The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quartus/Fable 10

3810140The subtyl historyes and fables of Esope, Liber Quartus — Fable 10: The Asse and the LyonWilliam Caxton

¶ The tenthe fable is of the asse and of the lyon

THe grete callers by theyr hyghe and lowd crye supposen to make folke aferd / As recyteth this fable / Of an asse whiche somtyme mette with a lyon / to the whiche the asse sayd / lette vs clymme vpon the montayne / and I shalle shewe to the / how the beestes ben aferd of me / and the lyon beganne to smyle / and he ansuerd to the asse / Goo we my broder / And whan they were on the top of the hylle / the asse byganne to crye / And the foxe and hares beganne to flee / And whanne thasse saw them flee sayd to the lyon / Seest thow not how these beestes dreden and doubten me / and the lyon sayde / I had ben also[errata 1] ferdfull of thy voys / yf I had not knowen veryly that thow arte but an asse /  ¶ And therfore men nede not doubte ne drede hym that auanceth hym self for to do that that he may not doo / For god kepe the [errata 2] fro the wulues / Ne also men nede not doubte a foole for his menaces / ne for his hyghe crye


  1. Original: aso was amended to also: detail
  2. Original: mone was amended to : detail