Aesop’s Fables
\nBy Aesop<\/p>\n
Translated by George Fyler Townsend<\/p>\n
SECTION 1<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Lamb<\/p>\n
Wolf, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay
\nviolent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the Lamb
\nthe Wolf’s right to eat him. He thus addressed him: “Sirrah, last
\nyear you grossly insulted me.” “Indeed,” bleated the Lamb in a mournful
\ntone of voice, “I was not then born.” Then said the Wolf, “You feed
\nin my pasture.” “No, good sir,” replied the Lamb, “I have not yet
\ntasted grass.” Again said the Wolf, “You drink of my well.” “No,”
\nexclaimed the Lamb, “I never yet drank water, for as yet my mother’s
\nmilk is both food and drink to me.” Upon which the Wolf seized him
\nand ate him up, saying, “Well! I won’t remain supperless, even though
\nyou refute every one of my imputations.” The tyrant will always find
\na pretext for his tyranny.<\/p>\n
The Bat and the Weasels<\/p>\n
A Bat who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded
\nto be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature
\nthe enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird,
\nbut a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortly afterwards the Bat again
\nfell to the ground and was caught by another Weasel, whom he likewise
\nentreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special hostility
\nto mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and
\nthus a second time escaped.<\/p>\n
It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Grasshopper<\/p>\n
An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted;
\nand, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what
\nsort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They
\nreplied, “The dew.” The Ass resolved that he would live only upon
\ndew, and in a short time died of hunger.<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Mouse<\/p>\n
A Kion was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising
\nup angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse
\npiteously entreated, saying: “If you would only spare my life, I would
\nbe sure to repay your kindness.” The Lion laughed and let him go.
\nIt happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters,
\nwho bound him by st ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his
\nroar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim<\/p>\n
“You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting
\nto receive from me any repayment of your favor; I now you know that
\nit is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion.”<\/p>\n
The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller<\/p>\n
A Charcoal-Burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he
\nmet a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him,
\nsaying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping
\nexpenses would be lessened. The Fuller replied, “The arrangement is
\nimpossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten,
\nyou would immediately blacken again with your charcoal.”<\/p>\n
Like will draw like.<\/p>\n
The Father and His Sons<\/p>\n
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among
\nthemselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations,
\nhe determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of
\ndisunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a
\nbundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into
\nthe hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break
\nit in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able
\nto do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one
\nby one, and again put them into his sons’ hands, upon which they broke
\nthem easily. He then addressed them in these words: “My sons, if you
\nare of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this
\nfaggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you
\nare divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these
\nsticks.”<\/p>\n
The Boy Hunting Locusts<\/p>\n
A boy was hunting for locusts. He had caught a goodly number, when
\nhe saw a Scorpion, and mistaking him for a locust, reached out his
\nhand to take him. The Scorpion, showing his sting, said: If you had
\nbut touched me, my friend, you would have lost me, and all your locusts
\ntoo!”<\/p>\n
The Cock and the Jewel<\/p>\n
A Cock, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious
\nstone and exclaimed: “If your owner had found thee, and not I, he
\nwould have taken thee up, and have set thee in thy first estate; but
\nI have found thee for no purpose. I would rather have one barleycorn
\nthan all the jewels in the world.”<\/p>\n
The Kingdom of the Lion<\/p>\n
The beasts of the field and forest had a Lion as their king. He was
\nneither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a
\nking could be. During his reign he made a royal proclamation for a
\ngeneral assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up conditions
\nfor a universal league, in which the Wolf and the Lamb, the Panther
\nand the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, should
\nlive together in perfect peace and amity. The Hare said, “Oh, how
\nI have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their
\nplace with impunity by the side of the strong.” And after the Hare
\nsaid this, he ran for his life.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Crane<\/p>\n
A Wolf who had a bone stuck in his throat hired a Crane, for a large
\nsum, to put her head into his mouth and draw out the bone. When the
\nCrane had extracted the bone and demanded the promised payment, the
\nWolf, grinning and grinding his teeth, exclaimed: “Why, you have surely
\nalready had a sufficient recompense, in having been permitted to draw
\nout your head in safety from the mouth and jaws of a wolf.”<\/p>\n
In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape
\ninjury for your pains.<\/p>\n
The Fisherman Piping<\/p>\n
A fisherman skilled in music took his flute and his nets to the seashore.
\nStanding on a projecting rock, he played several tunes in the hope
\nthat the fish, attracted by his melody, would of their own accord
\ndance into his net, which he had placed below. At last, having long
\nwaited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into
\nthe sea, made an excellent haul of fish. When he saw them leaping
\nabout in the net upon the rock he said: “O you most perverse creatures,
\nwhen I piped you would not dance, but now that I have ceased you do
\nso merrily.”<\/p>\n
Hercules and the Wagoner<\/p>\n
A carter was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels
\nsank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and aghast,
\nstood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to
\nHercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and
\nthus addressed him: “Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad
\non your bullocks, and never more pray to me for help, until you have
\ndone your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth
\npray in vain.”<\/p>\n
Self-help is the best help.<\/p>\n
The Ants and the Grasshopper<\/p>\n
The ants were spending a fine winter’s day drying grain collected
\nin the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by
\nand earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him,
\n“Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?’ He replied,
\n“I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing.” They then
\nsaid in derision: “If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer,
\nyou must dance supperless to bed in the winter.”<\/p>\n
The Traveler and His Dog<\/p>\n
A traveler about to set out on a journey saw his Dog stand at the
\ndoor stretching himself. He asked him sharply: “Why do you stand there
\ngaping? Everything is ready but you, so come with me instantly.” The
\nDog, wagging his tail, replied: “O, master! I am quite ready; it is
\nyou for whom I am waiting.”<\/p>\n
The loiterer often blames delay on his more active friend.<\/p>\n
The Dog and the Shadow<\/p>\n
A Dog, crossing a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his
\nmouth, saw his own shadow in the water and took it for that of another
\nDog, with a piece of meat double his own in size. He immediately let
\ngo of his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog to get his larger
\npiece from him. He thus lost both: that which he grasped at in the
\nwater, because it was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept
\nit away.<\/p>\n
The Mole and His Mother<\/p>\n
A Mole, a creature blind from birth, once said to his Mother: “I am
\nsure than I can see, Mother!” In the desire to prove to him his mistake,
\nhis Mother placed before him a few grains of frankincense, and asked,
\n“What is it?’ The young Mole said, “It is a pebble.” His Mother exclaimed:
\n“My son, I am afraid that you are not only blind, but that you have
\nlost your sense of smell.<\/p>\n
The Herdsman and the Lost Bull<\/p>\n
A herdsman tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf from the
\nfold. After a long and fruitless search, he made a vow that, if he
\ncould only discover the thief who had stolen the Calf, he would offer
\na lamb in sacrifice to Hermes, Pan, and the Guardian Deities of the
\nforest. Not long afterwards, as he ascended a small hillock, he saw
\nat its foot a Lion feeding on the Calf. Terrified at the sight, he
\nlifted his eyes and his hands to heaven, and said: “Just now I vowed
\nto offer a lamb to the Guardian Deities of the forest if I could only
\nfind out who had robbed me; but now that I have discovered the thief,
\nI would willingly add a full-grown Bull to the Calf I have lost, if
\nI may only secure my own escape from him in safety.”<\/p>\n
The Hare and the Tortoise<\/p>\n
A Hare one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise,
\nwho replied, laughing: “Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat
\nyou in a race.” The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible,
\nassented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose
\nthe course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the
\ntwo started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but
\nwent on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course.
\nThe Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking
\nup, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached
\nthe goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue.<\/p>\n
Slow but steady wins the race.<\/p>\n
The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble<\/p>\n
The Pomegranate and Apple-Tree disputed as to which was the most beautiful.
\nWhen their strife was at its height, a Bramble from the neighboring
\nhedge lifted up its voice, and said in a boastful tone: “Pray, my
\ndear friends, in my presence at least cease from such vain disputings.”<\/p>\n
The Farmer and the Stork<\/p>\n
A Farmer placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught a number
\nof Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he trapped a
\nStork that had fractured his leg in the net and was earnestly beseeching
\nthe Farmer to spare his life. “Pray save me, Master,” he said, “and
\nlet me go free this once. My broken limb should excite your pity.
\nBesides, I am no Crane, I am a Stork, a bird of excellent character;
\nand see how I love and slave for my father and mother. Look too, at
\nmy feathers– they are not the least like those of a Crane.” The
\nFarmer laughed aloud and said, “It may be all as you say, I only know
\nthis: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must
\ndie in their company.”<\/p>\n
Birds of a feather flock together.<\/p>\n
The Farmer and the Snake<\/p>\n
One winter a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He had
\ncompassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake
\nwas quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts,
\nbit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound. “Oh,” cried
\nthe Farmer with his last breath, “I am rightly served for pitying
\na scoundrel.”<\/p>\n
The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.<\/p>\n
The Fawn and His Mother<\/p>\n
A young fawn once said to his Mother, “You are larger than a dog,
\nand swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as
\na defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frighten you so?” She
\nsmiled, and said: “I know full well, my son, that all you say is true.
