Page:The fables of Aesop, as first printed by William Caxton in 1484, with those of Avian, Alfonso and Poggio. Vol 2.djvu/266

 

And the fader anſuerd to hym / beware and loke wel that thow ſuppoſe none to be thy frendes withoute that thow haſt aſſayed & proued hym / For I haue lyued lenger than thy ſelf haſte / & vnnethe I haue gete half a frend / wherfore I meruaylle moche how thow haſt geten ſo many frendes / And thenne the ſone ſeynge the admyracion or wonder of his fader / demaunded of hym / My fader . I praye yow that ye wylle gyue to me counceil how I ſhalle mowe preue and eſſaye my frend / And his fader ſayd to hym / goo thou and kylle a calf / and putte it in a ſak al blody / and bere hit to thy fyrſt frend / and ſaye to hym that hit is a man whiche thou haſt ſlayne / And that for the loue of whiche he loueth the / that he wylle kepe thy myſdede ſecretely and burye hit / to thende that he may ſaue the / the which counceylle his ſone dyd / to whome his frend ſayd / retorne ageyne to thy hows / For yf thow haſt done euylle / I wylle not here the payne for the / For within my hows thow ſhalt not entre / And thus one after other he aſſayed alle his frendes / and euery of them made to hym ſuche an anſuere as the fyrſt dyd / wherof gretely he was abaſſhed / And thenne he retorned ageyn to his fader / and told hym / how he had done / And his fader anſuerd to hym / Many one ben frendes of wordes only /