The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quartus/Fable 9
¶ The ix fable is of the hors / of the hunter and of the hert
One ought to put hym self in subiection
for to auenge hym on other /
For better is not to submytte hymself
/ than after to be submytted /
As reherceth to vs this fable / Of
an hors whiche had enuye ouer an herte / by
cause the herte was fayrer than he / and the
hors by enuye went vnto an hunter / to whome
he sayd in this manere / yf thow wylt byleue
me / we shalle this day take a good proye /
Lepe vpon my bak / and take thy swerd / and
we shalle chace the herte / and thow shalt hytte
hym with thy swerd / and kylle hym / and
shalt take hym / and thenne his flesshe thow
mayst ete / and his skynne thow mayst selle /
¶ And thenne the hunter moued by auaryce / demaunded of the hors / thynkest thow by thy feythe that we may take the herte / of whomme thow speketh to me of / ¶ And the hors answerd thus / Suffyse the / For ther to I shalle put al my dylygence and alle my strengthe / lepe vpon me / and doo after my counceylle / ¶ And thenne the Hunter lepte forthwith vpon the hors backe / And the hors beganne to renne after the herte / And whanne the herte sawe / hym come he fled / And by cause that the hert ranne faster / than the hors did / he scaped fro them / and saued hym / ¶ And thenne when the hors sawe and felte hym moche wery / and that he myght no more renne / he sayd to the hunter in this manere / alyght fro my back / For I may bere the no more and haue myst of my proye / Thenne sayd the hunter to the hors Syth thow arte entryd in to my handes / yet shalt not thow escape thus fro me / thow hast the brydel in thy mouthe wherby thow mayest be kepte stylle and arrested / And thow wylt lepe / the fadell shalle saue me / And yf thow wylt caste thy feet fro the / I haue good spores for to constrayne and make the goo whether thow wylt or not where as I wylle haue the / And therfore kepe the wel / that thow shewest not thy self rebelle vnto me / ¶ Therfore it is not good to put and submytte hym self vnder the handes of other wenynge therby to be auenged of hym / ageynste whome men haue enuye / For who submytteth hym self vnder the myght of other / he byndeth hym self to hym