V. The Ungrateful Serpent.[1]
"Suche oon passyng bi the woode fonde a serpent of shepardis strayned and to stokkes bounden, whom in maner loosed cured to chaufe.[2] The serpent chauffed aboute the faverer bigan to gnawe and bite and somoche the bond hard he constreyned. Than the man saide: 'What doestow? Whi yieldistow evil for goode?' The serpent saide: 'I do my nature and kynde.' Quod he; 'And I have don wele to the, and that evil doestow only to me?' So they strivyng wern cald to the jugement of the fox. To whom whan he was com [and] was shewed al the matier bi order, than the fox saide: 'This cause can I nat deme bi heryng, but as it was at the first bitwixt yow I may see it at eye.' Than was the serpent bounde ageyn as she was afore. 'Now,' quod the fox, 'thow serpent, if thow maist eschape, departe.' Whiche to the man: 'To loose the serpent nil thow nat labour.' Whether hastow nat Red, 'who that loosith the dowte, vpon hym shalbe the falle'."[3]
The Arabik saide to his sone: "If thow be[4] any tyme and maist lightly be delyvered, abide nat to long; for while thow abidest haply ther may falle a more grevous blame, as fil to the gibbous or courbed of the versifiour." "And how," quod the sone? [The fader]:
VI. The Poet Turned Porter.[5]
"Suche a versifiour [was] makyng vers to a kyng, and the kyng
praised his wisdam [and] bad hym aske a yift for his deede. The
whiche asked suche a thyng as for to be a porter at oon of the yates
of the Citee bi the space of a Moneth, and to have of every courbed
man a peny[6] and of every ooneyed a peny, of every scald a peny,
of every lepre a peny, of every Roughhered a peny (f. 122b).
Whiche that the Kyng graunted and strengthed with his seale;
whiche in his mynisterie taken and in his seruice and office sat at
the yaate. In a day suche a courbed and wele hooded [man] beryng
a staf in his hand wold han entred. To whom the versifiour mette
askyng hym a peny, whiche he denyed. And with strength the
versifiour pullid of his hoode and tooke with oon eye, and asked
of two pens, where that first he myght have escaped with oo peny;
