William Caxton (2)

Here are some more fables from the The Fables of Aesop as printed by William Caxton in 1484, with woodcuts adapted from Steinhowel's Aesop; click here for more fables from Caxton's Aesop here at the blog.

Of the wulf and of the lambe

Of the Innocent and of the shrewe Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / how it was so / that the lambe and the wulf had bothe thurst / and went bothe to a Ryuer for to drynke / It happed that the wulf dranke aboue & the lambe dranke bynethe / And as the wulf sawe and perceyued the lambe / he sayd with a hyghe voys / Ha knaue why hast thou troubled and fowled my water / whiche I shold now drynke / Allas my lord sauf your grece / For the water cometh fro yow toward me / Thenne sayd the wulf to the lambe / Hast thow no shame ne drede to curse me / And the lambe sayd My lord with your leue / And the wulf sayd ageyne / Hit is not syxe monethes passyd that thy fader dyd to me as moche / And the lambe ansuerd yet was I not at that tyme born / And the wlf said ageyne to hym / Thou hast ete my fader / And the lambe ansuerd / I haue no teeth / Thenne said the wulf / thou arte wel lyke thy fader / and for his synne & mysded thow shalt deye / The wulf thenne toke the lambe and ete hym /

This fable sheweth that the euylle man retcheth not by what maner he may robbe & destroye the good & innocent man

Of the rat / and of the frogge

Now it be so / that as the rat wente in pylgremage / he came by a Ryuer / and demaunded helpe of a frogge for to passe / and go ouer the water / And thenne the frogge bound the rats foote to her foote / and thus swymed vnto the myddes ouer the Ryuer / And as they were there the frogge stood stylle / to thende that the rat shold be drowned / And in the meane whyle came a kyte vpon them / and bothe bare them with hym / This fable made Esope for a symylytude whiche is prouffitable to many folkes / For he that thynketh euylle ageynst good / the euylle whiche he thynketh shall ones falle vpon hym self /

This fable made Esope for a symylytude whiche is prouffitable to many folkes / For he that thynketh euylle ageynst good / the euylle whiche he thynketh shall ones falle vpon hym self

Of the lyon and of the asse

Of them whiche mocken other esope reherceth such a fable / Ther was an asse whiche met with a lyon to whom he said my broder god saue the & the lyon shaked his hede and with grete payne he myght hold his courage / to haue forthwith deuoured hym / But the lyon sayd to hym self / It behoueth not that teethe soo noble and so fayre as myn be touchen not / ne byten suche a fowle beest /

For he that is wyse must not hurte the foole ne take hede to his wordes / but lete hym go for suche as he is

Of the swalowe / and other byrdes

He that byleueth not good counceyll / may not fayll to be euylle counceylled / wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / of a plowgh man / whiche sowed lynseed / & the swalowe seyng that of the same lynseed men myght make nettes and gynnes / wente and sayd to alle other byrdes / Come with me ye al & lete vs plucke vp al this / For yf we leue hit growe / the labourer shal mowe make therof gynnes and nettes for to take vs al / Alle the byrdes dispraysed his counceyl / And thenne as the swalowe sawe this / he wente and herberowed her in the plough mans hows / And whanne the flaxe was growen and pulled vp / the labourer made grynnes and nettes to take byrdes / wherwith he took euery day many other byrdes / and brought them in to his hows / to the whiche byrdes the swalowe thenne sayd / I told yow wel / what that shold happe therof / wherfore men ought not to disprayse good counceylle /

For he that is euyl aduysed and not wel counceyled shalle haue moche payne

Of the Columbes or douues of the kyte and of the sperehawke 

Who that putte and submytteth hym self vnder the saue gard or protection of the euylle / thou oughtest to wete & knowe / that whan he asketh & demaunded ayde & helpe / he geteth none / Wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / Of the douues whiche demaunded a sperehawke for to be theyr kynge / for to kepe them fro the kyte or mylan / And whanne the sperehawke was maade kynge ouer them / he beganne to deuoure them / the whiche columbes or douues sayd amonge them / that better it were to them to suffre of the kyte than to be vnder the subiection of the sperehawke / & to be martred as we be / but therof we be wel worthy / For we oure self been cause of this meschyef /

And therfore whanne men done ony thyng / men ought well to loke and consydere thende of hit / For he dothe prudently and wysely whiche taketh good hede to the ende

William Caxton (1)

Here are some more fables from the The Fables of Aesop as printed by William Caxton in 1484, with woodcuts adapted from Steinhowel's Aesop:

Of the bore and of the wulf

Svche desyren to be grete lordes / and dyspreysen his parents / that at the last becomen poure and fallen in to grete dishonour / As thow mayst see by this present fable / 

