 |
 |
Aesop's Fables: Caxton (1484)6.3. Of the foxe and of the gote He whiche is wyse and sage ought fyrst to loke and behold the ende
/ or he begynneth the werke or dede / as hyer appiereth by this fable
/ Of a Foxe & of a gote / that somtyme descended and wente doune
in to a depe welle / for to drynke And whanne they had wel dronke
/ by cause that thei coude not come vpward ageyne / the Foxe sayd
to the gote in this maner / my frend yf thow wylt helpe me / we shall
sone ben bothe oute of this welle / For yf thow wylt sette thy two
feet ageynste the walle / I shal wel lepe vpon the / & vpon thy hornes
And thenne I shal lepe oute of this welle / And whanne I shalle be
oute of hit / thow shalt take me by the handes / and I shal plucke
and drawe the oute of the welle / And at this request the gote /
acorded and ansuerd / I wylle wel / And thenne the gote lyfte vp
his feet ageynst the walle / and the foxe dyd so moche by his malyce
that he gat out of the welle / And whan he was oute / he began to
loke on the gote / whiche was within the welle / & thenne the gote
sayd to hym / help me now as thou hast promysed / And thenne the
foxe beganne to lawhe and to scorne hym / and sayd to hym / O mayster
goote / yf thow haddest be wel wyse with thy fayre berde / or euer
thow haddest entryd in to the welle / thow sholdest fyrst haue taken
hede / how thow sholdest haue comen oute of hit ageyne /
 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.
|
