The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Poge/Fable 4

by Poggio Bracciolini

¶ The fourth fable is of the huntynge and hawkynge

 

Oge Florentyn reherceth to vs / how ones he was in a felauship where men spak of the superflue cure of them whiche gouerne the dogges and hawkes / wherof a mylannoys named Paulus beganne to lawhe / and lawhyng requyred of Poge that he wold reherce somme fable of the sayd hawkes / And for loue of alle the felauship he sayd in thys manere / Somtyme was a medecyn whiche was a Mylannoys  This medecyn heled al foles of al maner of foly / and how & in what manere he dyd hele them / I shall telle hit to you  This medycyn or leche had within his hows a grete gardyn  And in the myddes of hit was a depe and a brode pytte / whiche was ful of stynkynge and Infected water / And within the same pytte the sayd medycyn put the foles after the quantyte of theyr folysshnes / somme vnto the knes / and the other vnto the bely / And there he bonde them fast at a post / but none he putte depper / than vnto the stomack for double of gretter Inconuenient / It happed thenne that emonge other was one brought to hym / whiche he putte in to the sayd water vnto the thyes / And whan he had be by the space of xv dayes within the sayd water / he beganne to be peasyble and gate his wytte ageyne / And for to haue take somme disporte and consolacion he prayd to hym whiche had the kepynge of hym that he wold take hym oute of the water / and promysed to hym that he shold not departe fro the gardyn / And thenne the kepar that kepte hym vnbounde hym fro the stake / and had hym oute of the water / And whanne he had be many dayes oute of the pytte / he wente wel vnto the yate of the gardyn / but he durst not go oute / lesse that he shold be put ageyne within the sayd pytte / And on a tyme he went aboue vpon the yate / and as he loked al aboute / he sawe a fayr yong man on a horsbak / whiche bare a sperehawk on his fyste / and had with hym two fayre spaynels / whereof the sayd fole was al abasshed / And in dede as by caas of nouelte / he callyd the sayd yong man / and after he sayd to hym benyngly / My frend I praye the that thou wilt telle me what is that wherupon thow arte sette / And thenne the yonge sone sayd to hym / that it was a hors whiche prouffited to hym to the chace / and bare hym where he wold / And after the fole demaunded of hym / And what is that whiche thou berest on thy fyste / and wher to is it good / and the yong man ansuerd to hym / It is a sperehawk whiche is good for to take partryches and quaylles / And yet ageyne the fole demaunded ot hym / My frend what are thoos that folowe the / & wherto ben they good / And the yonge man ansuerd to hym / they be dogges whiche are good for to serche and fynde partryches & quaylles / And whan they haue reysed them / my sperehawke taketh them / wherof procedeth to me grete solas and playsyre / And the fole demaunded ageyne / To your aduys the takyng that ye doo by them in a hole yere / how moche is hit / shalle hit bere to the grete prouffyte / And the yong man ansuerd to hym four or fyue crownes or ther aboute / And no more sayd the fole / And to your aduys how moche shalle they dispende in a yere / And the yong man ansuerd xl or l crownes /  ¶ And whanne the fole herd these wordes / he sayd to the sayd yonge man / O my frend I pray the that soone thow wylt departe fro hens / For yf our fysicien come / he shalle putte the within the sayd pytte by cause that thow arte a fole / I was put in it vnto the thyes / but therin he shold putte the vnto the chynne / for thow dost the grettest foly that euer I herd speke of /  ¶ And therfore the studye of the huntynge and hawkynge is a slouful cure / And none ought to doo hit withoute he be moche ryche and man of lyuelode / And yet hit ought not to be done ful ofte / but somtyme for to take disporte and solas / and to dryue awey melancholye.