Constrain carking care and contumacy cure.
Thus, therefore--"

But here the surly landlord raised much clamour and outcry, whiles he
touched and caressed his great ears with rare gentleness.

"Oho, my yeres!" roared he. "My yeres do be in woeful estate. Oho, what o'
yon fierce-fingered rogue, good fellows, what o' yon knave--'a did twist my
yeres plaguily and wring 'em roguishly, 'a did! Shall 'a not be beaten and
drubbed out into the kennel, ha? What o' poor Nykins' yeres, says I--my
yeres, oho!"

"Thine ears, unsavoury scullion," laughed Jocelyn; "thine ears, forsooth?
Hark ye, of thy so great, so fair, so fine ears I'll incontinent make a
song. List ye, one and all, so shall all here now hear my song of ears!"
Forthwith Duke Jocelyn struck his lute and sang:

"Thine ears, in sooth, are long ears,
Stout ears, in truth, and strong ears,
Full ears, I trow, and fair ears,
Round ears also and rare ears.
So here's an ear that all eyes here
Shall see no beauty in, 'tis clear.
For these o' thine be such ears,
Large, loose, and over-much ears,
Ears that do make fingers itch,
Ears to twist and ears to twitch.


If thine ears had gone unseen,