双语《列那狐》 28

CHAPTER XXVIII

“GOD from whom nothing may be hid, and above all thing is mighty, save my Lord the King and my Lady the Queen and give him grace to know who has right and who has wrong. For there live many in the world that seem otherwise outward than they be within, I would that God showed openly every man's misdeeds, and all their trespasses stooden written in their foreheads, and it cost me more than I now say; and that you, my Lord the King, knew as much as I do how I dispose me both early and late in your service. And therefore am I complained on of the evil shrews, and with leasings am put out of your grace and conceit, and would charge me with great offences, without deserving, against all right. Wherefore I cry out harowe on them that so falsely have belied me, and brought me in such trouble. Howbeit, I hope and know you both my Lord and my Lady for so wise and discreet, that you be not led nor believe such leasings nor false tales out of the right way, for you have not be woned so to do. Therefore, dear Lord, I beseech you to consider by your wisdom all things by right and law. Is it in deed or in speech, do every man right. I desire no better. He that is guilty and found faulty, let him be punished. Men shall well know ere I depart out of this Court who that I am. I cannot flatter, I will always show openly my head.”How the King answered upon Reynart's excuse. All they that were in the palace weren all still and wondered that the Fox spake so stoutly.

The King said,“Ha, Reynart, how well can you your fallacy and salutation doon! But your fair words may not help you. I think well that you shall, this day, for your works be hanged by your neck. I will not much chide with you, but I shall short your pain. That you love us well, that have you well showed on the Cony and on Corbant the Rook. Your falseness and your false inventions shall without long tarrying make you to die. A pot may go so long to water, that at the last it comes tobroken home. I think your pot, that so oft has deceived us, shall now hastily be broken.”

Reynart was in great fear of these words. He would well he had been at Cologne when he came thither. Then thought he I must here through, how that I do.

“My Lord the King,”said he,“it were well reason that you heard my words all out. Though I were dampned to the death, yet ought you to hear my words out. I have yet heretofore time given to you many a good counsel and profitable, and in need alway have biden by you where other beasts have wyked and gone their way. If now the evil beasts with false matters have before you with wrong belied me, and I might not come to my excuse, ought I not then to plain? I have before this seen that I should be heard before another; yet might these things well change and come in their old state. Old good deeds ought to be remembered. I see here many of my lineage and friends standing, that seem they set now little by me, which nevertheless should sore dere in their hearts, that you, my Lord the King, should destroy me wrongfully. If you so did, you should destroy the truest servant that you have in all your lands. What ween you, Sir King, had I known myself guilty in any feat or broke, that I would have come hither to the law among all my enemies? Nay, sire, nay. Not for all the world of red gold. For I was free and at large. What need had I to do that? But, God be thanked, I know myself clear of all misdeeds, that I dare welcome openly in the light and to answer to all the complaints that any man can say on me. But when Grymbart brought me first these tidings, tho was I not well pleased but half from myself, that I leapt here and there as an unwise man, and had I not been in the censures of the Church I had without tarrying have come, but I went dolynge on the heath, and wist not what to do for sorrow. And then it happened that Mertyne, my Eme, the Ape, met with me, which is wiser in clergy than some priest. He has been advocate for the Bishop of Cameryk nine year during. He saw me in this great sorrow and heaviness, and said to me,‘Dear Cousin, me thinks you are not well with yourself, what ails you? Who has displeased you? Thing that touches charge ought to be given in knowledge to friends. A true friend is a great help; he finds oft better counsel than he that the charge rests on, for whosomever is charged with matters is so heavy and acombred with them that oft he can not begin to find the remedy, for such be so woe like as they had lost their inwytte.’ I said‘Dear Eme, you say truth, for in likewise is fallen to me. I am brought into a great heaviness, undeserved and not guilty, by one to whom I have alway been an hearty and great friend; that is the Cony which came to me yesterday in the morning whereas I sat before my house and said matins.’

