The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Tertius/Fable 20
¶ The xx fable maketh mencion of the fallace of the lyon / And of his conuersacion
O conuerse with folke of euylle lyf
is a thyng moche peryllous / And
only to speke with them letteth
moch other / As this fable reherceth
of a lyon ryght strong and
ryght myghty / the whiche made hym self kynge
for to haue grate renommee and glorye / And fro
thenne forthon he beganne to chaunge his condycions and customme shewing hym self curtois /
and swore that he shold hurte no bestes / but
shold kepe them ageynst euery one / And of this
promesse he repented hym by cause hit is moche
dyffycyle and hard to chaunge his owne kynd /
And therfore whanne he was angry / he lad
with hym somme smalle beestes in to a secrete
place for to ete and deceyue them / And demaunded
of them / yf his mouthe stanke or not /
And alle they that sayd that it stanke or not
were al saued / And alle they the whiche ansuered not he kylled / & deuoured them al / It
happed that he demaunded of the Ape / yf his
mouthe stanke or not / And thape sayd no but that hit smelleth lyke bame / And thenne the
lyon had shame to slee the ape / but he fond a
grete falsheed for to put hym to dethe / He
fayned to be seke and commaunded that al his
leches & Cyrurgyens shold anone come vnto hym /
whan they were come / he commaunded them
to loke his vryne / And whan they had sene hit /
they sayd to hym / Syre ye shalle sbone be hole /
But ye must ete lyght metes / And by cause
that ye be kynge / alle is at your commaundement
/ And the lyon ansuerd Allas Ryght fayne
I wold ete of an Ape / Certaynly sayd the
medecyn that same is good mete / Thenne was
the Ape sente for And notwithstondyng that
he worshipfully spak and ansuerd to the kynge /
the kynge made hym to dye / and deuoured
hym ¶ Therfore hit is peryllous and harmeful
to be in the felauship of a Tyraunt / For be hit
euylle or good he wylle ete and deuoure euery
thynge / And wel happy is he / that may ecape
fro his blody handes / And that may eschewe
and flee the felauship of the eyyll tyraunt
¶ Here fynysshed the thyrdde booke of the subtyle fables of Esope