Page:The fables of Aesop, as first printed by William Caxton in 1484, with those of Avian, Alfonso and Poggio. Vol 2.djvu/276

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260
THE FABLES

the celer was made / the ryche man did do bryng therin x tones of oylle of the which the v were ful of of oylle / & the the other v were but half full / & dyd do make a grete pytte in the erthe / & dyd do put the fyue tonnes whiche were half ful in hit / & the other fyue aboue them / And thenne he ſhytte the dore of the celer / and delyuerd the keye to the poure yonge man / and prayd hym frawdelently to kepe wel his oylle / but the poure yonge man knewe not the malyce and falſhede of his neyghboure / wherfore he was contente to kepe the keye / And within a whyle after as the oylle became dere / the ryche came to the poure / and aſked hym his good / and the yong man toke to hym the keye / this Ryche man thenne ſold his oylle to the marchaunts / and waraunted eche tonne al ful / And when the marchaunts meſured theyr oylle / they fond but fyue of the x tonnes full / wherof the ryche man demaunded of the poure yonge man reſtitucion / and for to haue his hows he maade hym to come before the Juge / ¶ And whanne the poure man was before the Juge / he demaunded terme and ſpace for to anſwere / For hym thought and ſemed that he had kepte well his oylle / and the Juge gaf and graūted to hym day of aduys / & thene he went to a philoſophre which was procuratour of the poure peple / & prayd hym for