The Stag and the Oxen

3.19. De cervo et bove
Caxton: Of the herte and of the oxe
Onely for to flee none is assured to scape the daunger wherfore he fleeth / As thow shalt mowe see by this fable / Of a herte whiche ranne byfore the dogges / and to thende that he shold not be take / he fledde in to the fyrst toun that he found / & entryd in to a stable where as many oxen were / to whom he sayd the cause why he was come there / prayeng them swetely that they wold saue hym / And the oxen sayd thus to hym / Allas poure herte thow arte amonge vs euylle adressyd / thow sholdest be more surely in the feldes / For yf thow be perceyued or sene of the oxeherd or els of the mayster / Certaynly thow arte but dede / Helas for god & for pyte I praye yow that ye wylle hyde me within your racke / and that ye deceyue me not / and at nyght next comynge / I shalle goo hens / and shalle putte my self in to a sure place / And whanne the seruaunts was come for to gyue heye to the oxen / they dyd cast heye before the oxen / and wente ageyne theyre waye and sawe not the hert / wherof the herte was gretely reioysshed wenynge to haue scaped the perylle of dethe / He thenne rendred thanke and graces to the oxen / and one of the oxen sayd to hym / It is facyle to scape out of the handes of the blynd but hit is not facyle to scape fro the handes of hym that seeth wel / For yf oure mayster come hyther whiche hath more than an honderd eyen / Certaynly thow arte deed yf he perceyue the / And yf he see the not / certaynly thow arte saued / and shalt goo for the on thy waye surely / The mayster withyn a short whyle after entryd in to the stable And after he commaunded to vysyte and see the hey / whiche was before his oxen / And hym self went and tasted / yf they had ynough of hit / And as he tasted thus the heye / he felt the hornes of the herte with his hand / and to hym self sayd / what is that that I fele here / and beynge dredeful called alle his seruauntes / and demaunded of the manere how the herte came thyder / And they sayd to hym / My lord I knowe nothynge therof / And the lord was full gladde and made the herte to be taken and slayne / and maade a grete feest for to haue ete hym /
Therfore it happeth oftyme / that he whiche supposeth to flee is taken and hold within the lace or nette / For he that fleeth awey is in grete perylle / wherfore men ought wel to kepe them self to doo suche dede / that they must nedes flee therfore
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The Stag in the Ox-Stall

107. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll down to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Stag and the Oxen

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

The Stag in the Ox-Stall

053. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL A hunted Stag, driven out of covert and distracted by fear, made for the first farmhouse he saw, and hid himself in an Ox-stall which happened to be open. As he was trying to conceal himself under the straw, “What can you mean,” said an Ox, “by running into such certain destruction as to trust yourself to the haunts of man?”
“Only do you not betray me,” said the Stag, “and I shall be off again on the first opportunity.”
Evening came on; the herdsman foddered the cattle, but observed nothing. The other farm-servants came in and out. The Stag was still safe. Presently the bailiff passed through; all seemed right.
The Stag now feeling himself quite secure began to thank the Oxen for their hospitality.
“Wait awhile,” said one of them; “we indeed wish you well, but there is yet another person, one with a hundred eyes; if he should happen to come this way I fear your life will be still in jeopardy.”
While he was speaking, the Master, having finished his supper, came round to see that all was safe for the night, for he thought that his cattle had not of late looked as well as they ought. Going up to the rack, “Why so little fodder here?” says he; “why is there not more straw?” And “How long, I wonder, would it take to sweep down these cobwebs!” Prying and observing here and there and everywhere, the Stag’s antlers, jutting from out the straw, caught his eye, and calling in his servants he instantly made prize of him.
No eye like the Master’s eye. [more info]

The Stag in the Ox-Stall

018. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL. A stag, roused out of his thick covert in the midst of the forest, and, driven hard by the hounds, made towards a farm-house, and seeing the door of an ox-stall open, entered therein, and hid himself under a heap of straw. One of the oxen turning his head about, asked him what he meant by venturing himself in such a place as that was, where he was sure to meet with his doom.
“Ah!” says the stag, “if you will but be so good as to favour me with your concealment, I hope I shall do well enough; I intend to make off again the first opportunity.”
Well, he staid there till towards night; in came the ox-man with a bundle of fodder, and never saw him. In short, all the servants of the farm came and went, and not a soul of them smelt anything of the matter. Nay, the bailiff himself came, according to form, and looked in, but walked away no wiser than the rest.
Upon this the stag, ready to jump out of his skin for joy, began to return thanks to the good-natured oxen, protesting that they were the most obliging people he had ever met with in his life. After he had done his compliments, one of them answered him gravely, “Indeed, we desire nothing more than to have it in our power to contribute to your escape; but there is a certain person, you little think of, who has a hundred eyes; if he should happen to come, I would not give this straw for your life.”
In the interim, home comes the master himself from a neighbour's, where he had been invited to dinner; and because he had observed the cattle to look but scurvily of late, he went up to the rack, and asked, “Why did they not give them more fodder?” Then casting his eyes downward, “Hey-day!” says he, “why so sparing of your litter? Pray scatter a little more here. And these cobwebs—but I have spoken so often, that unless I do it myself”—thus, as he went on, prying into everything, he chanced to look where the stag's horns lay sticking out of the straw; upon which he raised a hue and cry, called all his people about him, killed the poor stag, and made a prize of him. [more info]

