The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quintus/Fable 15
¶ The xv fable is of the dogge / of the wulf and of the whether
Rete folye is to a fool that hath 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 no
more 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 / ¶ It
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 atter 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 / whiche was on hym / And as the wulf
loked and sawe behynde hym / beynge moche
doubtous 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 waye as I ranne before
the/ I dyte shyte thre grete toordes / And thene
the wulf ledde hym unto 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 thow 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 /