Of the poor man and the snake


2.10. De homine paupere et serpente
Caxton: Of the good man and of the serpente
He that ought now to be assewred that applyketh and setteth hym to doo to somme other eny euyll / wherof esope reherceth suche a fable / Of a serpent / whiche wente & came in to the hows of a poure man / whiche serpent lyued of that whiche felle fro the poure mans table / For the whiche thynge happed a grete fortune to this poure man and bycame moche ryche / But on a daye this man was angry ageynste the serpent / and took a grete staf / and smote at hym / and gretely hurted hym / wherfore the serpente wente oute of his hous And therin he came neuer ageyne / And within a lytyll whyle after this / this man retourned and felle ageyne in to grete pouerte / And thenne he knewe that by the fortune of the Serpent he was bycome ryche / and repentyd hym moche of that he smote the serpent / And thenne this poure man wente and humbled hym bifore the serpent sayenge to hym / I praye the that thow wylt pardonne me of thoffense that I haue done to the / And thenne sayd the serpente to the poure man / Syth thow repentest the of thy mysdede / I pardonne and forgyue it to the But as longe as I shalle be on lyue / I shalle remembre me of thy malyce / For as thow hurtest me ones / thow maist as wel hurte me another tyme / For the wounde that thow madest to me / may not forgete the euylle whiche thow hast done to me wherfore he that was ones euylle / shalle euer be presumed & holden for euylle /
And therfore men ought to presume ouer hym / by whome they receyue some dommage and not haue suspecte theyr good and trewe frendes
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