Reynke de Vos, book 2, chapter 0

Here begins the second book of Reynke the Fox.

In this second book the poet speaks primarily of the condition of people and of their faults First of all, it is a question of how not only the animals came to the king's court day, which he held, but also the birds in large numbers(1) to accuse Reinke. How they talked now follows.

¶ In desseme anderen bocke sprickt de poete sunderlyken van deme state der mynschen vnde ereme ghebreke. Vnde volget int erste, wo to deme houe des konnynges, den he heelt, quemen nicht alleyne de deren, men ock de vögele in groter vorsammelynge, klagende ouer Reynken, vnde spreken vnder syck, so hir na volget.

¶ „De konnynck heft vns to entboden,
Wy möten to houe, dat is van noden.
Nicht enhelpet Reynken meer syne kunst,
3250 He is groff in des konnynges vngunst."

¶ „So vele vnser is in deme tal,
Ouer Reynken wyl wy klagen al,
So wan wy komen in den hoff.
Dat heft he tegen vns vordenet groff."
3255 „Ja wy ock des ghelyck vnde vnse kynder,
Wente wy syner hebben groten hynder;
Vnse eyger vnde yungen he nummer enspart.
Des kricht he nu eyne quade vart."
„Ja, wy wyllen yw doen vast bystant,
3260 Vp dat he to degen werde gheschant
Vor syne loßheyt vnde valsche laghe,
Dar he vns mede schadet heft vele daghe."
„Ja, hadde wy eer vns sus besproken,
Wy hadden vns lange wol gewroken
3265 An Reynken, deme erlozen deue,
Wert he nu ghehangen, so gheschüt vns leue."

¶ „Ja, Reynke plecht to syn vorbolgen.
Men late vns vry vnse klage vorvolgen.
Den schaden, he vns to donde plecht,
3270 Dar vor kricht he nu syn rechte recht."

¶ „Ja, de konnynck heft dat ordel ghegeuen,
Reynke schal nicht lenger leuen.
Eme wert nu alle schande vorlenet;
Dat heft he vaken noch vordenet."

not only the animals […] but also the birds . . .: The author distinguishes fairlly consistently between "dere", animals, and "fogel", birds, which are not considered animals in this context.

This is a bit illogical, since we've already met the rooster Hennink and his flock of chickens.