The Frogs and Jupiter

2.01. De ranis et Jove
Caxton: Of the frogges and of Iupyter
No thyng is so good as to lyue Iustly and at lyberte For fredome and lyberte is better than ony gold or syluer / wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / There were frogges whiche were in dyches and pondes at theyre lyberte / they alle to gyder of one assente & of one wylle maade a request to Iupiter that he wold gyue them a kynge / And Iupyter beganne therof to merueylle / And for theyre kyng he casted to them a grete pyece of wood / whiche maade a grete sowne and noyse in the water / wherof alle the frogges had grete drede and fered moche / And after they approched to theyr kynge for to make obeyssaunce vnto hym / And whanne they perceyued that hit was but a pyece of wood / they torned ageyne to Iupiter prayenge hym swetely that he wold gyue to them another kynge / And Iupiter gaf to them the Heron for to be theyr kynge / And thenne the Heron beganne to entre in to the water / and ete them one after other / And whanne the frogges sawe that theyr kyng destroyed / and ete them thus / they beganne tendyrly to wepe / sayeng in this manere to the god Iupiter / Ryght hyghe and ryght myghty god Iupiter please the to delyuere vs fro the throte of this dragon and fals tyraunt whiche eteth vs the one after another / And he sayd to them / the kynge whiche ye haue demaunded shalle be your mayster /
For whan men haue that / which men oughte to haue / they ought to be ioyeful and glad And he that hath lyberte ought to kepe hit wel / For nothyng is better than lyberte / For lyberte shold not be wel sold for alle the gold and syluer of all the world
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