\nI have the advantages you mention, but when I hear even the bark of
\na single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as fast as I can.”<\/p>\n
No arguments will give courage to the coward.<\/p>\n
The Bear and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Bear boasted very much of his philanthropy, saying that of all animals
\nhe was the most tender in his regard for man, for he had such respect
\nfor him that he would not even touch his dead body. A Fox hearing
\nthese words said with a smile to the Bear, “Oh! that you would eat
\nthe dead and not the living.”<\/p>\n
The Swallow and the Crow<\/p>\n
The Swallow and the Crow had a contention about their plumage. The
\nCrow put an end to the dispute by saying, “Your feathers are all very
\nwell in the spring, but mine protect me against the winter.”<\/p>\n
Fair weather friends are not worth much.<\/p>\n
The Mountain in Labor<\/p>\n
A Mountain was once greatly agitated. Loud groans and noises were
\nheard, and crowds of people came from all parts to see what was the
\nmatter. While they were assembled in anxious expectation of some terrible
\ncalamity, out came a Mouse.<\/p>\n
Don’t make much ado about nothing.<\/p>\n
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Fox, having entered into partnership together for
\ntheir mutual protection, went out into the forest to hunt. They had
\nnot proceeded far when they met a Lion. The Fox, seeing imminent danger,
\napproached the Lion and promised to contrive for him the capture of
\nthe Ass if the Lion would pledge his word not to harm the Fox. Then,
\nupon assuring the Ass that he would not be injured, the Fox led him
\nto a deep pit and arranged that he should fall into it. The Lion,
\nseeing that the Ass was secured, immediately clutched the Fox, and
\nattacked the Ass at his leisure.<\/p>\n
The Tortoise and the Eagle<\/p>\n
A Tortoise, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds
\nof her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. An Eagle, hovering
\nnear, heard her lamentation and demanded what reward she would give
\nhim if he would take her aloft and float her in the air. “I will give
\nyou,” she said, “all the riches of the Red Sea.” “I will teach you
\nto fly then,” said the Eagle; and taking her up in his talons he carried
\nher almost to the clouds suddenly he let her go, and she fell on a
\nlofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces. The Tortoise exclaimed
\nin the moment of death: “I have deserved my present fate; for what
\nhad I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about
\non the earth?’<\/p>\n
If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.<\/p>\n
The Flies and the Honey-Pot<\/p>\n
A number of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been
\noverturned in a housekeeper’s room, and placing their feet in it,
\nate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey
\nthat they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were
\nsuffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, “O foolish
\ncreatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed
\nourselves.”<\/p>\n
Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.<\/p>\n
The Man and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Man and a Lion traveled together through the forest. They soon began
\nto boast of their respective superiority to each other in strength
\nand prowess. As they were disputing, they passed a statue carved in
\nstone, which represented “a Lion strangled by a Man.” The traveler
\npointed to it and said: “See there! How strong we are, and how we
\nprevail over even the king of beasts.” The Lion replied: “This statue
\nwas made by one of you men. If we Lions knew how to erect statues,
\nyou would see the Man placed under the paw of the Lion.”<\/p>\n
One story is good, till another is told.<\/p>\n
The Farmer and the Cranes<\/p>\n
Some cranes made their feeding grounds on some plowlands newly sown
\nwith wheat. For a long time the Farmer, brandishing an empty sling,
\nchased them away by the terror he inspired; but when the birds found
\nthat the sling was only swung in the air, they ceased to take any
\nnotice of it and would not move. The Farmer, on seeing this, charged
\nhis sling with stones, and killed a great number. The remaining birds
\nat once forsook his fields, crying to each other, “It is time for
\nus to be off to Liliput: for this man is no longer content to scare
\nus, but begins to show us in earnest what he can do.”<\/p>\n
If words suffice not, blows must follow.<\/p>\n
The Dog in the Manger<\/p>\n
A Dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented
\nthe oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. “What
\na selfish Dog!” said one of them to his companions; “he cannot eat
\nthe hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Goat<\/p>\n
A Fox one day fell into a deep well and could find no means of escape.
\nA Goat, overcome with thirst, came to the same well, and seeing the
\nFox, inquired if the water was good. Concealing his sad plight under
\na merry guise, the Fox indulged in a lavish praise of the water, saying
\nit was excellent beyond measure, and encouraging him to descend. The
\nGoat, mindful only of his thirst, thoughtlessly jumped down, but just
\nas he drank, the Fox informed him of the difficulty they were both
\nin and suggested a scheme for their common escape. “If,” said he,
\n“you will place your forefeet upon the wall and bend your head, I
\nwill run up your back and escape, and will help you out afterwards.”
\nThe Goat readily assented and the Fox leaped upon his back. Steadying
\nhimself with the Goat’s horns, he safely reached the mouth of the
\nwell and made off as fast as he could. When the Goat upbraided him
\nfor breaking his promise, he turned around and cried out, “You foolish
\nold fellow! If you had as many brains in your head as you have hairs
\nin your beard, you would never have gone down before you had inspected
\nthe way up, nor have exposed yourself to dangers from which you had
\nno means of escape.”<\/p>\n
Look before you leap.<\/p>\n
The Bear and the Two Travelers<\/p>\n
Two men were traveling together, when a Bear suddenly met them on
\ntheir path. One of them climbed up quickly into a tree and concealed
\nhimself in the branches. The other, seeing that he must be attacked,
\nfell flat on the ground, and when the Bear came up and felt him with
\nhis snout, and smelt him all over, he held his breath, and feigned
\nthe appearance of death as much as he could. The Bear soon left him,
\nfor it is said he will not touch a dead body. When he was quite gone,
\nthe other Traveler descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired
\nof his friend what it was the Bear had whispered in his ear. “He gave
\nme this advice,” his companion replied. “Never travel with a friend
\nwho deserts you at the approach of danger.”<\/p>\n
Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.<\/p>\n
The Oxen and the Axle-Trees<\/p>\n
A heavy wagon was being dragged along a country lane by a team of
\nOxen. The Axle-trees groaned and creaked terribly; whereupon the Oxen,
\nturning round, thus addressed the wheels: “Hullo there! why do you
\nmake so much noise? We bear all the labor, and we, not you, ought
\nto cry out.”<\/p>\n
Those who suffer most cry out the least.<\/p>\n
The Thirsty Pigeon<\/p>\n
A Pigeon, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water painted
\non a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards
\nit with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard,
\njarring herself terribly. Having broken her wings by the blow, she
\nfell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders.<\/p>\n
Zeal should not outrun discretion.<\/p>\n
The Raven and the Swan<\/p>\n
A Raven saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful
\nplumage. Supposing that the Swan’s splendid white color arose from
\nhis washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars
\nin the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence
\nin the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he
\nwould, he could not change their color, while through want of food
\nhe perished.<\/p>\n
Change of habit cannot alter Nature.<\/p>\n
The Goat and the Goatherd<\/p>\n
A Goatherd had sought to bring back a stray goat to his flock. He
\nwhistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no attention
\nto the summons. At last the Goatherd threw a stone, and breaking its
\nhorn, begged the Goat not to tell his master. The Goat replied, “Why,
\nyou silly fellow, the horn will speak though I be silent.”<\/p>\n
Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid.<\/p>\n
The Miser<\/p>\n
A Miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried
\nin a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look
\nat daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot
\nand decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret
\nof the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold,
\nand stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and
\nbegan to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor,
\nseeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, “Pray
\ndo not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole,
\nand fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite
\nthe same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as
\nyou did not make the slightest use of it.”<\/p>\n
The Sick Lion<\/p>\n
A Lion, unable from old age and infirmities to provide himself with
\nfood by force, resolved to do so by artifice. He returned to his den,
\nand lying down there, pretended to be sick, taking care that his sickness
\nshould be publicly known. The beasts expressed their sorrow, and came
\none by one to his den, where the Lion devoured them. After many of
\nthe beasts had thus disappeared, the Fox discovered the trick and
\npresenting himself to the Lion, stood on the outside of the cave,
\nat a respectful distance, and asked him how he was. “I am very middling,”
\nreplied the Lion, “but why do you stand without? Pray enter within
\nto talk with me.” “No, thank you,” said the Fox. “I notice that there
\nare many prints of feet entering your cave, but I see no trace of
\nany returning.”<\/p>\n
He is wise who is warned by the misfortunes of others.<\/p>\n
The Horse and Groom<\/p>\n
A Groom used to spend whole days in currycombing and rubbing down
\nhis Horse, but at the same time stole his oats and sold them for his
\nown profit. “Alas!” said the Horse, “if you really wish me to be in
\ngood condition, you should groom me less, and feed me more.”<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Lapdog<\/p>\n
A Man had an Ass, and a Maltese Lapdog, a very great beauty. The Ass
\nwas left in a stable and had plenty of oats and hay to eat, just as
\nany other Ass would. The Lapdog knew many tricks and was a great favorite
\nwith his master, who often fondled him and seldom went out to dine
\nwithout bringing him home some tidbit to eat. The Ass, on the contrary,
\nhad much work to do in grinding the corn-mill and in carrying wood
\nfrom the forest or burdens from the farm. He often lamented his own
\nhard fate and contrasted it with the luxury and idleness of the Lapdog,
\ntill at last one day he broke his cords and halter, and galloped into
\nhis master’s house, kicking up his heels without measure, and frisking
\nand fawning as well as he could. He next tried to jump about his master
\nas he had seen the Lapdog do, but he broke the table and smashed all
\nthe dishes upon it to atoms. He then attempted to lick his master,
\nand jumped upon his back. The servants, hearing the strange hubbub
\nand perceiving the danger of their master, quickly relieved him, and
\ndrove out the Ass to his stable with kicks and clubs and cuffs. The
\nAss, as he returned to his stall beaten nearly to death, thus lamented:
\n“I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented
\nto labor with my companions, and not wish to be idle all the day like
\nthat useless little Lapdog!”<\/p>\n
The Lioness<\/p>\n
A controversy prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which
\nof the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest
\nnumber of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence
\nof the Lioness and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute.
