The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quintus/Fable 1
¶ The fyrste fable maketh mencion of the mulet / of the foxe / and of the wulf
En Calle many folke Asses / that
ben wel subtyll / And suche
wenen to knowe moche / and to
be a grete clerke that is but an
asse / As hit appiereth by thys
fable / Of a mule whiche ete grasse in a medowe
nyghe to a grate forest / to whome came a foxe
whiche demaunded of hym / What arte thow /
And the mule ansuerd I am a beest / And the
foxe sayd to hym / I ne demaunde ne aske of
the that / but I aske who was thy fader / ¶ And
the mule ansuerd / my grete fader was a hors /
And the foxe sayd ageyne I ne demaunde to the
that / but only that thow tellest me / who thow
arte named / And the mule sayd to the foxe /
I ne wote / by cause I was lytyll whanne my
fader deyde / Neuertheles to thende that my
name shold not be forgoten / my fader made hit
to be wreton vnder my lyfte foote behynde /
wherfore yf[errata 1] thow wylt knowe my name / goo
thow and loke vnder my foote / ¶ And whanne
the foxe vnderstood the fallace or falshede / he wente ageyne into the forest / And met with
the wulf / to whome he sayd / Ha myschaunt
beest / what dost thow here / Come with me
and in to thy hand I shall put a good proy
Loke in to yonder medowe / there shalt thow
fynde a fatte beest Of the whiche thow mayst
be fylled / ¶ And thenne the wulf entryd in
to the medowe / and fonde there the mule /
Of whom he demaunnded / who arte thow /
And the mule ansuerd to the wulf / I am
a beest / And the wulf sayd to hym / This
is not that that I aske to the / but telle how
thow arte named / And the mule sayd I wote
not / but neuertheless yf thow wylt knowe my
name / thow shalt fynde it wreton at my lyfte
foote behynde / Thenne sayd the wulf/ I praye
the / vouche sauf to shewe it to me / And the
mule lyft up his foote / ¶ And as the wulf
beheld and studyed in the foote of the mule / the
Mule gaf hym suche a stroke whith his foote
before his forhede / that almost the brayne ranne
oute of his hede / And the foxe whiche was
within a busshe and sawe alle the maner beganne
to lawhe and mocque the wulf / to whomme
he sayd / Foole beeste thow wost wel / that
thow canst not rede / wherfore yf euylle is therof
come to the / thy self is cause of hit / For none
ought not to entremete hym to doo that / that
Impossyble is to hym /