1205
The Foxe had promised of friendship store,
What time the Ape the kingdome first did gaine,
Came to the court, her case there to complaine;
How that the Wolfe, her mortall enemie,
Had sithence slaine her lambe most cruellie; 1210
     [Sithence, since.]
And therefore crav’d to come unto the King,
To let him knowe the order of the thing. 
“Soft, Gooddie Sheepe!” then said the Foxe, “not soe: 
Unto the King so rash ye may not goe;
He is with greater matter busied 1215
Than a lambe, or the lambes owne mothers hed. 
Ne certes may I take it well in part,
That ye my cousin Wolfe so fowly thwart,
And seeke with slaunder his good name to blot: 
For there was cause, els doo it he would not:  1220
Therefore surcease, good dame, and hence depart.” 
So went the Sheepe away with heavie hart;
So manie moe, so everie one was used,
That to give largely to the boxe refused.

Now when high Iove, in whose almightie hand 1225
The care of kings and power of empires stand,
Sitting one day within his turret hye,
From whence he vewes with his black-lidded eye
Whatso the heaven in his wide vawte containes,
And all that in the deepest earth remaines, 1230
And troubled kingdome of wilde beasts behelde,
Whom not their kindly sovereigne did welde,
     [Welde, govern.]
But an usurping Ape, with guile suborn’d,
Had all subverst, he sdeignfully it scorn’d
In his great heart, and hardly did refraine 1235
But that with thunder bolts he had him slaine,
And driven downe to hell, his dewest meed. 
But him avizing, he that dreadfull deed
Forbore, and rather chose with scornfull shame
Him to avenge, and blot his brutish name 1240
Unto the world, that never after anie
Should of his race be voyd of infamie;
And his false counsellor, the cause of all,
To damne to death, or dole perpetuall,
From whence he never should be quit nor stal’d.
     [Stal’d, forestalled (?).]
Forthwith he Mercurie unto him cal’d, 1246
And bad him flie with never-resting speed
Unto the forrest, where wilde beasts doo breed,
And, there enquiring privily, to learne
What did of late chaunce to the Lyon stearne, 1250
That he rul’d not the empire, as he ought;
And whence were all those plaints unto him brought
Of wrongs and spoyles by salvage beasts committed: 
Which done, he bad the Lyon be remitted
Into his seate, and those same treachours vile 1255
     [Treachours, traitors.]
Be punished for their presumptuous guile. 
The sonne of Maia, soone as he receiv’d
That word, streight with his azure wings he cleav’d