\n“And you,” they said, “how many sons have you at a birth?’ The Lioness
\nlaughed at them, and said: “Why! I have only one; but that one is
\naltogether a thoroughbred Lion.”<\/p>\n
The value is in the worth, not in the number.<\/p>\n
The Boasting Traveler<\/p>\n
A Man who had traveled in foreign lands boasted very much, on returning
\nto his own country, of the many wonderful and heroic feats he had
\nperformed in the different places he had visited. Among other things,
\nhe said that when he was at Rhodes he had leaped to such a distance
\nthat no man of his day could leap anywhere near him as to that, there
\nwere in Rhodes many persons who saw him do it and whom he could call
\nas witnesses. One of the bystanders interrupted him, saying: “Now,
\nmy good man, if this be all true there is no need of witnesses. Suppose
\nthis to be Rhodes, and leap for us.”<\/p>\n
The Cat and the Cock<\/p>\n
A Cat caught a Cock, and pondered how he might find a reasonable excuse
\nfor eating him. He accused him of being a nuisance to men by crowing
\nin the nighttime and not permitting them to sleep. The Cock defended
\nhimself by saying that he did this for the benefit of men, that they
\nmight rise in time for their labors. The Cat replied, “Although you
\nabound in specious apologies, I shall not remain supperless”; and
\nhe made a meal of him.<\/p>\n
The Piglet, the Sheep, and the Goat<\/p>\n
A young Pig was shut up in a fold-yard with a Goat and a Sheep. On
\none occasion when the shepherd laid hold of him, he grunted and squeaked
\nand resisted violently. The Sheep and the Goat complained of his distressing
\ncries, saying, “He often handles us, and we do not cry out.” To this
\nthe Pig replied, “Your handling and mine are very different things.
\nHe catches you only for your wool, or your milk, but he lays hold
\non me for my very life.”<\/p>\n
The Boy and the Filberts<\/p>\n
A Boy put his hand into a pitcher full of filberts. He grasped as
\nmany as he could possibly hold, but when he tried to pull out his
\nhand, he was prevented from doing so by the neck of the pitcher. Unwilling
\nto lose his filberts, and yet unable to withdraw his hand, he burst
\ninto tears and bitterly lamented his disappointment. A bystander said
\nto him, “Be satisfied with half the quantity, and you will readily
\ndraw out your hand.”<\/p>\n
Do not attempt too much at once.<\/p>\n
The Lion in Love<\/p>\n
A Lion demanded the daughter of a woodcutter in marriage. The Father,
\nunwilling to grant, and yet afraid to refuse his request, hit upon
\nthis expedient to rid himself of his importunities. He expressed his
\nwillingness to accept the Lion as the suitor of his daughter on one
\ncondition: that he should allow him to extract his teeth, and cut
\noff his claws, as his daughter was fearfully afraid of both. The Lion
\ncheerfully assented to the proposal. But when the toothless, clawless
\nLion returned to repeat his request, the Woodman, no longer afraid,
\nset upon him with his club, and drove him away into the forest.<\/p>\n
The Laborer and the Snake<\/p>\n
A Snake, having made his hole close to the porch of a cottage, inflicted
\na mortal bite on the Cottager’s infant son. Grieving over his loss,
\nthe Father resolved to kill the Snake. The next day, when it came
\nout of its hole for food, he took up his axe, but by swinging too
\nhastily, missed its head and cut off only the end of its tail. After
\nsome time the Cottager, afraid that the Snake would bite him also,
\nendeavored to make peace, and placed some bread and salt in the hole.
\nThe Snake, slightly hissing, said: “There can henceforth be no peace
\nbetween us; for whenever I see you I shall remember the loss of my
\ntail, and whenever you see me you will be thinking of the death of
\nyour son.”<\/p>\n
No one truly forgets injuries in the presence of him who caused the
\ninjury.<\/p>\n
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing<\/p>\n
Once upon a time a Wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order
\nto secure food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured
\nwith the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening
\nhe was shut up by the shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and
\nthe entrance made thoroughly secure. But the shepherd, returning to
\nthe fold during the night to obtain meat for the next day, mistakenly
\ncaught up the Wolf instead of a sheep, and killed him instantly.<\/p>\n
Harm seek. Harm find.<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Mule<\/p>\n
A Muleteer set forth on a journey, driving before him an Ass and a
\nMule, both well laden. The Ass, as long as he traveled along the plain,
\ncarried his load with ease, but when he began to ascend the steep
\npath of the mountain, felt his load to be more than he could bear.
\nHe entreated his companion to relieve him of a small portion, that
\nhe might carry home the rest; but the Mule paid no attention to the
\nrequest. The Ass shortly afterwards fell down dead under his burden.
\nNot knowing what else to do in so wild a region, the Muleteer placed
\nupon the Mule the load carried by the Ass in addition to his own,
\nand at the top of all placed the hide of the Ass, after he had skinned
\nhim. The Mule, groaning beneath his heavy burden, said to himself:
\n“I am treated according to my deserts. If I had only been willing
\nto assist the Ass a little in his need, I should not now be bearing,
\ntogether with his burden, himself as well.”<\/p>\n
The Frogs Asking for a King<\/p>\n
The Frogs, grieved at having no established Ruler, sent ambassadors
\nto Jupiter entreating for a King. Perceiving their simplicity, he
\ncast down a huge log into the lake. The Frogs were terrified at the
\nsplash occasioned by its fall and hid themselves in the depths of
\nthe pool. But as soon as they realized that the huge log was motionless,
\nthey swam again to the top of the water, dismissed their fears, climbed
\nup, and began squatting on it in contempt. After some time they began
\nto think themselves ill-treated in the appointment of so inert a Ruler,
\nand sent a second deputation to Jupiter to pray that he would set
\nover them another sovereign. He then gave them an Eel to govern them.
\nWhen the Frogs discovered his easy good nature, they sent yet a third
\ntime to Jupiter to beg him to choose for them still another King.
\nJupiter, displeased with all their complaints, sent a Heron, who preyed
\nupon the Frogs day by day till there were none left to croak upon
\nthe lake.<\/p>\n
The Boys and the Frogs<\/p>\n
Some boys, playing near a pond, saw a number of Frogs in the water
\nand began to pelt them with stones. They killed several of them, when
\none of the Frogs, lifting his head out of the water, cried out: “Pray
\nstop, my boys: what is sport to you, is death to us.”<\/p>\n
The Sick Stag<\/p>\n
A sick stag lay down in a quiet corner of its pasture-ground. His
\ncompanions came in great numbers to inquire after his health, and
\neach one helped himself to a share of the food which had been placed
\nfor his use; so that he died, not from his sickness, but from the
\nfailure of the means of living.<\/p>\n
Evil companions bring more hurt than profit.<\/p>\n
The Salt Merchant and His Ass<\/p>\n
A Peddler drove his Ass to the seashore to buy salt. His road home
\nlay across a stream into which his Ass, making a false step, fell
\nby accident and rose up again with his load considerably lighter,
\nas the water melted the sack. The Peddler retraced his steps and refilled
\nhis panniers with a larger quantity of salt than before. When he came
\nagain to the stream, the Ass fell down on purpose in the same spot,
\nand, regaining his feet with the weight of his load much diminished,
\nbrayed triumphantly as if he had obtained what he desired. The Peddler
\nsaw through his trick and drove him for the third time to the coast,
\nwhere he bought a cargo of sponges instead of salt. The Ass, again
\nplaying the fool, fell down on purpose when he reached the stream,
\nbut the sponges became swollen with water, greatly increasing his
\nload. And thus his trick recoiled on him, for he now carried on his
\nback a double burden.<\/p>\n
The Oxen and the Butchers<\/p>\n
The Oxen once upon a time sought to destroy the Butchers, who practiced
\na trade destructive to their race. They assembled on a certain day
\nto carry out their purpose, and sharpened their horns for the contest.
