Here begynneth the book of the subtyl historyes and fables of Esope whiche were translated out of Frensshe in to Englysshe by wylliam Caxton at westmynstre in the yere of oure Lorde M. CCCC. lxxxiij

[illustration]

¶ This historye conteyneth / How he excused hym of that was Imposed to hym / that he shold haue eten the fygges of his lord

ANd for as moche as his lord to whome he was bounde supposed that he was not prouffytable / he sente hym to laboure in the Feldes / and to dyke and delue in the erthe / ¶ And on a day as his lord came in one of his Feldes / one of his labourers gadred Fygges / And pre∣sented them to his Lord / sayenge / My lord take these Fygges as for the firste fruyte of this felde / And the lord receyued them Ioyously / & delyuerd them to his seruaunt named Agatopus / chargyng hym to kepe them / tyl he that day retourned fro his bayne / ¶ And hit happed that Esope comyng from his labour / de∣maunded his dyner lyke as he was acustomed / And Agato∣pus whiche kepte the figges ete of them / & sayd to one of his felawes / yf I doubted not / and fered my maystre / I wold ete alle these fygges / And his felawe sayd / yf thou wylt late me ete with the / I shalle fynde a subtylyte that we shall haue no blame ne harme therfore / And how may that be sayd A∣gatopus / to whom his felawe sayd / whan my lord shall come home / we shalle saye to hym / that Esope hath eten them / And by cause he can not speke / he shalle not conne excuse hym / and so therfore he shal be wel beten / & herupon they went & ete the fygges bitwene them bothe / sayeng this vylayne shal be well beten / And the lord / whiche came out of the bayne / commaun∣ded to brynge to hym his fygges / & Agatopus sayd to hym / Syre whan Esope came fro his labour fro the feld / he fonde the Celer open / and went in without rayson / and hath eten al the fygges / ¶ And whanne the lord herd this / he was moche angry / & sayd calle to me Esope / to whom he sayd / thou counter∣fayt chorle / how is this happed / that thou hast not be aferd to ete my fygges / wherof he was aferd / in beholdyng them that had accused hym / & the lord commaunded to despoylle & take of his clothes for to haue beten hym / & he kneled doune at his lor∣des feet / & by signes by cause he coude not speke prayd his lord to gyue hym space to excuse hym / And his lord graunted it to hym / And anon after he tooke a vessel ful of hote water / whi che was on the fyre / & poured the hote water in to a bacyn / and

dranke therof / & anon after he putte his fyngre in his mouth & cast out that which was in his stomak / which was only water / for that day he had tasted nothyng but water / & he praid that his accusers myght sembably drynke of that water as he had done / And soo they dyde / And they held theyr hond to fore theyr mouthe / By cause they shold haue no vomyte / but by cause the water was hote / and their stomake resolued by the water / they vomyted oute the water and alle the fygges to gydre / And the lord seynge that / sayde to them / why haue ye lyed to me / ageynst this Esope that can not speke / ¶ And thenne he commaunded to despoylle them / and to bete them openly / sayenge / who someuer dothe or sayth wronge of other / shal be punysshed with the same payne that is due therfore / ¶ And these thynges sene and experymented / Esope retour∣ned to his labour / And as he laboured in the felde / there cam a preest named ysydys / whiche wente toward the Cyte / & had lost his way / And he seynge Esope / prayd hym that he wold enseygne hym the ryght way for to go in to the Cyte / ¶ And Esope receyued hym ioyously / And made hym to sytte vnder a fygge tree / And sette to fore hym brede / Herbes / fygges and dates / and prayd hym to ete / and drewe water oute of a pyt and gaf hym to drynke / And whanne he had well eten / he tooke hym by the honde / and sette hym in the ryght wey for to go to the Cyte / after whiche thynges done / the preest lyft vp his handes to heuen / makynge his prayers for Esope / of who∣me he had receyued so good a refresshynge /