Parlyament of byrdes.
[...]
No man maye now speke of trouthe
But his heed be broke and that is routhe
The hawke
¶The hawke swore by his heed of graye
All sothes be not for to saye
It is better some be lefte by reason
Than trouthe to be spoken out of season
The popynge.
¶Than spake the popynge Iay of paradyse
Who saythe lytell he is wyse
For lytell money is sone spende
And fewe wordes are sone amende
The hawke
¶The hawke bade for drede of payne
Speke not moche of thy souerayne
For who that wyll forge tales newe
Whan he weneth leest his tale may rewe
ye comȳse
¶Than desyred they grete and small
To [...]e the hawke for good and all
A place a one we wolde he had
For his coūseyll to vs was neuer glad
The hawke
¶The hawke answered ye fayle all wyt
It is not tyme to mewe hawkes yet
Comyns of hawkes can but lytell skyll
They shall not reule them as they wyll
the nyghtynge.
¶Anone than sange the nyghtyngale
With notes many grete and smale
The byrde that can well speke and synge
Shall be cherysshed with quene and kynge
The hawke
¶The hawke answered with grete fury
The songe is nought that is not mery
And who so no bitter songe can
Maketh lytell chere to ony man
ye donne.
¶Than rombled the donne for her lot
Folke may be mery and synge not
[Page]And how so hath no good voyce
Must make mery with lytell noyse
The haw [...]e
¶Whan this reason was forth shewed
Lerne quod the hawke or or be lewed
For the byrde that can not speke ne synge
Shall to the kechyn to serue the kynge
[...]he fesaūt
¶Thou crowed the fesaunt in the wode
Domme men he saythe geteth lytell good
Wode ne water ne other food
It fleteth fro hym as dothe the flode
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd whan all is sought
Grete crowers were neuer nought
For I swere the by my foly
He is not moost wyse that is moost Ioly
The morecocke.
¶Than crowed agayne the morecocke
The hawke bryngeth moche thynge ou [...] o [...] nocke
The ofyll wysteleth and byrdes blake
He must haue a do that a do dothe make
The hawke
¶I must sayd the hawke by all my belles
Saye for my selfe whan none wyll elles
He is not gretely to repreue
That speketh with his souerayns leue
ye botore.
¶Than blussed the bottore in the fenne
The cote / the dobchyk / and the water henne
The hawke that dothe vs all this dere
We wolde he were sowsed in the myre
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd wysshers wanton wyll
Whether they speke loude or styll
Whan all this done was sayd and laste
Euery man must lyue by his crafte
The malarde.
¶Than creked the malarde and the gose
They may best fle that are lose
[Page X.iii.]He is well that is at large
That nedeth not the kynges grete charge
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd thoughe they fle lose
They muste obey they may not chose
Who hathe a mayster or a make
He is tyed faste by the stake
the heron
¶Than creked the heron and the crane
Grete trouble make wyttes lame
He is well auysed that can bere hym lowe
And suffre euery wynde to ouerblowe
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd who can blowe to plese
Longe neckes done grete ese
For the comyns that haue no rest
Meneth not euer with the heste
The pertryche / quayle / and larke▪
The pertryche.
¶The pertryche / quayle / and larke in felde
Sayd here may not auayle but spere and shelde
The hawke with vs maketh grete batayle
In euery countre where he maye auayle
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd who so wylfully wyll fyght
May make hym wronge sone of his ryght
Lawe is best I vnderstonde
To ryght all thynge in euery lounde
the robyn And the wrenne.
¶Than chyde the robyn and the wrenne
And all small byrdes that bereth pen
Ayenst the hawke the comunes must aryse
And helpe themselfe on theyr best wyse
The hawke
¶The hawke made the wrenne his answere
Small power maye lytell dere
And who wyll lyue in rest longe
Maye not be besy with his tonge
the comȳ.
¶Than prayed all the comyn house
[Page]That some myght the hawke sons
For foule ne byrde by water ne londe
He was destroyed and he may stonde
In his nest may none abyde
In countre where he dothe glyde
Theyr fethers plucked many a folde
And leueth them naked in full grete colde
Vnthynketh therfore the reason good
To destroye the hawke and all his blode
the kynge & his lordes.
¶The kynge and his lordes answered anone
States may not the hawke forgone
Nor by no lawe his kynde destroye
Nor deme hymselfe for to dye
Nor put hym to none other dystresse
But kepeth hym in a payre of gesse
That he fle not to no byrde aboute
But his keper let hym out
The cornysshe dawe.
¶Than sayd the cornysshe dawe
Lytell money lytell lawe
For here is nought elles with frende ne so
But go bet peny go bet go
The hawke.
¶Thou cornysshe quod the hawke by thy wyll
Say well or holde the sty [...]l
For thou haste herde of many a man
A songe breketh bone and it selfe hath none
the kinge
¶Than answered ye kynge of ye byrdes by rewe
Why cometh not to the parlyament the crowe
For good counseyll reformeth euery raysse
And it betokeneth where it is
The hawke.
¶The hawek sayd it is no lesse
Counseyll is good in warre and pese
But the crowe hath no brayne
[Page]For to gyue counseyll but of the rayne
the nyght whale.
