The Historye of Reynard the Foxe/capitulo .iii. (2)

The complaint of Curtise the Hound
capitulo .iii.

When these words were spoken so stood there a little hound and was named Curtise, and complained to the king, how that in the cold winter in the hard frost he had been sore forewintered, in such wise as he had kept no more meat than a pudding, which pudding Reynard the Fox had taken away from him.

Tho spoke Thibert the Cat

With this so came Thibert the Cat with an irous mood, and sprang in among them and said, "My lord the king, I hear here that Reynard is sore complained on, and here is none but that he hath enough to do to clear himself, that Curtise here complaineth of that is passed many years gone, how be it that I complain not? That pudding was mine, for I had won it by night in a mill; the miller lay in sleep; if Curtise had any part hereon, that came by me too."

Then spoke Panther: "Think ye Thibert that it were good that Reynard should not be complained on? He is a very murderer, a rover, and a thief, he loveth no man so well, not our lord the king, hear that he well would that he should lese good and worship, so that he might win so much as a leg of a fat hen; I shall tell you what I saw him do yesterday to Kyward the Hare that here standeth in the king's peace and safeguard; he promised to Kyward 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 Reynard that had left that he first read and sang, and began to play his old play, for he had caught Kyward by the throat, and had I not that time come he should have taken his life from him like as ye here may see on Kyward the Hare the fresh wound yet, forsooth my lord the king if ye suffer this unpunished and let him go quite that hath thus broken your peace; and will do no right after the sentence and judgement of your men, your children many years hereafter shall be mispraised and blamed therefore."

"Sickerly," Panther said, "Isegrim ye say truth, it were good that right and justice were done, for them that would fain live in peace."