雙語《列那狐》 3

CHAPTER III

WHEN these words were spoken, so stood there a little Hound and was named Courtoys, and complained to the King, how that in the cold winter in the hard frost he had been sore forwintered, in such wise as he had kept no more meat than a pudding, which pudding Reynart the Fox had taken away from him.

With this so came Tybert the Cat, with an irous mood, and sprang in among them, and said:“My Lord the King, I here hear that Reynart is sore complained on, and here is none but that he has enough to do to clear himself. That Courtoys here complaines of, that is passed many years gone, howbeit, that I complain not; that pudding was mine, for I had won it by night in a mill. The miller lay and slept. If Courtoys had any part hereon, that came by me too.”

Tho spake Panther,“Think you, Tybert, that it were good that Reynart should not be complained on? He is a very murderer, a rover, and a thief, he loves no man so well, not our Lord the King here, but that he well would that he should lose good and worship, so that he might win as much as a leg of a fat hen. I shall tell you what I saw him do yesterday to Cuwart the Hare, that here stands in the King's peace and safeguard. He promised to Cuwart and said he would teach him his Credo, and make him a good chaplain. He made him go sit between his legs, and sang and cried loud,‘Credo, Credo!’My way lay thereby there that I heard this song. Tho went I near and found Master Reynart that had left that he first read and sang, and began to play his old play. For he had caught Cuwart by the throat, and had I not that time come he should have taken his life from him, like as you here may see on Cuwart the Hare the fresh wound yet. Forsooth, my Lord the King, if you suffer this unpunished, and let him go quit that has thus broken your peace, and will do no right after the sentence and judgment of your men, your children many years hereafter shall be misprised and blamed therefor.”

“Sikerly, Panther,”said Esegrim,“you say truth. It were good that right and justice were done, for them that would fain live in peace.”