The Dog and the Sheep

1.04. THE DOG AND THE SHEEP.  Once upon a time there was a Dog who demanded that a Sheep give back a loaf of bread that she had borrowed from him. And the Sheep answered that she had never borrowed anything from him. The Dog took the Sheep to court. And because the Sheep denied the debt, the Dog came up with false witnesses: the Wolf, the Kite, and the Hawk. And when these witnesses were examined and heard, the Wolf said to the judge, "I certainly remember well that the Dog loaned her a loaf of bread." And the Kite went and said, "I was there when she took it!" And the Hawk said to the Sheep, "Come on, why do you deny that you took it?" And so the poor Sheep was defeated, and the judge commanded that she pay the Dog, so before the winter she sold her fleece and wool to pay for something she never took. And thus was the poor Sheep plundered.
Caxton: Somtyme was a dogge / whiche demaunded of a sheep a loof of brede that she had borowed of hym / And the sheep ansuerd that neuer she had none of hym / The dogge made her to come before the Iuge / And by cause the sheep denyed the dette / the dogge prouysed and broughte with hym fals wytnes / that is to wete the wulf / the mylan & the sparhawk / And whanne these wytnes shold be examyned and herd / the wulf sayd to the Iuge / I am certayne & me remembreth wel / that the dogge lend to her a loof of brede And the Myllan went and sayd / she receyued hit presente my persone / And the sperowhawk sayd to the sheep / Come hyder why denyest thow that whiche thow hast take and receyued / And thus was the poure sheep vanquysshed / And thenne the Iuge commaunded to her that she shold paye the dogge / wherfore she sold awey before the wynter her flees and wulle for to paye that / that she neuer had / And thus was the poure sheep despoylled. [more info]