20 ‘What craftsman are you?’ said our king, ‘I pray you tell me now;’ ‘I am a barker,’ quoth the tanner, [‘What craftsman art thou?’] 21 ‘I am a courtier,’ said our king, ‘forth of seruice I am worne; Full faine I would be your prentise,’ he said, ‘your cunning for to learne.’ 22 ‘Marrie, God forbid,’ quoth the tanner, ‘that such a prentise I should haue; He wold spend me more than he would get by fortie shillings a yere.’ 23 ‘One thing would I wit,’ said our king, ‘if you will not seeme strange; Thou my horse be better than your mare, with you faine would I change.’ 24 ‘Nay, there thou liest yet,’ quoth the tanner, ‘by Christ, thou shalt abide; For, if thou haue Brocke, my mare, thou gets not my good cow-hide.’ 25 ‘I will not haue it,’ said our king, ‘I tell thee, so mote I thee; I will not carrie it away though you would giue it me.’ 26 ‘Why, then we must change,’ quoth the tanner, ‘as needs me thinke thou woot; But if you haue Brocke, my mare, I will looke to haue some boote.’ 27 ‘That were against reason,’ said our king, ‘I tell you, so mote I thee; My horse is much better than your mare, and that you may well see.’ 28 ‘Avise a vous now,’ sayd the tanner, ‘whether thou wilt or no, For my mare is gentle and will not kicke, but softlie she will go. 29 ‘And thy horse is vnhappie and vnwieldie, [and will neuer goe in rest,] But alwaies skipping here and there, and therefore my mare is best.’ 30 ‘What boot will you haue?’ then said our king, ‘tell me now in this tide;’ ‘Neuer a single pennie,’ quoth the tanner, ‘but a noble of gold so red.’ 31 ‘Why, there is your noble,’ said our king, ‘well paid looke that you be;’ ‘I would haue sworne on a book,’ quoth the tanner, ‘thou hadst not one pennie.’ 32 Now hath the king the tanner’s mare, she is nothing faire, fat nor round, And the tanner hath the king’s good steede, the saddle is worth fortie pound. 33 The tanner tooke vp the good cow-hide, off the ground where he stood, He threw it vpon the king’s steede, in the saddle that was so good. 34 The steed stared vpon the hornes, vnder the greene wood spraie; He had weende the diuell of hell had bin come, to carrie him thence away. 35 The tanner looked as fast on the stirrops, astonied sore he was; He meruailed greatly in his minde whether they were gold or bras. 36 ‘Help me [vp], good fellow,’ quoth the tanner, ‘lightly that I were gone; My wife and my neighbours more and lesse will say I am a gentleman.’