Aesop's Fables: Caxton (1484)
Avyan 6. Of the two dogges
(Perry 332)
He that taketh within hym self vayne glorye of that thynge / by the whiche
he shold humble hym self is a very fole / as hit appereth by this fable
/ of a fader of famylle / whiche had two dogges / of the whiche the one
withoute ony barkyng bote the folke / & the other dyd barke & bote not
/ And whan the fader of famyll perceyued the shrewdnes and malyce of the
dogge that barkyd not he henge on his nek a belle / to the ende that men
shold beware of hym / wherfore the dogge was ouer prowd and fyers / and
beganne to dyspreyse alle the other dogges / of the whiche one of the
moost auncyent sayd to hym in this manere / O fole beest / now perceyue
I wel thy foly and grete wodenesse to suppose / that this belle is gyuen
to the for thyn owne deserte and meryte / but certaynly hit is not soo
/ For hit is taken to the for thy demerytes / and by cause of thy shrewdnesse
/ and grete treason / for to shewe / that thow arte fals and traytour
/
And therfore none oughte to be Ioyeful and gladde of that thynge /
wherof he oughte to be tryst and sorowful / as many foles done / whiche
make Ioye of theyr vyces and euyll dedes / for a moche fole were the theef
whiche that men ledde for to be hanged / and that he had a cord of gold
aboute his neck / yf he shold make Ioye therof / how be hit that the corde
were moche ryche and fayre
 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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