“He told me he would go to the Court, and saluted me friendly, and I him again.

“Tho said he to me,‘Good Reynart, I am an hungred and weary. Have you any meat?’

“I said,‘Yea, ynowh; come near.’

“Tho gave I him a couple of manchets with sweet butter. It was upon a Wednesday, on which day I am not wont to eat any flesh, and also I fasted because of this feast of Whitsuntide which approached. For who that will taste of the overest wisehede, and live ghostly in keeping the commandments of our Lord, he must fast and make him ready against the high feasts. Et vos estote parati. Dear Eme, I gave him fair white bread with sweet butter, wherewith a man might well be eased that were much hungry. And when he had eaten his bellyful, tho came Rossel, my youngest son, and would have taken away that was left. For young children would alway fain eten. And with that he tasted for to have taken somewhat, the Cony smote Rossel before his mouth that his teeth bled, and he fell down half aswoon. When Reynardyn, my eldest son, saw that, he sprang to the Cony and caught him by the head, and should have slain him had I not rescued him. I helped him, that he went from him, and beat my child sore therefor.

“Lapreel the Cony ran to my Lord the King and said I would have murdered him. See, Eme, thus come I in the words and I am laid in the blame. And yet he complaines, and I plain not.

“After this came Corban the Rook fleeing with a sorrowful noise. I asked what him ailed.

“And he said,‘Alas my wife is dead. Yonder lies a dead hare full of moths and worms, and there she ate so much thereof that the worms have bitten atwo her throat.’

“I asked him how comes that by. He would not speak a word more, but flew his way, and let me stand.

“Now says he that I have bitten and slain her. How should I come so nigh her? For she flees and I go afoot. Behold, dear Eme, thus I am born on hand. I may say well that I am unhappy. But peradventure it is for my old sins. It were good for me if I could patiently suffer it.

“The Ape said to me,‘Nephew, you shall go to the Court before the lords, and excuse you.’

“‘Alas, Eme, that may not be, for the Archdeacon has put me in the Pope's curse because I counselled Esegrim the Wolf for to leave his religion at Elmare and forsake his habit. He complained to me that he lived so straitly, as in long fasting, and many things reading and singing, that he could not endure it; if he should long abide there, he should die. I had pity of his complaining, and I holpe him as a true friend, that he came out. Which now me sore repents, for he laboures all that he can against me to the King for to do me be hanged. Thus does he evil for good. See, Eme, thus am I at the end of all my wits and of counsel. For I must go to Rome for an absolution, and then shall my wife and children suffer much harm and blame. For these evil beasts that hate me shall do to them all the hurt they may, and fordrive them where they can. And I would well defend them if I were free of the curse, for then I would go to the Court and excuse me, where now I dare not. I should do great sin if I came among the good people, I am afraid God should plague me.’

“‘Nay, cousin, be not afraid. Ere I should suffer you in this sorrow, I know the way to Rome well. I understand me on this work. I am called there Mertyne the bishop's clerk, and am well beknown there. I shall do cite the Archdeacon and take a plea against him, and shall bring with me for you an absolution against his will, for I know there all that is for to be done or left. There dwells Simon, my Eme, which is great and mighty there. Who that may give aught, he helps him anon. There is Prentout, Wayte, Scathe, and other of my friends and allies. Also I shall take some money with me if I need any. The prayer is with gifts hardy; with money alway the right goes forth. A true friend shall for his friend adventure both life and good, and so shall I for you in your right. Cousin, make good cheer! I shall not rest after to-morrow till I come to Rome, and I shall solicit your matters. And go you to the Court as soon as you may. All your misdeeds and the sins that have brought you in the great sentence and curse, I make you quit of them and take them in myself. When you come to the Court you shall find there Rukenawe my wife, her two sisters, and my three children, and many more of our lineage. Dear cousin, speak to them hardily. My wife is sondrely wise, and will gladly do somewhat for her friends. Who that has need of help shall find in her great friendship. One shall alway seek on his friends, though he has angered them, for blood must creep where it cannot go. And if so be that you be so overcharged that you may have no right, then send to me by night and day to the Court of Rome, and let me have knowledge thereof, and all tho that are in the land, is it King or Queen, wife or man, I shall bring them all in the Pope's Curse and send there an interdict that no man shall read nor singen nor christen children, nor bury the dead, nor receive sacrament, till that you shall have good right. Cousin, this shall I well get, for the Pope is so sore old that he is but little set by, and the cardinal of Pure Gold has all the might of the Court. He is young and great of friends, he has a concubine whom he much loves, and what she desires that gets she anon. See, Cousin, she is my niece, and I am great and may do much with her, in such wise what I desire I fail not of it but am alway furthered therein. Wherefore, Cousin, bid my Lord the King that he do you right I wote well he will not warn you, for the right is heavy enough to every man.’

