The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Tertius/Fable 10
¶ The tenth fable maketh mencyon of the yong man / and of the comyn woman
F the comyn and folysshe wymmen
Esope reherceth to vs suche a
fable / Of a woman whiche had
to name Tahys / the whiche was
cause by her feyned loue of the
dethe and loss of many yonge men / to one of the
whiche she had be bete ofte before that tyme /
she sayd to hym in this wse / My ryght dere
loue and good frende / I suppose that of many
one I am wel byloued and despred / Neuertheles
I shall sette my loue on thy self alone / wherfore
I pray the that thow mayst be myn / and I shalle
be thyn for alle thy goodes I retche not / but
only I desyre thy swete body / And he that
knewe the feyntyse and falsheed of the woman /
ansuered to her / ryght benyngly and swetely / thy
wyll and the myn ben both but one alone / For
thow arte she whiche I moost desyre / and the
whiche I shalle loue all the terme of my lyf / Yf
thow deceyue me nomore / For by cause that
thow hast decyued me in tyme passed / I am
euer aferd of the / but notwithstondynge this / thow arte now moche playsaunt and fayr to the
syghte of me / And thus the one begyled that
other / For the loue of a comyn woman is not to
be trusted / For thow oughtest to knowe and
thynk within thy self / that the comyn and
folyssh woman loue the not / but the loueth thy
syluer