"Crist kepe thee, sire kyng! And thi kyng-ryche, 250 And lene thee lede thi lond, So leauté thee lovye, And for thi rightful rulyng Be rewarded in hevene." And sithen in the eyr an heigh An aungel of hevene Lowed to speke in Latyn, For lewed men ne koude {9} Jangle ne jugge, That justifie hem sholde, 260 But suffren and serven; For-thi seide the aungel: _Sum rex, sum princeps, Neutrum fortasse deinceps; O qui jura regis Christi specialia regis, Hoc quod agas melius, Justus es, esto pius. Nudum jus a te Vestiri vult pietate; 270 Qualia vis metere, Talia grana sere. Si jus nudatur, Nudo de jure metatur; Si seritur pietas, De pietate metas._ Thanne greved hym a goliardeis, A gloton of wordes, And to the aungel an heigh Answerde after: 280 _Dum rex a regere Dicatur nomen habere; Nomen habet sine re, Nisi studet jura tenere._ Thanne gan al the commune Crye in vers of Latyn, To the kynges counseil; Construe who so wolde: _Præcepta regis Sunt nobis vincula legis._ 290 With that ran ther a route Of ratons at ones, {10} And smale mees myd hem Mo than a thousand, And comen to a counseil For the commune profit; For a cat of a contree Cam whan hym liked, And overleep hem lightliche, And laughte hem at his wille, 300 And pleide with hem perillousli, And possed aboute. "For doute of diverse dredes, We dar noght wel loke; And if we grucche of his gamen, He wol greven us alle, Cracchen us or clawen us, And in hise clouches holde, That us lotheth the lif Er he late us passe. 310 Mighte we with any wit His wille withstonde, We mighte be lordes o-lofte, And lyven at oure ese." A raton of renoun, Moost renable of tonge, Seide for a sovereyn Help to hymselve: "I have y-seyen segges," quod he "In the cité of Londone, 320 Beren beighes ful brighte Abouten hire nekkes, And somme colers of crafty werk; Uncoupled thei wenten Bothe in wareyne and in waast Where hemself liked. {11} And outher while thei arn ellis-where, As I here telle; Were ther a belle on hire beighe, By Jhesu, as me thynketh, 330 Men myghte witen wher thei wente, And awey renne!" "And right so," quod that raton, "Reson me sheweth, To bugge a belle of bras, Or of bright silver, And knytten it on a coler For oure commune profit, Wher he ryt or rest, Or renneth to pleye; 340 And if hym list for to laike, Thanne loke we mowen, And peeren in his presence The while him pleye liketh: And, if hym wratheth, be war, And his way shonye."