And as he entered though the convent gate
  He saw there in the court the ass, who stood
Twirling his ears about, and seemed to wait,
  Just as he found him waiting in the wood;
And told the Prior that, to alleviate
  The daily labors of the brotherhood,
The owner, being a man of means and thrift,
Bestowed him on the convent as a gift.

And thereupon the Prior for many days
  Revolved this serious matter in his mind,
And turned it over many different ways,
  Hoping that some safe issue he might find;
But stood in fear of what the world would say,
  If he accepted presents of this kind,
Employing beasts of burden for the packs,
That lazy monks should carry on their backs.

Then, to avoid all scandal of the sort,
  And stop the mouth of cavil, he decreed
That he would cut the tedious matter short,
  And sell the ass with all convenient speed,
Thus saving the expense of his support,
  And hoarding something for a time of need. 
So he despatched him to the neighboring Fair,
And freed himself from cumber and from care.

It happened now by chance, as some might say,
  Others perhaps would call it destiny,
Gilbert was at the Fair; and heard a bray,
  And nearer came, and saw that it was he,
And whispered in his ear, “Ah, lackaday! 
  Good father, the rebellious flesh, I see,
Has changed you back into an ass again,
And all my admonitions were in vain.”

The ass, who felt this breathing in his ear,
  Did not turn round to look, but shook his head,
As if he were not pleased these words to hear,
  And contradicted all that had been said. 
And this made Gilbert cry in voice more clear,
  “I know you well; your hair is russet-red;
Do not deny it; for you are the same
Franciscan friar, and Timothy by name.”

The ass, though now the secret had come out,
  Was obstinate, and shook his head again;
Until a crowd was gathered round about
  To hear this dialogue between the twain;
And raised their voices in a noisy shout
  When Gilbert tried to make the matter plain,
And flouted him and mocked him all day long
With laughter and with jibes and scraps of song.

“If this be Brother Timothy,” they cried,
  “Buy him, and feed him on the tenderest grass;
Thou canst not do too much for one so tried
  As to be twice transformed into an ass.” 
So simple Gilbert bought him, and untied
  His halter, and o’er mountain and morass
He led him homeward, talking as he went
Of good behavior and a mind content.

The children saw them coming, and advanced,
  Shouting with joy, and hung about his neck,—­
Not Gilbert’s, but the ass’s,—­round him danced,
  And wove green garlands where-withal to deck
His sacred person; for again it chanced
  Their childish feelings, without rein or check,
Could not discriminate in any way
A donkey from a friar of Orders Gray.