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

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frogges had grete drede and fered moche / And after they ap proched to theyr kynge for to make obeyssaunce vnto hym / ¶ And whanne they perceyued that hit was but a pyece of wood / they tyrned ageyne to Iupiter prayenge hym swetely that he wold gyue to them another kynge / And Iupiter gaf to them the He••••n for to be theyr kynge / And thenne the He∣ron beganne to entre in to the water / and ete them one after other / And whanne the frogges sawe that theyr kyng destro∣yed / and ete them thus / they beganne tendyrly to wepe / sayeng in this manere to the god Iupiter / Ryght hyghe and ryght myghty god Iupiter please the to delyuere vs fro the throte of this dragon and fals tyraunt whiche eteth vs the one af∣ter another / And he sayd to them / the kynge whiche ye haue demaunded shalle be your mayster / For whan men haue that / which men oughte to haue / they ought to be ioyeful and glad And he that hath lyberte ought to kepe hit wel / For nothyng is better than lyberte / For lyberte shold not be wel sold for alle the gold and syluer of all the world

¶ The second fable is of the Columbes or douues of the kyte and of the sperehawke /

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WHo that putte and submytteth hym self vnder the saue gard or protection of the euylle / thou oughtest to we∣te & knowe / that whan he asketh & demaunded ayde & helpe / he geteth none / ¶ wherof Esope reherceth to vs su∣che a fable / Of the douues whiche demaunded a sperehawke for to be theyr kynge / for to kepe them fro the kyte or mylan / And whanne the sperehawke was maade kynge ouer them / he beganne to deuoure them / the whiche columbes or douues sa∣yd amonge them / that better it were to them do suffre of the ky∣te than to be vnder the subiection of the sperehawke / & to be martred as we be / but therof we be wel worthy / For we oure self ben cause of this meschyef / And therfore whanne men do∣ne ony thyng / men ought well to loke and consydere thende of hit / For he dothe prudently and wysely whiche taketh good he∣de to the ende

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¶ The fyfthe fable maketh mencyon of the Montayn whiche shoke

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RYght so it happeth / that he that menaceth hath drede and is ferdfull / wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable Of a hylle whiche beganne to tremble and shake by cause of the molle whiche delued hit / And whanne the folke sawe that the erthe beganne thus to shake / they were sore aferd and dredeful / and durst not wel come ne approche the hylle / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 after whanne they were come nyghe to the Montayne / & knewe how the molle caused this hylle shakynge / theyr doub te and drede were conuerted vnto Ioye / and beganne alle to lawhe / And therfore men ought not to doubte al folk whiche ben of grete wordes and menaces / For somme menacen that ha ue grete doubte

¶ The vj fable is of the wulf and of the lambe

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THe byrth causeth not so moche to gete some frendes / as doth the goodnes / wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / Of a wulf whiche sawe a lambe among a gre∣te herd of gootes / the whiche lambe sowked a gote / And the wulf wente and sayd to hym / this gote is not thy moder / goo and seke her at the Montayn / for she shalle nourysshe the mo∣re swetely and more tendyrly than this gote shalle / And the lambe ansuerd to hym / This goote nouryssheth me in stede of my moder / for she leneth to me her pappes soner than to ony of her own children / And yet more / hit is better for me to be here with these gootes than to departe fro hens / and to falle in to thy throte for to be deuoured / And therfore he is a foole whi∣che leueth fredome or surete / for to put hym self in grete perylle and daunger of dethe / For better is to lyue surely and rudely in sewrte than swetely in peryll & da••••

And as they ranne / they adressyd them in to a medowe fulle of frogges / ¶ And whanne the frogges herd the hares renne they beganne also to flee and to renne fast / And thenne a ha∣re whiche perceyued them so ferdfull sayd to alle his felawes / Lete vs no more be dredeful ne doubtuous / for we be not alone that haue had drede / For alle the frogges ••••n in doubte / and haue fere and drede as we haue / Therfore we ought not to des∣payr•••• / but haue trust and hope to lyue / And yf somme ad∣uersyte cometh vpon vs / we must bere it pacyently / For ones the tyme shalle come that we shalle be oute of payne and oute of all drede / Therfore in the vnhappy and Infortunat tyme men ought not be despayred / but oughte euer to be in good ho pe to haue ones better in tyme of prosperyte / For after gret•••• wer•••• cometh good p••••s / And after the rayne cometh the fair w••••r

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¶ The ix fable maketh mencyon of the wulf and of the kydde

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GOod Children ought to obserue and kepe euer the commaundements of theyr good parentes and fren∣des / wherof Esope reciteth to vs suche a fable / Of a go∣to whiche had made her yonge kydde / and honger toke her soo that she wold haue gone to the feldes for to ete some grasse / Wherfore she sayd to her kyd / My child / beware wel / that yf the wulf come hyder to ete the / that thow opene not the dore to hym / ¶ And whanne the gote was gone to the feldes / came the wulf to the dore / And faynynge the gotes voyce sayd to the kydde / My child opene to me the dore / And thenne the kydde ansuerd to hym / goo hens euylle and fals beste / For well I see the thurgh that hole / but for to haue me thow faynest the wyce of my moder / ¶ And therfore I shalle kepe me well fro openynge of ony dore of this hows / And thus the good chil∣dren ought euer to kepe wel / and put in theyr hert & memory the doctryne and the techyng of theyr parentes / For many one is vndone and lost for faulte of obedyence▪