Of a bore / whiche was amonge a grete herd of other swynes / 

And for to haue lordship and domynacion ouer alle them / he beganne to make grete rumour / and shewed his grete teethe for to make the other swynes aferd / but by cause they knewe hym / they sette nought by hym / wherof he displeased moche / and wold goo in to a herd of sheep / and emonge lambes / And whanne he was amonge the lambes / he began to make grete rumour / and shewed his sharp and long teeth / And whanne the lambes herd hym / they were sore aferd / and byganne to shake for fere / 

And thenne sayd the bore within hym self / here is the place wherin I must abyde & duelle For here I shalle be gretely worshipped / For euerychone quaken for fere of me / 

Thenne came the wulf there for to haue and rauysshe somme proye / And the lambes beganne alle to flee / but the bore as prowd wold not stere hym / ne go fro the place / by cause he supposed to be lord / but the wulf toke hym / and bare hym in to the wode for to ete hym / 

And as the wulf bare hym / it happed that he passid before the herd of swynes / whiche the bore had lefte / 

And thenne whanne the bore perceyued and knewe them / he prayd and cryed to them / that for the loue of god they wold help hym / And that withoute her help / he was deed / 

And thenne the swynes alle of one assent and owne wylle wente and recouered theyr felawe / and after slewe the wulf / 

And as the bore was delyuerd / and sawe hym amonge the swynes / and that alle his doubte and fere was gone / he beganne to haue vergoyne and shame / by cause that he was thus departed / and gone fro theyr felauship and sayd to them / My bretheren and my frends / I am well worthy to haue had this payne / by cause / I was gone & departed from yow /

And therfore he that is wel / lete hym beware / that he moue not hym self / For suche by his pryde desyreth to be a grete lord / whiche ofte falleth in grete pouerte /

Of the dogge / of the wulf and of the whether

Grete folye is to a fool that hat no myght / that wylle begyle another stronger than hym self / as reherceth this fable 

Of a fader of famylle whiche had a grete herd or flock of sheep / and had a grete dogge for to kepe them which was wel stronge /

And of his voys all the wolues were aferd wherfore the sheepherd slepte more surely / but it happed / that this dogge for his grete age deyde / wherfore the sheepherdes were sore troubled and wrothe / and sayd one to other / we shall nomore slepe at oure ease by cause that our dogge is dede / for the wulues shall now come and ete our sheep / and thenne a grete wether fyers and prowd / whiche herd alle these wordes came to them and sayd / I shalle gyue yow good counceylle / Shaue me / and put on me the skynne of the dogge

And whanne the wulues shalle see me / they shalle haue grete fere of me /

And whanne the wulues came and sawe the wether clothed with the skynne of the dogge / they beganne all to flee / and ranne awey / t happed on a day that a wulf whiche was sore hongry / came and toke a lambe / and after ran awaye therwith / And thenne the sayd wether ranne after hym / 

And the wulf whiche supposed that it had ben the dogge shote thryes by the waye for the grete fere that he had / 

And ranne euer as fast as he coude / and the wether also ranne after hym withoute cesse / tyl that he ranne thurgh a busshe full of sharp thornes / the whiche thornes rente and brake alle the dogges skynne / which was on hym /

And as the wulf loked and sawe behynde hym / beynge moche doubtuous of his dethe / sawe and perceyued alle the decepcion and falshede of the wether / 

And forthwith retorned ageynste hym / and demaunded of hym / what beest arte thow / 

And the wether ansuerd to hym in this maner / My lord I am a wether whiche playeth with the / 

And the wulf sayd / Ha mayster ought ye to playe with your mayster and with your lord / thow hast made me so sore aferd / that by the weye as I ranne before the / I dyde shyte thre grete toordes / 

And thenne the wulf ledde hym vnto the place where as he had shyte / sayenge thus to hym / Loke hyther / callest thow this a playe / I take hit not for playe / For now I shalle shewe to the / how thou oughtest not to playe so with thy lord / 

And thenne the wulf took and kylled hym / and deuoured and ete hym /

And therfore he that is wyse muste take good hede / how he playeth with hym whiche is wyser / more sage / and more stronge / than hym self is /

Of the dragon and of the kerle

Men ought not to rendre euylle for good / And them that helpen ought not to be letted / As reherceth thys fable 

Of a dragon whiche was within a Ryuer / and as this Ryuer was dymynuysshed of water / the dragon abode at the Ryuage / whiche was al drye / And thus for lack of watre he coude not stere hym / 

A labourer or vylane came thenne that waye / and demaunded of the dragon / what dost thow there / 

And the dragon ansuerd to hym / I am here lefte withoute water / withoute whiche I can not meue / but yf thow wilt bynd me / and sette me vpon thyn asse / and lede me in to my Ryuer / I shal gyue to the habondaunce of gold and syluer / 

