Fair in the sand, to bathe4388 her merrily,
Lies Partelote, and all her sisters by,
Against the sun, and Chanticleer so free
Sang merrier than the mermaid in the sea;
For Physiologus saith sickerly,4389
How that they singë well and merrily.4390
And so befell that, as he cast his eye
Among the wortës,4391 on a butterfly,
He was ware of this fox that lay full low.
Nothing ne list him thennë4392 for to crow,
But cried anon “Cock! cock!” and up he start,
As man that was affrayed in his heart.
For naturally a beast desireth flee
From his contráry,4393 if be may it see,
Though he ne’er erst4394 had soon it with his eye
This Chanticleer, when he gan him espy,
He would have fled, but that the fox anon
Said, “Gentle Sir, alas! why will ye gon?
Be ye afraid of me that am your friend?
Now, certes, I were worse than any fiend,
If I to you would harm or villainy.
I am not come your counsel to espy.
But truëly the cause of my comíng
Was only for to hearken how ye sing;
For truëly ye have as merry a steven,4395
As any angel hath that is in heaven;
Therewith ye have of music more feelíng,
Than had Boece, or any that can sing.
My lord your father (God his soulë bless)
And eke your mother of her gentleness,
Have in mine housë been, to my great ease:4396
And certes, Sir, full fain would I you please.
But, for men speak of singing, I will say,
So may I brookë4397 well mine eyen tway,
Save you, I heardë never man so sing
As did your father in the morrowning.
Certes it was of heart all that he sung.
And, for to make his voice the morë strong,
He would so pain him,4398 that with both his eyen
He mustë wink, so loud he wouldë cryen,
And standen on his tiptoes therewithal,
And stretchë forth his neckë long and small.
And eke he was of such discretión,
That there was no man, in no región,
That him in song or wisdom mightë pass.
I have well read in Dan Burnel the Ass,4399
Among his verse, how that there was a cock
That, for4400 a priestë’s son gave him a knock
Upon his leg, while he was young and nice,4401
He made him for to lose his benefice.
But certain there is no comparisón
Betwixt the wisdom and discretión
Of yourë father, and his subtilty.
Now singë, Sir, for saintë charity,
Let see, can ye your father counterfeit?”
This Chanticleer his wings began to beat,
As man that could not his treasón espy,
So was he ravish’d with his flattery.
Alas! ye lordës, many a false flattour4402
Is in your court, and many a losengeour,4403
That pleasë you well morë, by my faith,
Than he that soothfastness4404 unto you saith.
Read in Ecclesiast of flattery;
Beware, ye lordës, of their treachery.
This Chanticleer stood high upon his toes,
Stretching his neck, and held his eyen close,
And gan to crowë loudë for the nonce:4405
And Dan Russel4406 the fox start up at once,
And by the gorgat hentë4407 Chanticleer,
And on his back toward the wood him bare.
For yet was there no man that him pursu’d.
O destiny, that may’st not be eschew’d!4408
Alas, that Chanticleer flew from the beams!
Alas, his wifë raughtë4409 nought of dreams!
And on a Friday fell all this mischance.
O Venus, that art goddess of pleasánce,
Since that thy servant was this Chanticleer
And in thy service did all his powére,
More for delight, than the world to multiply,
Why wilt thou suffer him on thy day to die?
O Gaufrid, dearë master sovereign,
That, when thy worthy king Richárd was slain4410
With shot, complainedest his death so sore,
Why n’ had I now thy sentence and thy lore,
The Friday for to chiden, as did ye?
(For on a Friday, soothly, slain was he),
Then would I shew you how that I could plain
For Chanticleerë’s dread, and for his pain.
Certes such cry nor lamentatión
Was ne’er of ladies made, when Ilión
Was won, and Pyrrhus4411 with his straightë swerd,
When he had hent king Priam by the beard,
And slain him (as saith us Eneidos),
As maden all the hennës in the close,4412
When they had seen of Chanticleer the sight.
But sov’reignly4413 Dame Partelotë shright,4414
Full louder than did Hasdrubalë’s wife,
When that her husband haddë lost his life,
And that the Romans had y-burnt Cartháge;
She was so full of torment and of rage,
That wilfully into the fire she start,
And burnt herselfë with a steadfast heart.
O woeful hennës! right so criëd ye,
As, when that Nero burned the citý
Of Romë, cried the senatorës’ wives,
For that their husbands losten all their lives;
Withoutë guilt this Nero hath them slain.
Now will I turn unto my tale again;
The sely4415 widow, and her daughters two,
Heardë these hennës cry and makë woe,
And at the doors out started they anon,
And saw the fox toward the wood is gone,
And bare upon his back the cock away:
They criëd, “Out! harow! and well-away!
Aha! the fox!” and after him they ran,
And eke with stavës many another man
Ran Coll our dog, and Talbot, and Garlánd;
And Malkin, with her distaff in her hand
Ran cow and calf, and eke the very hoggës,
So fear’d they were for barking of the doggës,
And shouting of the men and women eke.
They rannë so, them thought their hearts would break.
They yelled as the fiendës do in hell;
The duckës criëd as men would them quell;4416
The geese for fearë flewen o’er the trees,
Out of the hivë came the swarm of bees,
So hideous was the noise, ben’dicite!
Certes he, Jackë Straw,4417 and his meinie,4418
Ne madë never shoutës half so shrill,
When that they woulden any Fleming kill,
As thilkë day was made upon the fox.
Of brass they broughtë beamës4419 and of box,
Of horn and bone, in which they blew and pooped,4420
And therewithal they shrieked and they hooped;
It seemed
