❧ The Churl and the Bird. depiction of man and bird Problems of old likeness and figure Which proved been, fructuous of silence And have authorities, grounded in scripture By resemblance, of notable aparaunce with moralities, concluding on prudence Like as the bible rehearseth by writing How trees sometime chose them a king. first in their choice, they named olive To rain among them, judicum doth express But he hymsefle 'gan excuse belive That they might not forsake the fatness Nor the fig tree, her amorous sweetness Nor the vine tree, his wholesome fresh courage which giveth comfort, to all manner of age And semblable poytes laureate By dark parables full convenient Fayne that birds and beasts of estate As royal Eagles, and lions by assent Sent out writs to hold a paralyment And made the cry, briefly for to say So●● to have lord ship, and some to obey. Eagles in the air, highest to take their flight Power of lions, on the ground is seen cedar among trees, highest in sight The laurel of nature, is aye green Of flowers all Flora, aye goddess and queen Thus in all things, there been dyuersyti●●s Churl & bird. Some of estate, and some of low degrees. Poytes write, wonderful likeness And under covert, keep themself full close They take beasts, and fowls to witness Of whose sayings, fables first a rose And here I cast on my purpose Out of french, a tale to translate which in a pamflete, I saw and red but late This tale, which I make mention In gross rehearseth plainly to declare The great proverb, paid for the ransom Of a little bird, taken in a snare wonderful desirous, to escape out of care Of mine auctor following the process So as it fell, in order I shall you express Sometime there dwelled in a small village As mine anctor maketh mention A churl, which had lust and courage within himself, by diligent travail To array his garden, with notable aparayle Of length and breed, in like square and long Hedged and dytched, to make it sure and strong All the alleys, were maid plain with sand The benches covered, which new turfs green with the sweet yerbes, and condytes at hand Than welled up against the son shining Like unto silver, or any crystal clear The byrbyll wawes, in their up boiling Round as byrrall, their beams out shyving. In mids of the garden, stood a fresh laurere thereon a bird singing day and night with shining feathers, brighter than the gold wyr● which with her song, made heavy hearts light that her to behold, it was an heavenly sight Now toward even, and in the dawning She did her pain most amerously to sing Esperous enforced her courage toward even, when phoebus went to the west Among the branches, to take her advantage To sing her complaint, and than to go to rest And at the rising of the queen Alcestis to sing again, as it were her deu Early on the morrow, the day after to salve. It was a very heavenly melody Even and morrow to hear the birds song And the sweet sugared ermony with uncouth warbles and tunes draw along That all the garden, of the noise tongue Till on the morrow, when tytan did shine clear the bird was trapped, and caught in a pantere ¶ The churl was glad, that he that bird had take Merry of cheer, of look and visage And in all haste, he cast for to make Within his house, a little pretty cage And with her song, to rejoice his courage till at the last, the cely bird abrayed And soberly to the churl she said I am take and stand under danger Holden straight, that I may not i'll A due my song, my lusty notes clear Now have I lost my liberty Now am I thrall, that sometime was free And trust me well, while I stand in distrisse I can not sing, nor make no gladness? And though my cage forged were of gold And the pinnacles, of byrrall and crystal I remember a proverb of old who loseth his freedom he loseth all For I had leaver, upon a branch small Merely sing, among the leaves green Than in a cage of silver bright and shine sooth and prison, have none accordance Trowest thou I wile sing in prison Nay, for song proceedeth of joy and pleasance And prison causeth doth and destruction. reading of letters maketh no merry sound Or who should be merry or iocounde Against his will that lieth in chains bound What availeth a Lion to be a king To be shut up in a tower of stone Or an Eagle under strait keeping Calle● king of fowls everychone Fie on lordship, when liberty is gone Answer hereto, and let it not astart who singeth merely, that singeth not at the her●e But and thou wilt rejoice of my singing Suffer me to go free from all danger And every day in the green morning I will repair unto the la●rere And merely sing with lusty note clear Under the chamber, or a fore thine hall Every season, when thou list me to call. To be shut up and pinned under dread Nothing accordeth to my nature Though I were fed with milk & wastel breed And sweet curds brought to my pasture yet had I liefer to do my busy cure early on the morrow to scraped in the wall To find my dinner, among the worms small. The labourer is gladder at the plough● early on morrow to feed him with bacon Than some man is, that hath treasure