And the vylane or chorle for couetyse bound and ledde hym in to his repayre /

And whanne he had vnbounden hym / he demaunded his sallary / and payment / 

And the dragon sayd to hym / By cause that thow hast bounden me / thow wylt be payd And by cause that I am now hongry / I shalle ete the / 

And the vylayne ansuerd and sayd / For to haue done wel / thow wylt ete and deuoure me / 

And as they stryued to gyder / the foxe whiche was within the forest herd wel theyr question and different came to them / and sayd in this manere / Stryue ye no more to gyder / For I wyll acord / and make pees bytwixt you Late eche of yow telle to me his reason for to wete / whiche of yow hath ryght / 

And whanne eche of them had told his caas the foxe sayd to the vylayne / Shewe thow to me / how thow boundest the dragon / to thende / that I may gyue therof a trewe and lawfull sentence / 

And the vylayne put the dragon vpon his asse / and bound hym as he had done before / 

And the fox demaunded of the dragon / helde he thenne the so fast bounden / as he dothe now / 

And the dragon ansuerd / ye my lord / and yet more hard / 

And the foxe sayd to the vylayn / Bynde hym yet more harder / For who that was wel byndeth / wel can he vnbynd 

And whanne the dragon was fast and wel bounden / the fox sayd to the vylayne / bere hym ageyn there as thow fyrst tokest hym / And there thow shalt leue hym bounden as he is now / And thus shalle not ete ne deuoure the /

For he that dothe euylle / euylle he must haue / For Iustly he shall ben punysshed of god / they that done harme and dommage to the poure folke For who so euer rendreth euylle for good / he shalle therof iustly be rewarded

Of the enuyous dogge

None ought not to haue enuye of the good of other / As it appiereth by this fable / 

Of a dogge whiche was enuyous / and that somtyme was within a stable of oxen / the whiche was ful of heye / 

This dogge kept the oxen that they shold not entre in to theyr stable / and that they shold not ete of the sayd hey / 

And thenne the oxen sayd to hym / Thow arte wel peruers and euylle to haue enuye of the good / the whiche is to vs nedefull and prouffitable / And thow hast of hit nought to doo / for thy kynde is not to ete no hey / 

And thus he dyd of a grete bone / the whiche he held at his mouthe / and wold not leue hit by cause and for enuye of another dogge / whiche was therby /

And therfore kepe the wel fro the company or felauship of an enuyous body / For to haue to doo with hym hit is moche peryllous and dyffycyle / As to vs is wel shewen by Lucyfer

Of the foxe and of the catte

There is many folke / whiche auauncen them and saye that they ben wyse and subtyle / whiche ben grete fooles and knowynge no thynge / As this fable reherceth / 

Of a foxe whiche somtyme mette with a Catte / to whome he sayd / My godsep / god yeue yow good daye / 

And the catte ansuerd / My lord god gyue yow good lyf / 

And thenne the foxe demaunded of hym / My godsep what canst thow doo /

And the catte sayd to hym / I can lepe a lytyl / 

And the fox sayd to hym / Certaynly thow arte not worthy to lyue / by cause that thow canst nought doo / 

And by cause that the cat was angry of the foxes wordes / he asked and demaunded of the foxe / And thow godsep what canst tow doo / 

A thousand wyles haue I sayd the foxe / For I haue a sak ful of scyences and wyles / And I am so grete a clerke / that none may begyle ne deceyue me /

And as they were thus spekyng to gyder the cat perceyued a knyght comynge toward them / whiche had many dogges with hym / and sayd to the foxe / My godsep / certaynly I see a knyght / comynge hytherward / whiche ledeth with hym many dogges / the whiche as ye wel knowe ben our enemyes / 

The foxe thenne ansuerd to the cat / My godsep / thou spekest lyke a coward / and as he that is aferd / lete them come and care not thow / 

And Incontynently as the dogges perceyued and sawe the foxe and the catte / they beganne to renne vpon them / 

And whanne the foxe sawe them come / he sayd to the kat / Flee we my broder / flee we / 

To whome the kat ansuerd / Certaynly godsep / therof is none nede /

Neuertheles the foxe byleued not the cat / but fledde / and ranne as fast as he myght for to saue hym / 

And the catte lepte vpon a tree and saued hym self / sayenge / Now shalle we see / who shalle playe best for to preserue and saue hym self / 

And whanne the catte was vpon a tree / he loked aboute hym / and sawe how the dogges held the foxe with theyr teethe / to whome he cryed and seyd / O godsep and subtyle foxe / of thy thowsand wyles that syth late thow coudest doo / lete me now see / and shewe to me one of them / 

The foxe ansuerd not / but was killed of the dogges and the catte was saued /

And therfore the wyse ought not to disprayse the symple / For suche supposeth to be moche wyse / whiche is a kynd and a very foole /