The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Alfonce/Fable 11
¶ The xj fable is of an old harlotte or bawde
Noble man was somtyme / whiche
had a wyf moche chaste and was
wonder fayr / This noble man
wold haue go on pylgrimage to
Rome / and lefte his wyf at home /
by cause that he knewe her for a chaste and a
good woman / ¶ It happed on a daye as she
wente in to the toun A fayre yonge man was
esprysed of her loue / and took on hym hardynes /
and requyred her of loue / and promysed to her
many grete yeftes / But she whiche was good had
leuer deye than to consente her therto / wherfore
the yonge man deyde almooste for sorowe / to
the whiche felawe came an old woman / whiche
demaunded of hym the cause of his sekenese /
And the yonge man manyfested or descouered
vnto her alle his courage and herte / askynge help
and counceylle of her / And the old woman
wyly and malycious sayd to hym / Be thow
gladde and Joyous / and take good courage / For
wel I shalle doo / and brynge aboute thy faytte /
in soo moche thow shalt haue thy wyll fulfylled /
And after thys the old bawde wente to her hows / and maade a lytyl catte which she hadde at
homme to faste thre dayes one after another /
And after she took somme breed with a grete
dele or quantite of mostard vpon hit / and gaf hit
to thys yonge Catte for to ete hit / ¶ And
whanne the Catte smelled hit / she beganne to
wepe and crye / ¶ And the old woman or
Bawde wente vnto the hows of the sayd yonge
woman / and bare her lytyl Catte with her / the
whiche yonge and good woman receyued and
welcomed her moch honestly / by cause that alle
the world held her for a holy woman / ¶ And
as they were talkynge to gyder / the yong woman
hadde pyte of the catte whiche wepte / And
demaunded of the old woman / what the cat
eyled / And the old woman sayd to her / Ha a
my fayr doughter & my fayre Frend / renewe
not my sorowe / And sayinge these wordes she
beganne to wepe / and sayd / My frend for no
good I wyl tell the cause why my catte wepeth /
And thenn / the yonge woman sayd to her / My
good Moder I praye yow that ye wyll telle me
the cause & wherfor your catte wepeth / And
thenne the old woman sayd to her / My Frend
I wyll wel / yf thow wilt swere that thou shalt
neuer reherce it to no body / to the whiche promesse
the good and trewe yonge woman accorded
her self / supposyng / that hit had ben all good and sayd / I wyll wel / And thenne the old
woman sayd to her in this manere / My frend
this same catte whiche thow seest yonder was
my daughter / the whiche was wonder fayre
gracious and chaste / whiche a yonge man loued
moche / and was so moche esprysed of her loue /
that by cause that she reffused hym / he deyde for
her loue / wherfore the goddes hauyng pyte on
hym / haue torned my daughter in to this catte /
And the yonge woman whiche supposed that the
old woman had sayd trouthe sayd to her in this
manere / Allas my fayr moder / I ne wote what
I shalle doo / For suche a caas myght wel happe
to me / For in this Towne is a yonge man /
whiche deyeth almost for the loue of me / But
for loue of my husband / to whome I oughte to
kepe chastyte / I haue not wylle graunte hym /
Neuertheles I shall doo that / that thow shalt
counceylle to me / And thenne the old woman
sayd to her / My frend haue thow pyte on hym
as soone as thow mayst / soo that hit befalle not
to the lyke as it dyd to my doughter /
¶ The yonge woman thenne answerd to her / and sayd / yf he requyre me ony more / I shalle accorde me with hym / And yf he requyre me no more / yet shalle I profere me to hym / ¶ And to thende / that I offende not the goddes / I shalle doo and accomplysshe hit / as soone as I maye / ¶ The old woman thene took leue of her / and wente forthwith to the yong man / And to hym she reherced and told all these tydynges / wherof hys herte was fylled with Joye / the whiche anone wente toward the yonge woman / and with her he fulfylled his wylle / ¶ And thus ye maye knowe the euyls / whiche ben done by bawdes and old harlottes / that wold to god / that they were al brente