Chapter XII

1 _Concerning those that went not forth for to fight_. 14 _The rulers commune together on the matter_. 17 _And call out all the young men_. 18 _But certain are absolved_. 25 _Wherefore many are combed out_. 29 _And the people are satisfied_. 31 _Each man payeth for his own strong drink_.

And when the fighters had gone forth unto the war, there yet remained _certain men_ that were strong and sound of limb. And every man that went not forth, _he had_ his reason.

2 And some said, To kill men in battle is a wicked _thing_. Would ye therefore have us _to go_ against our consciences?

3 And when the people questioned these, they replied unto them, saying, The wise man giveth obedience unto his conscience lest it torment him; neither _is there_ any escape from it. And we are men of wisdom.

4 And if one of the men of Hu shall ravish our eldest daughter, _then_ shall we offer unto him she _that_ is next unto her that he may ravish her also; for so it is written.

5 And they that questioned them forbore to ask them more, deeming a conscience _such as this_ was assuredly come from the devil.

6 And there were some that, being affrighted, hid themselves away. And the number _of these_ was small and, when _the time_ came, they were _combed_ out.

7 And there were others that were grown selfish, because they _did_ gain much recompense by their labours, and these were loth to leave their habitations. And they did say,

8 Wherefore should we go forth for to fight? In our houses _there are_ many fires and the women do put them hot bricks into our beds _so that_ our feet suffer not when the night groweth cold.

9 And if we go out for to fight, verily, the rain from heaven will fall upon us and it will _make_ us wet. And a skin _that_ is wet affecteth the nose.

10 And the food that we shall eat, it will lie _heavy_ upon our stomachs; neither will the women sustain us with hot bricks.

11 And because of all these things, they went not forth unto the war _until_ the time came when they were _combed_ out.

12 And there were many men throughout the land that were willing to go at _the time_ appointed, each _man_ in his turn.

13 And these did say, "Wherefore should we depart from our habitations and wherefore leave our wives amongst strange people? Send first the young men _that are_ hanging back; and, afterwards, when our time _cometh_, we shall be ready. And ye shall find us in the forefront of the battle.

14 ¶ And because that which they had said was just, therefore the rulers of the land could not gainsay them. And they communed together in the council chamber _concerning it_.

15 And some, knowing not _the spirit_ of the people, did say, Let us now do nothing rash lest, if we call up all the young men, they raise an outcry throughout the land.

16 But there were others that said, _It is_ sufficient that we have need of men for to send against the enemy. Let us therefore _see about it_.

17 ¶ And they overruled those that _were_ against them, and did make them a law whereby all the young men were called out for to fight.

18 ¶ But they absolved them that were in the workshops making the munitions of war, and acquitted them also _that were_ plagued with a conscience.

19 And because the men of Ire said, We will not _have_ it, therefore the rulers dared not to say _them_ nay, for the men of Ire were rulers in the land of En.

20 And they appointed them tribunals, a mixed lot of men, so that _those_ that were called out might show them a _reason_ against it.

21 And because the net that was spread in the sight of the young men was wide _in the_ mesh, therefore was the haul thereof fraught with disappointment. And the young men did work themselves free in ways that _were_ various.

22 And some hied them unto the workshops to become makers of munitions of war, saying, the one unto the other, _By this means_, assuredly, shall we save our skins. And for a long time _it was_ so.

23 And others did cry their woes before the tribunals. And _the tales_ that they did tell were pitiful indeed, and they did move the tribunals unto compassion _so that_ they absolved them.

24 And the rulers, that did _ought_ to set an example, made lusty youths for to be their scribes, and they did put them for to do women's work. And the number _of them_ that were absolved in this wise became a crying shame that was _heard_ throughout all the land.

25 ¶ And when the rulers were questioned hotly _concerning_ these men and _concerning_ those that had hidden themselves behind the rampart that _was_ munitions, they bestirred themselves somewhat and did _comb_ them out.

26 And the number that they did _comb_ out was very great. And because they had not done _this thing_ before, but had waited until the people raised them a clamour, therefore were the rulers blamed exceedingly.

27 Nevertheless, those that rebelled against it because they did have consciences, _these_ were not sent out for to fight.

28 But some of them were set to work upon _matters of health_, which was a loathsome duty and abhorred by them who, _being_ without a conscience, went out against the enemy.

29 ¶ And when all the men that _were_ of full vigour had been _taken_, there was an end to the murmuring of the people.

30 And all were of one mind that this thing should have been done before, for they saw that the taking was just, no man suffering beyond his neighbour, and every man fighting for his own.

31 ¶ Now it was made a law that whosoever should enter into a tavern for to buy him strong drink, that man must pay for _his own_.

32 And there were some, being them that drank beyond their means, that had a grievance _because_ of it, for to pay for _their own_, they had forgotten the way.

33 Wherefore they did suffer exceedingly and _were_ for ever dry; and _their_ look, it was a thirsty one.

34 And when _the damsels_ heard about it, they set them out for to find _a means_ to circumvent it, for the thing was not agreeable unto them.

35 And when a maiden approached unto a tavern, being with a man that had a leaning _towards_ her, then would she stop outside, and she would say unto him, Give thou unto me five pieces of silver that I may pay for _mine own_. And whatsoever remaineth over, that will I give thee back after _we are_ come out.

36 And they would enter into a tavern. And she would call the serving man unto her and she would speak unto him in a soft voice, saying, Bring unto me a small portion of _that_ wine which cometh from Oporto that I may nourish my bones.

37 And the serving man would bring it unto her, and he would set it down before her. And the damsel _would_ pay for it out of the five pieces of silver that she had received from her man. And whatsoever was left over, _that_ would she place in her purse.

38 And _afterwards_, she would smile upon the man that was with her, and she would say unto him, Thy beard becometh thee well. Thou art strong and thy wisdom is great and thine eyes absorb me _utterly_. Verily doth thine handmaiden feel small in the sight of her lord.

39 All this would she say unto him, and more also; but concerning _that which_ was remaining over from the five pieces of silver she would say no word.

40 And this is ever the way of women that by their artfulness they do _wangle it_, and whatsoever cometh up _contrary_, that do they work for to be an advantage unto them.