Aesop's Fables: Caxton (1484)
1.17. Of the asse and of the yong dogge
(Perry 91)
None ought to entermete hym of that what he can not do wherof Esope recyted
suche a fable / Of an asse whiche was in the hows of a lord / whiche lord
had a lytyll dogge / whiche he loued wel / and gaf hym mete and ete vpon
his table / And the lytyll dogge lyked and chered / and lepte vpon his
gowne / And to alle them that were in the hows he made chere / wherfor
the asse was enuyous and sayd in hym self / yf my lord and his meyny loue
this myschaunt beste by cause that he chereth and maketh feste to euery
body / by gretter reason they ought to loue me yf I make chere to them
/ Thenne sayd he in hym self / Fro hensforth I shalle take my disporte
and shalle make Ioye and playe with my lord / and wyth his meyny / And
ones as the asse was in this thoughte and ymagynacion / hit happed that
he sawe his lord whiche entryd in to his hows / the asse beganne thenne
to daunse and to make feest and songe with his swete voys / and approched
hym self toward his lord & went & lepte vpon his shoulders / and beganne
to kysse and to lykke hym / The lord thenne beganne to crye oute with
a hyghe voys and sayd / lete this fowl and payllard / whiche hurteth and
byteth me sore / be bete and putt awey / The lordes seruauntes thenne
toke anone grete staues / and beganne to smyte vpon the poure asse / and
so sore corryged and bete hym / that after he had no luste ne courage
to daunse / ne make to none chere ne feste /
And therfore none ought to entermete hym self for to doo a thynge /
whiche as for hym impossyble is to be done / For the vnwyse displeseth
there / where as he supposeth to please
 Caxton
published his edition of Aesop's fables in 1484. There are modern reprints by
Joseph Jacobs (D. Nutt: London, 1889) and more recently by Robert Lenaghan (Harvard
University Press: Cambridge, 1967). Lenaghan's edition is available at amazon.com.
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