262 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



pected what dire and shameless purpose brought him there ! 

 The poet denounces him, as we have seen, with a just and 

 dreadful denunciation, which, it would seem, must have been 

 sufficient to arouse the conscience of anybody else, and send 

 him with rebuked tail between his. legs abashed away. But, 

 nevertheless, observe how coldly it has fallen upon his deaf 

 ear, and how, with oily words of glozing courtesy, he proceeds 

 to assail the gallant and unsuspecting cock, upon his weak 

 side of vanity and family pride. He tells him blandly 



" Save you ne herd I never man so sing 

 As did your fader in the morwening." 



The silly bird believes him, and 



" Stood high upon his toos, 



Stretching his neck and held his eyen cloos, 

 And gan to crowen loud for the nones, 

 And Dan Russel, the fox, start up at ones, 

 And by the garget heute chaunticlere, 

 And on his back towards the wood him bere." 



Then arises at sight of the daring depredator, the many- 

 tongued hubbub of the barn-yard. 



"The sely widow and her daughtren two," 



rush out in pursuit with broom-sticks and with staves, and 

 cry " harow and wala wa, a ha, the fox !" and after him, too, 



"Ran Colle, our dog, and Talbot and Gerlond, 

 And Malkin with her distaf in hire hond ; 

 Ran cow and calf, and eke the veray hoggs." 

 ****** 



"They ronnen so hem thought their hertes breke, 

 They yelleden as fendes don in hell, 

 The dokes crieden as men would hem quelle, 

 The gees for fear flowen over the trees, 

 Out of the hive came the swarm of bees, 

 So hideous was the noise a benedicte!" 



Shocking and abhorrent as is the view of the moral life of 

 Russel, alias Reynard, here presented by the simple-hearted 



