But what avayleth evermore to sowe The precyous stones amonge gruntynge hogges? Draffe unto them is more meter I trowe. Let an hare and swyne be amonge curre dogges; Though to the hares were tyed grete clogges, The gentyll beast they wyll regarde nothyng, But to the swyne take course of rennyng. To cloke the sentence under mysty figures, By many colours as I make relacyon, As the olde poetes covered theyr scryptures, Of which the fyrste is dystrybucyon; That to the evyll, for theyr abusyon, Doth gyve payne, and, to the worthy, Laude and prayse, them for to magnyfy. Of beste or byrd they take a symylytude Of the condycyon lyke to the party, Feble, fayre, or yet of fortytude; And under colour of this beste, pryvely The morall sense they cloke full subtyly, In prayse or dysprayse, as it is reasonable: Of whose faynyng fyrst rose the fable. Concludyng reason gretely profitable; Who that theyr fables can well moralyse, The fruytfull sentences are delectable, Though that the ficcion they doo so devyse Under the colour the trouth doth aryse, Concludyng reason, rychesse, and connyng, Pleasure, example, and also lernyng. They fayned no fable without reason, For reasonable is al theyr moralitie, And upon reason was theyr conclusion, That the comon wyt, by possibilitie, Maye well a judge the perfyt veritie Of theyr sentence for reason openly To the comon wyt it doth so notify. Rychesse. Theyr fruitfull sentence was grete rychesse, The whych ryght surely they myght well domyne, For lordshyp, welth, and also noblesse, The chaunce of fortune can some determyne. But what for this? she can not declyne The noble science, whiche, after poverte, Maye bryng a man agayne to dignitie. Scyence. Theyr sentence is connyng, as appereth well, For by conning theyr arte doth engendre, And wythout connyng we knowe never a dele, Of theyr sentence, but may sone surrendre A true tale, that myght to us rendre Grete pleasure, if we were intelligible Of theyr connyng nothyng impossible. Pleasure. O what pleasure to the intelligent It is to knowe and have perceyveraunce Of theyr connyng, so much expedient, And therof to have good utteraunce! Redyng newe thynges of so grete pleasaunce, Fedyng the mynd wyth foode insaciate, The tales newe they are so delicate. Example. In an example, with a mysty cloud Of covert lykenesse, the poetes do wryte; And underneth the trouth doth so shroude, Both good and yll, as they lyst acquyte, With similitude they dyd so well endyte, As I here after shall the trouth sone shew, Of all theyr mysty and theyr fatall dewe.