The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Secundus/Fable 10
¶ The tenthe fable is of the good man and of the serpente
E that ought not to be assewerd that
applyketh and setteth hym to doo
somme other eny euyll / wherof
esope reherceth suche a fable / Of
a serpent / whiche wente & came
into the hows of a poure man / which serpent
lyued of that whiche felle fro the poure mans
table / For the whiche thynge happed a grete
fortune to this poure man and bycame moche
ryche / But on a daye this man was angry
ageynste the serpent / and took a grete staf / and
smote at hym / and gretely hurted him / wherfore
the serpente wente oute of his hous And therin
he came neuer ageyne / And within a lytyll
whyle after this / this man retourned and felle
ageyne in to grete pouerte / And thenne he
knewe that by the fortune of the Serpent he was
bycome ryche / and repented hym moche of that
he smote the serpent / And thenne this poure
man wente and hūbled hym before the serpent
sayenge to hym / I praye the that thow wylt pardonne
me of thoffense that I have done to the / ¶ And thenne sayd the serpente to the poure
man / Syth thow repentest the of thy mysdede /
I pardonne and forgyue it to the / But as longe as
I shalle be on lyue / I shalle remember me of thy
malyce / For as thow hurtest me ones / thow
maest as wel hurte me another tyme / For the
wounde that thow madest to me / may not forgete
the euylle whiche thow hast done to me
wherfore he that was ones euylle / shalle euer be
presumed & holden for euylle / And therfore
men ought to presume ouer hym / by whome
they receyue somme dommage and not haue suspecte
theyr good and trewe frendes