The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Poge/Tale 6

by Poggio Bracciolini

Ow thenne I wylle fynysshe alle these fables wyth this tale that foloweth whiche a worshipful preest and a parsone told me late / he sayd / that there were duellynge in Oxenford two prestes bothe maystres of arte / of whome that one was quyck and coude putte hym self forth / And that other was a good symple preest / And soo it happed that the mayster that was perte and quyck was anone promoted to a benefyce or tweyne / and after to prebendys / and for to be a Dene of a grete prynces chappel / supposynge and wenynge that his felaw the symple preest shold neuer haue be promoted but be alwaye an Annuel / or at the most a parysshe preest / So after longe tyme that this worshipful man this dene came rydynge in to a good paryssh with a x or xij horses / lyke a prelate / and came in to the chirche of the sayd parysshe / and fond there this good symple man somtyme his felawe / whiche cam and welcomed hym lowely / And that other badde hym good morowe mayster Johan / and toke hym sleyghtly by the hand / and axyd hym where he dwellyd / And the good man sayd in this paryssh / how sayd he / are ye here a sowle preest or a paryssh preste / nay syr said he / for lack of a better though I be not able ne worthy I am parson and curate of this parysshe / and thenne that other aualed his bonet and said mayster parson I praye yow to be not despleasyd / I had supposed ye had not be benefyced / But mayster sayd he / I pray yow what is this bensyce worth to yow a yere / Forsothe sayd the good symple man / I wote neuer / for I make neuer accomptes thereof / how wel I haue had hit four or fyue yere / And knowe ye not said he what it is worth / it shold seme a good benefyce / no Forsothe sayd he / But I wote wel what it shalle be worth to me / Why sayd he / what shalle hit be worth / Forsothe sayd he / yf I doo my trewe dylygece in the cure of my parysshēs in prechyng and techynge / and doo my parte longynge to my cure / I shalle haue heuen therfore / And yf theyre sowles ben lost or ony of them by my defawte / I shall be punysshed therfore / And herof am I sure / And with that word the ryche dene was abasshed And thought he shold be the better / And take more hede to his cures and benefyces than he had done / This was a good answere of a good preest and an honest /

¶ And here with I fynysshe this book / translated
& emprynted by me William Caxton at
Westmynster in thabbey / and fynysshed
the xxvj daye of Marche the yere
of oure lord MCCC lxxxiiij /
And the fyrst yere of the
regne of King Rych-
ard the thyrde.