¶ The tenthe fable is of the good man and of the serpente

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sa••••en comynly that of the euylle of other / men ought not to lawhe ne scorne / But the Iniuryous mocquen and scornen the world / and geteth many enemyes / For the whiche cause oftyme it happeth that of a fewe wordes euyll sette / cometh a grete noyse and daunger

¶ The xiij fable is of the foxe and of the storke

THow oughtest not to doo to other that whiche thow woldest not that men shold doo to the / wherof Esope re herceth to vs suche a fable / Of a foxe whiche conueyed a storke to souper / And the foxe put the mete vpon a traun∣cher / the whiche mete the storke myght not ete / wherof she tooke & had grete displaysaunce / & wente & departed oute of the fox∣es hows al hongry and wente ageyne to her lodgys / And by cause that the foxe had thus begyled her / she bythoughte in

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her self / how she myght begyle the Foxe / For as men saye / it is meryte to begyle the begylers / wherfore the storke prayd the foxe to come and soupe with her / and put his mete within a glas / And whanne the foxe wold haue eten / he myght not come ther by / but only he lycked the glas / bycause he cowde not reche to the mete with his mouthe / And thenne he knewe wel that he was deceyued / And thenne the storke sayd to hym / Take of suche goodes as thow gauest to me / And the poure foxe ryght shameful departed fro thens / And with the staf which he had made he was bete And therfore he that begyleth other / is oftyme begyled hym self /

¶ The xiiij fable is of the wulf and of the dede mans hede

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gowne / For suche weren fayre gownes and fayr gyrdels of gold that haue theyr treth cold at home

¶ The xvj fable is of the mule and of the flye

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SOmme maken grete menaces / whiche haue no myghte / ¶ wherof Esope reherceth suche a fable / ¶ Of a carter / whiche ladde a Charyot or carte / whiche a Mule dre∣we forthe / And by cause the Mule wente not fast ynough / the flye sayd to the Mule / Ha a payllari Mule / why goost thow not faster / I shalle soo egrely pryke the / that I shalle make the to go lyghtely / ¶ And the Mule answerd to the flye / god kepe and preserue the mone for the wolues / For I ha∣ue no grete drede ne fere of the / But I drede and doubte sore my mayster / whiche is vpon me / whiche constrayneth me to fulfylle his wylle / ¶ And more I oughte to drede and doubte hym more / than the / whiche arte nought / and of no valewe ne myght / ¶ And thus men ought not to sette by

ne doubte them / whiche haue no myght ne that ben of no vales we

¶ The xvij fable is of the ante and of the flye

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GO make boost and auanntynge is but vanne glorye and folye / wherof Esope recyteth suche a fable / Of the ante or formyce and of the flye / whiche seryued to gyder / for to wete whiche was the most noble of them bothe / & the flye sayd to the formyce / Come hyder formyce / wylt thow compare thy self to me that dwelle in the kynges places and palays / and ete and drynke at theyr table / And also I kysse bothe kynge and quene / and the most fayre maydens / And thow poure and myschaunt beest thow arte euer within the erthe / And thenne the formyce ansuerd to the flye / Now kno∣we I wel thy vanyte and folye / ¶ For thow auauntest the of that wherof thow sholdest disprayse the / For fro alle places where as thow goost or flyest / thow arte

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the loue of me / but only thow hast done it for to fylle thy bely For yf thow haddest done it for the loue of me / I shold haue pardonned to the / ¶ And by cause that thow dydest not for to serue me / but for to lette and adōmage me / For that the rat∣tes myght not ete / thow burest it awey / And soo by cause / that thow arte wexed fatte of myne owne brede / thow must ren∣dre and yeue to me alle the fatnesse / whiche thou hast conque∣red and goten here / For he that robbeth shall be robbed / Iuxta il•••• / pillatores pillabuntur / For hit suffyseth not to doo wel / but men must haue good wylle and good entencion for to do hit / For an almesse that is done for vayne glorye / is not meri∣ted / but dismeryted / wherfore I shal not pardonne the / but in∣contynent and withoute taryenge thow shalt deye / For by cau¦se that thow hast deseruyd no mercy / thow shalt now be putte to dethe

¶ The xx fable maketh mencion of the Oxe / and of the frog∣ge / whiche wold haue compared her to hym

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THe poure ought not to compare hym self to hym which is ryche and myghty / As sayth this fable of a frog∣ge / whiche was in a medowe / where she aspyed and sawe on oxe whiche pastured / She wold make her self as gre te and as myghty as the oxe / and by her grete pryde she be∣ganne to swelle ageynste the oxe / And demaunded of his chil dren yf she was not as grete as the oxe and as myghty / And theyr children ansuerd and sayd / nay moder / For to boke and behold on the oxe / it semeth of yow to be nothynge / And thenne the frogge beganne more to swelle / ¶ And when the oxe sawe her pryde / he thradde and thrested her with his fo te / and brake her bely / Therfore hit is not good to the poure to compare hym self to the ryche / wherfore men sayn comynly / Swelle not thy self / to thende that thow breste not

¶ Here fynysshed the second booke of Esope /