peccavi_ rarely."

These taunts made _Bruin_ mad with rage, but because he could not take
revenge, he was content to let him talk his pleasure. Then after a small
rest he plunged again into the river, and swam down the stream, and
landed on the other side, where he began with much grief to meditate how
he might get to the court, for he had lost his ears, his talons, and all
the skin off his feet, so that had a thousand deaths followed him, he
could not go. Yet of necessity he must move, that in the end compelled
by extremity, he set his tail on the ground, and tumbled his body over
and over; so by degrees, tumbling now half a mile, and then half a mile,
in the end he tumbled to the court, where divers beholding his strange
manner of approach, they thought some prodigy had come towards them;
but in the end the King knew him, and grew angry, saying, "It is sir
_Bruin_, my servant; what villains have wounded him thus, or where hath
he been that he brings his death thus along with him?"

"O my dread Sovereign Lord the King," cried out the bear, "I complain me
grievously unto you; behold how I am massacred, which I humbly beseech
you revenge on that false _Reynard_, who, for doing your royal pleasure,
hath brought me to this disgrace and slaughter."

Then said the King, "How durst he do this? Now by my crown I swear I
will take the revenge which shall make the traitors tremble!"

Whereupon the King sent for all his council, and consulted how and in
what sort to persecute against the fox, where it was generally concluded
that he should be again summoned to appear and answer his trespasses;
and the party to summon him they appointed to be _Tibert_ the cat, as
well for his gravity as wisdom; all which pleased the King well.

400

After many ups and downs in fortune Reynard is
finally on good terms with the king when
Isegrim the Wolf appears with another
accusation. Reynard's denial of the charges led
the Wolf to challenge him to mortal combat, a
well known medieval way of settling the truth
of conflicting evidence. The result appears in
the following:

THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FOX AND THE WOLF

The fox answered not a word, but bowing himself down humbly to the
earth, both before the King and the Queen's Majesties, went forth into
the field; and at the same time the wolf was also ready, and stood
boasting, and giving out many proud and vainglorious spe