The Stag and the Oxen

2.08. THE STAG AND THE OXEN. A Stag, aroused from his woodland lair, to avoid impending death threatened by huntsmen, repaired with blind fear to the nearest farm-house, and hid himself in an ox-stall close at hand. Upon this, an Ox said to him, as he concealed himself: “Why, what do you mean, unhappy one, in thus rushing of your own accord upon destruction, and trusting your life to the abode of man?” To this he suppliantly replied: “Do you only spare me; the moment an opportunity is given I will again rush forth.” Night in her turn takes the place of day; the Neat-herd brings fodder, but yet sees him not. All the farm servants pass and repass every now and then; no one perceives him; even the Steward passes by, nor does he observe anything. Upon this, the stag, in his joy, began to return thanks to the Oxen who had kept so still, because they had afforded him hospitality in the hour of adversity. One of them made answer: “We really do wish you well; but if he, who has a hundred eyes, should come, your life will be placed in great peril.” In the meanwhile the Master himself comes back from dinner; and having lately seen the Oxen in bad condition, comes up to the rack: “Why,” says he, “is there so little fodder? Is litter scarce? What great trouble is it to remove those spiders’ webs?” While he is prying into every corner, he perceives too the branching horns of the Stag, and having summoned the household, he orders him to be killed, and carries off the prize.
This Fable signifies that the master sees better than any one else in his own affairs. [more info]

The Stag and the Oxen

2.08. THE STAG AND THE OXEN.
A Stag unharbour’d by the hounds,
Forth from his woodland covert bounds,
And blind with terror, at th’ alarm
Of death, makes to a neighb’ring farm;
There snug conceals him in some straw,
Which in an ox’s stall he saw.
“Wretch that thou art!” a bullock cried,
“That com’st within this place to hide;
By trusting man you are undone,
And into sure destruction run.”
But he with suppliant voice replies:
“Do you but wink with both your eyes,
I soon shall my occasions shape,
To make from hence a fair escape.”
The day is spent, the night succeeds,
The herdsman comes, the cattle feeds,
But nothing sees—then to and fro
Time after time the servants go;
Yet not a soul perceives the case.
The steward passes by the place,
Himself no wiser than the rest.
The joyful Stag his thanks address’d
To all the Oxen, that he there
Had found a refuge in despair.
“We wish you well,” an Ox return’d,
“But for your life are still concern’d,
For if old Argus come, no doubt,
His hundred eyes will find you out.”
Scarce had the speaker made an end,
When from the supper of a friend
The master enters at the door,
And, seeing that the steers were poor
Of late, advances to the rack.
“Why were the fellow’s hands so slack?
Here’s hardly any straw at all,
Brush down those cobwebs from the wall.
Pray how much labour would it ask?”
While thus he undertakes the task,
To dust, and rummage by degrees,
The Stag’s exalted horns he sees:
Then calling all his folks around,
He lays him breathless on the ground.
The master, as the tale declares,
Looks sharpest to his own affairs. [more info]

The Stag in the Ox-Stall

107. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL. A stag, roused out of his thick covert in the midst of the forest, and, driven hard by the hounds, made towards a farm-house, and seeing the door of an ox-stall open, entered therein, and hid himself under a heap of straw. One of the oxen turning his head about, asked him what he meant by venturing himself in such a place as that was, where he was sure to meet with his doom.
“Ah!” says the stag, “if you will but be so good as to favour me with your concealment, I hope I shall do well enough; I intend to make off again the first opportunity.”
Well, he staid there till towards night; in came the ox-man with a bundle of fodder, and never saw him. In short, all the servants of the farm came and went, and not a soul of them smelt anything of the matter. Nay, the bailiff himself came, according to form, and looked in, but walked away no wiser than the rest.
Upon this the stag, ready to jump out of his skin for joy, began to return thanks to the good-natured oxen, protesting that they were the most obliging people he had ever met with in his life. After he had done his compliments, one of them answered him gravely, “Indeed, we desire nothing more than to have it in our power to contribute to your escape; but there is a certain person, you little think of, who has a hundred eyes; if he should happen to come, I would not give this straw for your life.”
In the interim, home comes the master himself from a neighbour's, where he had been invited to dinner; and because he had observed the cattle to look but scurvily of late, he went up to the rack, and asked, “Why did they not give them more fodder?” Then casting his eyes downward, “Hey-day!” says he, “why so sparing of your litter? Pray scatter a little more here. And these cobwebs—but I have spoken so often, that unless I do it myself”—thus, as he went on, prying into everything, he chanced to look where the stag's horns lay sticking out of the straw; upon which he raised a hue and cry, called all his people about him, killed the poor stag, and made a prize of him. [more info]

