78% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Earliest English print: Thomas Howell, New Sonnets and Pretty Pamphlets (1570), 'Counte not thy Chickens that vnhatched be'; confirmed in Butler's Hudibras (1663). The Aesop link is folklore, not established
Work
Thomas Howell, New Sonnets and Pretty Pamphlets
Occasion
1570
Sources checked
phrases.org.ukChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Howell 1570 and Butler 1663 citations; Aesop link flagged as uncertain
Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.
