The Man, The Lion, and His Son

5.16. De homuncione, leone et eius filio
Caxton: Of the man / of the lyon & of his sone
He that reffuseth the good doctryne of his fader / yf euyl happe cometh to hym / it is but ryght / As to vs reherceth this fable of a labourer / which somtyme lyued in a deserte of his cultyuynge and laboure / In this deserte was a lyon / whiche wasted and destroyed all the sede / whiche euery daye the sayd labourer sewed / and also this lyon destroyed his trees / And by cause that he bare and dyd to hym so grete harm and dommage / he made an hedge / to the whiche he putte and sette cordes and nettes for to take the lyon / And ones as this lyon came for to ete corne / he entryd within a nette / & was taken / And thenne the good man came thyder / and bete and smote hym so wonderly / that vnnethe he myght scape fro deth / And by cause that the lyon sawe that he myght not escape the subtylyte of the man / he took his lytyl lyon / and went to dwelle in another Regyon / And within a lytel whyle after that the lyon was wel growen and was fyers & stronge he demaunded of his fader / My fader be we of this Regyon / Nay sayd the fader / For we ben fledde awey fro oure land / And thenne the lytyl lyon asked / wherfore / And the fader ansuerd to hym / For the subtylyte of the man / And the lytyl lyon demaunded of hym what man is that / And his fader sayd to hym / he is not soo grete ne so stronge as we be / but he is more subtyle and more Ingenyous / than we be / And thenne sayd the sone to the fader / I shall goo auenge me on hym And the grete lyon sayd to hym / goo not / For yf thow gost thyder thow shalt repente the therfore / and shalt doo lyke a fole And the sone ansuerd to his fader / Ha by my heed I shalle goo thyder / and shalle see what he can doo / And as he wente for to fynder the man / he mette an oxe within a medowe / and an hors whos back was al fleyen / and sore to whome he said in this manere / who is he that hath ledde yow hyder / and that so hath hurted yow / And they sayd to hym / It is the man / And thenne he sayd ageyne to them / Certaynly / here is a wonder thynge / I praye yow / that ye wylle shewe hym to me And they wente and shewed to hym the labourer / which ered the erthe / And the lyon forthwith and withoute saynge of ony moo wordes wente toward the man / to whome he sayd in this maner / Ha man thow hast done ouer many euyls / bothe to me and to my Fader / and in lyke wyse to oure beestes / wherfore I telle the that to me thow wylt doo Iustyce / And the man ansuerd to hym / I promytte and warne the / that yf thow come nyghe me I shalle slee the / And the lyon sayd to hym / Come thenne before my fader / and he as kynge shalle doo to vs good Iustyce / And thenne the man sayd to the lyon / I am content / yf that thow wylt swere to me / that thow shalt not touche me / tyll that we ben in the presence of thy fader / And in lyke wyse I shalle swere to the / that I shal go with the vnto the presence of thy fader / And thus the lyon and the man swered eche one to other / and wente toward the grete lyon / and the man beganne to goo by the way where as his cordes and nettes were dressyd / And as they wente / the lyon lete hym self falle within a corde / and by the feet he was take / so that he myght not ferther goo / And by cause he coude not goo he sayd to the man / O man I praye the that thow wilt helpe me / For I maye no more goo / And the man answerd to hym / I am sworne to the that I shalle not touche the vnto the tyme that we ben before thy fader / And as the lyon supposed to haue vnbound hym self for to scape / he fylle in to another nette And thenne the lyon beganne to crye after the man / sayenge to hym in this manere / O good man I praye the that thou wilt vnbynde me / And the man beganne to smyte hym vpon the hede / And thenne whanne the lyon sawe that he myght not scape / he sayd to the man / I praye the / that thow smyte me no more vpon the heed / but vpon myn ers / by cause that I wold not here the good counceylle of my fader / And thenne the man beganne to smyte hym at the herte and slewe hym /
The whiche thyng happeth ofte to many children which ben hanged or by other maner executed and put to dethe / by cause that they wil not byleue the doctryne of theyr faders and moders / ne obeye to them by no wyse
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The Undutiful Young Lion

2.35. THE UNDUTIFUL YOUNG LION. Among other good counsels that an old experienced Lion gave to his whelp, this was one, that he should never contend with a man: "for," says he, "if ever you do, you'll be worsted."
The little Lion gave his father the hearing, and kept the advice in his thought, but it never went near his heart. When he came to be grown up, afterwards, and in the flower of his strength and vigour, about he ranges to look for a man to grapple with.
In his ramble he met with a yoke of oxen, and then with a horse, saddled and bridled, and severally asked them if they were men; but they saying they were not, he goes after this to one that was cleaving of blocks: "D'ye hear?" says the Lion, "you seem to be a man."
"And a man I am," says the fellow.
"That's well," quoth the Lion, "and dare you fight with me?"
"Yes," says the man, "I dare: why, I can tear all these blocks to pieces, you see. Put your feet now into this gap, where you see an iron thing there, and try what you can do."
The Lion presently put his paws into the gaping of the wood, and with one lusty pluck made it give way, and out drops the wedge; the wood immediately closing upon it, there was the Lion caught by the toes. The Wood-man presently upon this raises the country, and the Lion finding what a strait he was in, gave one hearty twitch and got his feet out of the trap, but left his claws behind him.
So away he goes back to his father, all lame and bloody, with this confession in his mouth: "Alas! my dear father," says he, "this had never been, if I had followed your advice."
MORAL. The vengeance of Heaven, sooner or later, treads upon the heels of wilful disobedience to parents. [more info]