Robert Henryson's The morall fabillis of Esope the Phrygian

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Title
Robert Henryson's The morall fabillis of Esope the Phrygian
Author
Henryson, Robert, 1430?-1506?
Publication
Edinburgh and London: Printed for the [Scottish Text] Society by W. Blackwood and Sons
1906-1914
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Oxford Text Archive number: U*-243-A

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"Robert Henryson's The morall fabillis of Esope the Phrygian." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/HenFabl. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 29, 2025.

Pages

The taill of the vponlandis mous, and the burges mous

Esope myne authour makis mentioun, Line 162 Of twa myis and thay wer sisteris deir, Line 163 Of quham the eldest duelt in ane borous toun: Line 164 The vther wynnit vponland weill neir: Line 165 Richt soliter, quhyle vnder busk, and breir: Line 166 Quhilis in the corne, in vther mennis skaith, Line 167 As owtlawis dois and leuit on hir waith. Line 168
This rurall mous in to the wynter tyde, Line 169 Had hunger, cauld, and tholit grit distres, Line 170 The vther mous that in the burgh can byde, Line 171 Was gild brother and made ane fre burges. Line 172 Toll-fre als but custum mair or les, Line 173 And fredome had to ga quhair euer scho list, Line 174 Amang the cheis and meill in ark and kist. Line 175
Ane tyme quhen scho wes full and vnfute-sair, Line 176 Scho tuke in mynd hir sister vpon land, Line 177 And langit for to heir of hir weilfair, Line 178 To se quhat lyfe scho led vnder the wand. Line 179 Bairfute allone with pykestaf in hir hand, Line 180 As pure pylgryme scho passit owt off town, Line 181 To seik hir sister baith oure daill and down. Line 182
Furth mony wilsum wayis can scho walk, Line 183 Throw mosse and mure throw bankis busk and breir, Line 184 Fra fur to fur cryand fra balk to balk Line 185 Cum furth to me my awin sueit sister deir, Line 186 Cry peip anis, with that the mous culd heir, Line 187 And knew hir voce as kinnisman will do, Line 188 Be verray kynd, and furth scho come hir to. Line 189

Page 17

The hartlie cheir lord god geue ze had sene, Line 190 Beis kithit quhen thir sisteris twa war met, Line 191 Quhilk that oft syis wes schawin thame betuene, Line 192 For quhylis thay leuch, and quhylis for ioy thay gret, Line 193 Quhyle kissit sweit, quhylis in armis plet, Line 194 And thus thay fure quhill soberit wes thair mude, Line 195 Syne fute for fute vnto the chalmer zude. Line 196
As i hard say it was ane semple wane, Line 197 Off fog and farne full misterlyk wes maid, Line 198 Ane sillie scheill vnder ane erdfast stane, Line 199 Off quhilk the entres wes not hie nor braid. Line 200 And in the samin thay went but mair abaid, Line 201 Withoutin fyre or candill birnand bricht, Line 202 For comonly sic pykeris luffis not lycht. Line 203
Quhen thay wer lugit thus thir sely myse, Line 204 The zoungest sister into hir butterie hyid, Line 205 And brocht furth nuttis, and peis in steid off spyce, Line 206 Giff thair wes weilfair i do it on thame besyde. Line 207 This burges mous prunzit forth in pryde. Line 208 And said sister is this zour dayly fude? Line 209 Quhy not quod scho think ze this meit nocht gude? Line 210
Na be my saull i think it bot ane scorne. Line 211 Madame quod scho ze be the mair to blame, Line 212 My mother sayd efter that we wer borne, Line 213 That i and ze lay baith within ane wame, Line 214 I keip the ryte and custome off my dame, Line 215 And off my syre levand in pouertie, Line 216 For landis haue we nane in propertie. Line 217

Page 19

My fair sister quod scho haue me excusit. Line 218 This rude dyat and i can not accord. Line 219 To tender meit my stomok is ay vsit, Line 220 For quhy i fair alsweill as ony lord. Line 221 Thir wydderit peis, and nuttis, or thay be bord, Line 222 Wil brek my teith, and mak my wame ful sklender Line 223 Quhilk vsit wes before to meitis tender. Line 224
Weil, weil, sister quod the rurall mous, Line 225 Geue it zow pleis sic thing as ze se heir, Line 226 Baith meit and dreink, harberie and hous, Line 227 Salbe zour awin, will ze remane al zeir. Line 228 Ze sall it haue wyth blyith and hartlie cheir, Line 229 And that suld mak the maissis that ar rude, Line 230 Amang freindis richt tender sueit and gude, Line 231
Quhat plesans is in feistis delicate, Line 232 The quhilkis ar geuin with ane glowmand brow? Line 233 Ane gentill hart is better recreate, Line 234 With blyith visage than seith to him ane kow. Line 235 Ane modicum is mair for till allow, Line 236 Swa that gude will be keruer at the dais, Line 237 Than thrawin vult and mony spycit mais. Line 238
For all this mery exhortatioun Line 239 This burges mous had littill will to sing. Line 240 Bot heuilie scho kest hir browis doun, Line 241 For all the daynteis thatt scho culd hir bring. Line 242 Zit at the last scho said halff in hething, Line 243 Sister this victuall and zour royall feist, Line 244 May weill suffice for sic ane rurall beist. Line 245

