‘By god,’ quod he, ‘I singe nat amis;
Phebus,’ quod he, ‘for al thy worthinesse,
For al thy beautee and thy gentilesse, 250
For al thy song and al thy minstralcye,
For al thy waiting, blered is thyn yë
With oon of litel reputacioun,
Noght worth to thee, as in comparisoun, (150)
The mountance of a gnat; so mote I thryve! 255
For on thy bed thy wyf I saugh him swyve.’
251. E. Cm. Hl. _om. 2nd_ al. 254. E. Hn. Cm. _om._ as. 255. E. Hn.
montance.
What wol ye more? the crowe anon him tolde,
By sadde tokenes and by wordes bolde,
How that his wyf had doon hir lecherye,
Him to gret shame and to gret vileinye; 260
And tolde him ofte, he saugh it with his yën.
This Phebus gan aweyward for to wryen,
Him thoughte his sorweful herte brast a-two;
His bowe he bente, and sette ther-inne a flo, (160)
And in his ire his wyf thanne hath he slayn. 265
This is theffect, ther is na-more to sayn;
For sorwe of which he brak his minstralcye,
Bothe harpe, and lute, and giterne, and sautrye;
And eek he brak his arwes and his bowe.
And after that, thus spak he to the crowe: 270
261. Cm. Hl. yen; Ln. eyȝen; _rest_ eyen. 263. E. Hn. Cm. And;
_rest_ Him.
[564: T. 17220-17254.]
‘Traitour,’ quod he, ‘with tonge of scorpioun,
Thou hast me broght to my confusioun!
Allas! that I was wroght! why nere I deed?
O dere wyf, o gemme of lustiheed, (170)
That were to me so sad and eek so trewe, 275
Now lystow deed, with face pale of hewe,
Ful giltelees, that dorste I swere, y-wis!
O rakel hand, to doon so foule amis!
O trouble wit, o ire recchelees,
That unavysed smytest giltelees! 280
O wantrust, ful of fals suspecioun,
Where was thy wit and thy discrecioun?
O every man, be-war of rakelnesse,
Ne trowe no-thing with-outen strong witnesse; (180)
Smyt nat to sone, er that ye witen why, 285
And beeth avysed wel and sobrely
Er ye doon any execucioun,
Up-on your ire, for suspecioun.
Allas! a thousand folk hath rakel ire
Fully fordoon, and broght hem in the mire. 290
Allas! for sorwe I wol my-selven slee!’
276. Cm. Hl. lyst thow; Pt. Ln. liest thou; Cp. lyes thou. 277. Cm.
gylteles; Cp. Hl. gulteles; E. Hn. giltlees; _rest_ giltles. 278. Cm.
troubele; _rest_ trouble. 280. E. smyteth; _rest_ smytest. Cm.
gilteles; Cp. Hl. gulteles; E. giltles.
And to the crowe, ‘o false theef!’ seyde he,
‘I wol thee quyte anon thy false tale!
Thou songe whylom lyk a nightingale; (190)
Now shaltow, false theef, thy song forgon, 295
And eek thy whyte fetheres everichon,
Ne never in al thy lyf ne shaltou speke.
Thus shal men on a traitour been awreke;
Thou and thyn of-spring ever shul be blake,
Ne never swete noise shul ye make, 300
But ever crye agayn tempest and rayn,
In tokeninge that thurgh thee my wyf is slayn.’
And to the crowe he stirte, and that anon,
And pulled his whyte fetheres everichon, (200)
And made him blak, and refte him al his song, 305
[565: T. 17255-17289.]
And eek his speche, and out at dore him slong
Un-to the devel, which I him bitake;
And for this caas ben alle crowes blake.—
300. E. voys (_for_ noyse). 302. is] Cp. Hl. was. 308. E. Cp. caas;
Hn. Cm. Ln. cas; Pt. caus; Hl. cause.
Lordings, by this ensample I yow preye,
Beth war, and taketh kepe what I seye: 310
Ne telleth never no man in your lyf
How that another man hath dight his wyf;
He wol yow haten mortally, certeyn.
Daun Salomon, as wyse clerkes seyn, (210)
Techeth a man to kepe his tonge wel; 315
But as I seyde, I am noght textuel.
But nathelees, thus taughte me my dame:
‘My sone, thenk on the crowe, a goddes name;
My sone, keep wel thy tonge and keep thy freend.
A wikked tonge is worse than a feend. 320
My sone, from a feend men may hem blesse;
My sone, god of his endelees goodnesse
Walled a tonge with teeth and lippes eke,
For man sholde him avyse what he speke. (220)
My sone, ful ofte, for to muche speche, 325
Hath many a man ben spilt, as clerkes teche;
But for a litel speche avysely
Is no men shent, to speke generally.
My sone, thy tonge sholdestow restreyne
At alle tyme, but whan thou doost thy peyne 330
To speke of god, in honour and preyere.
The firste vertu, sone, if thou wolt lere,
Is to restreyne and kepe wel thy tonge.—
Thus lerne children whan that they ben yonge.— (230)
My sone, of muchel speking yvel-avysed, 335
Ther lasse speking hadde y-nough suffysed,
Comth muchel harm, thus was me told and taught.
In muchel speche sinne wanteth naught.
Wostow wher-of a rakel tonge serveth?
Right as a swerd forcutteth and forkerveth 340
[566: T. 17290-17311.]
An arm a-two, my dere sone, right so
A tonge cutteth frendship al a-two.
A Iangler is to god abhominable;
Reed Salomon, so wys and honurable; (240)
Reed David in his psalmes, reed Senekke. 345
My sone, spek nat, but with thyn heed thou bekke.
Dissimule as thou were deef, if that thou here
A Iangler speke of perilous matere.
The Fleming seith, and lerne it, if thee leste,
That litel Iangling causeth muchel reste. 350
My sone, if thou no wikked word hast seyd,
Thee thar nat drede for to be biwreyd;
But he that hath misseyd, I dar wel sayn,
He may by no wey clepe his word agayn. (250)
Thing that is seyd, is seyd; and forth it gooth, 355
Though him repente, or be him leef or looth.
He is his thral to whom that he hath sayd
A tale, of which he is now yvel apayd.
My sone, be war, and be non auctour newe
Of tydinges, whether they ben false or trewe. 360
Wher-so thou come, amonges hye or lowe,
Kepe wel thy tonge, and thenk up-on the crowe.
=Here is ended the Maunciples Tale of the Crowe.=
310. E. Hn. Cm. I; Hl. ye; _rest_ that ye. 315. E. Hn. kepen; _rest_
kepe. E. Cm. weel. 316. E. textueel; Hl. tixted wel. 318. a] E.
on; Hl. in. 319, 320. E. Hn. freend, feend. 327. Hl. a; _rest
om._ 330. E. Hn. Cm. tymes. 356. leef or] Cp. Pt. Ln. Hl. neuer
so. 360. E. wheither. COLOPHON. _So_ E. Hn.
[567: T. 17312-17330.]
* * * * *