# The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Liber Quintus/Fable 12

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Numbered 701 in the Perry Index. Translated from French by William Caxton and first published in 1484. Click here to create an annotated version of this text.
¶ The xij fable is of the wulf and of the hongry dogge
Uche supposen somtyme wynne that lesen / As hit appiereth by this Fable / For hit is sayd comunly that as moche despendeth the nygard as the large / As hit appiereth by this fable of a man whiche had a grete herd of sheep / And also he had a dogge for to kepe them fro the wulues / To this dogge he gaf no mete / for the grete auaryce whiche held hym / And therfore the wulf on a daye came to the dogge and demaunded of hym the rayson / why he was soo lene / and sayd to hym / I see wel that thow dyest for honger / by cause that thy mayster gyueth the no mete / by his grete scarcyte / but yf thow wylt byleue me I shalle gyue to the good counceylle / And the dogge sayd to hym / Certaynly I myster gretely of good counceylle / ¶ Thenne the wulf sayd to hym / This shalt thow doo / Lete me take a lambe / And whanne I shalle haue hit I shalle renne awey / and whanne thow shalt see me renne / make ​thenne semblant to renne after me / and lete thy self falle faynynge that thow canst not ouertake me / for lack and fawte of mete / whiche maketh the so feble / And thus whanne the sheepherd shalle see that thow mayst not haue the lambe fro me by cause of the grete feblenesse and debylyte of thy lene body / he shell telle to thy lord that thow myghtest not socoure the lambe / by cause that thow arte so sore ahongryd / and by this means thow shalt haue mete thy bely ful / ¶ The dogge thenne acorded this with the wulf / and eche of them made and dyde as aboue is sayd / ¶ And whane the sheep herd sawe the dogge falle / suposed wel / that honger was a cause of it Forthe whiche cause whanne one of the sheep herdes came home he told hit to his mayster / And whan the mayster vnderstood hit / he sayd as a man wroth for shame / I wylle that fro hens forthon he haue breed ynough / ¶ And thenne euery daye the sayd dogge hadde soppes of brede / and of drye breed he hadde ynough / ¶ Thenne the dogge toke strengthe/ and vygour ageyne / ¶ It happed within a lytyl whyle after / that the wulf came ageyne to the dogge / and sayd to hym / I perceyue wel / that I gaf to the good counceylle / And the dogge sayd to the wulf / My broder thow fayst soothe / wherfore I thanke the moche / For of hit I hadde grete nede / ​¶ And thenne the wulf sayd to hym / yf thow wylt I shall gyue to the yet better counceylle / And the dogge ansuerd hym with ryght a good wylle I shalle here hit / And yf hit be good I shalle do after hit / ¶ Thenne sayd the wulf to hym Lete me take yet another lambe / and doo thy dylygence for to haue hit fro me / and to byte me / and I shalle ouerthrowe the thy feet vpward / as he that hath no puyssaunce ne strength withoute hurtynge of thy self / byleue me hardyly / and wel hit shalle happe to the / And whanne thy maysters seruaunts shalle haue sene thy dylygence / they fhal shewen hit to thy mayster how that thow shal kepe ful wel his folde / yf thow be wel nourysshed / ¶ And thenne the dogge ansuerd to the wulf that he was contente / And as hit was sayd / ryght so hit was done / and bothe of them maad good dylygence The wulf bere aweye the lambe / and the dogge renne after hym / and ouertook hym / & bote hym fayntly / And the wulf ouerthrewe the dogge vpsodoune to the ground / And whan the sheepherdes sawe gyue suche strokes amonge the dogge & the Wulf / sayd Certaynly we haue a good dogge / we muste telle his dylygence to our mayster / and soo they dyd / & how he bote the wulf / and how he was ouerthrowen / And yet sayd Certaynly yf he hadde ​hadde euer mete ynough / the wulf had not borne awey the lambe / Thenne the lord commaunded to gyue hym pleiite of mete/ wherof the dogge took ageyne al strengthe and vertue / And within a whyle after the wulf came ageyne to the dogge / and sayd to hym in this manere / My broder haue I not gyuen to the good counceylle / And thenne the dogge ansuerd to hym / Certaynly ye / wherof I thanke yow / And the wulf sayd to the dogge / I praye the my broder and my good frend that thow wylt yet gyue another lambe / and the dogge sayd to hym / Certaynly my broder / wel hit maye suffyce the to haue had tweyne of them / ¶ Thenne sayd the wulf to the dogge / ¶ At the left waye I maye haue one for my labour and sallarye / That shalt thow not haue sayd the dogge / Hast thow not had good sallarye for to haue hadde two lambes oute of my maysters herd / ¶ And the wulf ansuerd to hym ageyne / My brother gyue hit me yf hit please the / ¶ And after sayd the dogge to hym / Nay I wylle not/ And yf thow takest hit ageynste my wylle / I promytte and warne the / that neuer after tyme thow shalt ete none / And thenne the wulf sayd to hym / Allas my broder I deye for honger / Counceylle me for goddys loue what I shalle doo / And the dogge sayd to hym / I shal coūceylle the wel a ​walle of my maysters celer is fallen doune / go thyder this nyght and entre in hit / and there thow mayst both ete and drynke after thy playsyr / For bothe breed flesshe and wyn shalt thow fynde at plente there within / And thenne the wulf sayd to hym / Allas my broder / beware wel thenne / that thow accuse ne deceyue me not / And the dogge ansuerd / I waraunt the / but doo thy faythe soo pryuely / that none of my felawes knowe not of hit / ¶ And the wulf came at the nyght / and entryd in to the celer / and / ete and dranke at his playsyre / In so moche that he wexed dronke And whanne he hadde dronke soo moche / that he was dronke / He sayd to hym self / whanne the vylaynes ben fylled wyth metes/ and that they ben dronke / they synge theyr songes / and I wherfore shold I not synge / ¶ And thenne he beganne to crye and to howle / And the dogges herd the voys of hym wherfore they beganne to barke and to howle / And the seruaunts whiche herd them sayd / It is the wulf / whiche is entryd within the celer / And thenne they al to gyder wenten thyder / and kylled the wulf / And therfore more despendeth the nygard than the large / For auaryce was neuer good / For many one ben whiche dare not ete ne drynke as nature requyreth / But neuertheles euery one oughte ​to use and lyue prudently of all suche goodes as god sendeth to hym / This fable also sheweth to vs / that none ought to do ageynste his kynde / as of the wulf whiche wexed dronke / for the whiche caufe he was slayne