# The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Alfonce/Fable 6

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¶ The vj fable is of the labourer and of the nyghtyngale
Omtyme there was a labourer / whiche had a gardeyn wel playsaunt and moche delycious / in to the whiche he ofte wente for to take his desporte and playsure / And on a day at euen when he was wery and had trauaylled sore / for to take his recreacion he entryd in to his gardyn and sette himself doune vnder a tree/ where as he herd the songe of a nyghtyngale / And for the grete plesyre and Joye whiche he took therof / he sought and at the last fond the meanes for to take the nyghtyngale / to thende / that yet gretter joye and playsaunce he myght haue of hit / And whan the nyghtyngale was take / he demaunded of the labourer / wherfore hast thow take so grete payne for to take me / For wel thow knowest that of me thow mayst not haue grete prouffyte / And the vylayne ansuerd thus to the nyghtyngale / For to here the songe of the I haue taken the / And the nyghtyngale ansuerd Certaynly in vayne thou hast payned and laboured / For / for no good I ​wylle synge whyle that I am in pryson / And thenne the labourer or vylayne ansuerd / yf thow syngest not wel / I shalle ete the / And thenne the nyghtyngale sayd to hym / yf thow putte me within a potte for to be soden / lytyl mete shalt thou thenne make of my body / and yf thow settest me for to be rosted / lesse mete shalle be thenne made of me / And therfor neyther boylled ne rosted shalle not be thy grete bely fylled of me / but yf thow lete me flee / hit shall be to the a grete good prouffyte / For thre doctrynes I shall teche the whiche thow shalt loue better than thre fat kyne / and thene the labourer lete the nyghtyngale flee / And whan he was oute of his handes / and that he was vpon a tree / he sayd to the vylayne in this maner / My Frend I haue promysed to the / that I shall gyue to the thre doctrynes / wherof the fyrst is this that thow byleue no thynge whiche is Impossyble / The second is that thow kepe wel that thyn is / And the thyrd is / that thow take no sorowe of the thynge lost whiche may not be recouererd / And soone after the nyghtyngale beganne to sygne / & in his songe sayd thus / blessyd be god / whiche hath delyuerd me oute of the handes of this vylayne or chorle / whiche hath not knowen / sene / ne touched the precious dyamond whiche I haue within my bely / For yf he had foūde ​hit / he had be moche ryche / And fro his handes I had not leaped / And thenne the vylayne whiche herd this sunge / beganne to complayne and to make grete sorowe . and after sayd I am wel vnhappy / that haue lost so fayre a tresour / whiche I had wonne / and now I haue lost hit / And the nyghtyngale seyd thenne to the chorle / Now knowe I wel that thow arte a fool / For thow takest sorowe of that wherof thow sholdest haue none / and sone thow hast forgeten my doctryne / by cause that thow wenest that within my bely shold be a precious stone more of weyght than I am / And I told and taught to the / that thow sholdest neuer byleue that thynge / which is Impossyble / And yf that stone was thyn / why hast thow lost hit / And yf thow hast lost hit and mayst not recouere hit / why takest thow sorowe for hit / And therfore hit is foly to chastyse or to teche a fole / whiche neuer byleueth the lernynge and doctryne whiche is gyuen to hym.