The Fox and the Goat

6.03. De vulpe et hirco
Caxton: Of the foxe and of the gote
He whiche is wyse and sage ought fyrst to loke and behold the ende / or he begynneth the werke or dede / as hyer appiereth by this fable / Of a Foxe & of a gote / that somtyme descended and wente doune in to a depe welle / for to drynke And whanne they had wel dronke / by cause that thei coude not come vpward ageyne / the Foxe sayd to the gote in this maner / my frend yf thow wylt helpe me / we shall sone ben bothe oute of this welle / For yf thow wylt sette thy two feet ageynste the walle / I shal wel lepe vpon the / & vpon thy hornes And thenne I shal lepe oute of this welle / And whanne I shalle be oute of hit / thow shalt take me by the handes / and I shal plucke and drawe the oute of the welle / And at this request the gote / acorded and ansuerd / I wylle wel / And thenne the gote lyfte vp his feet ageynst the walle / and the foxe dyd so moche by his malyce that he gat out of the welle / And whan he was oute / he began to loke on the gote / whiche was within the welle / & thenne the gote sayd to hym / help me now as thou hast promysed / And thenne the foxe beganne to lawhe and to scorne hym / and sayd to hym / O mayster goote / yf thow haddest be wel wyse with thy fayre berde / or euer thow haddest entryd in to the welle / thow sholdest fyrst haue taken hede / how thow sholdest haue comen oute of hit ageyne /
And therfore he wiche is wyse / yf he wysely wylle gouerne hym self / ought to take euer good hede to the ende of his werke
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The Fox and the Goat

005. THE FOX AND THE GOAT A Fox had fallen into a well and had been casting about for a long time how he should get out again when at length a Goat came to the place and, wanting to drink, asked Reynard whether the water was good and if there was plenty of it. The Fox, dissembling the real danger of his case, replied, "Come down, my friend; the water is so good that I cannot drink enough of it and so abundant that it cannot be exhausted." Upon this the Goat without any more ado leaped in; when the Fox, taking advantage of his friend's horns, as nimbly leaped out and coolly remarked to the poor deluded Goat, "If you had half as much brains as you have beard, you would have looked before you leaped!" [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

004. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

12. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A Fox having fallen into a well could find no means of escape, when a Goat coming to quench his thirst, and seeing the Fox, asked him if the water was good. The Fox replied that it was excellent and advised him to descend.
The Goat jumped down, when the Fox informed him of the sad fix they both were in, and suggested a way of escape for them both. “If you will place your forefeet against the wall, and incline your head, I will run up your back and then help you out.
The Goat assented to this, and the Fox, reaching the top of the well scampered off as fast as he could. The Goat reproached him for his want of honesty, when he turned around and cried out, "You old dunce, if you had as many brains as you have hairs in your beard you never would have gone down before examining the way back."
MORAL. It is always best to look before you leap. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

4.09. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. As soon as a crafty man has fallen into danger, he seeks to make his escape by the sacrifice of another. A Fox, through inadvertence, having fallen into a well, and being closed in by the sides which were too high for her, a Goat parched with thirst came to the same spot, and asked whether the water was good, and in plenty. The other, devising a stratagem, replied: “Come down, my friend: such is the goodness of the water, that my pleasure in drinking cannot be satisfied.” Longbeard descended; then the Fox, mounting on his high horns, escaped from the well, and left the Goat to stick fast in the enclosed mud. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

024. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A fox having tumbled by chance into a well, had been casting about a long while, to no purpose, how he should get out again; when, at last, a goat came to the place, and wanting to drink, asked Reynard, whether the water was good. “Good!” says he, “ay, so sweet, that I am afraid I have surfeited myself, I have drank so abundantly.” The goat, upon this, without any more ado, leapt in, and the fox, taking the advantage of his horns, by the assistance of them, as nimbly leapt out, leaving the poor goat at the bottom of the well to shift for himself. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