“My Lord the King, when I heard this I laughed, and with great gladness came hither, and have told you all truth. If there be any in this Court that can lay on me any other matter with good witness, and prove it, as ought to be to a noble man, let me then make amends according to the law; and if you will not leave off hereby, then set me day and field, and I shall make good on him all so ferre as he be of as good birth as I am and to me like, and who that can with fighting get the worship of the field, let him have it. This right has standen yet hitherto, and I will not it should be broken by me. The law and right does no man wrong.”

All the beasts both poor and rich were all still when the Fox spake so stoutly. The Cony Lapreel and the Rook were so sore afraid that they durst not speak, but piked and striked them out of the Court both two, and when they were a room far in the plain they said,“God grant that this fell murderer may fare evil. He can bewrap and cover his falsehood, that his words seem as true as the gospel. Hereof knows no man than we: how should we bring witness. It is better that we wyke and depart, than we should hold a field and fight with him; he is so shrewd, yea though there of us were five we could not defend us, but that he should slay us all.”

Esegrim the Wolf and Bruin the Bear were woe in themself when they saw these two room the court.

The King said,“If any man will complain, let him come forth, and we shall hear him: yesterday camen here so many, where are they now Reynart is here?”

The Fox said,“My Lord, there are many that complain that and if they saw their adversary they would be still and make no plaint; witness now of Lapreel the Cony and Corbant the Rook, which have complained on me to you in my absence, but now that I am come in your presence they flee away, and dare not abide by their words. If men should believe false shrews it should do much harm and hurt to the good men, as for me it skills not. Nevertheless, my lord, if they had by your commandment asked of me forgiveness, how be it they have greatly trespassed, yet I had for your sake pardoned and forgive them; for I will not be out of charity, nor hate nor complain on my enemies. But I set all thing in God's hand, he shall work and avenge it as it pleases him.”

The King said,“Reynart, me thinks you be grieved as you say. Are you withinforth as you seem outward? Nay, it is not so clear nor so open, nowhere nigh, as you here have showed. I must say what my grief is, which touches your worship and life, that is to wit that you have done a foul and shameful trespass when I had pardoned you all your offences and trespasses, and you promised to go over the sea on pilgrimage, and gave to you male and staff. And after this you sent me by Bellyn the Ram the male again and therein Cuwart's Head. How might you do a more reprovable trespass? How were you so hardy to dare to me do such a shame? Is it not evil done to send to a lord his servant's head? You cannot say nay hereagainst, for Bellyn the Ram, which was our chaplain, told us all the matter how it happed? Such reward as he had when he brought us the message, the same shall you have, or right shall fail.”

Tho was Reynart so sore afraid that he wist not what to say. He was at his wit's end, and looked about him piteously, and saw many of his kin and allies that heard all this, but nought they said. He was all pale in his visage, but no man proffered him hand nor foot to help him.

The King said,“Thou subtle fellow and false shrew, why speakest thou not? Now dumb?”

The Fox stood in great dread, and sighed sore that all heard him. But the Wolf and the Bear were glad thereof.