The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Other Aesop's/Fable 4
¶ The fourthe fable is of the catte and of the chyken
E whiche is fals of kynde / & hath
bcgonne to deceyue Ibme other/
euer he wyl use his craft / As it
appiereth by this present Fable
of a kat whiche somtyme toke a
chyken / the whiche he beganne strongly to
blame / for to haue fonde somme cause that he
myght ete hit / and sayd to hym in this manere /
Come hyther thou chyken / thow dost none
other good but crye alle the nyght / thow
letest not the men slepe / And thenne the chyken
ansuerd to hym / I doo hit for theyre grete
prouffite / And ouer ageyne the catte sayd to
hym / yet is there wel wors / For thow arte
an inceste & lechour For thow knowest naturelly
both thy moder and thy doughter And
thenne the chyken sayd to the cat / I doo hit
by cause that my mayster maye haue egges for
his etynge / And that hys mayster for his prouffyte
gaf to hym bothe the moder and the
doughter for to multyplye the egges / And
thenne the catte sayd to hym / by my feythe godsep thow hast excusacions ynough / but
neuertheless thow shalt passe thurgh my throte /
for I suppose not to faste this day for alle thy
wordes / ¶ And thus is it of hym whiche is
custommed to lyue by rauyn / For he can not
kepe ne absteyne hym self fro hit / For alle
thexcusacions[errata 1] that be leyd on hym.