Disciplina Clericalis/Tale 4
IV. The Mule and the Fox.[1]
"A Mule newly born fonde foxes in lesewes and woundryng saide vnto hym: 'Who artow?' The Mule saide hym to be formed.[2] To whom the foxes: 'Hastow neither fader ne moder?' [The mule replied]: 'A gentil hors is myn vncle.' So as [the mule] therfor knowlached nat the Asse his fader, insomoche that he was a slow beest and dul, so this shameth to knowlache his fader for his dulnes nat vnknowen." The kyng only turned hym to the versifiour and saide: "I wil that thow shewe me thi fader." And he shewed [hym]. Therfor the kyng knew that his fader was vnlierned and saide to his seruauntis: "Departe this from our thynges, forwhy he hath goten ne deservid hem."[3]
The Arab said to his father: "It astonishes me to read that in past ages nobles, wits and wise men were honored, but only lechers were revered." To this the father; "Son, be not astonished that priests honor priests, nobles nobles, wits wits, and that lechers are venerated by lechers." The son: "And I read another thing: that priests were not honored for their wisdom; whence lechers were produced and came to great honor." Then the father said to him: "That indeed resulted from the indolence of the time." To this the son: "Explain to me, dearest father, the true meaning of nobility." And the father: "As Aristotle says in his letter to King Alexander,[4] in reply to the question as to what kind of a man he should select for his counsellor: 'Choose a man,' he said, 'who has been educated in the seven liberal arts, disciplined in the seven cardinal virtues, and polished by means of the seven accomplishments, and I believe he will represent perfect nobility'." And the son: "Such nobility does not exist today, for all the nobility that I know about proceeds from gold and silver. As the poet says: 'Riches exalt people who are without nobility and poverty degrades an ancient house that was once in high esteem because of its nobility.' A certain poet made these verses about the evils of the world which are destroying its nobles. 'Tell them,' he said, 'who despise us because of the misfortunes which befall us, that this world shows its opposition to no one but the noble. Dost thou not see how the ocean carries dung and chaff away, but how precious stones go to the bottom? And dost thou not see that the stars in the heavens are without number, and yet none of them but the sun and moon are subject to eclipses'?" And the father: "This happens on account of the indolence of the world, since men decide that riches are the sole reason for boasting." One of the disciples questioning the master said: "Since there are seven arts, seven accomplishments, and seven virtues, I wish you would tell me what they are." The master: "All right; these are the seven arts: Logic, arithmetic, geometry, physics, music, astronomy. Opinions vary greatly as to what the seventh is: philosophers who believe in prognostications assert that necromancy is the seventh. Others who do not believe in predictions think philosophy is the seventh, which excels the study of nature and the elements of the earth. Some who do not know philosophy insist that it is grammar.
Then, the accomplishments are: Riding, swimming, archery, boxing, the chase, chess, writing verse. The virtues (industriae) are: not to be a glutton, a drunkard, a sybarite, not to be given to violence, to lying, covetous, and of evil life." The disciple: "At the present time I do not believe there is any man of this kind."
After this long omission the Middle English version resumes the narrative.
Suche a Philosophre correctid his sone sayeng: "Beware of lesynges, for it is swetter than flessh of briddis." Quod another: "How light it is to bryng furth a lesyng; whi is trowth seen so hard and hevy?" [Another philosopher]: "If thow dredist trewth wherof forthynkith he, bettir it is ever to say so."[5] [Another]: "Shame it is to deny lest it brynge to the necessite of lesyng; forsoth more honest it is to denye a thyng than[6] to yeve long terme." Another: "To blame of blames to adde to the preyer is this tyme with warenes to deny."[7] Another philosopher: "If lesyng savith any, moche more with trowth he shalbe saved." Suche on accused was led and brought bifore the kyng, the juge denyeng the cryme to hym put and of the same convicte. To whom the kyng: "In duble wise thow shalt be punysshed (f. 122), oones for the cryme don, the secunde for the deede denyed." Another suche in likewise accused that he had don, nat denyed. Thei that stooden aboute saiden to the kyng, he to take jugement of the deede.[8] "Nat so," quod the kyng, "forwhi the philosopher saith: 'To hym that confessith the synne, reason it is to Reles the jugement.' So he departed from the kyng free."
Socrates saith: "So as a manlyer[9] is nat convenient in the felawship of a prince, so is he excluded from the kyngdom of hevenes". Forwhi the philosopher saide to his sone: "Say thow hym a lier whiche to overcom evil saith evil; forwhi as fier hurtith nat fier, so evil vnto evil ne fallith nat. Therfor as water quenchith fier, so goode thynges distroieth every evil." [Another]: "Ne yield thow nat evil, ne be thow nat like vnto evil. So yield thow goode as that thow be the better vnto evil."[10]
The Arabik saide to his sone: "If thov see oon bifore greved of evil werkis, ne entremete; who loosith the[11] doute, vpon hym shal the thretenynges be."
- ↑ I, 9, l. 18.
- ↑ These words only partially translate the Latin, mulus dicit se Dei creaturam esse.
- ↑ After this sentence the M. E. version has omitted a long passage of the philosophical discussions of the original (I, 9, l. 26). The first half of the passage discusses "true nobility": the second half, "the seven arts, virtues, and crafts."
- ↑ A Middle English version of this letter is preserved in the same Ms. (ff. 138-148) with the Disciplina Clericalis.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 11, l. 6.) Si dicere metuas unde paeniteas, melius est dicere: non! quam sic!
- ↑ Ms. 'that.'
- ↑ Lat. (I, 11, l. 9.) Terminum termino addere roganti est hoc tempore calliditas negandi.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 11, l. 13) Dixeruntque qui regi astiterunt; Decrimine confessio iudicium sumet.
- ↑ Lat. homo mendax.
- ↑ The M. E. omits the immediately following sentence, Alius: Ne confidas in malo si periculum evaseris, ut aliud ineas, quia illud non faciet u simile pertranseas (see I, 11, l. 22).
- ↑ Lat. quia qui pendulum solverit.