\nBut one of them who was exceedingly old (for many a field had he plowed)
\nthus spoke: “These Butchers, it is true, slaughter us, but they do
\nso with skillful hands, and with no unnecessary pain. If we get rid
\nof them, we shall fall into the hands of unskillful operators, and
\nthus suffer a double death: for you may be assured, that though all
\nthe Butchers should perish, yet will men never want beef.”<\/p>\n
Do not be in a hurry to change one evil for another.<\/p>\n
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Lion, fatigued by the heat of a summer’s day, fell fast asleep in
\nhis den. A Mouse ran over his mane and ears and woke him from his
\nslumbers. He rose up and shook himself in great wrath, and searched
\nevery corner of his den to find the Mouse. A Fox seeing him said:
\n“A fine Lion you are, to be frightened of a Mouse.” “‘Tis not the
\nMouse I fear,” said the Lion; “I resent his familiarity and ill-breeding.”<\/p>\n
Little liberties are great offenses.<\/p>\n
The Vain Jackdaw<\/p>\n
Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds,
\nand made proclamation that on a certain day they should all present
\nthemselves before him, when he would himself choose the most beautiful
\namong them to be king. The Jackdaw, knowing his own ugliness, searched
\nthrough the woods and fields, and collected the feathers which had
\nfallen from the wings of his companions, and stuck them in all parts
\nof his body, hoping thereby to make himself the most beautiful of
\nall. When the appointed day arrived, and the birds had assembled before
\nJupiter, the Jackdaw also made his appearance in his many feathered
\nfinery. But when Jupiter proposed to make him king because of the
\nbeauty of his plumage, the birds indignantly protested, and each plucked
\nfrom him his own feathers, leaving the Jackdaw nothing but a Jackdaw.<\/p>\n
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats<\/p>\n
A Goatherd, driving his flock from their pasture at eventide, found
\nsome Wild Goats mingled among them, and shut them up together with
\nhis own for the night. The next day it snowed very hard, so that he
\ncould not take the herd to their usual feeding places, but was obliged
\nto keep them in the fold. He gave his own goats just sufficient food
\nto keep them alive, but fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope
\nof enticing them to stay with him and of making them his own. When
\nthe thaw set in, he led them all out to feed, and the Wild Goats scampered
\naway as fast as they could to the mountains. The Goatherd scolded
\nthem for their ingratitude in leaving him, when during the storm he
\nhad taken more care of them than of his own herd. One of them, turning
\nabout, said to him: “That is the very reason why we are so cautious;
\nfor if you yesterday treated us better than the Goats you have had
\nso long, it is plain also that if others came after us, you would
\nin the same manner prefer them to ourselves.”<\/p>\n
Old friends cannot with impunity be sacrificed for new ones.<\/p>\n
The Mischievous Dog<\/p>\n
A Dog used to run up quietly to the heels of everyone he met, and
\nto bite them without notice. His master suspended a bell about his
\nneck so that the Dog might give notice of his presence wherever he
\nwent. Thinking it a mark of distinction, the Dog grew proud of his
\nbell and went tinkling it all over the marketplace. One day an old
\nhound said to him: Why do you make such an exhibition of yourself?
\nThat bell that you carry is not, believe me, any order of merit, but
\non the contrary a mark of disgrace, a public notice to all men to
\navoid you as an ill mannered dog.”<\/p>\n
Notoriety is often mistaken for fame.<\/p>\n
The Fox Who Had Lost His Tail<\/p>\n
A Fox caught in a trap escaped, but in so doing lost his tail. Thereafter,
\nfeeling his life a burden from the shame and ridicule to which he
\nwas exposed, he schemed to convince all the other Foxes that being
\ntailless was much more attractive, thus making up for his own deprivation.
\nHe assembled a good many Foxes and publicly advised them to cut off
\ntheir tails, saying that they would not only look much better without
\nthem, but that they would get rid of the weight of the brush, which
\nwas a very great inconvenience. One of them interrupting him said,
\n“If you had not yourself lost your tail, my friend, you would not
\nthus counsel us.”<\/p>\n
The Boy and the Nettles<\/p>\n
A Boy was stung by a Nettle. He ran home and told his Mother, saying,
\n“Although it hurts me very much, I only touched it gently.” “That
\nwas just why it stung you,” said his Mother. “The next time you touch
\na Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be soft as silk to your hand,
\nand not in the least hurt you.”<\/p>\n
Whatever you do, do with all your might.<\/p>\n
The Man and His Two Sweethearts<\/p>\n
A middle-aged man, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two
\nwomen at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well
\nadvanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man
\nyounger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer visited her,
\nto pull out some portion of his black hairs. The younger, on the contrary,
\nnot wishing to become the wife of an old man, was equally zealous
\nin removing every gray hair she could find. Thus it came to pass that
\nbetween them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on
\nhis head.<\/p>\n
Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.<\/p>\n
The Astronomer<\/p>\n
An astronomer used to go out at night to observe the stars. One evening,
\nas he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed
\non the sky, he fell accidentally into a deep well. While he lamented
\nand bewailed his sores and bruises, and cried loudly for help, a neighbor
\nran to the well, and learning what had happened said: “Hark ye, old
\nfellow, why, in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do you not
\nmanage to see what is on earth?’<\/p>\n
The Wolves and the Sheep<\/p>\n
“Why should there always be this fear and slaughter between us?” said
\nthe Wolves to the Sheep. “Those evil-disposed Dogs have much to answer
\nfor. They always bark whenever we approach you and attack us before
\nwe have done any harm. If you would only dismiss them from your heels,
\nthere might soon be treaties of peace and reconciliation between us.”
\nThe Sheep, poor silly creatures, were easily beguiled and dismissed
\nthe Dogs, whereupon the Wolves destroyed the unguarded flock at their
\nown pleasure.<\/p>\n
The Old Woman and the Physician<\/p>\n
An Old Woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician
\nto heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses:
\nthat if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a
\nsum of money; but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing.
\nThis agreement being made, the Physician, time after time, applied
\nhis salve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing
\nall her property little by little. And when he had got all she had,
\nhe healed her and demanded the promised payment. The Old Woman, when
\nshe recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would
\ngive him nothing. The Physician insisted on his claim, and. as she
\nstill refused, summoned her before the Judge. The Old Woman, standing
\nup in the Court, argued: “This man here speaks the truth in what he
\nsays; for I did promise to give him a sum of money if I should recover
\nmy sight: but if I continued blind, I was to give him nothing. Now
\nhe declares that I am healed. I on the contrary affirm that I am still
\nblind; for when I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various
\nchattels and valuable goods: but now, though he swears I am cured
\nof my blindness, I am not able to see a single thing in it.”<\/p>\n
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle<\/p>\n
Two game Cocks were fiercely fighting for the mastery of the farmyard.
\nOne at last put the other to flight. The vanquished Cock skulked away
\nand hid himself in a quiet corner, while the conqueror, flying up
\nto a high wall, flapped his wings and crowed exultingly with all his
\nmight. An Eagle sailing through the air pounced upon him and carried
\nhim off in his talons. The vanquished Cock immediately came out of
\nhis corner, and ruled henceforth with undisputed mastery.<\/p>\n
Pride goes before destruction.<\/p>\n
The Charger and the Miller<\/p>\n
A Charger, feeling the infirmities of age, was sent to work in a mill
\ninstead of going out to battle. But when he was compelled to grind
\ninstead of serving in the wars, he bewailed his change of fortune
\nand called to mind his former state, saying, “Ah! Miller, I had indeed
\nto go campaigning before, but I was barbed from counter to tail, and
\na man went along to groom me; and now I cannot understand what ailed
\nme to prefer the mill before the battle.” “Forbear,” said the Miller
\nto him, “harping on what was of yore, for it is the common lot of
\nmortals to sustain the ups and downs of fortune.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Monkey<\/p>\n
A Monkey once danced in an assembly of the Beasts, and so pleased
\nthem all by his performance that they elected him their King. A Fox,
\nenvying him the honor, discovered a piece of meat lying in a trap,
\nand leading the Monkey to the place where it was, said that she had
\nfound a store, but had not used it, she had kept it for him as treasure
\ntrove of his kingdom, and counseled him to lay hold of it. The Monkey
\napproached carelessly and was caught in the trap; and on his accusing
\nthe Fox of purposely leading him into the snare, she replied, “O Monkey,
\nand are you, with such a mind as yours, going to be King over the
\nBeasts?”<\/p>\n
The Horse and His Rider<\/p>\n
A horse Soldier took the utmost pains with his charger. As long as
\nthe war lasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies
\nand fed him carefully with hay and corn. But when the war was over,
\nhe only allowed him chaff to eat and made him carry heavy loads of
\nwood, subjecting him to much slavish drudgery and ill-treatment. War
\nwas again proclaimed, however, and when the trumpet summoned him to
\nhis standard, the Soldier put on his charger its military trappings,
\nand mounted, being clad in his heavy coat of mail. The Horse fell
\ndown straightway under the weight, no longer equal to the burden,
\nand said to his master, “You must now go to the war on foot, for you
\nhave transformed me from a Horse into an Ass; and how can you expect
\nthat I can again turn in a moment from an Ass to a Horse?’<\/p>\n
The Belly and the Members<\/p>\n
The Members of the Body rebelled against the Belly, and said, “Why
\nshould we be perpetually engaged in administering to your wants, while
\nyou do nothing but take your rest, and enjoy yourself in luxury and
\nself-indulgence?’ The Members carried out their resolve and refused
\ntheir assistance to the Belly. The whole Body quickly became debilitated,
\nand the hands, feet, mouth, and eyes, when too late, repented of their
\nfolly.<\/p>\n
The Vine and the Goat<\/p>\n
A Vine was luxuriant in the time of vintage with leaves and grapes.
