My lord youre fader – God his soule blesse! –
And eek youre mooder, of hire gentillesse,
Han in myn hous ybeen to my greet ese.
– Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale. There is a chilling irony in the words of the Fox to Chauntecleer. He reveals that Chauntecleer’s parents have been to his house to his great pleasure – in other words he ate them, as farmyard fowl don’t do social calls to a fox’s den! But this goes completely over the head of the cock, who is oblivious to the danger.