Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources

To speke of an unkinde man,
      I finde hou whilom Adrian,
      Of Rome which a gret lord was,
      Upon a day as he per cas
      To wode in his huntinge wente,                 5
      It hapneth at a soudein wente,
      After his chace as he poursuieth,
      Thurgh happ, the which noman eschuieth,
      He fell unwar into a pet,
      Wher that it mihte noght be let.              10
      The pet was dep and he fell lowe,
      That of his men non myhte knowe
      Wher he becam, for non was nyh
      Which of his fall the meschief syh.
        And thus al one ther he lay                 15
      Clepende and criende al the day
      For socour and deliverance,
      Til aȝein eve it fell per chance,
      A while er it began to nyhte,
      A povere man, which Bardus hihte,             20
      Cam forth walkende with his asse,
      And hadde gadred him a tasse
      Of grene stickes and of dreie
      To selle, who that wolde hem beie,
      As he which hadde no liflode,                 25
      Bot whanne he myhte such a lode
      To toune with his asse carie.
      And as it fell him for to tarie
      That ilke time nyh the pet,
      And hath the trusse faste knet,               30
      He herde a vois, which cride dimme,
      And he his ere to the brimme
      Hath leid, and herde it was a man,
      Which seide, 'Ha, help hier Adrian,
      And I wol ȝiven half mi good.'                35
        The povere man this understod,
      As he that wolde gladly winne,
      And to this lord which was withinne
      He spak and seide, 'If I thee save,
      What sikernesse schal I have                  40
      Of covenant, that afterward
      Thou wolt me ȝive such reward
      As thou behihtest nou tofore?'
        That other hath his othes swore
      Be hevene and be the goddes alle,             45
      If that it myhte so befalle
      That he out of the pet him broghte,
      Of all the goodes whiche he oghte
      He schal have evene halvendel.
        This Bardus seide he wolde wel;             50
      And with this word his asse anon
      He let untrusse, and therupon
      Doun goth the corde into the pet,
      To which he hath at þe ende knet
      A staf, wherby, he seide, he wolde            55
      That Adrian him scholde holde.
      Bot it was tho per chance falle,
      Into that pet was also falle
      An ape, which at thilke throwe,
      Whan that the corde cam doun lowe,            60
      Al sodeinli therto he skipte
      And it in bothe hise armes clipte.
      And Bardus with his asse anon
      Him hath updrawe, and he is gon.
      But whan he sih it was an ape,                65
      He wende al hadde ben a iape
      Of faierie, and sore him dradde:
      And Adrian eftsone gradde
      For help, and cride and preide faste,
      And he eftsone his corde caste;               70
      Bot whan it cam unto the grounde,
      A gret serpent it hath bewounde,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

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Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

English literature -- Middle English, 1100-1500; Great Britain -- History -- 14th century -- Sources

To speke of an unkinde man,
      I finde hou whilom Adrian,
      Of Rome which a gret lord was,
      Upon a day as he per cas
      To wode in his huntinge wente,                 5
      It hapneth at a soudein wente,
      After his chace as he poursuieth,
      Thurgh happ, the which noman eschuieth,
      He fell unwar into a pet,
      Wher that it mihte noght be let.              10
      The pet was dep and he fell lowe,
      That of his men non myhte knowe
      Wher he becam, for non was nyh
      Which of his fall the meschief syh.
        And thus al one ther he lay                 15
      Clepende and criende al the day
      For socour and deliverance,
      Til aȝein eve it fell per chance,
      A while er it began to nyhte,
      A povere man, which Bardus hihte,             20
      Cam forth walkende with his asse,
      And hadde gadred him a tasse
      Of grene stickes and of dreie
      To selle, who that wolde hem beie,
      As he which hadde no liflode,                 25
      Bot whanne he myhte such a lode
      To toune with his asse carie.
      And as it fell him for to tarie
      That ilke time nyh the pet,
      And hath the trusse faste knet,               30
      He herde a vois, which cride dimme,
      And he his ere to the brimme
      Hath leid, and herde it was a man,
      Which seide, 'Ha, help hier Adrian,
      And I wol ȝiven half mi good.'                35
        The povere man this understod,
      As he that wolde gladly winne,
      And to this lord which was withinne
      He spak and seide, 'If I thee save,
      What sikernesse schal I have                  40
      Of covenant, that afterward
      Thou wolt me ȝive such reward
      As thou behihtest nou tofore?'
        That other hath his othes swore
      Be hevene and be the goddes alle,             45
      If that it myhte so befalle
      That he out of the pet him broghte,
      Of all the goodes whiche he oghte
      He schal have evene halvendel.
        This Bardus seide he wolde wel;             50
      And with this word his asse anon
      He let untrusse, and therupon
      Doun goth the corde into the pet,
      To which he hath at þe ende knet
      A staf, wherby, he seide, he wolde            55
      That Adrian him scholde holde.
      Bot it was tho per chance falle,
      Into that pet was also falle
      An ape, which at thilke throwe,
      Whan that the corde cam doun lowe,            60
      Al sodeinli therto he skipte
      And it in bothe hise armes clipte.
      And Bardus with his asse anon
      Him hath updrawe, and he is gon.
      But whan he sih it was an ape,                65
      He wende al hadde ben a iape
      Of faierie, and sore him dradde:
      And Adrian eftsone gradde
      For help, and cride and preide faste,
      And he eftsone his corde caste;               70
      Bot whan it cam unto the grounde,
      A gret serpent it hath bewounde,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose

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