\nA Goat, passing by, nibbled its young tendrils and its leaves. The
\nVine addressed him and said: “Why do you thus injure me without a
\ncause, and crop my leaves? Is there no young grass left? But I shall
\nnot have to wait long for my just revenge; for if you now should crop
\nmy leaves, and cut me down to my root, I shall provide the wine to
\npour over you when you are led as a victim to the sacrifice.”<\/p>\n
Jupiter and the Monkey<\/p>\n
Jupiter issued a proclamation to all the beasts of the forest and
\npromised a royal reward to the one whose offspring should be deemed
\nthe handsomest. The Monkey came with the rest and presented, with
\nall a mother’s tenderness, a flat-nosed, hairless, ill-featured young
\nMonkey as a candidate for the promised reward. A general laugh saluted
\nher on the presentation of her son. She resolutely said, “I know not
\nwhether Jupiter will allot the prize to my son, but this I do know,
\nthat he is at least in the eyes of me his mother, the dearest, handsomest,
\nand most beautiful of all.”<\/p>\n
The Widow and Her Little Maidens<\/p>\n
A Widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on
\nher. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at
\ncockcrow. The maidens, aggravated by such excessive labor, resolved
\nto kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had
\ndone this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater
\ntroubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the hour from the
\ncock, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A Shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought
\nout the villagers three or four times by crying out, “Wolf! Wolf!”
\nand when his neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their
\npains. The Wolf, however, did truly come at last. The Shepherd-boy,
\nnow really alarmed, shouted in an agony of terror: “Pray, do come
\nand help me; the Wolf is killing the sheep”; but no one paid any heed
\nto his cries, nor rendered any assistance. The Wolf, having no cause
\nof fear, at his leisure lacerated or destroyed the whole flock.<\/p>\n
There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.<\/p>\n
The Cat and the Birds<\/p>\n
A Cat, hearing that the Birds in a certain aviary were ailing dressed
\nhimself up as a physician, and, taking his cane and a bag of instruments
\nbecoming his profession, went to call on them. He knocked at the door
\nand inquired of the inmates how they all did, saying that if they
\nwere ill, he would be happy to prescribe for them and cure them. They
\nreplied, “We are all very well, and shall continue so, if you will
\nonly be good enough to go away, and leave us as we are.”<\/p>\n
The Kid and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A Kid standing on the roof of a house, out of harm’s way, saw a Wolf
\npassing by and immediately began to taunt and revile him. The Wolf,
\nlooking up, said, “Sirrah! I hear thee: yet it is not thou who mockest
\nme, but the roof on which thou art standing.”<\/p>\n
Time and place often give the advantage to the weak over the strong.<\/p>\n
The Ox and the Frog<\/p>\n
An Ox drinking at a pool trod on a brood of young frogs and crushed
\none of them to death. The Mother coming up, and missing one of her
\nsons, inquired of his brothers what had become of him. “He is dead,
\ndear Mother; for just now a very huge beast with four great feet came
\nto the pool and crushed him to death with his cloven heel.” The Frog,
\npuffing herself out, inquired, “if the beast was as big as that in
\nsize.” “Cease, Mother, to puff yourself out,” said her son, “and do
\nnot be angry; for you would, I assure you, sooner burst than successfully
\nimitate the hugeness of that monster.”<\/p>\n
SECTION 2<\/p>\n
The Shepherd and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A Shepherd once found the whelp of a Wolf and brought it up, and
\nafter a while taught it to steal lambs from the neighboring flocks.
\nThe Wolf, having shown himself an apt pupil, said to the Shepherd,
\n“Since you have taught me to steal, you must keep a sharp lookout,
\nor you will lose some of your own flock.”<\/p>\n
The Father and His Two Daughters<\/p>\n
A Man had two daughters, the one married to a gardener, and the other
\nto a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who had married
\nthe gardener, and inquired how she was and how all things went with
\nher. She said, “All things are prospering with me, and I have only
\none wish, that there may be a heavy fall of rain, in order that the
\nplants may be well watered.” Not long after, he went to the daughter
\nwho had married the tilemaker, and likewise inquired of her how she
\nfared; she replied, “I want for nothing, and have only one wish, that
\nthe dry weather may continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so
\nthat the bricks might be dried.” He said to her, “If your sister wishes
\nfor rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join
\nmy wishes?’<\/p>\n
The Farmer and His Sons<\/p>\n
A father, being on the point of death, wished to be sure that his
\nsons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given
\nit. He called them to his bedside and said, “My sons, there is a great
\ntreasure hid in one of my vineyards.” The sons, after his death, took
\ntheir spades and mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of
\ntheir land. They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labor
\nby an extraordinary and superabundant crop.<\/p>\n
The Crab and Its Mother<\/p>\n
A Crab said to her son, “Why do you walk so one-sided, my child? It
\nis far more becoming to go straight forward.” The young Crab replied:
\n“Quite true, dear Mother; and if you will show me the straight way,
\nI will promise to walk in it.” The Mother tried in vain, and submitted
\nwithout remonstrance to the reproof of her child.<\/p>\n
Example is more powerful than precept.<\/p>\n
The Heifer and the Ox<\/p>\n
A Heifer saw an Ox hard at work harnessed to a plow, and tormented
\nhim with reflections on his unhappy fate in being compelled to labor.
