The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Primus/Fable 4
¶ The fourth fable is of the dogge and the sheep
f the men chalengynge / whiche ever
be seeking occasion to doo some
harme and dommage to the good /
saith Esope suche a fable / Somtyme
was a dogge / whiche demaunded
of a sheep a loof of brede that she had
borowed of hym / And the sheep ansuerd that
neuer she had none of hym / The dogge made
her to come before the Juge / And by cause the
sheep denyed the dette / the dogge provysed and
broughte with hym fals wytnes / that is to wete
the wulf / the mylan & the spaehawk / And
whanne these wytnes shold be examyned and
herd / the wulf sayd to the Juge / I am certayne
& me remembreth wel / that the dogge lend to
her a loof of brede/ And the myllan went and
sayd / she receyued hit presente my persone /
And the sperowhawk said to the sheep / come
hyder why denyest thow that whiche thow hast
take and recyued / And thus was the poure sheep
vaynquysshed¶ And thenne the Juge commaunded
to her that she shold paye the dogge / wherfore she sold awey before the wynter her
flees and wulle for to paye that / that she neuer
had / and thus was the poure sheep despoylled /
In suche maner done the euylle hongry peple
which by theyr grete vntrouthe and malyce
robben and despoillen the poure folke