneth to an harpe Thou mayst go pype / in a yue lefe For better it is to synge on thornes sharpe Than in a cage / with a churle to carpe For it was sayd of folkes longe a gone That a churles byrde / is often wo be gone The churle felt his hert at wayne For very sorow / and a sonder ryue Alas quod he / I may well wepe and playne As a wretch neuer lyke to thryue But to mourne in pouertye all my lyue For of foly / and of wylfulnesse I haue lost holy all my rychesse . ¶ I was a lorde I cryed out on fortune And had great treasour late in my kepynge which myght haue made me longe to contynue with that stone to haue lyued lyke a kynge Or yf that I had set it in a rynge Borne it vpon me / I haue good ynoughe Me neded no more / to haue gone to the ploughe whan the byrde harde the churle thus mourne And how that he was heuy of his chere She toke her flyght / and gan agayne returne Towarde hym and sayd as ye shall here ¶ O thou dull churle ▪ wysdome for to lere That I the taught / all is lefte behynde Raced away and clene out of thy mynde Taught I the nat / this wysdome in sentence To euery tale brought vp of newe Nat to hastely to gyue credence Vnto the tyme / thou know that it be true All is nat golde / that sheweth goldysshe hewe Nor stones all / by nature as I fynde Be nat saphyres / that shewe colours ynde . In this doctryne I haue lost my labour To teche the such prouerbes of substaunce Here mayst thou se / thy lewde blynde errour For all my body peysed in a balaunce weyeth nat an ounse / rude is thy remembraunce I to haue more peyse closed in myne encrayle Than all my body / set to the conter●ayle All my body weyeth not an vnce How myght I than haue in me a stone That peyseth more than doth a great Iacounce Thy brayne is dull / thy wyt is almost gone Of thre wysdomes thou hast forgotten one For thou shuldest not after my sentence To euery tale / gyue to hasty credence . I bade also beware / both euyn and morowe For thynge lost / by soden auenture Thou sholdest not make to moche sorowe whan thou seest / thou mayst it nat recure And there thou faylest that thou dost thy busy cure In thy snare to catche me agayne Thou art a fole / thy labour is in vayne . In the thyrde / thou dost also raue For I bade / thou sholdest in no wyse Couete chynge / which thou mayst nat haue In whiche thou hast forgotten myn empryse Thus I may say / playnly to deuyse That thou hast of madnesse forgotten all thre Notable wysdomes / that I taught the It were foly / more with the to carpe Or preche of wysdome more or lasse I holde hym mad / that bryngeth forth an harpe Theron to teche a rude dull asse And madder is he / that syngeth to a fole a masse And he is most mad / that doth his busynesse To teche a churle / termes of gentylnesse . And semblably / in Aprill and in May when gentyll byrdes make most melody The cuckow syngeth but one laye Of other tunes / she hath no fantasy Thus euery thynge / asbokes pecifye As foules and bestes of euery age . From whens they came they take talage The vintener treath of his holsome wynes Of gentyll frutes / bostteth the gardener The fyssher casteth his hokes and his lyens To catche fysshe / in euery fresshe ryuer Of tylthe of lande / treateth the labourer The gentylman / treath of gentrye And the churle delyteth hym all in rybaudry . All one to the / a faukon as a kyte As good an owle as a popyngay A donghyll ducke / as daynty as a fnyte who serueth a churle / hath many a carefull daye A due syr churle / fare well I flye my way For I cast me neuer hensforth in my lykynge A fore a churle / any more to synge . Ye folke that shall this fable se or rede Newe forged tales / I counseyle you to fle For losse of gooddes / take neuer to great hede Nor be nat sory for none aduersyte Nor couete thynge / that may not recouered be And remembre where euer ye gone That a churles byrde / is euer wo begonne ¶ Vnto my purpose / this proued is fully ryue Rede and reporte by olde remembraunce That a churles byrde and a knaues wyfe Haue oftentymes / great sorow and myschaunce And who that hath fredome / hath all suffysaunce For better is fredome / with lytel in gladnesse Than to be thrall / with all worldly rychesse Go lytell queyer / and recommende me Vnto my mayster / with humble affection Besechynge hym lowly of mercy and pyte Of this rude makynge / to take compassyon And as touchynge the translacyon Out of frenche / how it englisshed be All thynge is sayd vnder correction with supportacyon / of your benygnite . FINIS . ¶ Thus endeth the treatyse called churle & the byrde .