"This be thy punishment, oh, thou false churl--What you hold in your
hand, never throw between your feet."
Then was the villein all wrathful; but when words came to him to speak,
he said--
"And are these your three mighty secrets! Why, these are but children's
riddles, which I have known ever since I was born. You have but lied to
me, and of all your teaching had I full knowledge long before."
"By my faith," responded the bird, "had you known my third secret never
would you have let me from your hand."
"You say well," said the villein, "but at least knew I the two other
proverbs."
"Ah," said the bird, with malice, "but this proverb was worth a hundred
of the others."
"In what manner?" inquired the villein.
"What, know you not what has chanced to you? Had you slain me when I
was in your power that day would have been the happiest of your life.
For in my body is a jewel, so precious and so rare, that it weighs at
least three ounces. Yea, the virtue of this stone is such that he who
owns it has but to wish, and lo, his desire is fulfilled."
When the villein heard this thing he beat upon his breast, he tore his
raiment, and disfigured his face with his nails, crying out that he was
wretched and undone. The bird from his refuge in the tree rejoiced
greatly to observe the churl's miserable plight, and said nothing till
his enemy's clothes were torn to rags, and his hands sore wounded in
many places. Then he spake--
"Miserable churl, when you held me fast in your rude hand, easy was it
to know that I was no larger than a sparrow or a finch, and weighed
less than half an ounce. How, then, could a precious stone, three
ounces in weight, be hid in my body? Now will I prove to you that of my
three secrets you understood not a single one. You asked me what man
was fool enough to weep over that which he had never lost, and even now
I watch your tears fall for a jewel which was never yours, nor will be
ever. You had faith in all that I was pleased to tell you, trusting all
you heard; and in your folly you flung the bird you held in hand
between your very feet. Fair friend, con over my three secrets, and
learn wisdom even from the counsel of a bird."
When he had spoken thus he took his flight, and from that hour the
orchard knew him no more. With the ceasing of his song the leaves
withered from the pine, the garden became a little dry dust, and the
fountain forgot to flow. Thus the rich villein lost his pleasaunce,
which once was fair beyond content. And remember well, fair lords and
dames, that truly speaks the proverb, "He who covet another's good, oft
loses his own," as we may learn from the "Lay of the Little Bird."