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<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=346041" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>King John And The Abbot Of Canterbury</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">An ancient story Ile tell you anon <br>Of a notable prince, that was called King John;<br>And he ruled England with maine and with might,<br>For he did great wrong, and maintein'd little right.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">And Ile tell you a story, a story so merrye,<br>Concerning the Abbot of Canterburye,<br>How for his house-keeping and high renowne,<br>They rode poste for him to fair London towne.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">An hundred men, the king did heare say,<br>The abbot kept in his house every day;<br>And fifty golde chaynes, without any doubt,<br>In velvet coates waited the abbot about.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'How now, father abbot, I heare if of thee,<br>Thou keepest a farre better house than mee;<br>And for thy house-keeping and high renowne,<br>I feare thou work'st treason against my crown.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'My liege,' quo' the abbot, 'I would it were knowne<br>I never spend nothing, but what is my owne;<br>And I trust your grace will doe me no deere,<br>For spending of my owne true-gotten geere.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Yes, yes, father abbot, thy fault is highe,<br>And now for the same thou needest must dye;<br>For except thou canst answer me questions three,<br>Thy head shall be smitten from thy bodie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'And first,' quo' the king, 'when I'm in this stead,<br>With my crowne of golde so faire on my head,<br>Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,<br>Thou must tell me to one penny what I am worthe.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Secondlye, tell me, without any doubt, <br>How soone I may ride the whole world about;<br>And at the third question thou must not shrink,<br>But tell me here truly what I do think.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'O, these are hard questions for my shallow witt,<br>Nor I cannot answer your grace as yet:<br>But if you will give me but three weekes space,<br>Ile do my endeavour to answer your grace.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Now three weeks space to thee will I give,<br>And this is the longest time thou hast to live;<br>For if thou dost not answer my questions three,<br>Thy lands and thy livings are forfeit to mee.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Away rode the abbot all sad at that word,<br>And he rode to Cambridge, and Oxenford;<br>But never a doctor there was so wise,<br>That could with his learning an answer devise.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Then home rode the abbot of comfort so cold,<br>And he mett his shepheard a going to fold:<br>'How now, my lord abbot, you welcome home;<br>What newes do you bring us from good King John?'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Sad newes, sad newes, shepeard, I must give,<br>That I must but three days more to live;<br>For if I do not answer him questions three,<br>My head will be smitten from my bodie.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'The first is to tell him there in that stead,<br>With his crowne of golde so fair on his head,<br>Among all his liege-men so noble of birth,<br>To within one penny of what he is worth.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'The seconde, to tell him, without any doubt,<br>How soone he may ride this whole world about;<br>And at the third question I must not shrinke,<br>But tell him there truly what he does thinke.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Now cheare up, sire abbot, did you never hear yet,<br>That a fool he may learn a wise man witt?<br>Lend me horse, and serving men, and your apparel,<br>And I'll ride to London to answere your quarrel.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Nay frowne not, if it hath bin told unto mee,<br>I am like your lordship, as ever may bee;<br>And if you will but lend me your gowne,<br>There is none shall knowe us at fair London towne.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Now horses and serving-men thou shalt have,<br>With sumptuous array most gallant and brave,<br>With crozier, and miter, and rochet, and cope,<br>Fit to appeare 'fore our fader the pope.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Now, welcome, sire abbot,' the king he did say,<br>'Tis well thou'rt come back to keepe thy day:<br>For and if thou canst answer my questions three,<br>Thy life and thy living both saved shall bee.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'And first, when thou seest me here in this stead,<br>With my crown of golde so fair on my head,<br>Among all my liege-men so noble of birthe,<br>Tell me to one penny what I am worth.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'For thirty pence our Saviour was sold<br>Amonge the false Jewes, as I have bin told:<br>And twenty-nine is the worth of thee,<br>For I thinke thou art one penny worser than hee.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The king he laughed, and swore by St. Bittel,<br>'I did not think I had been worth so littel!<br>- Now secondly tell mee, without any doubt,<br>How soone I may ride this whole world about.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same,<br>Until the next morning he riseth againe;<br>And then your grace need not make any doubt<br>But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The king he laughed, and swore by St. Jone,<br>'I did not think it could be gone so soone!<br>- Now from the third question thou must not shrinke,<br>But tell me here truly what I do thinke.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Yea, that shall I do, and make your grace merry;<br>You thinke I'm the Abbot of Canterbury;<br>But I'm this poor shepheard, as plain you may see,<br>That am come to bed pardon for him and for mee.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">The king he laughed, and swore by the masse,<br>'Ile make thee lord abbot this day in his place!'<br>'Now naye, my liege, be not in such speede,<br>For alacke I can neither write ne reade.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Four nobles a weeke, then, I will give thee,<br>For this merry jest thou hast showne unto mee;<br>And tell the old abbot when thou comest home,<br>Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John.'</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=Anonymous+Olde+English">Anonymous Olde English</a><div class=q>
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<script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=346041" data-title="King John And The Abbot Of Canterbury de Anonymous Olde English" data-description="An ancient story Ile tell you anon 
Of a notable prince, that was called King John;
And he ruled England with maine and with might,
For he did great wrong, and maintein'd little right.

And Ile tell you a story, a story so merrye,
Concerning the A..."></div>
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