in English at Westminster in 1484, with woodcuts:  “Here begynneth the Book of the subtyl History and Fables of Esope.  Translated out of Frenssche into Englissche, by William Caxton,” etc.  In this version Planudes’ description of Esop’s personal appearance is reproduced:[135] He was “deformed and evil shapen, for he had a great head, large visage, long jaws, sharp eyes, a short neck, curb backed, great belly, great legs, and large feet; and yet that which was worse, he was dumb and could not speak; but, notwithstanding all this, he had a great wit and was greatly ingenious, subtle in cavillection and joyous in words”—­an inconsistency which is done away in a later edition by the statement that afterwards he found his tongue.—­It is curious to find the Scottish poet Robert Henryson (15th century), in one of the prologues to his metrical versions of some of the Fables, draw a very different portrait of Esop.[136] He tells us that one day in the midst of June, “that joly sweit seasoun,” he went alone to a wood, where he was charmed with the “noyis of birdis richt delitious,” and “sweit was the smell of flowris quhyte and reid,” and, sheltering himself under a green hawthorn from the heat of the sun, he fell asleep: 

  And, in my dreme, methocht come throw the schaw[137]
  The fairest man that ever befoir I saw.

  His gowne wes of ane claith als quhyte as milk,
      His chymeris[138] wes of chambelote purpour broun;
  His hude[139] of scarlet, bordourit[140] weill with silk,
      On hekellit-wyis,[141] untill his girdill doun;
      His bonat round, and of the auld fassoun,[142]
  His beird was quhyte, his ene was greit and gray,
  With lokker[143] hair, quilk ouer his schulderis lay.

  Ane roll of paper in his hand he bair,
    Ane swannis pen stikkand[144] under his eir,
  Ane inkhorne, with ane prettie gilt pennair,[145]
    Ane bag of silk, all at his belt can beir: 
    Thus was he gudelie graithit[146] in his geir. 
  Of stature large, and with ane feirfull[147] face;
  Evin quhair I lay, he came ane sturdie pace.

  [135] Mr. Jacobs was obliged to omit the Life of Esop in his
        reprint of Caxton’s text of the Fables, as it would have
        unduly increased the bulk of his second volume.  But
        those interested in the genealogy of popular tales and
        fables will be glad to have Mr. Jacobs’ all but
        exhaustive account of the so-called Esopic fables,
        together with his excellent synopsis of parallels, in
        preference to the monkish collection of spurious
        anecdotes of the fabulist, of which the most noteworthy
        are given in the present paper.