1 _Concerning those that went not forth for to fight_. 14 _The
rulers commune together on the matter_. 17 _And call out all the
young men_. 18 _But certain are absolved_. 25 _Wherefore many are
combed out_. 29 _And the people are satisfied_. 31 _Each man payeth
for his own strong drink_.
And when the fighters had gone forth unto the war, there yet remained
_certain men_ that were strong and sound of limb. And every man that
went not forth, _he had_ his reason.
2 And some said, To kill men in battle is a wicked _thing_. Would ye
therefore have us _to go_ against our consciences?
3 And when the people questioned these, they replied unto them,
saying, The wise man giveth obedience unto his conscience lest it
torment him; neither _is there_ any escape from it. And we are men
of wisdom.
4 And if one of the men of Hu shall ravish our eldest daughter,
_then_ shall we offer unto him she _that_ is next unto her that he
may ravish her also; for so it is written.
5 And they that questioned them forbore to ask them more, deeming a
conscience _such as this_ was assuredly come from the devil.
6 And there were some that, being affrighted, hid themselves away.
And the number _of these_ was small and, when _the time_ came, they
were _combed_ out.
7 And there were others that were grown selfish, because they _did_
gain much recompense by their labours, and these were loth to leave
their habitations. And they did say,
8 Wherefore should we go forth for to fight? In our houses _there
are_ many fires and the women do put them hot bricks into our beds
_so that_ our feet suffer not when the night groweth cold.
9 And if we go out for to fight, verily, the rain from heaven will
fall upon us and it will _make_ us wet. And a skin _that_ is wet
affecteth the nose.
10 And the food that we shall eat, it will lie _heavy_ upon our
stomachs; neither will the women sustain us with hot bricks.
11 And because of all these things, they went not forth unto the war
_until_ the time came when they were _combed_ out.
12 And there were many men throughout the land that were willing to
go at _the time_ appointed, each _man_ in his turn.
13 And these did say, "Wherefore should we depart from our
habitations and wherefore leave our wives amongst strange people?
Send first the young men _that are_ hanging back; and, afterwards,
when our time _cometh_, we shall be ready. And ye shall find us in
the forefront of the battle.
14 ¶ And because that which they had said was just, therefore the
rulers of the land could not gainsay them. And they communed
together in the council chamber _concerning it_.
15 And some, knowing not _the spirit_ of the people, did say, Let us
now do nothing rash lest, if we call up all the young men, they raise
an outcry throughout the land.
16 But there were others that said, _It is_ sufficient that we have
need of men for to send against the enemy. Let us therefore _see
about it_.
17 ¶ And they overruled those that _were_ against them, and did make
them a law whereby all the young men were called out for to fight.
18 ¶ But they absolved them that were in the workshops making the
munitions of war, and acquitted them also _that were_ plagued with a
conscience.
19 And because the men of Ire said, We will not _have_ it, therefore
the rulers dared not to say _them_ nay, for the men of Ire were
rulers in the land of En.
20 And they appointed them tribunals, a mixed lot of men, so that
_those_ that were called out might show them a _reason_ against it.
21 And because the net that was spread in the sight of the young men
was wide _in the_ mesh, therefore was the haul thereof fraught with
disappointment. And the young men did work themselves free in ways
that _were_ various.
22 And some hied them unto the workshops to become makers of
munitions of war, saying, the one unto the other, _By this means_,
assuredly, shall we save our skins. And for a long time _it was_ so.
23 And others did cry their woes before the tribunals. And _the
tales_ that they did tell were pitiful indeed, and they did move the
tribunals unto compassion _so that_ they absolved them.
24 And the rulers, that did _ought_ to set an example, made lusty
youths for to be their scribes, and they did put them for to do
women's work. And the number _of them_ that were absolved in this
wise became a crying shame that was _heard_ throughout all the land.
25 ¶ And when the rulers were questioned hotly _concerning_ these men
and _concerning_ those that had hidden themselves behind the rampart
that _was_ munitions, they bestirred themselves somewhat and did
_comb_ them out.
26 And the number that they did _comb_ out was very great. And
because they had not done _this thing_ before, but had waited until
the people raised them a clamour, therefore were the rulers blamed
exceedingly.
27 Nevertheless, those that rebelled against it because they did have
consciences, _these_ were not sent out for to fight.
28 But some of them were set to work upon _matters of health_, which
was a loathsome duty and abhorred by them who, _being_ without a
conscience, went out against the enemy.
29 ¶ And when all the men that _were_ of full vigour had been
_taken_, there was an end to the murmuring of the people.
30 And all were of one mind that this thing should have been done
before, for they saw that the taking was just, no man suffering
beyond his neighbour, and every man fighting for his own.
31 ¶ Now it was made a law that whosoever should enter into a tavern
for to buy him strong drink, that man must pay for _his own_.
32 And there were some, being them that drank beyond their means,
that had a grievance _because_ of it, for to pay for _their own_,
they had forgotten the way.
33 Wherefore they did suffer exceedingly and _were_ for ever dry; and
_their_ look, it was a thirsty one.
34 And when _the damsels_ heard about it, they set them out for to
find _a means_ to circumvent it, for the thing was not agreeable unto
them.
35 And when a maiden approached unto a tavern, being with a man that
had a leaning _towards_ her, then would she stop outside, and she
would say unto him, Give thou unto me five pieces of silver that I
may pay for _mine own_. And whatsoever remaineth over, that will I
give thee back after _we are_ come out.
36 And they would enter into a tavern. And she would call the
serving man unto her and she would speak unto him in a soft voice,
saying, Bring unto me a small portion of _that_ wine which cometh
from Oporto that I may nourish my bones.
37 And the serving man would bring it unto her, and he would set it
down before her. And the damsel _would_ pay for it out of the five
pieces of silver that she had received from her man. And whatsoever
was left over, _that_ would she place in her purse.
38 And _afterwards_, she would smile upon the man that was with her,
and she would say unto him, Thy beard becometh thee well. Thou art
strong and thy wisdom is great and thine eyes absorb me _utterly_.
Verily doth thine handmaiden feel small in the sight of her lord.
39 All this would she say unto him, and more also; but concerning
_that which_ was remaining over from the five pieces of silver she
would say no word.
40 And this is ever the way of women that by their artfulness they do
_wangle it_, and whatsoever cometh up _contrary_, that do they work
for to be an advantage unto them.