The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quintus/Fable 3
¶ The thyrd fable is of the foxe and of the cocke /
Ftyme moche talkynge letteth / As
hit appiereth by this fable / Of a
foxe / whiche came toward a
Cocke / And sayd to hym / I
wold fayne wete / yf thow canst
as wel synge as thy fader dyde / And thenne
the Cock shette his eyen / and beganne to crye
and synge / ¶ And thenne the Foxe toke and
bare hym awey / And the peple of the towne
cryed / the foxe bereth awey the cok / ¶ And
thenne the Cocke sayd thus to the Foxe / My
lord vnderstandest thow not / what the peple
sayth / that thow berest awey theyr cock / telle
to them / that it is thyn / and not theyrs/ And
as the foxe sayd / hit is not yours / but it is
myn / the cok scaped fro the foxe mouthe / and
flough vpon a tree / And thenne the Cok sayd
to the fox thow lyest / For I am theyrs and not
thyn / And thenne the foxe beganne to hytte
erthe bothe with his mouthe & heed sayenge /
mouthe / thow hast spoken to moche / thow
sholdest haue eten the Cok / had not be thyn ouer many wordes / And therfor ouer moche
talkyng letteth / and to moche crowynge smarteth
/ therfore kepe thy self fro ouer many wordes / to thende / that thow repentest the
not