A Fisherman

6.07. De piscatore quodam
Caxton: Of a fyssher
Alle thynges which ben done & made in theyr tyme & season ben wel made / as by this present fable it appereth Of a fyssher whiche somtyme touched his bagpype nyhe the Ryuer for to make the fysshe to daunse / And whan he sawe that for none songe that he coude pype / the fysshes wold not daunse / As wroth dyd cast his nettes in to the Ryuer / & toke of fysshe grete quantite / And whanne he had drawe oute his nettes oute of the water / the fysshe beganne to lepe and to daunse / and thenne he sayd to them / Certaynly hit appiereth now wel / that ye be euylle beestes / For now whanne ye be taken / ye lepe and daunse / And whanne I pyped and played of my muse or bagpype ye dayned / ne wold not daunse /
Therfore hit appiereth wel that the thynges whiche ben made in season / ben wel made and done by reason
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The Fisherman who Played the Flute

126. THE FISHERMAN WHO PLAYED THE FLUTE. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Fisher

42. THE FISHER. A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river, and played upon them with the hope of making the fish rise; but never a one put his nose out of the water. So he cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth filled with fish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played, the fish leapt up in the net. "Ah, you dance now when I play," said he.
"Yes," said an old Fish. "When you are in a man's power you must do as he bids you." [more info]

The Fisherman Piping

225. THE FISHERMAN PIPING. A Fisherman who could play the flute went down one day to the sea-shore with his nets and his flute; and, taking his stand on a projecting rock, began to play a tune, thinking that the music would bring the fish jumping out of the sea. He went on playing for some time, but not a fish appeared: so at last he threw down his flute and cast his net into the sea, and made a great haul of fish. When they were landed and he saw them leaping about on the shore, he cried, "You rascals! you wouldn't dance when I piped: but now I've stopped, you can do nothing else!" [more info]