Fables: 1 Prologue
Thocht
feinyeit
fabils
of
ald
poetre
Be
not
al
grunded
upon
truth,
yit
than
Thair
polite
termes
of
sweit
rhetore
Richt
plesand
ar
unto
the
eir
of
man
And
als
the
caus
quhy
that
thay
first
began
Wes
to
repreif
thee
of
thi
misleving,
O
man,
be
figure
of
ane
uther
thing,
In
lyke
maner
as
throw
a
bustious
eird,
Swa
it
be
laubourit
with
grit
diligence,
Springis
the
flouris
and
the
corne
abreird
Hailsum
and
gude
to
mannis
sustenence,
Sa
springis
thar
a
morall
sweit
sentence
Oute
of
the
subtell
dyte
of
poetry
To
gude
purpois,
quha
culd
it
weill
apply.
The
nuttis
schell
thocht
it
be
hard
and
teuch
Haldis
the
kirnell
sweit
and
delectabill,
Sa
lyis
thair
ane
doctrine
wyse
aneuch
And
full
of
frute
under
ane
fenyeit
fabill,
And
clerkis
sayis
it
is
richt
profitabill
Amangis
ernist
to
ming
ane
merie
sport
To
blyth
the
spreit
and
gar
the
tyme
be
schort.
For
as
we
se,
ane
bow
that
ay
is
bent
Worthis
unsmart
and
dullis
on
the
string
Sa
dois
the
mynd
that
ay
is
diligent
In
ernistfull
thochtis
and
in
studying.
With
sad
materis
sum
merines
to
ming
Accordis
weill;
thus
Esope
said
iwis,
Dulcius
arrident
seria
picta
iocis.
Of
this
authour,
my
maisteris,
with
your
leif,
Submitting
me
to
your
correctioun,
In
mother
toung,
of
Latyng,
I
wald
preif
To
mak
ane
maner
of
translatioun,
Nocht
of
myself
for
vane
presumptioun
Bot
be
requeist
and
precept
of
ane
lord
Of
quhome
the
name
it
neidis
not
record.
In
hamelie
language
and
in
termes
rude
Me
neidis
wryte
for
quhy
of
eloquence
Nor
rethorike
I
never
understude,
Thairfoir
meiklie
I
pray
your
reverence
Gif
ye
find
ocht
that
throw
my
negligence
Be
deminute
or
yit
superfluous,
Correct
it
at
your
willis
gratious.
My
author
in
his
fabillis
tellis
how
That
brutal
beistis
spak
and
understude
And
to
gude
purpois
dispute
and
argow,
Ane
sillogisme
propone
and
eik
conclude,
Puttyng
exempill
and
similitude
How
mony
men
in
operatioun
Ar
like
to
beistis
in
conditioun.
Na
mervell
is
ane
man
be
lyke
ane
beist
Quhilk
lufis
ay
carnall
and
foull
delyte
That
schame
cannot
him
renye
nor
arreist
Bot
takis
all
the
lust
and
appetyte
Quhilk
throw
custum
and
the
daylie
ryte
Syne
in
the
mynd
sa
fast
is
radicate
That
he
in
brutal
beist
is
transformate.
This
nobill
clerk
Esope,
as
I
haif
tauld,
In
gay
metir
and
facound
purpurat
Be
figure
wrait
his
buke
for
he
nocht
wald
Tak
the
disdane
off
hie
nor
low
estate,
And
to
begin,
first
of
ane
cok
he
wrate,
Seikand
his
meit,
quhilk
fand
ane
jolie
stone,
Of
quhome
the
fabill
ye
sall
heir
anone.
Robert Henryson
RoBERT HENRYSON, thc charming fabulist, Chaucer's aptest and brightest schoiar, aimost nothing is known. David Laing conjectures him to have been born about 1425, to have been educated at some foreign university, and to have died towards the ciosing years of the fifteenth century. It is certain that in 1462, being then * in Artibus Liceniiatus et in Decretis Bacchaiarius,' he was incorporated of the University of Glasgow; and that he was afterwards schooimaster in Dunferraline, and worked there as a notary-pubiic aiso.