enough And of all dainties plenty and foison And no freedom with his possession To go at large, but as a bear at a stake To pass his bonds if he leave take. Take this answer for a short conclusion to sing in prison thou shalt me not 〈◊〉 strain Till I have freedom in woods up and down to fly at large, on bough rough and plain And of reason thou shouldest not disdain Of my desire, but laugh and have good game But he that is a churl, would each man were the same ¶ well quoth the churl, sith it will not be That I desire as by thy talking Maugry thy will, thou shalt choose one of three within a cage merely to sing Or to the kitchen I shall thy body bring Pluck thy feathers, that been bright and clear And after roast or bake the to my sopere well quoth the bird, as to reason I say not nay touching my song, a full answer thou hast And when my feathers been plucked away If I be roast and baken in past On me thou shalt have but a small repast But and if thou wilt work after my counsel By me mayst thou have great avail If thou wilt unto my reason assent And suffer me to go free from prison without ransom, or any other rend I shall the give a notable guerdon Three great wysdome●, according to reason More of value, take heed what I proffer Than all thy gold that is shut in thy coffer Trust me well, I will the not deceive well quoth the churl, tell on let see Nay quod the bird, thou must afore conceive who that shall teach of reason must go free It sitteth, a master to have his liberty And at large to teach his lesson Have me not in suspect I mean no treason well quoth the churl I hold me content I trust thy promise which thou makest me The bird flew forth, the churl was of assent And took her flight, unto the laurel tree than thought she, now stand I free with no panters I cast not a I my life Nor with lime twigs, any more to strive. He is a fool that scaped is danger Broken his fetters, and fled out of prison To resort, for the brent child dreadeth fire Each man beware of wisdom and reason Of sugar strewed, which hideth false poison There is no poison venom so per●llus of sharpness As is, when it hath of treacle a likeness ¶ Who dreadeth no peril, in peril he shall fall Smooth waters been oftentimes deep The quail pipe can most falsely call till the quail under the net doth creep A blerecyed fouler, trust not though he weep Eschew his tomb, of weeping take no heed That simple birds can nype vy the heed. And I that now such danger am escaped I will beware, and afore provide That of no fouler I will no more betaked From their lime twigs, I will flee far a side where peril is, great peril is to abide Come near thou churl, hearken to my speech Of three wisdom's that I will the teach give not of wisdom to hasty credence To every tale of each tiding But consider of reason and prudence Among many tales, is many a great losing Hasty credence, hath caused great hindering Report of tales & tidings brought up new Caused many a man, to behold untrue For o●e part take this of my ransom Learn the second, grounded on scripture Desire thou not by no condition thing, which is impossible to recure worldly desire stands in adventure As who desireth, to climb high on loft By sudden turn, he falleth vnso●te the third is this beware both even and morrow Forget it not, ●u●●●r●e this of me For treasure lost, make never to great sorrow Which in no wise, may recovered be For who so taketh sorrow, for love of any degree reckon his love and after his pain And of one sorrow, he maketh sorrows twain After this lesson, the bird began a song Of her escape greatly rejoicing And she remembered also the great wrong Done by the churl, first at her taking O● her afray, and her emprysoninge Glad that she was out of dread Said unto him, hover above his heed Thou were quoth she a natural fool To suffer me depart of lewdness thou ought to complaint and make dole And in thy heart to have great heaviness That thou lost so passing great richesse which might suffice by value in reckoning To pay the ransom, of a mighty king There is a stone which is called a Iaconn●● Of gold engendered in mine entrail which of fine gold, passeth a great ounce citrine of colour like a granet of entail which maketh men victorious in battle And who so ever beareth on him this stone Is fully assured against his mortal fone. who that hath this stone in possession: Shall suffer no poverty ne no indigence But of all treasure, have plenty and foison And every man shall do him reverence And none enemy shall do to him offence But fro thy hands, now that I am gone Plain if thou wilt, for thy part is none It causeth love, and maketh men gracious And favourable in every man's sight It maketh accord, between men Envious It comforteth sorrowful, it maketh heavy hearts light Like to poison in colour shineth bright I am a fool to tell all at ones Or to teach a churl, the precious stones Men should not put a precious margaryte As rubies sapphires, and other stones Ind Emeralds, nor round pearls white A●ore rude swine that love draff of kind For a sow delighteth as I find More in foul draff