The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quintus/Fable 14
¶ The xiij fable is of the wulf and of the foxe
One maye not be mayster without
he haue be fyrste a disciple / As
hit appiereth by this Fable / Of
a Foxe whiche came toward a
wulf / and sayd to hym / My lord
I praye yow that ye wylle be my godsep /
And the wulf ansuerd / I am content / And the
foxe toke to hym his sone prayenge hym that to
his sone he wold shewe and lerne good doctryne /
the whiche the wulf tooke / and wente with hym
vpon a montayne / And thenne he sayd to the
lytyll foxe whanne the beetles shalle come to the
feldes calle me / And the foxe wente and sawe
fro the top of the hylle / how the beestes were
comynge to the feldes / and forth with he wente
and called his godfader / and sayd My godfader
the beestes comen in to the feldes / And the wulf
demaunded of hym / what bestes are they / and
the fox ansuerd / they be bothe kyne & swyn to
gyder / Wel sayd the wulf / I gyue no force for
them / lete them go for the dogges ben with
them / And soone after the foxe dyd loke on
another syde / and perceyued the mare whiche
wente wente to the feldes / and he wente to his godfader
& sayd / godfader the mare is goo to the
feldes / & the wulf demaunded of hym where
aboute is she / And the foxe ansuered she is by
the forest / And the wulf sayd / Now go we to
dyner / And the wulf with his godsone entryd
in to the wood / and came to the mare / ¶ The
wulf perceyued wel and sawe a yonge colt /
whiche was by his moder / the wulf tooke hym
by the neck with his teethe and drewe hit within
the wood / and ete & deuoured hym bytwene
them bothe / ¶ And whan they had wel eten
the godson sayd to his godfader / My godfader
I commaude yow to god and moche I thanke
yow your doctrine / For wel ye haue taught me /
in so moche / that now I am a grete clerke / &
now I wylle goo toward my moder / And thenne
the wulf sayd to his godson / My godsone yf
thow gost awey / thow shalt repente the therfore
/ For thow hast not yet wel studyed / and
knowest not yet the Sylogysmes / ¶ Ha my
godfader sayd the Foxe / I knowe wel al / ¶ And
the wulf sayd to hym / Sythe thow wylt goo/
to god I commaunde the /
¶ And whanne the Foxe was come toward his moder / she sayd to hym / Certaynly / thow hast not yet studyed ynough / ¶ And he thenne sayd to her / Moder I am soo grete a clerke that I can cast the deuylle fro the clyf / Lete vs go chace / and ye shalle see yf I haue lerned ought or not / ¶ And the yong foxe wold haue done as his godfader the wulf dede / and said to his moder / make good watche / ¶ And whanne the beetles shalle come to the feld / lete me haue therof knowlege / And his moder sayd / wel my sone so shalle I doo / She maade good watche / And whanne she sawe that bothe kyne and swyne wente to the feldes / she sayd thenne to hym My sone the kyne and the swyn to gyder ben in the feldes / And he ansuerd / My moder of them I retche not / lete them goo / for the dogges kepe them wel / ¶ And within a short whyle after / the moder sawe come the mare nyghe vnto a wode / and wente / and sayd to her sone / My sone the mare is nyghe the wood And he ansuerd / My moder these ben good tydynges / Abyde ye here / For I goo to fetche our dyner / and wente and entred in to the Wode / And after wold doo as his godfader dyd before / and wente and tooke the mare by the neck / But the mare tooke hym with her teeth / and bare hym to the sheepherd And the moder cryed from the top of the hylle / My sone lete goo the mare / and come hyder ageyne / but he myght not / For the mare held hym fast with her teethe / ¶ And as the sheepherde camc for to kylle hym / the moder cryed and sayd wepynge / Allas my sone thow dydest not lerne wel / And hast ben to lytel a whyle atte schole / wherfore thow must now deye myserably / And the sheepherdes took and slewe hym / For none ought to say hym self mayster withoute that he haue fyrst studyed / For some wene to be a grete clerke / that can nothyng of clergye /