Disciplina Clericalis/Tale 3

by Peter Alphonse

 

III. The King and the Poets.^[1]

Arabs: "Suche a versifiour prudent and curteys but vnnoble of byrth to a kyng offred his vers; whos prudence noted the kyng hym with worship tooke. Therfor to this other versifiers envieden to overcome his gentilnes and kynred, gadreden toguyder and saiden vnto the kyng: "Sir kyng, whi this so vile of birth magnifieth [thow] somoche?" To this the kyng: "Whom yee han trowed to blame, the more yee han praised." He forsoth whiche was blamed to this he adjoyned: "Roses spryngen on thornes nat for that^[2] they bien nat (f. 121^b) blasfemed." Forsoth the kyng left hym with more worshipful giftes.

It happened as that a versifiour of noble birth forsoth but litel lierned to suche a kyng offred his vers. Whiche the kyng tooke, as gretely evil made, dispised hem, and nought yave hym. Therfor the versifiour saide to the kyng: "If nat only for the vers, for myn nobilnes sumwhat yield thow me." Therfor the kyng: "Who is thy fader?" Than he shewed hym. Than quod the kyng: "Seede in the hath he gendred."^[3] To whom the versifiour: "Often of whete spryngith Rye." To this the kyng saide: "Thow previst thisilf lasse than thi fader." And so [he] left hym vnrewarded.

Another versifiour also cam to the kyng of an vnnoble fader but a gentil Moder. What compownd and vncompownd he offred hym vers whos moder had a shyneng brother. Forsoth nat forthan toke [he] hym worshipfully, [but], asked of hym whos sone he was.^[4] Than he pretendid hym his vncle; wherof the kyng turned hymsilf in to moche laughter. Than saide his housold meyne: "Wherof procedith this laughter?" Quod the kyng: "Suche a fable in suche a booke I Red whiche I behold here with myn eyen." Quod thei: "What is that?" Quod the kyng.

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1. I, 9, l. 1.
2. Ms. 'than.'
3. Lat. Semen in te degeneravit (I, 9, l. 10).
4. For the passage 'What compownd .... sone he was' the Lat. has (I, 9, l. 13) Incompositus quidem incompositos obtulit versus. Cuius mater fratrem habebat et facetia splendidum. Rex autera nequaquam eum honorifice suscepit. Quaesivit tamen ab eo cuius filius erat.