The Lion's Conversation

3.20. De leonis fallaci conversatione
Caxton: Of the fallace of the lyon / And of his conuersacion
To conuerse with folke of euylle lyf is a thyng moche peryllous / And only to speke with them letteth moch other / As this fable reherceth of a lyon ryght strong and ryght myghty / the whiche made hym self kynge for to haue grete renommee and glorye / And fro thenne forthon he beganne to chaunge his condycions and customme shewyng hym self curtois / and swore that he shold hurte no bestes / but shold kepe them ageynst euery one / And of this promesse he repented hym by cause hit is moche dyffycyle and hard to chaunge his owne kynd / And therfore whanne he was angry / he lad with hym somme smalle beestes in to a secrete place for to ete and deceyue them / And demaunded of them / yf his mouthe stanke or not / And they that sayd that it stanke or not were al saued / And alle they the whiche ansuerd not he kylled / & deuoured them al / It happed that he demaunded of the Ape / yf his mouthe stanke or not / And thape sayd no but that hit smelleth lyke bame / And thenne the lyon had shame to slee the ape / but he fond a grete falsheed for to put hym to dethe / He fayned to be seke and commaunded that al his leches & Cyrurgyens shold anone come vnto hym / whan they were come / he commaunded them to loke hys vryne / And whan they had sene hit / they sayd to hym / Syre ye shalle soone be hole / but ye must ete lyght metes / And by cause that ye be kynge / alle is at your commaundement / And the lyon ansuerd Allas Ryght fayne I wold ete of an Ape / Certaynly sayd the medecyn that same is good mete / Thenne was the Ape sente for And not withstondyng that he worshipfully spak & ansuerd to the kynge / the kynge made hym to deye / and deuoured hym
Therfore hit is peryllous and harmeful to be in the felauship of a Tyraunt / For be hit euylle or good he wylle ete and deuoure euery thynge / And wel happy is he / that may escape fro his blody handes / And that may eschewe and flee the felauship of the euyll tyraunts
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The Lion's Court

07.08: THE LION'S COURT.
His lion majesty would know, one day,
What bestial tribes were subject to his sway.
He therefore gave his vassals all,
By deputies a call,
Despatching everywhere
A written circular,
Which bore his seal, and did import
His majesty would hold his court
A month most splendidly;—
A feast would open his levee,
Which done, Sir Jocko's sleight
Would give the court delight.
By such sublime magnificence
The king would show his power immense.
Now were they gather'd all
Within the royal hall.—
And such a hall! The charnel scent
Would make the strongest nerves relent.
The bear put up his paw to close
The double access of his nose.
The act had better been omitted;
His throne at once the monarch quitted,
And sent to Pluto's court the bear,
To show his delicacy there.
The ape approved the cruel deed,
A thorough flatterer by breed.
He praised the prince's wrath and claws,
He praised the odour and its cause.
Judged by the fragrance of that cave,
The amber of the Baltic wave,
The rose, the pink, the hawthorn bank,
Might with the vulgar garlic rank.
The mark his flattery overshot,
And made him share poor Bruin's lot;
This lion playing in his way,
The part of Don Caligula.
The fox approach'd. 'Now,' said the king,
'Apply your nostrils to this thing,
And let me hear, without disguise,
The judgment of a beast so wise.'
The fox replied, 'Your Majesty will please
Excuse'—and here he took good care to sneeze;—
'Afflicted with a dreadful cold,
Your majesty need not be told:
My sense of smell is mostly gone.'
From danger thus withdrawn,
He teaches us the while,
That one, to gain the smile
Of kings, must hold the middle place
'Twixt blunt rebuke and fulsome praise;
And sometimes use with easy grace,
The language of the Norman race.
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