XXX.
Beware in whatte place so that it be
In the noyse of flowtes slepe not ye;
For Mercurius that softe syngeth
With his flowte þe peple enchaunteth.
A ffabill seyth þat, when Jubiter louede fayre Yo, Juno had hym gretly in suspeccion and discendid from heven in a skye[[281]] for to take hire husbonde whit[[282]] the dede. But qwhan Jubiter sawe hir come, he chawnged his love to a cowe; yit for all that Juno was [not] owt of suspeccion, but askyd hym þe cowe of yifte, and Jubiter ayens his lyst grauntyd [it] to hyr, as he þat dryst not ayens say hire for doute of suspeccion. Þan Juno gaffe Argus, þe which hade .c. yen, this cow to kepe, and euer he wchid[[283]] it. But the god Mercurius by þe commaundement of Jubiter toke his flowte, þe which song softly, and blew so longe in Argus eyre þat all his .c. eyne were aslepe. Than he smote of hys hede and toke the cowe.
The exposicion of this fable may be as þat some myghthi man loved a gentilwoman; than his wyf tooke to hire for to make wache on hir husbonde þat he disseyvyd hire not, and þeropon sette grete weches and clere seers, þe which may be noted for Argus eyne. But þe louer by a person malicius and well spekyng dide so miche þat þe kepers concentyd to gyf hym hys love, and thus were thei browght aslepe by Mercurius flowte and hade there hedes smyttyn off. There[fore] it is seyde to þe good knyght þat he shulde not suffre [himself] to be brought on slepe with non swiche flovte as to be robbed of that þe which he shuld kepe. And to this purpos Hermes seith, “Kepe thou fro þo that is gouuernede be malice.”
Be Mercurius flovte we may vnderstond þat þe goode sperit be |f. 30.| not disseyvid by þe hold enemy trowe[[284]] ony mysbeleve of þe feyth or othir wyse than he shuld beleue stedefastly þe Article þat Seynt Matheu þe Euangelist seith, þat God shall come and iuge þe qweke and the dede, where he seith, [“Inde venturus iudicare vivos et mortuos”].