The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Tertius/Fable 19
¶ The xix fable is of the herte and of the oxe
Nely for to flee is assured to scape
the daunger wherfore he fleeth /
As thow shalt nowe see by this
fable / Of a herte whiche rane
byfore the dogges / and to thende
that he shold not be take / he fledde in to the
fyrst toun that he found / & entryd in to a stable
where as many oxen were / to whom he sayd the
cause why he was come there / prayeng them
swetely that they wold saue hym / And the
oxen sayd then to hym / Allas poure herte thow
arte amonge vs euylle adressyd / thow sholdest
be more surely in the feldes ¶ For yf thow be
perceyued or sene of the oxeherd or els of the
mayster / Certaynly thow arte but dede / Helas
for god & for pyte I praye yow that ye wylle
hyde me within your racke / and that ye deceyue
me not / and at nyght next comynge / I shalle
goo hens / and shalle putte my self in to a sure
place / ¶ And whanne the seruaunts came for
to gyue hey to the oxen / they dyd cast heye
before the oxen / and wente ageyne theyre waye
and sawe not the hert / wherof the herte was
gretely reioysshed wenynge to haue scaped the perylle of dethe / He thenne rendred thanke
and grace to the oxen / and one of the oxen sayd
to hym / It is facyle to scape out of the handes
of the blynd but hit is not facyle to scape out of
the handes of hym thet seeth wel / For yf oure
mayster come hyther whiche hath more than an
honderd eyen / Certayn thow arte deed yf he
perceyue the ¶ And yf he see the not / certaynly
thow arte saued / and shalt goo forthe on
thy waye surely /
The mayster within a short whyle after entryd
in to the stable / And after he commaunded to
vysyte and see the hey / whiche was before his
oxen / And hym self went and tasted / yf they
had ynough of hit / And as he tasted thus the
heye / he felt the hornes of the herte with his
hand / and to hym self he sayd / what is that
that I fele here / and beynge dredeful called alle
his seruauntes / and demaunded of the manere
how the herte was come thyder / And they sayd
to hym / my lord I knowe nothynge therof /
And the lord was full gladde and made the
herte to be taken and slayne / and maade a grete
feest for to haue ete hym / Therfore it happeth
oftyme / that he whiche supposeth to flee is
taken and hold within the lace or nette / For he
that fleeth awey is in grete perylle / wherfore
men ought wel to kepe them self to doo suche
dede / that they must nedes flee therfore