Page 21

Lat be this hole and cum vnto my place, Line 246 I sall zow schaw be trewe experience, Line 247 My gude friday is better nor zour pace, Line 248 My dische likingis is worth zour haill expence, Line 249 I haue housis anew off grit defence, Line 250 Off cat, na fall na trap, i haue na dreid. Line 251 I grant quod scho and on togidder thay zeid Line 252
In skugry ay throw rankest gers and corne: Line 253 Vnder cowert full preuelie couth thay creip, Line 254 The eldest wes the gyde and went beforne, Line 255 The zounger to hir wayis tuke gude keip. Line 256 On nicht thay ran, and on the day can sleip, Line 257 Quhill in the morning or the lauerok sang, Line 258 Thay fand the town, and in blythlie couth gang. Line 259
Not fer fra thyne vnto ane vorthie vane, Line 260 This burges brocht thame sone quhare thay suld be. Line 261 Withowt god speid thair herberie wes tane, Line 262 In to ane spence with vittell grit plentie, Line 263 Baith cheis, and butter vpon skelfis hie, Line 264 Flesche and fische aneuch baith fresche and salt, Line 265 And sekkis full off grotis meill and malt. Line 266
Efter quhen thay disposit wer to dyne, Line 267 Withowtin grace thay wesche and went to meit. Line 268 With all coursis that cukis culd deuyne, Line 269 Muttoun and beif, strikin in tailzeis greit Line 270 Ane lordis fair thus couth thay counterfeit, Line 271 Except ane thing thay drank the watter cleir, Line 272 In steid off wyne bot zit thay maid gude cheir. Line 273

Page 23

With blyith vpcast and merie countenance, Line 274 The eldest sister sperit at hir gest Line 275 Giff that scho thocht be ressone difference, Line 276 Betuix that chalmer and hir sarie nest, Line 277 Ze dame quod scho bot how lang will this lest? Line 278 For euermair i wait and langer to. Line 279 Gif it be swa ze ar at eis quod scho Line 280
Till eik thair cheir ane subcharge furth scho brocht, Line 281 Ane plait off grottis, and ane disch full off meill, Line 282 Thraf caikkis als i trow scho spairit nocht, Line 283 Aboundantlie about hir for to deill. Line 284 And mane full fyne scho brocht in steid off geill, Line 285 And ane quhyte candill owt off ane coffer stall, Line 286 In steid off spyce to gust thair mouth withall. Line 287
This maid thay merie quhill thay micht na mair Line 288 And haill zule haill cryit vpon hiee, Line 289 Zit efter ioy oftymes cummis cair, Line 290 And troubill efter grit prosperitie, Line 291 Thus as thay sat in all thair iolitie, Line 292 The spenser come with keyis in his hand, Line 293 Oppinnit the dure and thame at denner fand. Line 294
Thay taryit not to wesche as i suppose, Line 295 Bot on to ga quha micht formest win. Line 296 The burges had ane hole, and in scho gois, Line 297 Hir sister had na hole to hyde hir in, Line 298 To se that selie mous it wes grit sin. Line 299 So desolate and will off ane gude reid, Line 300 For verray dreid scho fell in swoun neir deid. Line 301

