Then a rat of renown, very ready of tongue. Said, for a sovereign help

Then a rat of renown, very ready of tongue. Said, for a sovereign help
to themselves, " Some cits have I seen, in the city of London, 160 Wear
chains on their necks of the choicest gold. Or collars of crafty work ;
uncoupled they go Both in warren and waste, as their will inclines, And
elsewhere at odd times, as I hear tell. If they bore each a bell, by its
ringing, me thinketh, 165 One might wit where they were, and away soon
run ! Right so," quoth the rat, " doth reason suggest To buy a bell of
brass or of bright silver. AH the rout of great rats to his reasons
assented, 175 But when bought was the bell, and well bound on the
collar, Not a rat in the rout, for the realm of all France, Durst bind
the said bell about the cat's neck, Nor hang it beside him, all England
to win ! They owned they were cowards, and their counsel weak ; 1 80 So
their labour was lost, and all their long study. To be bound on a
collar, for our common profit, On the cat's neck to hang ; then each
hearer can tell 170 If he rambles or rests him, or runs out to play !
When mild is his mood, we can move as we list And appear in his
presence, when playful and pleased. Or, when angry, beware ; and away
will we run ! "

In Piers Plowman, the scene known as the "rats and the cat" presents a
group of rats holding a council to find a way to escape the cat's
domination. A prominent, quick-tongued rat rises and offers an example
drawn from what the translator renders as "the city of London,"
referring to wealthy citizens who wear gold chains and finely crafted
collars and seem to move about freely. Borrowing this image, the rat
argues that if the cat were made to wear a bell, the ringing would
reveal his movements and allow the rats to flee in time. All the rats
agree with the reasoning and even decide to purchase a brass or silver
bell. Yet when the moment comes to attach the bell to the cat's neck,
not a single rat dares to do it, even if promised the whole of France or
all of England as a reward. Confronted with their own fear, the rats
admit that their counsel is weak and that their long deliberations are
useless. Although the proposal is logically sound, no one is willing to
face the danger required to enact it. The episode thus shows how
political reform collapses when no one will take responsibility for
difficult action. As an allegory, this scene functions as a sharp satire
of the weakness and timidity of contemporary urban government,
especially the civic politics of London and its citizen-elite, who
discuss reforms but shrink from challenging real power.