The horse▪ the sheep & the ghosts.  

Ontreversies. pleas and discords  
between persons were two or three  
Sought out the grounds be records  
This was the custom of antiquity  
judges were fet/ that had authority  
The case conceived standing indifferent  
Between parties to give judgement   

Parties assembled of high & low degree  
Weren amitted to shown in sentence  
Grounded of their quarrels the law made 'em f●●  
With out exception to come in audience  
Be the precedent/ commanded first silence  
Freedom give/ the parties not to spare  
Be title of right their griefs to declare   

Upon this matter shortly to conclude  
Nought yore agoon as I rehearse shall  
I fond to purpose a similitude  
Full craftily depainted upon a wall  
twain sitting in estate royal  
The fierce lion famous in all royalmes  
And themperial eagle piercing the son beams   

These were the dreadful judges twain  
In their estate sitting I took keep  
That heard the parties by & by complain  
The horse the ghosts and the simple sheep  
The process was not to perfounde ne deep  
Of their debate but contrived of a fable  
Which of hem was to man most profitable   

Each for his party proudly 'gan proceed  
To force himself be record of scripture  
By philosophers as clerks seen and read  
The prerogatives/ yeven hem be nature  
Which of these three/ to every creature  
In re publica/ a vaileth most a man  
For his party thus first the horse began The horse.   

To proceed briefly & not long to tarry  
First fro the truth that I do not err  
What be'st is found in all thing so necessary  
As is the horse both nigh and far  
And so notable to man in peace & were  
Horse in chronicles who so readeth a right  
Have saved oft many a Worthy knight   

martial prowess in especial  
God hath be horse give to werrours  
Record of alexander whose horse bucyfall  
Made him escape fro many sharp showers  
The golden char of old conquerors  
Toward the triumph for knightly deeds  
conceived hit was with four white steeds   

Remember hector the trojan champion  
whose horse was called whilom galathe  
Upon whose back he pleyde the lion  
Full oft scythes he made the greeks flee  
The stead of perseus was cleped pigase  
With swift wings/ poetes sayn the same  
Was for his swiftness named the horse of fam●   

Eques ab equo is said of very right  
And chyvaler is said of chivalry  
In duche a rider is called a knight  
Arragon tongue doth also specify  
Cavalow/ which in that party  
Is named of worship & took beginning  
Of spurs of gold & chief of riding   

These emperors these princes & these kings  
When they been armed in bright plate & mail  
Without horse what were their mustringes  
Their broad banners or their rich apparaille  
To fore her enemies to show 'em in battle  
With out horse. spear. sword. ne shield  
Might little avail for to hold a field   

The hardy prykars upon horse back  
Be sent toforn what ground is best to take  
In their ordinance that there be no lack  
Be providence how they the field shall make  
An horse will weep for his master sake  
Chawcer remembrith the sword. ring & glass  
Presented were upon a stead of brass   

Between two hills the prophet zachary  
Saw steeds four/ the first of hem was red  
In chares feure the field to magnify  
And the second was black it is no dread  
The third was white body neck and heed  
The fourth diverce of colours/ wonder strong  
And to knighthood all these a louvre long   

The read horse was token of hardiness  
Which appertaineth to every manly knight  
The coal black hew/ a sign of soberness  
Poraille oppressed to help in their right  
The white milk stead that was glad of sigh●  
Tokeneth that knighthood trouly should intend  
Holy church maidens & wedewie to defend   

The many fold colours to speak in general  
Be sundry virtues and conditions  
As the four virtues called cardinal  
Longing to knighthood tincrease their renons  
In re publica/ called the champion's  
Truth to sustain & show 'em self streng  
Bound be order to see noman have wrong   

Withouten horse jousts ne tournaill  
May not be hold in were ne in peace  
Nor in palastre no plays martial  
If horse do fail may come to nonn increase  
Ne noman soothly dar put him in press  
Withouten horse for short conclusion  
To attain the palm of triumphal guerdon   

Lower degrees their hen of horse also  
Do great prouffit/ to every commonty  
The plough ne cart might nought do  
With out horse/ daily ye may see  
tilling were lost ne were we horses pard  
The busy marchante to his a vantage  
Ne'er ships & horse could have no carriage   

The ship be likeness is called an horse of tree  
Full notably who can understand  
To lead men & carry them over the see  
As done horse when they come to land  
The power man eke leadeth in a band  
His little caple. his corn his meal to sell  
And when it is grounden bringeth it fro the mill   

In winter season to make beal cheer  
The horse is needful wood & turf to carry  
Wyn fruit & oil to serve through the year  
Is beought to vyneters & to the potecarye  
diverse drugs and many a lituarye  
Sundry bales and shortly all victual  
Of the carriage horse have the travail   