\nShortly afterwards, at the harvest festival, the owner released the
\nOx from his yoke, but bound the Heifer with cords and led him away
\nto the altar to be slain in honor of the occasion. The Ox saw what
\nwas being done, and said with a smile to the Heifer: “For this you
\nwere allowed to live in idleness, because you were presently to be
\nsacrificed.”<\/p>\n
The Swallow, the Serpent, and the Court of Justice<\/p>\n
A Swallow, returning from abroad and especially fond of dwelling with
\nmen, built herself a nest in the wall of a Court of Justice and there
\nhatched seven young birds. A Serpent gliding past the nest from its
\nhole in the wall ate up the young unfledged nestlings. The Swallow,
\nfinding her nest empty, lamented greatly and exclaimed: “Woe to me
\na stranger! that in this place where all others’ rights are protected,
\nI alone should suffer wrong.”<\/p>\n
The Thief and His Mother<\/p>\n
A Boy stole a lesson-book from one of his schoolfellows and took it
\nhome to his Mother. She not only abstained from beating him, but encouraged
\nhim. He next time stole a cloak and brought it to her, and she again
\ncommended him. The Youth, advanced to adulthood, proceeded to steal
\nthings of still greater value. At last he was caught in the very act,
\nand having his hands bound behind him, was led away to the place of
\npublic execution. His Mother followed in the crowd and violently beat
\nher breast in sorrow, whereupon the young man said, “I wish to say
\nsomething to my Mother in her ear.” She came close to him, and he
\nquickly seized her ear with his teeth and bit it off. The Mother upbraided
\nhim as an unnatural child, whereon he replied, “Ah! if you had beaten
\nme when I first stole and brought to you that lesson-book, I should
\nnot have come to this, nor have been thus led to a disgraceful death.”<\/p>\n
The Old Man and Death<\/p>\n
An Old Man was employed in cutting wood in the forest, and, in carrying
\nthe faggots to the city for sale one day, became very wearied with
\nhis long journey. He sat down by the wayside, and throwing down his
\nload, besought “Death” to come. “Death” immediately appeared in answer
\nto his summons and asked for what reason he had called him. The Old
\nMan hurriedly replied, “That, lifting up the load, you may place it
\nagain upon my shoulders.”<\/p>\n
The Fir-Tree and the Bramble<\/p>\n
A Fir-Tree said boastingly to the Bramble, “You are useful for nothing
\nat all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses.” The Bramble
\nanswered: ‘You poor creature, if you would only call to mind the axes
\nand saws which are about to hew you down, you would have reason to
\nwish that you had grown up a Bramble, not a Fir-Tree.”<\/p>\n
Better poverty without care, than riches with.<\/p>\n
The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk<\/p>\n
A Mouse who always lived on the land, by an unlucky chance formed
\nan intimate acquaintance with a Frog, who lived for the most part
\nin the water. The Frog, one day intent on mischief, bound the foot
\nof the Mouse tightly to his own. Thus joined together, the Frog first
\nof all led his friend the Mouse to the meadow where they were accustomed
\nto find their food. After this, he gradually led him towards the pool
\nin which he lived, until reaching the very brink, he suddenly jumped
\nin, dragging the Mouse with him. The Frog enjoyed the water amazingly,
\nand swam croaking about, as if he had done a good deed. The unhappy
\nMouse was soon suffocated by the water, and his dead body floated
\nabout on the surface, tied to the foot of the Frog. A Hawk observed
\nit, and, pouncing upon it with his talons, carried it aloft. The Frog,
\nbeing still fastened to the leg of the Mouse, was also carried off
\na prisoner, and was eaten by the Hawk.<\/p>\n
Harm hatch, harm catch.<\/p>\n
The Man Bitten By a Dog<\/p>\n
A Man who had been bitten by a Dog went about in quest of someone
\nwho might heal him. A friend, meeting him and learning what he wanted,
\nsaid, “If you would be cured, take a piece of bread, and dip it in
\nthe blood from your wound, and go and give it to the Dog that bit
\nyou.” The Man who had been bitten laughed at this advice and said,
\n“Why? If I should do so, it would be as if I should beg every Dog
\nin the town to bite me.”<\/p>\n
Benefits bestowed upon the evil-disposed increase their means of injuring
\nyou.<\/p>\n
The Two Pots<\/p>\n
A river carried down in its stream two Pots, one made of earthenware
\nand the other of brass. The Earthen Pot said to the Brass Pot, “Pray
\nkeep at a distance and do not come near me, for if you touch me ever
\nso slightly, I shall be broken in pieces, and besides, I by no means
\nwish to come near you.”<\/p>\n
Equals make the best friends.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Sheep<\/p>\n
A Wolf, sorely wounded and bitten by dogs, lay sick and maimed in
\nhis lair. Being in want of food, he called to a Sheep who was passing,
\nand asked him to fetch some water from a stream flowing close beside
\nhim. “For,” he said, “if you will bring me drink, I will find means
\nto provide myself with meat.” “Yes,” said the Sheep, “if I should
\nbring you the draught, you would doubtless make me provide the meat
\nalso.”<\/p>\n
Hypocritical speeches are easily seen through.<\/p>\n
The Aethiop<\/p>\n
The purchaser of a black servant was persuaded that the color of his
\nskin arose from dirt contracted through the neglect of his former
\nmasters. On bringing him home he resorted to every means of cleaning,
\nand subjected the man to incessant scrubbings. The servant caught
\na severe cold, but he never changed his color or complexion.<\/p>\n
What’s bred in the bone will stick to the flesh.<\/p>\n
The Fisherman and His Nets<\/p>\n
A Fisherman, engaged in his calling, made a very successful cast and
\ncaptured a great haul of fish. He managed by a skillful handling of
\nhis net to retain all the large fish and to draw them to the shore;
\nbut he could not prevent the smaller fish from falling back through
\nthe meshes of the net into the sea.<\/p>\n
The Huntsman and the Fisherman<\/p>\n
A Huntsman, returning with his dogs from the field, fell in by chance
\nwith a Fisherman who was bringing home a basket well laden with fish.
\nThe Huntsman wished to have the fish, and their owner experienced
\nan equal longing for the contents of the game-bag. They quickly agreed
\nto exchange the produce of their day’s sport. Each was so well pleased
\nwith his bargain that they made for some time the same exchange day
\nafter day. Finally a neighbor said to them, “If you go on in this
\nway, you will soon destroy by frequent use the pleasure of your exchange,
\nand each will again wish to retain the fruits of his own sport.”<\/p>\n
Abstain and enjoy.<\/p>\n
The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar<\/p>\n
An Old Woman found an empty jar which had lately been full of prime
\nold wine and which still retained the fragrant smell of its former
\ncontents. She greedily placed it several times to her nose, and drawing
\nit backwards and forwards said, “O most delicious! How nice must the
\nWine itself have been, when it leaves behind in the very vessel which
\ncontained it so sweet a perfume!”<\/p>\n
The memory of a good deed lives.<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Crow<\/p>\n
A Crow having stolen a bit of meat, perched in a tree and held it
\nin her beak. A Fox, seeing this, longed to possess the meat himself,
\nand by a wily stratagem succeeded. “How handsome is the Crow,” he
\nexclaimed, in the beauty of her shape and in the fairness of her complexion!
\nOh, if her voice were only equal to her beauty, she would deservedly
\nbe considered the Queen of Birds!” This he said deceitfully; but the
\nCrow, anxious to refute the reflection cast upon her voice, set up
\na loud caw and dropped the flesh. The Fox quickly picked it up, and
\nthus addressed the Crow: “My good Crow, your voice is right enough,
\nbut your wit is wanting.”<\/p>\n
The Two Dogs<\/p>\n
A Man had two dogs: a Hound, trained to assist him in his sports,
\nand a Housedog, taught to watch the house. When he returned home after
\na good day’s sport, he always gave the Housedog a large share of his
\nspoil. The Hound, feeling much aggrieved at this, reproached his companion,
\nsaying, “It is very hard to have all this labor, while you, who do
\nnot assist in the chase, luxuriate on the fruits of my exertions.”
\nThe Housedog replied, “Do not blame me, my friend, but find fault
\nwith the master, who has not taught me to labor, but to depend for
\nsubsistence on the labor of others.”<\/p>\n
Children are not to be blamed for the faults of their parents.<\/p>\n
The Stag in the Ox-Stall<\/p>\n
A Stag, roundly chased by the hounds and blinded by fear to the danger
\nhe was running into, took shelter in a farmyard and hid himself in
\na shed among the oxen. An Ox gave him this kindly warning: “O unhappy
\ncreature! why should you thus, of your own accord, incur destruction
\nand trust yourself in the house of your enemy?’ The Stag replied:
\n“Only allow me, friend, to stay where I am, and I will undertake to
\nfind some favorable opportunity of effecting my escape.” At the approach
\nof the evening the herdsman came to feed his cattle, but did not see
\nthe Stag; and even the farm-bailiff with several laborers passed through
\nthe shed and failed to notice him. The Stag, congratulating himself
\non his safety, began to express his sincere thanks to the Oxen who
\nhad kindly helped him in the hour of need. One of them again answered
\nhim: “We indeed wish you well, but the danger is not over. There is
\none other yet to pass through the shed, who has as it were a hundred
\neyes, and until he has come and gone, your life is still in peril.”
\nAt that moment the master himself entered, and having had to complain
\nthat his oxen had not been properly fed, he went up to their racks
\nand cried out: “Why is there such a scarcity of fodder? There is not
\nhalf enough straw for them to lie on. Those lazy fellows have not
\neven swept the cobwebs away.” While he thus examined everything in
\nturn, he spied the tips of the antlers of the Stag peeping out of
\nthe straw. Then summoning his laborers, he ordered that the Stag should
\nbe seized and killed.<\/p>\n
The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons<\/p>\n
The Pigeons, terrified by the appearance of a Kite, called upon the
\nHawk to defend them. He at once consented. When they had admitted
\nhim into the cote, they found that he made more havoc and slew a larger
\nnumber of them in one day than the Kite could pounce upon in a whole
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.<\/p>\n
The Widow and the Sheep<\/p>\n
A certain poor widow had one solitary Sheep. At shearing time, wishing
\nto take his fleece and to avoid expense, she sheared him herself,
\nbut used the shears so unskillfully that with the fleece she sheared
\nthe flesh. The Sheep, writhing with pain, said, “Why do you hurt me
\nso, Mistress? What weight can my blood add to the wool? If you want
\nmy flesh, there is the butcher, who will kill me in an instant; but
\nif you want my fleece and wool, there is the shearer, who will shear
\nand not hurt me.”<\/p>\n
The least outlay is not always the greatest gain.<\/p>\n
The Wild Ass and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Wild Ass and a Lion entered into an alliance so that they might
\ncapture the beasts of the forest with greater ease. The Lion agreed
\nto assist the Wild Ass with his strength, while the Wild Ass gave
\nthe Lion the benefit of his greater speed. When they had taken as
\nmany beasts as their necessities required, the Lion undertook to distribute
\nthe prey, and for this purpose divided it into three shares. “I will
\ntake the first share,” he said, “because I am King: and the second
\nshare, as a partner with you in the chase: and the third share (believe
\nme) will be a source of great evil to you, unless you willingly resign
\nit to me, and set off as fast as you can.”<\/p>\n
Might makes right.<\/p>\n
The Eagle and the Arrow<\/p>\n
An Eagle sat on a lofty rock, watching the movements of a Hare whom
\nhe sought to make his prey. An archer, who saw the Eagle from a place
\nof concealment, took an accurate aim and wounded him mortally. The
\nEagle gave one look at the arrow that had entered his heart and saw
\nin that single glance that its feathers had been furnished by himself.
