The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Poge/Tale 6
Ow thenne I wylle fynysshe alle
these fables wyth this tale that
foloweth whiche a worshipful
preest and a parsone told me late /
he sayd / that there were duellynge
in Oxenford two prestes bothe maystres of
arte / of whome that one was quyck and coude
putte hym self forth / And that other was a good
symple preest / And soo it happed that the
mayster that was perte and quyck was anone
promoted to a benefyce or tweyne / and after to
prebendys / and for to be a Dene of a grete
prynces chappel / supposynge and wenynge that
his felaw the symple preest shold neuer haue be
promoted but be alwaye an Annuel / or at the
most a parysshe preest / So after longe tyme that
this worshipful man this dene came rydynge in
to a good paryssh with a x or xij horses / lyke a
prelate / and came in to the chirche of the sayd
parysshe / and fond there this good symple man somtyme his felawe / whiche cam and welcomed
hym lowely / And that other badde hym good
morowe mayster Johan / and toke hym sleyghtly
by the hand / and axyd hym where he dwellyd /
And the good man sayd in this paryssh / how
sayd he / are ye here a sowle preest or a paryssh
preste / nay syr said he / for lack of a better
though I be not able ne worthy I am parson
and curate of this parysshe / and thenne that
other aualed his bonet and said mayster parson
I praye yow to be not despleasyd / I had
supposed ye had not be benefyced / But mayster
sayd he / I pray yow what is this bensyce worth
to yow a yere / Forsothe sayd the good symple
man / I wote neuer / for I make neuer accomptes
thereof / how wel I haue had hit four or fyue
yere / And knowe ye not said he what it is
worth / it shold seme a good benefyce / no Forsothe
sayd he / But I wote wel what it shalle be
worth to me / Why sayd he / what shalle hit be
worth / Forsothe sayd he / yf I doo my trewe
dylygece in the cure of my parysshēs in prechyng
and techynge / and doo my parte longynge to
my cure / I shalle haue heuen therfore / And yf
theyre sowles ben lost or ony of them by my
defawte / I shall be punysshed therfore / And
herof am I sure / And with that word the ryche
dene was abasshed And thought he shold be the better / And take more hede to his cures and
benefyces than he had done / This was a good
answere of a good preest and an honest /
¶ And here with I fynysshe this book / translated
& emprynted by me William Caxton at
Westmynster in thabbey / and fynysshed
the xxvj daye of Marche the yere
of oure lord MCCC lxxxiiij /
And the fyrst yere of the
regne of King Rych-
ard the thyrde.