The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Other Aesop's/Fable 16
¶ The xvi fable is of the husbond and of his two wyves
Oo thynge is werse to the man than
the woman / As it appereth by
this fable / of a man of a meane
age / whiche tooke two wyues /
that is to wete an old / & one
yong / whiche were both dwellyng in his hows /
& by cause that the old desyred to haue his
loue / she plucked the blak herys fro his hede
and his berde / by cause he shold the more be lyke
her / And the yonge woman at the other syde plucked and drewe oute alle the whyte herys /
to the ende / that he shold seme the yonger /
more gay and fayrer in her syghte / And thus
the good man abode withoute ony here on his
hede And therfore hit is grete folye to the
auncyent to wedde them self ageyne / For to
them is better to be vnwedded / than to be
euer in trouble with an euyl wyf / for the
tyme in whiche they shold reste them / they
put it to payne and to grete labour.