¶Then sayd the nyght whale with his heed gay
He shameth vs with his parlyament araye
It is a terme with Iohan and Iacke
Broken sleue draweth arme a backe
The hawke.
¶The hawke sayd he shall thryue full late
That loketh to kepe a grete estate
And can not with all his wysdome
Gete hymselfe an hole gowne
¶The pecoke and the swanne.
¶Than sayd the pecoke and the swanne
Who no good hath no good canne
And lytell is his wytte sette by
That hathe not to bere out company
The hawke.
¶The hawke sayd he is worse than wode
That maketh hym fre [...]she wt other mennes good
Or ought wyll borowe and neuer paye
Or with wronge geteth galaunt araye
the specke
¶Than in his hole sayd the specke
I wolde the hawke brake his necke
Or brought into myscheuous dale
For of euery byrde he telleth a tale
The hawke.
¶The hawke sayd thoughe thy castell be in ye tre
Buylde not aboue thy degre
For who so heweth ouer hye
The chyppes wyll fall in his eye
the kynge
¶Than sayd the kynge it is our entente
To mende the crowes rayment
And all the byrdes sayd anone
Of eche of our feders he shall haue one
The hawke.
¶The hawke sayd he may sone come to honeste
That euery man helpeth in his poste
[Page]For as techeth vs the lerned clerke
Many handes maketh lyght werke
the tydyffre.
¶I saye quod the tydyffre we kentysshe men
We maye not gyue the crowe a pen
For with them that are not sobre and good
A byrde in hande is worthe two in the wood
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd I take me to my crede
Who so wyll spende with you he maye spede
Lytell ye gyue but ye wote why
Ye make the blynde ete many a flye
ye crowe
¶Than ye crowe was put in his araye
I am not now as I was yesterdaye
I am able without offence
To speke in the kynges presence
The hawke
¶The hawke sayd to the comyns bydene
Enuye and pryde wolde fayne be sene
He is worthy none audyence to haue
That can not say but knaue knaue
ye comȳse
¶Than asked the byrdes by aduysement
Who is that taketh to vs no tente
He presumeth before vs all to fle
To the kynges hygh maieste
The hawke
¶The hawke answered to the whyte semewe
He is the sory blacke crowe
And for hym fareth no man the better
Lette hym crowe therfore neuer the gretter
ye lordes
¶Than sayd the lordes euery chone
We wyll aske of the kynge anone
That euery byrde shall resume
Agayne his fether and his plume
And make the crowe agayne a knaue
For he that nought hathe nought shall haue
The hawke
[Page]¶Than sayd the hawke as some men sayne
Borowed ware wyll home agayne
And who wyll herken what all men doos
May go helpe to sho the goos
The cormoraunt.
¶For to crowe spake the cormoraunt
And of his rule made grete auaunt
Suche worshyp is reason that euery man haue
As the kynges hyghnes vouchesaue
The hawke
¶Hit is lothe quud ye hawke that thou doost say
Whan all turneth to sporte and playe
Thou mayst leest speke for the crowes pelfe
For all thynge loueth that is lyke hymselfe
The hole {per}lyamēt.
¶Then prayed the hole parlyamente
To the kynge with one assent
That euery byrde her feder myght
Take frome that proude knyght
the kynge
¶The kynge sayd ye shall leue haue
A knyght sholde neuer come of a knaue
All thynge wyll shewe frome whense it come
Where is his place and his home
The hawke
¶Now trwely sayd the hawke then
It is grete comforte to all men
Of the kynges grete prosperyte
Whan the kynge ruleth well his comynalte
¶Than was plucked fro the crowe anone
All his feders by one and by one
And lefte in blacke in stede of reed
And called hym a page of the fyrs [...]e l [...]ed
The hawke
¶Quod ye hawke ye crowe is now as he shold be
A kynde knaue in his degre
And he that weneth that no byrde is hym lyke
Whan his feders are plucked he may hȳ go pyke
ye comȳse.
¶Than made the comyns grete noyse
And asked of the lordes with one voyce
That they wolde the hawke exyle
Oute of this londe man [...]yle
Neuer to come agayne hyther
But the kynge sende for [...] thyder
Hym to trust we haue no [...]heson
For it is preued in truste is treason
And sythe ye saye he shall not not dye
Plucke of this hokes and let hym flye
ye lordes
¶To that sayd the lordes we pretende
This statute and other to amende
So in this that ye accorde
To put all in our souerayne lorde
ye comȳse.
¶The comyns sayd it is grete skyll
All thyne to be at the kyngs wyll
And vnder the hande of hys grete myght
By grace his people to seke his ryght
The hawke
Than sayd the hawke now to now fro
Thus goeth the worlde in well and wo
the kynge
¶Than sayd the kynge in his maieste
We wyll dyssyuer this grete semble
He commaunded his chauncelere
The best statutes to rede that he myght here
Thus the fynall Iugement
He redde of the byrdes parlyament
wheder they be whyte or blake
None shall others feders take
Nor the rauyn plucke the pecockes tayle
To make hym fresshe for his auayle
For the comyns feders wante
For with some they be ryght skante
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