Heye ne oats plainly who list learn  
may fro the fields ner the medes green  
To the garner neither to the barn  
With out horse be carried it is seen  
And unto pourpose-I say as I mean  
There is no be'st reckon as I began  
So necessary/ as horse is unto man   

august is a season merry and glad  
When every tree with new fruit is lad  
With draft of horse the shevis been home lad  
That month passed/ the leevis begin to fade  
Which made in summer a pleasant lusty shade  
What done horse than to speak in words plain  
The second crop they carry home of ryweyn   

By draft of horse fro rivers & wellis  
Bouges be brought to brewars for good ale  
lead stone timber carriage of bellis  
We bring to churches in troth this is no tale  
We lead cloth sackis & many a large male  
And gladly summer's be sent tofore  
With gardevyandes/ how might horse be for born   

Ye prudent judges the eagle & the lion  
What I have said doth wisely advertise  
weigheth this matter in your discretion  
Where ghosts or sheep plainly to devise  
Of their nature may in any wise  
justly dame ye. let it not be spared  
Unto an horse be likened & compared   

That I have told is troth & no feigning  
No wight of reason again it may apply  
ghosts ne gander ne green gosseling  
But if they entre the bounds of envy  
Late her come forth and say for her party  
ghosts yes trust me well for the I will not spare  
Like as I feel my verdict to declare   

Where as thou hast unto thy pasture  
But one place/ to make in thy repair  
Hit is granted to me by nature  
To abide on water. land and eyer  
Now among flowers & grenies that be feyr  
Now bathe in rivers swim in many a pond  
For storm or shower as dry as on the land   

To mine intent more things ye may seen  
As men expert known that been old  
When wild ghees high in th'air up fleen  
With their wings displayed & unfold  
A pronostyque of snow & frost cold  
kalends bring plainly for to say  
Again winter how men should pourveye   

The grease of ganders is good in medicine  
With sundry gums tempered for the gout  
divorce aches to swagen and decline  
In thextremities to draw the malice out  
Feathers of ghees when they fall or mowte  
To gather 'em up herds hem delight  
To sell to flecchers the grey with the white   

Men pluck stalks out of my wings twain  
Some to portreye some to note or write  
When rethoriciens have do their busy pain  
Fresh epistles and letters to indite  
With out writing a vaileth not a mite  
For if pens & writing were away  
Of remembrance than were lost the key   

Of ghees also the deed is provid oft  
In many a country and many a region  
To make pylowes & feather beds soft  
Of prudence men plucken of the dounne  
Thus to make a plain comparison  
As pelows been to chambres agreeable  
So is hard straw litter for the stable   

The fyme of ghees and green goselynges  
gathered in may among the herbs soot  
Again brenning scalding & other things  
Tempered with oil or butter doth boat  
To suage pain pierceth to the rote  
But horse dung as refuse is cast away  
Is good for furnaces tempered with clay   

A deed horse is but a foul carrion  
th'air infecting/ it is so coruptable  
But a fat ghosts/ when it is new slain  
In dishes of gold/ a mussel agreeable  
Is scruid upon a kings table  
swimming alive in waters crystallyn  
Tenderly roasted requireth to have win   

Thurgh all the land of brutes albyon̄  
For feathered arrows as I rehearse can  
ghosts is the best to make comparison  
Except feathers of peacock & of swan  
Be bow & arrows sith the war began  
Have englishmen remembered in story  
Of their enemies had many a victory   

Horse in the field may muster with great pride  
When they of trompectis hear the bloody sowun  
But when an arrow hath pierced percydhis side  
To ground he goth & cast his master dowun  
Entering the field he playeth the lion  
What followeth after/ his carrion stinketh sore  
Sauf skin & shone there leaveth no more   

Mighty captains & knights in the field  
Make their wards and their ordinance  
First men of arms with pole-axe spear & shield  
Set in order dew to have the governance  
Which at peyters took the king of france  
Thank to the ghosts most be given of right  
Which in the field so proudly took her flight   

Sloth of my flight for hasty negligence  
Of presumption/ the ghosts was left behind  
When the famous & worthy due of clarence  
Rode ou bayard with his eyen blind  
Flight of my feathers was put out of mind  
And for he set that day of me no force  
So little or nought/ what a veiled him his horse   

Books old remember well in sentence  
Whilom when come by his soon was take  
The capitoled kept of with great defence  
Noise of a gander/ the captain died wake  
Which remembered/ they set up for his sake  
In their temples wide and old  
A large gandre forged all of fyn gold   

His w●ker noise was their salvation  
Be which the captain ran upon the wall  
Thus be a gander recovered was the town  
Called of the world the city most ryall  
city of cities that day most principal  
Was ever horse in book that ye can read  
Pro re publica/ that died such a deed