# The fables of Aesop by William Caxton (Jacobs)/Vol. II/Alfonce/Fable 1

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¶ The fyrst fable maketh mencion of thexhortacion of sapyence or wysedome and of loue
Rabe of Lucanye sayd to his sone in this maner / My sone beware & loke that the formyce be not more prudent or wyser / than thy self / the whiche gadreth & assembleth to gyder in the somer all that to her nedeth to haue in the wynter / and beware that thow slepe no lenger / than the Cocke doth the whiche watcheth and waketh atte matyns tyme / and that he be not wyser and more sage than thy self / the whiche rewleth and gouerneth wel ix hennes / but hit suffyseth wel / that thow rewle and gouerne one wel / And also that the dogge be not more noble than thy self / the whiche forgeteth neuer the good whiche is done to hym / but euer he remembryth it / ¶ Item my sone suppose it not a lytyll thynge to haue a good Frend but doubte not to haue a thowsand frendes /  ¶ And whanne A rabe wold deye / he demaunded of his sone / My sone how many good frendes hast thow / And his sone answerd to hym / My fader I haue as I suppose an honderd frendes / ​And the fader ansuerd to hym / beware and loke wel that thow suppose none to be thy frendes withoute that thow hast assayed & proued hym / For I haue lyued lenger than thy self haste / & vnnethe I haue gete half a frend / wherfore I meruaylle moche how thow hast geten so many frendes / And thenne the sone seynge the admyracion or wonder of his fader / demaunded of hym / My fader . I praye yow that ye wylle gyue to me counceil how I shalle mowe preue and essaye my frend / And his fader sayd to hym / goo thou and kylle a calf / and putte it in a sak al blody / and bere hit to thy fyrst frend / and saye to hym that hit is a man whiche thou hast slayne / And that for the loue of whiche he loueth the / that he wylle kepe thy mysdede secretely and burye hit / to thende that he may saue the / the which counceylle his sone dyd / to whome his frend sayd / retorne ageyne to thy hows / For yf thow hast done euylle / I wylle not here the payne for the / For within my hows thow shalt not entre / And thus one after other he assayed alle his frendes / and euery of them made to hym suche an ansuere as the fyrst dyd / wherof gretely he was abasshed / And thenne he retorned ageyn to his fader / and told hym / how he had done / And his fader ansuerd to hym / Many one ben frendes of wordes only / ​but fewe ben in fayth or dede / but I shalle telle to the what thow shalt doo / Goo thou to my half frende / and bere to hym thy calf / and thow shalt here and see what he shalle saye to the / And whanne the sone came to the half frende of his fader / he sayd to hym as he dyd to the other / And whanne the half frende vnderstode his fayt or dede / he anone toke hym secretely in to his hows / and ledde hym in to a sure and obscure place / where he dyd burye his dede calf / wherof the sone knewe the trouthe of the half frendes loue / Thenne the sone of a Rabe torned ageyne toward his fader / and told to hym all that his half frende had done to hym / And thenne the fader sayd to his sone / that the philosopher saith that the very and trewe trend is fond in the xtreme nede / Thenne asked the sone of his fader / sawest thou neuer man whiche in his lyf gate a hole frend / & his fader said to hym / I sawe neuer none / but wel haue I herd it say / And the sone ansuered / My fader I praye the that thow wylt reherce hit to me / to thende / that by aduenture I maye gete suche one / And the fader sayd to hym / My sone / som tyme haue I herd of two marchaunts whiche neuer had sene eche other / the one was of Egypte / and the other was of Baldak but they had knowleche eche of other by theyr ​lettres / whiche they sente and wrote frendly one to the other / hit befelle thenne that the merchaunt of Baldak came in to egypte for to chepe & bye somme ware or marchaundyse / wherof his frend was moche gladde / and wente to mete hym and brought him benyngly in to his hows / And after that he had chered and festyed hym by the space of xiiij dayes / the same marchaunt of baldak wexed and became seke / wherof his frend was sorowfull and ful heuy / and Incontynent sente for phisycyens or leches thurugh alle egypte for to recouere his helthe / And whan the medecyns had sene and vysyted hym / and his vryne also / they sayd that he had no bodyly sekeness / but that he was rauysshed by loue / And whan his Frend herd these wordes / he came to hym / and sayd / My frende I pray the / that thou wilt shewe and telle to me thy sekenes / And his frend said to hym I praye the / that thow wylt make to come hyder alle the wymmen and maydens whiche ben in thy hows / for to see / yf she whiche my herte desyreth is emonge them / And anone his Frend made to come before hym bothe his owne doughters & seruants Emonge the whiche was a yonge mayde / whiche he had nourysshed for his playsyre / And whan the pacyent or seke man sawe her / he sayd to his frend / the same is she whiche maye be cause ​of my lyf or my deth / the whiche his frend gaf to hym for to be his wyf with alle suche goodes as he had of her / the whiche he wedded / and retorned with her in to baldak. with grate Joye / but within a whyle alter it happed and fortuned so that this marchaunt of egvpte fylle in pouerte / and for to haue somme consolacion and comforte he tooke his way toward baldak / and supposed to goo and see his frend / And aboute one euen he arryued to the Cyte / And for as moche that he was not well arayed ne clothed / he had shame by daye lyȝt to go in to the hows of his Frend / but wente and lodged hym withynne a Temple nyghe to a Frendes hows
¶ It happed thenne that on that same nyght that he laye there a man slewe another man before the yate or entre of the sayd Temple / wherfore the neyghbours were sore troubled / And thenne all the peple moeued therof came in to the Temple / wherin they fond no body sauf only thegypcyen / the whiche they toke / and lyke a murderer Interroged hym why he had slayne that man whiche lay dede before the portall or gate of the temple / He thenne seynge his Infortune and pouerte / confessed / that he had kylled hym / For by cause of his euyll fortune he wold rather deye than lyue ony more / wherfore he was had before the Juge / and was con​dempned to be hanged / And whan men ledde hym toward the galhows / his frend sawe and knewe hym / and beganne to wepe sore / remembryng the bienfayttes whiche he had done to hym / wherfore he went to the Justyce and sayd / My lordes this man dyd not the homycyde / For hit was my self that dyd hit / And therfore ye shold do grete synne yf ye dyd put this Innocent and gyltles to dethe / And anone he was take for be had vnto the galhows / And thenne the Egypcyen sayd / My lordes / he dyd hit not / And therfore euylle shold ye doo to put him to dethe / And as the two frendes wold haue been hanged eche one for other / he whiche had done the homycyde came and knewe and confessyd there his synne / and adressed hym self before the Justyce and sayd / My lordes / none of them bothe hath done the dede / And therfore punysshe not ye these Innocents / For I allone ought to bere the payne / whereof all the Justyse was gretely meruaylled / And for the doubte whiche therin was grete / the Justyce toke them al thre / & ledde them before the kyng And when they had reherced to the kynge all the maner / after enquest theupon made / and he knewe the very trouthe of hit / graunted his grace to the murderer / and so alle thre were delyuerd / And the frend brought his frend in to hys hows / and receyued hym Joyoully / ​and after he gaf to hym bothe gold and syluer / And the egypcyen torned ageyne in to his hows / And whan the fader had sayd and reherced all this to his sone / his sone sayd to hym / My fader I knowe now wel that he whiche may gete a good frende is wel happy / And with grete labour as I suppose I shal gete suche one.
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