Aesop's Fables: Caxton (1484)
6.13. Of a carpenter
(Perry 173)
In as moche as god is more propyce and benygne to the good and holy
/ moche more he punyssheth the wycked and euylle / As we may see by this
fable / Of a carpenter whiche wutte wode vpon a Ryuer for to make a temple
to the goddes / And as he cutte wode / his axe felle in the Ryuer / wherfore
he beganne to wepe and to calle helpe of the goddes / And the god Mercurye
for pyte appiered before hym And demaunded of hym wherfore he wepte /
and shewed to hym an axe of gold / and demaunded of hym yf hit was the
axe whiche he had lost / & he sayd may / And after the shewed to hym
another axe of syluer / And semblably said nay And by cause that Mercurius
sawe that he was good and trewe / he drewe his axe oute of the water
/ and took hit to hym with moche good that he gaf to hym / And the carpenter
told thystorye to his felawes / of the whiche one of them came in to
the same place for to cutte woode as his felawe dyd before / & lete falle
his axe within the water / and beganne to wepe and to demaund the helpe
and ayde of the goddes / And thenne Mercury appiered to fore hym / and
shewed to hym an axe of gold / and demaunded of hym in suche manere /
Is the same hit that thow hast lost / And he ansuerd to Mercury / ye
fayre syre and myghty god the same is it / And Mercury seynge the malyce
of the vylayne gaf to hym neyther the same ne none other / and left hym
wepynge /
For god whiche is good and Iust rewarded the good and trewe
in this world / or eche other after his deserte and punyssheth
the euylle and Iniuste
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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