4.07. THE FOX AND THE GOAT.
A crafty knave will make escape,
When once he gets into a scrape,
Still meditating self-defence,
At any other man’s expense.
A Fox by some disaster fell
Into a deep and fenced well:
A thirsty Goat came down in haste,
And ask’d about the water’s taste,
If it was plentiful and sweet?
At which the Fox, in rank deceit,
“So great the solace of the run,
I thought I never should have done.
Be quick, my friend, your sorrows drown.”
This said, the silly Goat comes down.
The subtle Fox herself avails,
And by his horns the mound she scales,
And leaves the Goat in all the mire,
To gratify his heart’s desire. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

060. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A fox having tumbled by chance into a well, had been casting about a long while, to no purpose, how he should get out again; when, at last, a goat came to the place, and wanting to drink, asked Reynard, whether the water was good. “Good!” says he, “ay, so sweet, that I am afraid I have surfeited myself, I have drank so abundantly.” The goat, upon this, without any more ado, leapt in, and the fox, taking the advantage of his horns, by the assistance of them, as nimbly leapt out, leaving the poor goat at the bottom of the well to shift for himself. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

03.05: THE FOX AND THE GOAT.
A fox once journey'd, and for company
A certain bearded, horned goat had he;
Which goat no further than his nose could see.
The fox was deeply versed in trickery.
These travellers did thirst compel
To seek the bottom of a well.
There, having drunk enough for two,
Says fox, 'My friend, what shall we do?
'Tis time that we were thinking
Of something else than drinking.
Raise you your feet upon the wall,
And stick your horns up straight and tall;
Then up your back I'll climb with ease,
And draw you after, if you please.'
'Yes, by my beard,' the other said,
''Tis just the thing. I like a head
Well stock'd with sense, like thine.
Had it been left to mine,
I do confess,
I never should have thought of this.'
So Renard clamber'd out,
And, leaving there the goat,
Discharged his obligations
By preaching thus on patience:—
'Had Heaven put sense thy head within,
To match the beard upon thy chin,
Thou wouldst have thought a bit,
Before descending such a pit.
I'm out of it; good bye:
With prudent effort try
Yourself to extricate.
For me, affairs of state
Permit me not to wait.'
Whatever way you wend,
Consider well the end.
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The Fox and the Goat

031. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A FOX one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of escape. A Goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and seeing the Fox, inquired if the water was good. Concealing his sad plight under a merry guise, the Fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying it was excellent beyond measure, and encouraging him to descend. The Goat, mindful only of his thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down, but just as he drank, the Fox informed him of the difficulty they were both in and suggested a scheme for their common escape. “If,” said he, “you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.” The Goat readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the Goat’s horns, he safely reached the mouth of the well and made off as fast as he could. When the Goat upbraided him for breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out, “You foolish old fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs in your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected the way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had no means of escape.”
Look before you leap. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

82. THE FOX AND THE GOAT By an unlucky chance a Fox fell into a deep well from which he could not get out. A Goat passed by shortly afterwards, and asked the Fox what he was doing down there. "Oh, have you not heard?" said the Fox; "there is going to be a great drought, so I jumped down here in order to be sure to have water by me. Why don't you come down too?"
The Goat thought well of this advice, and jumped down into the well. But the Fox immediately jumped on her back, and by putting his foot on her long horns managed to jump up to the edge of the well.
"Good-bye, friend," said the Fox, "remember next time: Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties." [more info]

The Goat in the Well

060. THE GOAT IN THE WELL. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll down to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Fox and the Goat

THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A Fox fell into a well, and though it was not very deep, he found that he could not get out again. After he had been in the well a long time, a thirsty Goat came by. The Goat thought the Fox had gone down to drink, and so he asked if the water was good.
"The finest in the whole country," said the crafty Fox, "jump in and try it. There is more than enough for both of us."
The thirsty Goat immediately jumped in and began to drink. The Fox just as quickly jumped on the Goat's back and leaped from the tip of the Goat's horns out of the well.
The foolish Goat now saw what a plight he had got into, and begged the Fox to help him out. But the Fox was already on his way to the woods.
"If you had as much sense as you have beard, old fellow," he said as he ran, "you would have been more cautious about finding a way to get out again before you jumped in."
Look before you leap. [more info]