Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 2.djvu/467

Rh he became rich. But on a day this man was very angrie against the serpent, and took a sword and smote at him; wherefore the serpent went out of the house, and came no more thither again. A little after, this man fell again into great poverty, and then he knew that by fortune of the serpent he was become rich; wherefore it repented him that he had driven away the serpent. Then he went and humbled himself to the serpent, saying, I pray thee that thou wilt pardon me the offence that I have done thee. And the serpent said, Seeing thou repentest thee of thy misdeed, I forgive thee; but as long as I shall live, I shall remember thy malice, for as thou hurtedst me once, so thou maiest again. Wherefore that which was once evil, shall ever so be held; men ought therefore not to insult over him of whom they receive some benefit, nor yet to suspect their good and true friends." p. 80.—1658.

There is also a fable attributed to Avian, (a Latin writer of the fourth century, who imitated Phædrus), to the following purport.

"He that seeketh to get more than he ought, oft-times getteth nothing; as saith the fable, of a man which had a goose that laid every day an egge of gold. The man, out of covetousness, commanded her that every day she should lay two eggs: and