Classic Poem

To speke of an unkinde man,
I finde how whilom Adrian,
Of Rome which a gret lord was,
Upon a day as he per cas
To wode in his huntinge wente,
It hapneth at a soudein wente,
After his chace as he poursuieth,
Thurgh hap, the which no man eschuieth,
He fell unware into a pet,
Wher that it mighte nought be let.
The pet was deep and he fell lowe,
That of his men non mighte knowe
Wher he becam, for non was nigh
Which of his fall the mischief sigh.
And thus al one ther he lay
Clepende and criende al the day
For socour and deliverance,
Til ayein eve it fell per chance,
A while er it began to nighte,
A povere man, which Bardus highte,
Cam forth walkende with his asse,
And hadde gadred him a tasse
Of grene stickes and of drye
To selle, who that wolde hem bye,
As he which hadde no liflode
But whenne he mighte such a lode
To towne with his asse carie.
And as it fell him for to tarie
That ilke time nigh the pet,
And hath the trusse faste knet,
He herde a vois, which cride dimme,
And he his ere to the brimme
Hath laid, and herde it was a man,
Which saide: " Ha! help here Adrian,
And I wil yiven half my good."
The povere man this understood,
As he that wolde gladly winne,
And to this lord which was withinne
He spak and saide: " If I thee save,
What sikernesse shal I have
Of covenant, that afterward
Thou wilt me yive such reward
As thou behightest now tofore?"
That other hath his othes swore
By hevene and by the goddes alle,
If that it mighte so befalle
That he out of the pet him broughte,
Of all the goodes whiche he oughte
He shal have evene halvendel.
This Bardus saide he wolde wel;
And with this word his asse anon
He let untrusse, and therupon
Down goth the corde into the pet,
To which he hath at th'ende knet
A staf, wherby, he saide, he wolde
That Adrian him sholde holde.
But it was tho per chance falle,
Into that pet was also falle
An ape, which at th'ilke throwe,
When that the corde cam down lowe,
Al sodeinly therto he skipte
And it in bothe his armes clipte.
And Bardus with his asse anon
Him hath updrawe, and he is gon.
But when he sigh it was an ape,
He wende al hadde been a jape
Of faiirie,and sore him dradde;
And Adrian eftsone gradde
For help, and cride and praide faste,
And he eftsone his corde caste;
But when it cam unto the grounde,
A gret serpent it hath bewounde,
The which Bard u s anon up drough.
And thenne him thoughte wel ynough
It was fantosme, but yet he herde
The vois, and he therto answerde:
" What wight art thou, in Godes name?"
" I am", quod Adrian, " the same,
Whos good thou shalt have evene half."
Quod Bardus: " Thenne, a Godes half,
The thridde time assaye I shal";
And caste his corde forth withal
Into the pet, and when it cam
To him, this lord of Rome it nam,
And therupon him hath adressed,
And with his hand ful ofte blessed,
And thenne he bad to Bardus hale.
And he, which understood his tale,
Between him and his asse, al softe,
Hath drawe and set him up alofte
Withouten harm, al esily.
He saith nought ones, " Grant merci",
But straughte him forth to the cite,
And let this povere Bardus be.
And natheleess this simple man
His covenant, so as he can,
Hath axed; and that other saide,
If so be that he him umbraide
Of ought that hath be speke or do,
It shal been venged on him so
That him were betre to be ded.
And he can tho non other red,
But on his asse ayain he caste
His trusse, and hieth homward faste;
And when that he cam home to bedde,
He tolde his wif how that he spedde.
But finaly, to speke ought more
Unto this lord he dradde him sore,
So that a word ne durste he sain.
And thus upon the morwe ayain,
In the manere as I recorde,
Forth with his asse and with his corde
To gadre wode, as he dide ere,
He goth; and when that he cam nere
Unto the place where he wolde,
He hath his ape anon beholde,
Which hadde gadred al aboute
Of stickes here and there a route,
And laide hem redy to his hand,
Wherof he made his trusse and band.
Fro day to day and in this wise
This ape profreth his servise,
So that he hadde of wode ynough.
Upon a time and as he drough
Toward the wode, he sigh beside
The grete gastly serpent glide,
Til that she cam in his presence,
And in hir kinde a reverence
She hath him do, and forth withal
A stone mor bright than a cristal
Out of hir mouth tofore his waye
She let down falle, and wente awaye
For that he shal nought been adrad.
Tho was this povere Bardus glad,
Thankende God and to the ston
He goth and takth it up anon,
And hath gret wonder in his wit
How that the beste him hath aquit,
Wher that the mannes son hath failed,
For whom he hadde most travailed.
But al he putte in Godes hand,
And turneth home, and what he fand
Unto his wif he hath it shewed;
And they, that weren bothe lewed,
Acorden that he sholde it selle.
And he no lengere wolde dwelle,
But forth anon upon the tale
The stone he profreth to the sale;
And right as he himself it sette,
The jueler anon forth fette
The gold and made his payement;
Therof was no delayement.
Thus when this stone was bought and sold,
Homward with joye manifold
This Bardus goth; and when he cam
Home to his hous and that he nam
His gold out of his purs, withinne
He fand his stone also therinne;
Wherof for joye his herte plaide,
Unto his wif and thus he saide:
" Lo, here my gold, lo here my ston!"
His wif hath wonder therupon,
And axeth him how that may be.
" Now, by my trouthe, I n'ot", quod he,
" But I dare swere upon a book
That to my merchant I it took,
And he it hadde when I wente:
So knowe I nought to what entente
It is now here, but it be grace.
For-thy tomorwe in other place
I wille it fonde for to selle,
And if it wil nought with him dwelle,
But crepe into my purs ayain,
Then dare I saufly swere and sain
It is the vertu of the stone."
The morwe cam, and he is gone
To seche aboute in other stede
His stone to selle, and he so dede,
And lefte it with his chapman there.
But when that he cam elleswhere
In presence of his wif at hom,
Out of his purs and that he nom
His gold, he fand his stone withal.
And thus it fell him overal,
Where he it solde in sondry place,
Such was the fortune and the grace.
But so wel may nothing been hid
That it n'is ate laste kid:
This fame goth aboute Rome
So ferforth that the wordes come
To th'Emperour Justinian;
And he let sende for the man
And axede him how that it was.
And Bardus tolde him al the cas,
How that the worm and eek the beste,
Although they maden no beheste,
His travail hadden wel aquit;
But he which hadde a mannes wit,
And made his covenant by mouthe,
And swor therto al that he couthe,
To parte and yiven half his good,
Hath now foryete how that it stood,
As he which wil no trouthe holde.
This Emperour al that he tolde
Hath herd, and th'ilke unkindenesse
He saide he wolde himself redresse.
And thus in court of juggement
This Adrian was thenne assent.
And the querele in audience
Declared was in the presence
Of th'Emperour and many mo;
Wherof was muchel speche tho
And gret wondring among the press.
But ate laste natheless
For the partye which hath plained
The lawe hath demed and ordained,
By hem that were avised wel,
That he shal have the halvendel
Thurghout of Adrianes good.
And thus of th'ilke unkinde blood
Stant the memoire into this day,
Wherof that every wise man may
Ensamplen him and take in minde
What shame it is to been unkinde;
Ayain the which reson debateth,
And every creäture it hateth.