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E that ought not to be assewerd that applyketh and setteth hym to doo somme other eny euyll / wherof esope reherceth suche a fable / Of a serpent / whiche wente & came into the hows of a poure man / which serpent lyued of that whiche felle fro the poure mans table / For the whiche thynge happed a grete fortune to this poure man and bycame moche ryche / But on a daye this man was angry ageynste the serpent / and took a grete staf / and smote at hym / and gretely hurted him / wherfore the serpente wente oute of his hous  And therin he came neuer ageyne / And within a lytyll whyle after this / this man retourned and felle ageyne in to grete pouerte / And thenne he knewe that by the fortune of the Serpent he was bycome ryche / and repented hym moche of that he smote the serpent / And thenne this poure man wente and hūbled hym before the serpent sayenge to hym / I praye the that thow wylt pardonne me of thoffense that I have done to the / ​  ¶ And thenne sayd the serpente to the poure man / Syth thow repentest the of thy mysdede / I pardonne and forgyue it to the / But as longe as I shalle be on lyue / I shalle remember me of thy malyce / For as thow hurtest me ones / thow maest as wel hurte me another tyme / For the wounde that thow madest to me / may not forgete the euylle whiche thow hast done to me wherfore he that was ones euylle / shalle euer be presumed & holden for euylle / And therfore men ought to presume ouer hym / by whome they receyue somme dommage and not haue suspecte theyr good and trewe frendes