The Eye of the Master

04.21: THE EYE OF THE MASTER.
A stag took refuge from the chase
Among the oxen of a stable,
Who counsel'd him, as saith the fable,
To seek at once some safer place.
'My brothers,' said the fugitive,
'Betray me not, and, as I live,
The richest pasture I will show,
That e'er was grazed on, high or low;
Your kindness you will not regret,
For well some day I'll pay the debt.'
The oxen promised secrecy.
Down crouch'd the stag, and breathed more free.
At eventide they brought fresh hay,
As was their custom day by day;
And often came the servants near,
As did indeed the overseer,
But with so little thought or care,
That neither horns, nor hide, nor hair
Reveal'd to them the stag was there.
Already thank'd the wild-wood stranger
The oxen for their treatment kind,
And there to wait made up his mind,
Till he might issue free from danger.
Replied an ox that chew'd the cud,
'Your case looks fairly in the bud;
But then I fear the reason why
Is, that the man of sharpest eye
Hath not yet come his look to take.
I dread his coming, for your sake;
Your boasting may be premature:
Till then, poor stag, you're not secure.'
'Twas but a little while before
The careful master oped the door.
'How's this, my boys?' said he;
'These empty racks will never do.
Go, change this dirty litter too.
More care than this I want to see
Of oxen that belong to me.
Well, Jim, my boy, you're young and stout;
What would it cost to clear these cobwebs out?
And put these yokes, and hames, and traces,
All as they should be, in their places?'
Thus looking round, he came to see
One head he did not usually.
The stag is found; his foes
Deal heavily their blows.
Down sinks he in the strife;
No tears can save his life.
They slay, and dress, and salt the beast,
And cook his flesh in many a feast,
And many a neighbour gets a taste.
As Phaedrus says it, pithily,
The master's is the eye to see:—
I add the lover's, as for me.
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The Stag in the Ox-Stall

101. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL. A STAG, roundly chased by the hounds and blinded by fear to the danger he was running into, took shelter in a farmyard and hid himself in a shed among the oxen. An Ox gave him this kindly warning: “O unhappy creature! why should you thus, of your own accord, incur destruction and trust yourself in the house of your enemy?” The Stag replied: “Only allow me, friend, to stay where I am, and I will undertake to find some favorable opportunity of effecting my escape.” At the approach of the evening the herdsman came to feed his cattle, but did not see the Stag; and even the farm-bailiff with several laborers passed through the shed and failed to notice him. The Stag, congratulating himself on his safety, began to express his sincere thanks to the Oxen who had kindly helped him in the hour of need. One of them again answered him: “We indeed wish you well, but the danger is not over. There is one other yet to pass through the shed, who has as it were a hundred eyes, and until he has come and gone, your life is still in peril.” At that moment the master himself entered, and having had to complain that his oxen had not been properly fed, he went up to their racks and cried out: “Why is there such a scarcity of fodder? There is not half enough straw for them to lie on. Those lazy fellows have not even swept the cobwebs away.” While he thus examined everything in turn, he spied the tips of the antlers of the Stag peeping out of the straw. Then summoning his laborers, he ordered that the Stag should be seized and killed. [more info]

The Hart in the Ox-Stall

30. THE HART IN THE OX-STALL. A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for refuge into an ox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay, leaving nothing to be seen but the tips of his horns. Soon after the Hunters came up and asked if anyone had seen the Hart. The stable boys, who had been resting after their dinner, looked round, but could see nothing, and the Hunters went away. Shortly afterwards the master came in, and looking round, saw that something unusual had taken place. He pointed to the truss of hay and said: "What are those two curious things sticking out of the hay?" And when the stable boys came to look they discovered the Hart, and soon made an end of him. He thus learnt that Nothing escapes the master's eye. [more info]

The Stag in the Ox Stall

46. THE STAG IN THE OX STALL.
Safe enough lay the poor hunted Deer
In the ox-stall, with nothing to fear
From the careless-eyed men:
Till the Master came; then
There was no hiding-place for the Deer.
AN EYE IS KEEN IN ITS OWN INTEREST
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