[6-text p 297]
Of youre fader / and of his subtiltee
Now syngeth sire / for seinte charitee
Lat se / konne ye youre fader countrefete
¶ This Chauntecleer / hise wynges gan to bete
Line 4512
As man / þat koude his trayson nat espie
So was he rauysshed with his flaterie
Allas ye lordes / many a fals flatour
Is in youre Courtes / and many a losengeour
Line 4516
That plesen yow / wel moore by my feith
Than he / that soothfastnesse / vn-to yow seith
Redeth Ecclesiaste / of fflaterye
Beth war ye lordes / of hir trecherye
Line 4520
¶ This Chauntecleer / stood hye vp on his toos
Strecchynge his nekke / and heeld hise eyen cloos
And gan to crowe / loude for the nones
And daun Russell the fox / stirte vp atones
Line 4524
And by the gargat hente Chauntecleer
And on his bak / toward the wode hym beer
ffor yet ne was ther no man / þat hym sewed
¶ O destinee / that mayst nat been eschewed
Line 4528
Allas / þat Chauntecleer / fleigh fro the bemes
Allas / his wyf / ne roghte nat of dremes
And on a friday / fil al this meschaunce
¶ O Venus / that art goddesse of plesaunce
Line 4532
Syn that thy seruant. was this Chauntecleer [folio 188b]
And in thy seruyce / dide al his poweer
Moore for delit than world to multiplye
Why woltestow suffre hym / on thy day to dye
Line 4536
¶ O Gaufred deere Maister souerayn
That whan thy worthy kyng Richard was slayn
With shot. compleynedest his deeth so soere
Why ne hadde I now / thy sentence / and thy loore
Line 4540
The friday for to chide / as diden ye
ffor on a friday / soothly slayn was he
Thanne wolde I shewe yow / how þat I koude pleyne
ffor Chauntecleres drede / and for his peyne
Line 4544
