And forth with shame unto his iudgement brought.
Then all the beasts he causd' assembled bee,
To heare their doome, and sad ensample see:
The Foxe, first author of that treacherie
He did uncase, and then away let flie. 1380
[_Uncase_, strip of his disguise.]
But th'Apes long taile (which then he had) he quight
Cut off, and both eares pared of their hight;
Since which, all Apes but halfe their eares have left,
And of their tailes are utterlie bereft.

So Mother Hubberd her discourse did end: 1385
Which pardon me if I amisse have pend,
For weake was my remembrance it to hold,
And bad her tongue that it so bluntly tolde.

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES:

MOTHER HUBBERDS TALE. This charming little poem, Spenser's only
successful effort at satire, is stated by the author to have been
composed in the raw conceit of his youth. There is internal evidence,
however, that some of the happiest passages were added at the date of
its publication, at which time the whole was probably retouched.
Although Mother Hubberds Tale is in its plan an imitation of the
satires of Reynard the Fox; the treatment of the subject is quite
original. For the combination of elegance with simplicity, this poem
will stand a comparison with Goethe's celebrated translation of the
Reineke. C.