The hors▪ the shepe & the ghoos.
Ontreversies. plees
and discordes
Bitwene persones were two or thre
Sought out the groundes be recordes
This was the custom̄ of antiquite
Iugges were fette / that
had auctorite
The caas
conceyued
stondyng indifferent
Betwene parties to yeue Iugement
Parties
assembled of highe & lowe degre
Weren
amytted to shewen in sentence
Grounded of their quarels the lawe made hem f
[...]
With oute excepcion to come in audience
Be the president /
comaunded first scilence
Fredom yeue / the parties not to spare
Be
titell of right their greues to declare
Vpon this mater shortly to conclude
Nought yore agoon as I reherce
shall
I fonde to purpose a symylitude
Full craftely
depeynted vpon a
wall
Tweyne
sittyng in estate
royall
The fierce lyon famoꝰ in alle royames
And themperial egle
percyng the son̄e beames
These were the
dredefull Iugges tweyne
In theire estate
syttyng I toke kepe
That herde the parties by & by compleyne
The hors the ghoos
and the symple shepe
The processe was not to perfounde ne depe
Of their debate but
contryued of a fable
Whiche of hem was to man most prouffitable
Eche for his partye proudly gan procede
To force hym self be
record of scripture
By philosophers as clerkes seen
and rede
The prerogatiues / yeuen hem be nature
Whiche of these thre / to euery creature
In re publica / a vaileth most a man
For his partye thus first the hors began The hors.
To procede briefly & not
long to tarye
First fro the trouthe that I do not erre
What beest is
found in alle
thing so necessarie
As is the horse bothe nyghe
and ferre
And so notable to man in pees & werre
Hors in cronycles who so redeth a right
Haue saued ofte many a Worthy knyght
Marcyall prowesse in
especyall
God hath be horse yeue to werrours
Recorde of alisaundre whos hors
bucyfall
Made hym escape fro many sharp shours
The golden chare of olde conquerours
Towarde the tryumphe for knyghtly dedes
Conceyued hit was with foure white stedes
Remembre hector the troian champion̄
Whos hors was
callid whilom galathe
Vpon whos back he pleyde the lyon̄
Full ofte sithes he made the grekes flee
The stede of perseus was
cleped pigase
With swifte wynges / poetes seyn the same
Was for his swiftenes
named the horse of fam
[...]
Eques ab equo is
seid of verrey right
And chyualer is
said of chyualrye
In duche a rider is
called a knyght
Aragon tonge doth also specyfye
Caualow / whiche in that partie
Is
named of worship & toke
begynnyng
Of spores of
gold & chiefly of
rydyng
[Page] These emperours these princes & these kynges
Whan they ben
armed in bright plate & mayle
Withoute horse what were their mustringes
Their brode baners or their riche
apparaille
To fore her enemyes to shewe hem in bataile
With oute horse. spere. swerde. ne shelde
Myght
litell auaile for to holde a felde
The hardy prykars vpon hors back
Be sent to forn what
ground is best to take
In their ordenance that ther be no lack
Be prouidence how they the felde shal make
An hors wole wepe for his maister sake
Chawcer remembrith the
swerd. rynge & glasse
Presented were vpon a stede of brasse
Betwene two hilles the prophete zacharye
Sawe stedes foure / the first of hem was rede
In chares feure the felde to magnefye
And the seconde was black it is no drede
The thirde was white body neck
and hede
The fourth diuerce of colours / wonder stronge
And to knyghthode alle these a loure longe
The rede hors was token of hardynesse
Whiche apperteyneth to euery manly knyght
The cole black hewe / a signe of sobernesse
Poraille
oppressid to helpe in their ryght
The white mylke stede that was
glad of sigh
[...]
Tokeneth that knyghthode trouly
shold entend
Holy chirche maidens & wedewie to defende
The many folde colours to speke in
generall
Be sondry vertues
and condicions
As the foure vertues
callyd
cardynall
Longyng to
knyghthod tencrece their renons
In re publica /
callid the champions
Trouthe to sustene & shewe hem self
streng
Bound be ordre to se noman haue
wrong
With outen horse iustes ne
tournaill
May not be holde in werre ne in pees
Nor in palastre no pleyes
marcyall
Yf horse do fayle may come to nōn encrees
Ne noman sothly dar put hym in prees
With outen hors for short conclusion
To atteyne the palme of triumphal guerdon
Lower degrees ther hen of hors also
Do grete prouffit / to euery comonte
The plough ne carte myght nought do
With oute horse / dayly ye may see
Tyllyng were loste ne were we horses parde
The besy marchante to his a vantage
Ner shippes & horse coude haue no cariage
The shippe be liknesse is
callid an hors of tre
Full notably who can vnderstande
To lede men & carye them ouer the see
As don horse whan they come to lande
The poure man eke ledeth in a bande
His litell capull. his corn his mele to selle
And whan hit is groūden bringeth it fro y
e melle
In wynter season to make beal chere
The hors is nedeful wode & turf to carye
Wyn fruyt & oyle to serue thurgh the yere
Ys beought to vyneters & to the potecarye
Diuerse drugges
and many a lituarye
Sondry bales
and shortly
all
vitaill
