The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Alfonce/Fable 12
¶ The xij fable is of a blynd man and of his wyf /
here was sometyme a blynd man
whiche had a fayre wyf / of the
whiche he was moche Jalous / He
kepte her so that she myght not
goo nowher / For ewer he had her
by the hand / And after that she was enamoured
of a gentil felawe / they coude not fynde the
maner ne no place for to fulfylle theyr wyll / but
notwithstandyng the woman whiche was subtyle
and Ingenyous counceylled to her frende that he
shold come in to her hows / and that he shold
entre in the gardyn and that there he shold
clymme vpon a pere tree / And he did as she
told hym / and when they had made theyr enterpryse
/ the woman came ageyne in to the hows /
and sayd to her husbond / My frend I praye yow
that ye wylle go in to our gardyn for to disporte
vs a lytel whyle there / of the whiche prayer the
blynd man was wel content / and sayd to his
wyf / wel my good frend I will wel / lete vs go
thyder / And as they were vnder the pere tree /
she sayd to her husbond / My frende I praye the to lete me goo vpon the pere tre / And I shalle
gader for vs bothe some fayre peres / wel my
frend sayd the blynd man / I wylle wel & graut
therto / And when she was vpon the tree / the
yong man begann to shake the pere tree at
one syde / and the yonge woman at the other
syde / And And as the blynd man herd thus hard
shake the pere tree / And the noyse whiche they
made / he sayd to them / Ha a euylle[errata 1] woman /
how be it that I see hit not / Neuertheles I fele
and vnderstande hit well / But I praye to the
goddes / that they vouchesauf to sende me my
lyght ageyne / And as soone as he had made his
prayer Jupiter rendryd to hym his syght ageyn
¶ And whanne he sawe that pagent vpon the
pere tree / he sayd to his wyf Ha vnhappy
woman / I shalle neuer haue no Joye with the /
And by cause that the yonge woman was redy
in speche and malycious / she ansuerd forth with
to her husbond / My frend thow arte wel beholden
and bounden to me / For by cause and
for the loue the goddes haue restored to the thy
syght / wherof I thanke alle the goddes and
godesses whiche haue enhaunced and herd my
prayer / For I desyryng moche that thow myght
see me / cessed neuer day ne nyght to pray them /
that theye wold rendre to the thy syghte/ wherfore
the goddesse Venus vysybly shewed her self to me / and sayd / that yf I wold somme playsyre
to the sayd yonge man she shold restore to
the thy syght / And thus I am cause of it And
thenne the good man sayd to her / My ryght
dere wyf & good frende / I remercye and thanke
yow gretely / For ryght ye haue and I grete
wronge.