\n“It is a double grief to me,” he exclaimed, “that I should perish
\nby an arrow feathered from my own wings.”<\/p>\n
The Sick Kite<\/p>\n
A Kite, sick unto death, said to his mother: “O Mother! do not mourn,
\nbut at once invoke the gods that my life may be prolonged.” She replied,
\n“Alas! my son, which of the gods do you think will pity you? Is there
\none whom you have not outraged by filching from their very altars
\na part of the sacrifice offered up to them?’<\/p>\n
We must make friends in prosperity if we would have their help in
\nadversity.<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Dolphin<\/p>\n
A Lion roaming by the seashore saw a Dolphin lift up its head out
\nof the waves, and suggested that they contract an alliance, saying
\nthat of all the animals they ought to be the best friends, since the
\none was the king of beasts on the earth, and the other was the sovereign
\nruler of all the inhabitants of the ocean. The Dolphin gladly consented
\nto this request. Not long afterwards the Lion had a combat with a
\nwild bull, and called on the Dolphin to help him. The Dolphin, though
\nquite willing to give him assistance, was unable to do so, as he could
\nnot by any means reach the land. The Lion abused him as a traitor.
\nThe Dolphin replied, “Nay, my friend, blame not me, but Nature, which,
\nwhile giving me the sovereignty of the sea, has quite denied me the
\npower of living upon the land.”<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Boar<\/p>\n
On a summer day, when the great heat induced a general thirst among
\nthe beasts, a Lion and a Boar came at the same moment to a small well
\nto drink. They fiercely disputed which of them should drink first,
\nand were soon engaged in the agonies of a mortal combat. When they
\nstopped suddenly to catch their breath for a fiercer renewal of the
\nfight, they saw some Vultures waiting in the distance to feast on
\nthe one that should fall first. They at once made up their quarrel,
\nsaying, “It is better for us to make friends, than to become the food
\nof Crows or Vultures.”<\/p>\n
The One-Eyed Doe<\/p>\n
A Doe blind in one eye was accustomed to graze as near to the edge
\nof the cliff as she possibly could, in the hope of securing her greater
\nsafety. She turned her sound eye towards the land that she might get
\nthe earliest tidings of the approach of hunter or hound, and her injured
\neye towards the sea, from whence she entertained no anticipation of
\ndanger. Some boatmen sailing by saw her, and taking a successful aim,
\nmortally wounded her. Yielding up her last breath, she gasped forth
\nthis lament: “O wretched creature that I am! to take such precaution
\nagainst the land, and after all to find this seashore, to which I
\nhad come for safety, so much more perilous.”<\/p>\n
The Shepherd and the Sea<\/p>\n
A Shepherd, keeping watch over his sheep near the shore, saw the Sea
\nvery calm and smooth, and longed to make a voyage with a view to commerce.
\nHe sold all his flock, invested it in a cargo of dates, and set sail.
\nBut a very great tempest came on, and the ship being in danger of
\nsinking, he threw all his merchandise overboard, and barely escaped
\nwith his life in the empty ship. Not long afterwards when someone
\npassed by and observed the unruffled calm of the Sea, he interrupted
\nhim and said, “It is again in want of dates, and therefore looks quiet.”<\/p>\n
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion<\/p>\n
An Ass and a Cock were in a straw-yard together when a Lion, desperate
\nfrom hunger, approached the spot. He was about to spring upon the
\nAss, when the Cock (to the sound of whose voice the Lion, it is said,
\nhas a singular aversion) crowed loudly, and the Lion fled away as
\nfast as he could. The Ass, observing his trepidation at the mere crowing
\nof a Cock summoned courage to attack him, and galloped after him for
\nthat purpose. He had run no long distance, when the Lion, turning
\nabout, seized him and tore him to pieces.<\/p>\n
False confidence often leads into danger.<\/p>\n
The Mice and the Weasels<\/p>\n
The Weasels and the Mice waged a perpetual war with each other, in
\nwhich much blood was shed. The Weasels were always the victors. The
\nMice thought that the cause of their frequent defeats was that they
\nhad no leaders set apart from the general army to command them, and
\nthat they were exposed to dangers from lack of discipline. They therefore
\nchose as leaders Mice that were most renowned for their family descent,
\nstrength, and counsel, as well as those most noted for their courage
\nin the fight, so that they might be better marshaled in battle array
\nand formed into troops, regiments, and battalions. When all this was
\ndone, and the army disciplined, and the herald Mouse had duly proclaimed
\nwar by challenging the Weasels, the newly chosen generals bound their
\nheads with straws, that they might be more conspicuous to all their
\ntroops. Scarcely had the battle begun, when a great rout overwhelmed
\nthe Mice, who scampered off as fast as they could to their holes.
\nThe generals, not being able to get in on account of the ornaments
\non their heads, were all captured and eaten by the Weasels.<\/p>\n
The more honor the more danger.<\/p>\n
The Mice in Council<\/p>\n
The Mice summoned a council to decide how they might best devise means
\nof warning themselves of the approach of their great enemy the Cat.
\nAmong the many plans suggested, the one that found most favor was
\nthe proposal to tie a bell to the neck of the Cat, so that the Mice,
\nbeing warned by the sound of the tinkling, might run away and hide
\nthemselves in their holes at his approach. But when the Mice further
\ndebated who among them should thus “bell the Cat,” there was no one
\nfound to do it.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Housedog<\/p>\n
A Wolf, meeting a big well-fed Mastiff with a wooden collar about
\nhis neck asked him who it was that fed him so well and yet compelled
\nhim to drag that heavy log about wherever he went. “The master,” he
\nreplied. Then said the Wolf: “May no friend of mine ever be in such
\na plight; for the weight of this chain is enough to spoil the appetite.”<\/p>\n
The Rivers and the Sea<\/p>\n
The Rivers joined together to complain to the Sea, saying, “Why is
\nit that when we flow into your tides so potable and sweet, you work
\nin us such a change, and make us salty and unfit to drink?” The Sea,
\nperceiving that they intended to throw the blame on him, said, “Pray
\ncease to flow into me, and then you will not be made briny.”<\/p>\n
The Playful Ass<\/p>\n
An Ass climbed up to the roof of a building, and frisking about there,
\nbroke in the tiling. The owner went up after him and quickly drove
\nhim down, beating him severely with a thick wooden cudgel. The Ass
\nsaid, “Why, I saw the Monkey do this very thing yesterday, and you
\nall laughed heartily, as if it afforded you very great amusement.”<\/p>\n
The Three Tradesmen<\/p>\n
A great city was besieged, and its inhabitants were called together
\nto consider the best means of protecting it from the enemy. A Bricklayer
\nearnestly recommended bricks as affording the best material for an
\neffective resistance. A Carpenter, with equal enthusiasm, proposed
\ntimber as a preferable method of defense. Upon which a Currier stood
\nup and said, “Sirs, I differ from you altogether: there is no material
\nfor resistance equal to a covering of hides; and nothing so good as
\nleather.”<\/p>\n
Every man for himself.<\/p>\n
The Master and His Dogs<\/p>\n
A certain man, detained by a storm in his country house, first of
\nall killed his sheep, and then his goats, for the maintenance of his
\nhousehold. The storm still continuing, he was obliged to slaughter
\nhis yoke oxen for food. On seeing this, his Dogs took counsel together,
\nand said, “It is time for us to be off, for if the master spare not
\nhis oxen, who work for his gain, how can we expect him to spare us?’<\/p>\n
He is not to be trusted as a friend who mistreats his own family.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Shepherds<\/p>\n
A Wolf, passing by, saw some Shepherds in a hut eating a haunch of
\nmutton for their dinner. Approaching them, he said, “What a clamor
\nyou would raise if I were to do as you are doing!”<\/p>\n
The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat<\/p>\n
The Dolphins and Whales waged a fierce war with each other. When the
\nbattle was at its height, a Sprat lifted its head out of the waves
\nand said that he would reconcile their differences if they would accept
\nhim as an umpire. One of the Dolphins replied, “We would far rather
\nbe destroyed in our battle with each other than admit any interference
\nfrom you in our affairs.”<\/p>\n
The Ass Carrying the Image<\/p>\n
An Ass once carried through the streets of a city a famous wooden
\nImage, to be placed in one of its Temples. As he passed along, the
\ncrowd made lowly prostration before the Image. The Ass, thinking that
\nthey bowed their heads in token of respect for himself, bristled up
\nwith pride, gave himself airs, and refused to move another step. The
\ndriver, seeing him thus stop, laid his whip lustily about his shoulders
\nand said, “O you perverse dull-head! it is not yet come to this, that
\nmen pay worship to an Ass.”<\/p>\n
They are not wise who give to themselves the credit due to others.<\/p>\n
The Two Travelers and the Axe<\/p>\n
Two men were journeying together. One of them picked up an axe that
\nlay upon the path, and said, “I have found an axe.” “Nay, my friend,”
\nreplied the other, “do not say ‘I,’ but ‘We’ have found an axe.” They
\nhad not gone far before they saw the owner of the axe pursuing them,
\nand he who had picked up the axe said, “We are undone.” “Nay,” replied
\nthe other, “keep to your first mode of speech, my friend; what you
\nthought right then, think right now. Say ‘I,’ not ‘We’ are undone.”<\/p>\n
He who shares the danger ought to share the prize.<\/p>\n
The Old Lion<\/p>\n
A Lion, worn out with years and powerless from disease, lay on the
\nground at the point of death. A Boar rushed upon him, and avenged
\nwith a stroke of his tusks a long-remembered injury. Shortly afterwards
\nthe Bull with his horns gored him as if he were an enemy. When the
\nAss saw that the huge beast could be assailed with impunity, he let
\ndrive at his forehead with his heels. The expiring Lion said, “I have
\nreluctantly brooked the insults of the brave, but to be compelled
\nto endure such treatment from thee, a disgrace to Nature, is indeed
\nto die a double death.”<\/p>\n
The Old Hound<\/p>\n
A Hound, who in the days of his youth and strength had never yielded
\nto any beast of the forest, encountered in his old age a boar in the
\nchase. He seized him boldly by the ear, but could not retain his hold
\nbecause of the decay of his teeth, so that the boar escaped. His master,
\nquickly coming up, was very much disappointed, and fiercely abused
\nthe dog. The Hound looked up and said, “It was not my fault. master:
\nmy spirit was as good as ever, but I could not help my infirmities.
