The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quartus/Fable 5
¶ The v fable maketh mencion of the panthire and of the vylayns
Very one ought to do wel to the
straunger and forgyue to the
myserable / As reherceth this
fable of a panthere whiche fylle in
to a pytte / And whan the vylaynes or chorles of the country sawe her /
somme of them beganne to smyte on her / and
the other sayd pardonne and forgyue her / for
she hath hurted no body / and other were that
gaf to her breed / And another sayd to the
vylayns / beware ye well that ye slee her not /
And by cause that they were al of dyuerse wyll /
euerychone of them wente and retorned home
ageyne wenynge that she shold deye within the
sayd pytte / but lytyl and lytyl she clymmed vp /
and wente to her hows ageyne / and made her
to be wel medicyned / in so moche / that soone
she was al hole / ¶ And within a whylle after
she hauynge in her memorye the grete Iniurye
that had be done to her came ageyne to the
place where she had be hurte and sore bete / &
began to kylle & slee al the bestes whiche were there about and put al the sheepherds and swyneherds
& other whiche kepte beestes all to flyght /
she brente the Corne & many other euyl and
grete harme she dyd then aboute / And whanne
the folke of the country sawe the grete dommage
that she dyd to them / they came toward
her / prayenge that she wold haue pyteon them /
And to them she ansuerd in this manere / I am
not come hyther to take vengeaunce on them
whiche haue had pyte and myserycorde of me /
but only on them that wold haue slayne me /
And for the wycked and euyele folk I recyte this
fable / to thende that they hurte no body / For
yf alle the vylaynes hadde hadde pyte / the one
as the other of the poure panthere or serpent
whiche was straunger and myserable / as moche
as she was fallen in to the pytte / the for sayd
euylle and dommyge had not come to them