Disciplina Clericalis/Tale 17

by Peter Alphonse

 

XVII^[1]. The Churl and the Bird

"Suche oon had a greene orchard or gardyn in whiche was moche and grete fuysoun of grene herbis. What shal I say ellis? Ther was a place also Right delectable in whiche ther gadred grete multitude of briddis with dyvers melodic of dyuers and many swete songes executyng.^[2] Vpon a day while he for werynes Restid in his orchard suche a bridde (f. 130) sat vpon the tre, whiche that he sye and herd his voice and deceivaibely toke hym in a snare. To whom the brid: 'Why hastow laboured so moche to take me, or what profite hopistow to have in takyng of me?' [To this the man]: 'Only thi songes I desire to here.' To whom the brid: 'Triewly forwhi? for nothing price nor praier shal I syng.' Than he: 'But if thow syng I shal etei the.' And the brid: 'In what maner wilt^[3] thow ete me? If thow ete me soden or bake what shal it availe of so litel a brid?'^[4] And if I be Rosted moche lasse shal I be. But if thow wilt lete me go, grete profite therof wil folowe.' Quod he: 'What profite wil ther be therof?' The brid saide: 'I shal shewe the iii wisdam^[5] that shuln availe the more than the flessh of iii calves.' And he folowyng the briddes promyse leete hym go. To whom the brid: 'Oon of the promises [is] that thow beleeve nor trust nat to every man. The secunde is, that shalbe thyn alwey thow shalt have. The thrid is, ne sorowe thow nat of thynges lost.' This saide, the litel brid ascendid vpon the tree and with a sweete voice bigan to synge: 'Blessid be god that hath shit and closed the sight of thyn eyen and taken awey thi wisdam, forwhi if thow haddest sought in the plites of myn entrailes thow shuldest have founde a jacinct the weight of an vnce.' He heryng this bigan to wepe and to sorowe and to smyte his brest with his fist for he yave feith to the litel brid. And than the brid saide vnto hym: 'Thow art soone foryetful of [the] wit of whiche I saide vnto the. Whether I saide nat to the that thow shuldist nat beleeve everyman of that he saith to the? And how belevistow that in me shuld be a jacynt the weight of an vnce, whan I and al my body is nat of somoche weight? And now I say to the that that thyn is alwey thow shalt have. And how maistow have a stone in me a fleeyng foul? Now I saie to the: ne sorowe thow never of thynges lost. And why sorowest thow of the jacynct whiche in me is?' Suche thynges saide to grete scorn to the Cherl the brid fligh awey to the woode."^[6]

---

1. No. XXII in the original, I, 30, l. 26.
2. This entire passage corresponds to the following sentence of the Latin (I, p. 30): Quidam habuit virgultum, in quo rivulis fluentibus herba viridis erat et pro habilitate loci conveniebant ibi volucres modulamine vocum cantus diversos exercentes.
3. Ms. 'that' for 'wilt.'
4. English omits Et etiam caro erit hispida.
5. Lat. (I, 31, l. 8) sapientiae manerias.
6. The English omits the first paragraph of the connecting link as given in the Latin version. See I, 31, l. 21.