The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quartus/Fable 8
N tyme passed men preysyd more
the folke full of lesynges and falshede
than the man full of trouthe /
the whiche thynge regneth gretely
vnto this daye / As we may see
by this prelent fable / Of the man of trouthe
and of the man lyar / whiche went to gyder
thorugh the countrey / And so longe they wente
to gyder by theyr journeyes / that they came in
to the prouynce of the apes / And the kynge of
thapes made them bothe to be taken and brought
before hym And he beynge in his Royal mageste /
where as he satte lyke an Emperour / and alle
his Apes aboute hym / as the subgets ben aboute
theyr lord / wold haue demaunded / and in dede
he demaunded of the lyer / who am I / And the
lesynge maker and flaterer sayd to hym / thow
arte emperour and kynge / the fayrest creature
that is on earthe / ¶ And after the kynge demaunded
of hym ageyne / who ben these whiche
ben al aboute me / And the lyar ansuerd / Syre
they ben thy knyghtes & your subgettes for to kepe your persone / and your Royalme / And
thenne the kynge sayd thow arte a good man / I
wylle that thow be my grete styward of my
houshold / and that euery one here to the honour
and reuerence / And whan the man of trouthe
herd alle this he sayd to hym self / yf this man
for to haue made lesynges is soo gretely enhaunced
/ thenne by gretter rayson / I shalle
be more worshipped and enhaunced / yf I saye
trouthe /¶ And after the kynge wold aske the
trewe man / and demaunded of hym / who am
I / and alle that ben aboute me / And thenne
the man of trouthe ansuerd thus to hym / thow
arte an ape and a beste ryght abhomynable /
And alle they whiche ben aboute the are lyke
and semblable to the /¶ The kynge thenne
commaunded that he shold be broken and toren
with teeth and clawes and put alle in to pycees /
And therfore it happeth ofte that the lyers and
flaterers ben enhaunced[errata 1] / and the men of trouthe
ben set alowe and put aback / For oftyme for
to saye trouthe men lese theyre lyues / the whiche
thynge is ageynst Iustyce and equyte