Of the cariage horse haue the
trauaill
Heye ne otes pleinly who list lerne
Maye fro the feldes ner the medes grene
To the garner neyther to the berne
With oute horse be
caried hit is sene
And vnto pourpose-I seye as I mene
Ther is no beest rekene as I began
So necessarye / as horse is vnto man
Auguste is a season mery
and
glad
Whan euery tre with newe fruyt is lade
With draught of hors the sheuis ben home
lad
That moneth
passid / the leeuis gyn to fade
Whiche made in somer a plesant lusty shade
What don horse than to speke in wordes pleyn
The
second croppe they carye home of ryweyn
By draught of horse fro ryuers & wellis
Bouges be brought to brewars for
good ale
Lede stoon tymbre caryage of bellis
We brynge to chirches in trouth this is no tale
We lede cloth sackis & many a large male
And gladly somers be sent to forne
With gardeuyandes / how myght horse be for born
Ye prudent Iuges the egle & the lyon
What I haue
said doth wisely aduertise
Weyeth this mater in your discrescon
Where ghoos or shepe pleynly to deuyse
Of their nature may in ony wyse
Iustely deme ye. late hit not be
spared
Vnto an horse be
lykenyd &
compared
That I haue
told is trouth & no
feynyng
No wight of reson agayn hit may applye
Ghoos ne gander ne grene
gosselyng
But yf they entre the boundes of enuye
Late her come forth
and saye for her partye
Ghoos yes truste me wel for the I wil not spare
Lyke as I fele my verdyte to declare
Where as thou hast vnto thy pasture
But oon place / to make in thy repaire
Hit is
granted to me by nature
To abide on water. londe
and eyer
Now amonge flowres & grenys that be feyr
Now bathe in ryuers swym̄e in many a ponde
For storme or showre as drye as on the londe
To myn̄ entente mo thinges ye may seen
As men experte knowen that ben olde
Whan wylde ghees hye in thaire vp fleen
With their wynges
displaied & vnfolde
A pronostyque of snowe & froste colde
Kalendes brynge pleynly for to seye
Agayn wynter how men sholde pourveye
The grees of ganders is
good in medicyne
With sondry gōmes
tempered for the gowte
Dyuerce aches to swagen
and declyne
In thextremytees to drawe the malice oute
Fethers of ghees whan they falle or mowte
To gadre hem vp herdes hem delyte
To selle to flecchers the graye with the white
Men plucke stalkes out of my wynges tweyn̄
Som̄ to portreye som̄ to note or wryte
Whan rethoriciens haue do their besy peyne
Freshe epistles
and lettres to endyte
With oute
wrytyng a vaileth not a myte
For yf pennes &
wrytyng were aweye
Of remembrance than were loste the keye
Of ghees also the dede is
prouid ofte
In many a contrey
and many a regyon
To make pylowes & fether beddes softe
Of prudence men plucken of the doūne
Thus to make a playn comparison
As pelows ben to chambres agreable
So is harde strawe lytter for the stable
The fyme of ghees
and grene goselynges
Gadryd in maye
among the herbes sote
Agayn
brennyng
scaldyng & other thinges
Tempered with oyle or butter doth bote
To swage payne perceth to the rote
But hors
dong as refuse is cast awaye
Ys
good for furneis
tempered with claye
A dede hors is but a foule carayn
Thaire
infecting / it is so coruptable
But a fat ghoos / whan hit is newe slayn
In disshes of
gold / a
mussell greable
Is
scruid vpon a kynges table
Swymmyng a liue in watres crystallyn
Tenderly
rosted requyreth to haue wyn
Thurgh alle the londe of brutes albyon̄
For
fetherd arowes as I reherce can̄
Ghoos is the best to make comparison
Excepte fethers of pecok & of swan̄
Be bowe & arowes syth the warre began̄
Haue englishmen
remembrid in storye
Of their enemyes
had many a victorye
Hors in the felde may mustre with grete pride
Whan̄ they of trompectis here the blody sowū
But whan an arowe hath
percydhis syde
To
ground he goth & caste his maister dowū
Entryng the felde he pleyeth the lyon̄
What foloweth after / his carayn stynketh sore
Sauf skyn̄ & shone ther leueth nomore
Myghty captayns & knyghtes in the felde
Make their wardes
and their ordenance
First men of armes with polax spere & shelde
Sette in ordre dewe to haue the gouernance
Whiche at peyters toke the kynge of fraunce
Thanke to the ghoos moste be youen of right
Whiche in the felde so proudly toke her flight
Slouth of my flyght for hasty necligence
Of presumpcion / the ghoos was lefte behynde
Whan the famoꝰ & worthy due of clarence
Rode ou
bayard with his eyen blynde
Flight of my fethers was put out of mynde
And for he set that day of me no force
So litil or nought / what a
vailed hym his horse
Bookes olde remembre wel in sentence
Whilom whan come by his soon was take
The capitole kepte of with grete defence
Noyse of a gander / the captayn dide wake
Whiche
remembred / they set vp for his sake
In their temples wyde
and olde
A large gandre forged al of fyn golde
His w
[...]ker noyse was theire sauacon̄
Be whiche the captayn ran vpon the
wall
Thus be a gander recouerd was the town̄
Called of the world the cyte moste
ryall
Cyte of cytees that day most
principall
Was euer horse in book that ye can rede
Pro re publica / that dide suche a dede