. Beasts and men . in a broken voice, he began tospeak : From my veryearliest years, O King,said he, I was mis-chievous and unruly. Hadthere been anybody togive me counsel and guid-ance I might perhaps haveoutgrown the errors of myyouth and become aworthy subject. Unfortu-nately I fell into bad com-pany, and, under theinfluence of evil companionswent rapidly from bad toworse. Isengrim the Wolfwas my friend in thoseearly days. He it was whotaught me to steal and toprey upon the defencelesscreatures of the woods andfields. My first victim, Iwell remember, was ayoung lamb which hadstrayed from th
. Beasts and men . in a broken voice, he began tospeak : From my veryearliest years, O King,said he, I was mis-chievous and unruly. Hadthere been anybody togive me counsel and guid-ance I might perhaps haveoutgrown the errors of myyouth and become aworthy subject. Unfortu-nately I fell into bad com-pany, and, under theinfluence of evil companionswent rapidly from bad toworse. Isengrim the Wolfwas my friend in thoseearly days. He it was whotaught me to steal and toprey upon the defencelesscreatures of the woods andfields. My first victim, Iwell remember, was ayoung lamb which hadstrayed from the fold. Isen-grim led me to her and persuaded me to kill her, andafterwards, in the same way, a goat and two young deer fellvictims to my raging thirst for blood. Soon not a hen-house, not a fold was safe from my depredations. I killedfor the sake of killing, and that part of the meat which Icould not devour I gave to the Wolf, who was only toowilling to take it, or hid it in certain holes and cranniesin the I WAS MISCHIEVOUS AND UNRULY FOLK TALES OF BEASTS AND MEN All the time that Reynard had been speaking Isengrimhad been making frantic efforts to speak, but a glance fromthe King had kept him silent. Now he could contain him-self no longer. Trembling with fury, he rose to his feetand cried: Lies! All lies, O King! Will your Majestybelieve anything it pleases this slanderous dog to say ? Silence ! cried the King. Your turn will comelater. For the present let the accused speak without interrup-tion ! Thanks, O King, said Reynard. I can well under-stand the Wolfs wrath when his connexion with so vilea creature as I is thus brought to light. Yet I have swornto tell the truth, and the truth I will tell without regardto persons. Sorry as I am to say it, the Wolf was not theonly one to lead me into bad ways. Among my companionsof those early days were also the Bear and the Cat. Theymade me hunt for them when I was young, and such wastheir voracity that there was little left
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