Aesop's Fables: Caxton (1484)
3.13. Of the wulues and of the sheep
(Perry 153)
Whanne men haue a good hede / and a good defensour / or a good Capitayne
/ men oughte not to leue hym / for he that leueth hym repenteth hym afterward
of hit / as to vs reherceth this fable / Of the sheep whiche had were
and discencion with the wolues / And by cause that the wulues made to
stronge werre ageynst the sheep / the shepe thenne tooke for theyr help
the dogges / and the whethers also / And thenne was the bataylle of the
sheep so grete and so stronge / & fought so vygorously agenst the wolues.
that they put them to flyght / And whanne the wolues sawe the strengthe
of theyr aduersaryes / they sent an ambassade toward the sheep for to
trete the pees with them / the whiche Ambassade sayd to the sheep in this
maner / yf ye wylle gyue vs the dogges / we shalle swere vnto yow oure
feythe / that we shalle neuer kepe ne hold werre ageynst yow / And the
sheep ansuerd / yf ye wylle gyue vs yur fayth / we shalle be content /
And thus they made pees to gyder / but the wulues kyld the dogges / whiche
were the capytayns and protectours of the sheep / And the dogges dyde
but lytyll hurte to the wulues / wherfore whanne the lytyl and yong wulues
were growen in theyr age / they came of eche part and countrey / and assembled
them to gyder / and all of one accord and wylle sayd to theyre Auncestres
and faders / we must ete vp alle the sheep / And theyr faders ansuerd
thus to them / we haue maade pees with them / Neuertheles the yonge wolues
brake the pees and ranne fyersly vpon the sheep / and theyr faders wente
after them / And thus by cause that the sheep had delyuerd the dogges
to the wolues / the whiche were theyr capitayns / and that they had none
that kepte them / they were all eten and deuoured of the wulues /
Therfore hit is good to kepe well his capytayne / whiche may at a nede
gyue socour and helpe / For a trewe frend is better at a nede than a Royalme
/ For yf the sheep had kepte the loue of the dogges / the wolues had neuer
deuoured them / wherfore it is a sure thynge to kepe wel the loue of his
protectour and good frende /
Caxton
published his edition of Aesop's fables in 1484. There are modern reprints by
Joseph Jacobs (D. Nutt: London, 1889) and more recently by Robert Lenaghan (Harvard
University Press: Cambridge, 1967). Lenaghan's edition is available at amazon.com.
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