"The Fox" is a traditional folk song from England. The earliest version of this song appears to have been a Middle English poem, dating from the 15th century, found in the British Museum. Usually called "The Fox and the Goose", it goes as follows:     "Pax vobis,"quod the ffox,     "for I am comyn to toowne."     It fell ageyns the next nyght     the fox yede to with all his myghte,     with-outen cole or candelight,     whan that he cam vnto the toowne.     Whan he cam all in the yarde,     soore te geys wer ill a-ferde.     "I shall macke some of yow lerde,     or that I goo from the toowne!"     Whan he cam all in the croofte,     there he stalkyd wundirfull soofte;     "For here haue I be frayed full ofte     whan that I haue come to toowne."     He hente a goose all be the heye;     fast the goose began to creye;     oowte yede men as they myght heye     and seyde, "Fals fox, ley it doowne!"     "Nay," he saide, "soo mot I the—     sche shall go unto the wode with me,     sche and I vnther a tre,     e-mange the beryis browne.     I haue a wyf, and sche lyethe seke;     many smale whelppis sche haue to eke;     many bonys they must pike     will they ley adowne!" It has been recorded by Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Odetta, Salli Terri, The Brothers Four, The Smothers Brothers and The Young Tradition among others. It was printed In Ritson's Gammer Gurton's Garland (1810) (titled "Dame Widdle Waddle"), The Burl Ives Songbook and other (mainly children's) songbooks. It is #131 in the Roud Folk Song Index. It has been adapted to at least two picture books, The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night: an old song, illustrated by Peter Spier and Fox Went out on a Chilly Night, by Wendy Watson. I learned it from The Burl Ives Songbook.