The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Tertius/Fable 1
¶ Here begyneth the thyrdde booke of the subtyle fables of Esope / wherof the fyrste maketh mencion / of the lyon / & of the pastour or herdman
He myghty and puyssant oughte not
to be slowfull of the benefetes
done to them by the lytyl and
smalle And oughte not also to forgete
them / but that they may be
rewarded of them / ¶ And this fable approueth
esope & showeth vnto vs / of a lyon whiche ranne
after a beest / and as he ranne / a thorne entred
into his foote / whiche hurted and greued hym
gretely / wherfore he mught no ferther goo /
but as wel as he cowde he came to a shepeherd
whiche kepte his sheep and beganne to flatere
with his taylle shewynge to hym hys foote / whiche
was sore hurted and wounded / The shepherd
was in grete drede and casted before the lyon
one of his sheep / But the lyon demaunded no
mete of hym / For more he desyred to be medycyned
and made hole of his foote / ¶ And
after whenne the shepherde sawe the wounde / he with a nydle subtylly drewe oute of his foote the
thorne / and had oute of the wound alle the
roten fleslhe / and enoynted hit with swete oynements
/ ¶ And anone the lyon was hole / And
for to haue rendryd graces and thankys to the
shepherd or pastour the lyon kyssed his handes /
And after he retorned ageyn in to the hyest of
the woode / And within a lytel whyle after it
happed that this lyon was taken and conueyed
to the Cyte of Rome and was put amonge the
other beestes for to deuoure the mysdoers / Now
it befelle that the sayd shepherd commysed a
crymynous dede / wherfore he was condempned
to be deuoured by these bestes / And ryght so as
he was call among them the lyon knewe hym /
and beganne to behold on hym / and made to
hym chere and lykked hym with his tongue /
And preserued and kepte hym from alle the
other bestes / Thenne knewe the shepherd that
it was the lyon whiche he maade hole / And
that he wold thenne haue recompensed hym of
the good whiche he had done to hym / wherof
alle the Romayns were all wonderly abasshed /
And wold knowe the cause of hit And the
sheepherd sayd to them as aboue is sayd /
¶ And whanne they knewe the cause / they
gaf leue to the sheepherd / to goo home and
sente ageyne the lyon in to the forest / And therfore this is notary and trewe that al maner
of folke ought to rendre and gyue thankynges
grace and mercye to theyr good doers / For
slowfulnes is a synne / whiche is moche displaysaunt
to god