The Wolf and the Kid

2.09. De lupo et haedo
Caxton: Of the wulf and of the kydde
Good children ought to obserue and kepe euer the commaundements of theyr good parentes and frendes / wherof Esope reciteth to vs suche a fable / Of a gote whiche had made her yonge kydde / and honger toke her soo that she wold haue gone to the feldes for to ete some grasse / wherfore she sayd to her kyd / My child / beware wel / that yf the wulf come hyder to ete the / that thow opene not the dore to hym / And whanne the gote was gone to the feldes / came the wulf to the dore / And faynynge the gotes voyce sayd to the kydde / My child opene to me the dore / And thenne the kydde ansuerd to hym / goo hens euylle and fals beste / For well I see the thurgh that hole / but for to haue me thow faynest the voyce of my moder / And therfore I shalle kepe me well fro openynge of ony dore of this hows /
And thus the good children ought euer to kepe wel / and put in theyr hert & memory the doctryne and the techyng of theyr parentes / For many one is vndone and lost for faulte of obedyence
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The Wolf and the Kid

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

The Wolf and the Kid

116. THE WOLF AND THE KID. The goat going abroad to feed, shut up her young kid at home, charging him to bolt the door fast, and open it to nobody till she herself should return. The wolf, who lay lurking just by, heard this charge given, and soon after came and knocked at the door, counterfeiting the voice of the goat, and desiring to be admitted. The kid, looking out at a window, and finding the cheat, bid him go about his business; for, however he might imitate a goat's voice, yet he appeared too much like a wolf to be trusted. [more info]

The Wolf, The Goat, and the Kid

04.15: THE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE KID.
As went the goat her pendent dugs to fill,
And browse the herbage of a distant hill,
She latch'd her door, and bid,
With matron care, her kid;—
'My daughter, as you live,
This portal don't undo
To any creature who
This watchword does not give:
"Deuce take the wolf and all his race!"'
The wolf was passing near the place
By chance, and heard the words with pleasure,
And laid them up as useful treasure;
And hardly need we mention,
Escaped the goat's attention.
No sooner did he see
The matron off, than he,
With hypocritic tone and face,
Cried out before the place,
'Deuce take the wolf and all his race!'
Not doubting thus to gain admission.
The kid, not void of all suspicion,
Peer'd through a crack, and cried,
'Show me white paw before
You ask me to undo the door.'
The wolf could not, if he had died,
For wolves have no connexion
With paws of that complexion.
So, much surprised, our gormandiser
Retired to fast till he was wiser.
How would the kid have been undone
Had she but trusted to the word
The wolf by chance had overheard!
Two sureties better are than one;
And caution's worth its cost,
Though sometimes seeming lost.
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The Wolf, The Goat, and the Kid

042. THE WOLF, THE GOAT, AND THE KID.
As went the goat her pendent dugs to fill,
And browse the herbage of a distant hill,
She latch'd her door, and bid,
With matron care, her kid;—
'My daughter, as you live,
This portal don't undo
To any creature who
This watchword does not give:
"Deuce take the wolf and all his race!"'
The wolf was passing near the place
By chance, and heard the words with pleasure,
And laid them up as useful treasure;
And hardly need we mention,
Escaped the goat's attention.
No sooner did he see
The matron off, than he,
With hypocritic tone and face,
Cried out before the place,
'Deuce take the wolf and all his race!'
Not doubting thus to gain admission.
The kid, not void of all suspicion,
Peer'd through a crack, and cried,
'Show me white paw before
You ask me to undo the door.'
The wolf could not, if he had died,
For wolves have no connexion
With paws of that complexion.
So, much surprised, our gormandiser
Retired to fast till he was wiser.
How would the kid have been undone
Had she but trusted to the word
The wolf by chance had overheard!
Two sureties better are than one;
And caution's worth its cost,
Though sometimes seeming lost.
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The Wolf, The Kid, and the Goat

134. THE WOLF, THE KID, AND THE GOAT. Mother Goat was going to market one morning to get provisions for her household, which consisted of but one little Kid and herself.
"Take good care of the house, my son," she said to the Kid, as she carefully latched the door. "Do not let anyone in, unless he gives you this password: 'Down with the Wolf and all his race!'"
Strangely enough, a Wolf was lurking near and heard what the Goat had said. So, as soon as Mother Goat was out of sight, up he trotted to the door and knocked.
"Down with the Wolf and all his race," said the Wolf softly.
It was the right password, but when the Kid peeped through a crack in the door and saw the shadowy figure outside, he did not feel at all easy.
"Show me a white paw," he said, "or I won't let you in."
A white paw, of course, is a feature few Wolves can show, and so Master Wolf had to go away as hungry as he had come.
"You can never be too sure," said the Kid, when he saw the Wolf making off to the woods.
Two sureties are better than one. [more info]