Page 25

Bot as god wald it fell ane happie cace, Line 302 The spenser had na laser for to byde, Line 303 Nowther to seik, nor serche, to char nor chace, Line 304 Bot on he went, and left the dure vp wyde. Line 305 The bald burges his passage weill hes spyde, Line 306 Out off hir hole scho come, and cryit on hie. Line 307 How fair ze sister cry peip quhair euer ze be. Line 308
This rurall mous, lay flatling on the ground Line 309 And for the deith scho wes full sair dredand. Line 310 For till hir hart straik mony wofull stound, Line 311 As in ane feuer trimbillit fute and hand. Line 312 And quhan hir sister in sic ply hir fand, Line 313 For verray pietie scho began to greit, Line 314 Syne confort hir with wordis hunny sweit. Line 315
Quhy ly ze thus ryse vp my sister deir? Line 316 Cum to zour meit, this perrell is ouerpast. Line 317 The vther answerit with a heuie cheir, Line 318 I may not eit sa sair i am agast. Line 319 I had leuer thir fourty dayis fast, Line 320 With watter caill, and to gnaw benis or peis, Line 321 Than all zour feist in this dreid and diseis. Line 322
With fair tretie zit scho gart hir vpryse, Line 323 And to the burde thay went and togidder sat, Line 324 And scantlie had thay drunkin anis or twyse, Line 325 Quhen in come gib hunter our iolie cat, Line 326 And bad god speid, the burges vp with that, Line 327 And till hir hole scho fled as fyre of flint, Line 328 Bawdronis the vther be the bak hes hint. Line 329

Page 27

Fra fute to fute he kest hir to and fra, Line 330 Quhylis vp, quhylis doun, als tait as ony kid, Line 331 Quhylis wald he lat hir rin vnder the stra, Line 332 Quhylis wald he wink, and play with hir buk heid. Line 333 Thus to the selie mous grit pane he did. Line 334 Quhill at the last throw fair fortune and hap, Line 335 Betwix the dosor and the wall scho crap. Line 336
Syne vp in haist behind the parraling, Line 337 So hie scho clam that gilbert micht not get hir, Line 338 And be the clukis craftelie can hing, Line 339 Till he wes gane hir cheir wes all the better. Line 340 Syne doun scho lap quhen thair wes nane to let hir. Line 341 Apon the burges mous loud can scho cry, Line 342 Fairweill sister thy feist heir i defy. Line 343
Thy mangerie is mingit all with cair, Line 344 Thy guse is gude thy gansell sour as gall. Line 345 The subcharge off thy seruice is bot sair, Line 346 Sa sall thow find heir-efterwart may fall, Line 347 I thank zone courtyne and zone perpall wall. Line 348 Off my defence now fra zone crewell beist. Line 349 Almichtie god keip me fra sic ane feist. Line 350
Wer i into the kith that i come fra, Line 351 For weill nor wo, i suld neuer cum agane. Line 352 With that scho tuke hir leif and furth can ga, Line 353 Quhylis throw the corne, and quhylis throw the plane, Line 354 Quhen scho wes furth and fre scho wes full fane. Line 355 And merilie markit vnto the mure. Line 356 I can not tell how efterwart scho fure. Line 357

Page 29

Bot i hard say scho passit to hir den, Line 358 Als warme as woll suppose it wes not greit, Line 359 Full beinly stuffit, baith but and ben, Line 360 Off peiis and nuttis, beiinis, ry, and quheit. Line 361 Quhen euer scho list scho had aneuch to eit, Line 362 In quyet and eis withoutin ony dreid, Line 363 Bot to hir sisteris feist na mair scho zeid. Line 364

Moralitas

Freindis heir may ze find will ze tak heid, Line 365 In this fabill ane gude moralitie. Line 366 As fitchis myngit ar with nobill seid, Line 367 Swa intermellit is aduersitie, Line 368 With eirdlie ioy, swa that na estate is frie Line 369 Without trubill or sum vexatioun, Line 370 And namelie thay quhilk clymmis vp maist hie, Line 371 And not content with small possessioun. Line 372
Blissed be sempill lyfe withoutin dreid. Line 373 Blissed be sober feist in quietie. Line 374 Quha hes aneuch of na mair hes he neid, Line 375 Thocht it be littill into quantatie, Line 376 Grit aboundance and blind prosperitie, Line 377 Oftymes makis ane euill conclusioun: Line 378 The sweitest lyfe thairfoir in this cuntrie, Line 379 Is sickernes with small possession Line 380
O wantoun man that vsis for to feid, Line 381 Thy wambe and makis it a god to be. Line 382 Luke to thy self i warne the weill on deid, Line 383 The cat, cummis and to the mous, hes ee. Line 384 Quhat is avale thy feist and royaltie, Line 385 With dreidfull hart, and tribulatioun. Line 386 Thairfoir best thing in eird, i say for me, Line 387 Is merry hart, with small possessioun. Line 388

Page 31

Thy awin fyre, my freind, sa it be bot ane gleid Line 389 It warmis weill, and is worth gold to the. Line 390 And solomon sayis gif that thow will reid, Line 391 Vnder the heuin i can not better se, Line 392 Than ay be blyith and leif in honestie. Line 393 Quhairfoir i may conclude be this ressoun, Line 394 Of eirthly ioy it beiris maist degre. Line 395 Blyithnes in hart with small possessioun. Line 396
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