Robert Henryson's The morall fabillis of Esope the Phrygian

About this Item

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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Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/HenFabl
Cite this Item
"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 June 16, 2025.

Pages

Moralitas

Richt as the mynour in his minorall, Line 1090 Fair gold with fyre may fra the leid weill wyn. Line 1091 Richt so vnder ane fabill figurall, Line 1092 Sad sentence men may seik: and efter fyne, Line 1093 As daylie dois the doctouris of deuyne, Line 1094 That to our leuing full weill can apply, Line 1095 And paynt thair mater furth be poetry. Line 1096
The lyoun is the warld be liklynace, Line 1097 To quhome loutis baith empriour, and king, Line 1098 And thinkis of this warld to get mare grace, Line 1099 And gapis daylie to get mair leuing. Line 1100 Sum for to reull: and sum to raxe and ring. Line 1101 Sum gadderis geir: sum gold: sum vther gude, Line 1102 To wyn this warld, sum wirkis as thay wer wod. Line 1103
The meir is men of contemplatioun. Line 1104 Off pennance walkand in this wildernes, Line 1105 As monkis and othir men of religioun. Line 1106 That presis god to pleis in euerilk place, Line 1107 Abstractit from this warldis wretchitnes, Line 1108 In wilfull pouertee fra pomp and pryde, Line 1109 And fra this warld in mynd ar mortyfyde. Line 1110
This volf i likkin to sensualitie, Line 1111 As quhen lyke brutall beistis we accord, Line 1112 Our mynd all to this warldis vanitie, Line 1113 Lyking to tak, and loif him as our lord, Line 1114 Fle fast thairfra, gif thow will richt remord, Line 1115 Than sall ressoun ryse, rax and ring, Line 1116 And for thy saull thair is na better thing. Line 1117

Page 85

Hir hufe i likkin to the thocht of deid. Line 1118 Will thow remember, man, that thow man de, Line 1119 Thow may brek sensualiteis heid, Line 1120 And fleschlie lust away fra the sall fle, Line 1121 Fra thow begin thy mynd to mortifie. Line 1122 Salomonis saying thow may persaif heirin, Line 1123 Think on thy end, thow sall not glaidlie sin. Line 1124
This tod i likkin to temptationis, Line 1125 Beirand to mynd mony thochtis vane, Line 1126 That daylie sagis men of religiounis Line 1127 Cryand to thame cum to the warld agane Line 1128 Zit gif thay se sensualitie neir slane, Line 1129 And suddand deith with ithand panis sore, Line 1130 Thay go abak, and temptis thame no moir. Line 1131
O mary myld mediatour of mercy meik Line 1132 Sitt doun before thy sone celestiall. Line 1133 For ws synnaris his celsitude beseik, Line 1134 Vs to defend fra pane and perrellis all. Line 1135 And help vs vp vnto that heuinlie hall, Line 1136 In gloir, quhair we may se the face of god. Line 1137 And thus endis the talking of the tod. Line 1138
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