her pigs for to glade Than in all the p●ry, that cometh of garnerd Each thing draweth to his semblable fish in the see, beasts on the ground The air for fowls is most commendable And to the plough man to till the land And a churl to have a mucforke in hand I lose my time, any more to tarry Or to teach a churl of the lapydary That thou hadst, thou gettest no more a gain thy lime twigs and thy panters I defy To let me go, thou were foul overseen to lose thy richesse, only of folly I am now free to sing and to i'll where that my list, he is a fool at all that goeth at large, and maketh himself a thrall To here of wisdom thine ears been deaf Like to an ass, that listeneth to an harp Thou mayst go pipe, in a rue lief For better it is to sing on thorns sharp than in a cage, with a churl to carp For it was said of folks long a gone that a churls bird, is often woe be gone The churl felt his heart atwayne For very sorrow, and a sunder rive Alas quoth he, I may well weep and plain As a wretch never like to thrive But to mourn in poverty all my live For of folly, and of wilfulness I have lost hoyly all my richesse. ¶ I was a lord I cried out on fortune And had great treasure late in my keeping which might have made me long to continue with that stone to have lived like a king Or if that I had set it in a ring Borne it upon me, I have good enough Me needed no more, to have gene to the plough when the bird hard the churl thus mourn And how that he was heavy of his cheer She took her flight, and 'gan again return toward him and said as ye shall here ¶ O thou dull churl wisdom for to lere that I the taught, all is left behind Razed away and clean out of thy mind Taught I the not this wisdom in sentence To every tale brought up of new not to hastily to give credence Unto the time, thou know that it be true All is not gold, that showeth goldysshe hew Nor stones all, by nature as I find Be not sapphires, that show colours ind. In this doctrine I have lost my labour To teach the such proverbs of substance Here mayst thousese, thy lewd blind error For all my body poised in a balance weigheth not an ounse, rude is thy remmebraunce I to have more poise closed in mine entrayle Than all my body, set to the contertayle All my body weigheth not an ounce How might I than have in me a stone That poiseth more than doth a great jacounce thy brain is dull, thy wit is almost gone Of three wisdom's thou hast forgotten one For thou shouldest not after my sentence To every tale, give to hasty credente. I bade also beware, both even and morrow For thing lost, by sudden adventure thou shouldest not make to much sorrow when thou seest, thou mayst it not recure And there thou failest that thou dost thy busy cure In thy snare to catch me again Thou art a fool, thy labour is in vain. In the third, thou dost also rave For I bade, thou shouldest in no wise covet thing, which thou mayst not have In which thou hast forgotten mine emprise Thus I may say, plainly to devise that thou hast of madness forgotten all three Notable wisdom's, that I taught the It were folly, more with the to carp Or preach of wisdom more or lass I hold him mad, that bringeth forth an harp thereon to teach a rude dull ass And madder is he, that singeth to a fool a mass And he is most mad, that doth his business: To teach a churl, terms of gentleness. And semblably, in April and in May when gentle birds make most melody The cuckoo singeth but on lay Of other tunes she hath no fantasy Thus every thing, as books specify As fowls and beasts of every age. From whence they came they take tallage The Vintner treateth of his wholesome wines Of gentle fruits bostteth the Gardener The fisher casteth his hokes and his lyens to catch fish, in every fresh river Of tilth of land, treateth the Labourer the gentleman, treateth of gentry And the Churl delighteth him all in rybandry. All one to thee, a Fa●kon as a Kyfe As good an Owl as a Popingay A dunghill duck, as dainty as a Snyte Who serveth a churl, hath many a careful day A due sir Churl, far well I fly my way For I cast me never henceforth in my liking A fore a churl, any more to sing. Ye folk that shall this fable see or read New forged tales I counsel you to i'll For loss of goods, take never to great heed Nor be not sorry for none adversity Nor covet thing, that may not recovered be And remember where ever ye gone That a churls bird, is ever woe begun ¶ Unto my purpose, this proved is fully rive Reed and report by old remembrance That a churls bird and a knaves wise Have oftentimes, great sorrow and mischance And who that hath freedom, hath all suffisance For better is freedom, with little in gladness Than to be thrall, with all worldly richesse To little queyer, and recommend me Unto my master, with humble affection beseeching him lowly of mercy and pity Of this rude making, to take compassion And as touching the translation Out of french, how it englished be All thing is said under correction with supportation, of your benignity. FINIS. ¶ imprinted at London in Lothburi over against Saint Margarytes church by me Wyliam Copland.