Wyatt and Henryson

This collection includes two versions of the fable by Scottish poets, both of whom were active in the 16th century (we don't know exactly when, but Henryson's version probably predates Wyatt's). Both versions are distinct and have very little in common besides their length, they are among the longer versions of the fable in this collection. Their length allows both poets to put in interesting details about 16th century town and country life. The country mouse in Henryson's fable has to turn to thieving in order to make ends meet, and the town mouse is a guild leader of the local community and does not have to pay taxes. 

Both can be quite difficult to read due to the dialect of the writing, so for the image of both, I've included a modern English transfusion in place of a book scan. The plaintext file associated with each, and the text of both poems in the fable dataset, use the original language.

If you're interested in other very old versions of the Fable, check out my exhibit on older variants, in which Wyatt and Henryson also appear.