ten o'clock
-- I met a fool in the forest A motley fool ; -- a miserable world ! As I do live by food , I met a fool ; Who laid him down and basked him in the sun , And railed on Lady Fortune in good terms . In good set terms , -- and yet a motley fool . Good morrow , fool , quoth I. No , sir , quoth he , Call me not fool , till heaven hath sent me fortune ; And then he drew a dial from his poke ; And looking on it with lack-luster eye Says very wisely : It is ten o'clock ; Thus may we see , quoth he , how the world wags ; 'T is but an hour ago since it was nine ; And after an hour more , ` twill be eleven ; And so from hour to hour , we ripe and ripe , And then from hour to hour , we rot and rot , And thereby hangs a tale ! When I did hear The motley fool thus moral on the time , My lungs began to crow like chanticleer , That fools should be so deep contemplative ; And I did laugh sans intermission , An hour by his dial . O noble fool ! A worthy fool !