\nI rather deserve to be praised for what I have been, than to be blamed
\nfor what I am.”<\/p>\n
The Bee and Jupiter<\/p>\n
A Bee from Mount Hymettus, the queen of the hive, ascended to Olympus
\nto present Jupiter some honey fresh from her combs. Jupiter, delighted
\nwith the offering of honey, promised to give whatever she should ask.
\nShe therefore besought him, saying, “Give me, I pray thee, a sting,
\nthat if any mortal shall approach to take my honey, I may kill him.”
\nJupiter was much displeased, for he loved the race of man, but could
\nnot refuse the request because of his promise. He thus answered the
\nBee: “You shall have your request, but it will be at the peril of
\nyour own life. For if you use your sting, it shall remain in the wound
\nyou make, and then you will die from the loss of it.”<\/p>\n
Evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost.<\/p>\n
The Milk-Woman and Her Pail<\/p>\n
A farmer’s daughter was carrying her Pail of milk from the field to
\nthe farmhouse, when she fell a-musing. “The money for which this milk
\nwill be sold, will buy at least three hundred eggs. The eggs, allowing
\nfor all mishaps, will produce two hundred and fifty chickens. The
\nchickens will become ready for the market when poultry will fetch
\nthe highest price, so that by the end of the year I shall have money
\nenough from my share to buy a new gown. In this dress I will go to
\nthe Christmas parties, where all the young fellows will propose to
\nme, but I will toss my head and refuse them every one.” At this moment
\nshe tossed her head in unison with her thoughts, when down fell the
\nmilk pail to the ground, and all her imaginary schemes perished in
\na moment.<\/p>\n
The Seaside Travelers<\/p>\n
Some Travelers, journeying along the seashore, climbed to the summit
\nof a tall cliff, and looking over the sea, saw in the distance what
\nthey thought was a large ship. They waited in the hope of seeing it
\nenter the harbor, but as the object on which they looked was driven
\nnearer to shore by the wind, they found that it could at the most
\nbe a small boat, and not a ship. When however it reached the beach,
\nthey discovered that it was only a large faggot of sticks, and one
\nof them said to his companions, “We have waited for no purpose, for
\nafter all there is nothing to see but a load of wood.”<\/p>\n
Our mere anticipations of life outrun its realities.<\/p>\n
The Brazier and His Dog<\/p>\n
A Brazier had a little Dog, which was a great favorite with his master,
\nand his constant companion. While he hammered away at his metals the
\nDog slept; but when, on the other hand, he went to dinner and began
\nto eat, the Dog woke up and wagged his tail, as if he would ask for
\na share of his meal. His master one day, pretending to be angry and
\nshaking his stick at him, said, “You wretched little sluggard! what
\nshall I do to you? While I am hammering on the anvil, you sleep on
\nthe mat; and when I begin to eat after my toil, you wake up and wag
\nyour tail for food. Do you not know that labor is the source of every
\nblessing, and that none but those who work are entitled to eat?’<\/p>\n
The Ass and His Shadow<\/p>\n
A Traveler hired an Ass to convey him to a distant place. The day
\nbeing intensely hot, and the sun shining in its strength, the Traveler
\nstopped to rest, and sought shelter from the heat under the Shadow
\nof the Ass. As this afforded only protection for one, and as the Traveler
\nand the owner of the Ass both claimed it, a violent dispute arose
\nbetween them as to which of them had the right to the Shadow. The
\nowner maintained that he had let the Ass only, and not his Shadow.
\nThe Traveler asserted that he had, with the hire of the Ass, hired
\nhis Shadow also. The quarrel proceeded from words to blows, and while
\nthe men fought, the Ass galloped off.<\/p>\n
In quarreling about the shadow we often lose the substance.<\/p>\n
The Ass and His Masters<\/p>\n
An Ass, belonging to an herb-seller who gave him too little food and
\ntoo much work made a petition to Jupiter to be released from his present
\nservice and provided with another master. Jupiter, after warning him
\nthat he would repent his request, caused him to be sold to a tile-maker.
\nShortly afterwards, finding that he had heavier loads to carry and
\nharder work in the brick-field, he petitioned for another change of
\nmaster. Jupiter, telling him that it would be the last time that he
\ncould grant his request, ordained that he be sold to a tanner. The
\nAss found that he had fallen into worse hands, and noting his master’s
\noccupation, said, groaning: “It would have been better for me to have
\nbeen either starved by the one, or to have been overworked by the
\nother of my former masters, than to have been bought by my present
\nowner, who will even after I am dead tan my hide, and make me useful
\nto him.”<\/p>\n
The Oak and the Reeds<\/p>\n
A very large Oak was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream.
\nIt fell among some Reeds, which it thus addressed: “I wonder how you,
\nwho are so light and weak, are not entirely crushed by these strong
\nwinds.” They replied, “You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently
\nyou are destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the least
\nbreath of air, and therefore remain unbroken, and escape.”<\/p>\n
Stoop to conquer.<\/p>\n
The Fisherman and the Little Fish<\/p>\n
A Fisherman who lived on the produce of his nets, one day caught a
\nsingle small Fish as the result of his day’s labor. The Fish, panting
\nconvulsively, thus entreated for his life: “O Sir, what good can I
\nbe to you, and how little am I worth? I am not yet come to my full
\nsize. Pray spare my life, and put me back into the sea. I shall soon
\nbecome a large fish fit for the tables of the rich, and then you can
\ncatch me again, and make a handsome profit of me.” The Fisherman replied,
\n“I should indeed be a very simple fellow if, for the chance of a greater
\nuncertain profit, I were to forego my present certain gain.”<\/p>\n
The Hunter and the Woodman<\/p>\n
A Hunter, not very bold, was searching for the tracks of a Lion. He
\nasked a man felling oaks in the forest if he had seen any marks of
\nhis footsteps or knew where his lair was. “I will,” said the man,
\n“at once show you the Lion himself.” The Hunter, turning very pale
\nand chattering with his teeth from fear, replied, “No, thank you.
\nI did not ask that; it is his track only I am in search of, not the
\nLion himself.”<\/p>\n
The hero is brave in deeds as well as words.<\/p>\n
The Wild Boar and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Wild Boar stood under a tree and rubbed his tusks against the trunk.
\nA Fox passing by asked him why he thus sharpened his teeth when there
\nwas no danger threatening from either huntsman or hound. He replied,
\n“I do it advisedly; for it would never do to have to sharpen my weapons
\njust at the time I ought to be using them.”<\/p>\n
The Lion in a Farmyard<\/p>\n
A Lion entered a farmyard. The Farmer, wishing to catch him, shut
\nthe gate. When the Lion found that he could not escape, he flew upon
\nthe sheep and killed them, and then attacked the oxen. The Farmer,
\nbeginning to be alarmed for his own safety, opened the gate and released
\nthe Lion. On his departure the Farmer grievously lamented the destruction
\nof his sheep and oxen, but his wife, who had been a spectator to all
\nthat took place, said, “On my word, you are rightly served, for how
\ncould you for a moment think of shutting up a Lion along with you
\nin your farmyard when you know that you shake in your shoes if you
\nonly hear his roar at a distance?’ Mercury and the Sculptor<\/p>\n
Mercury once determined to learn in what esteem he was held among
\nmortals. For this purpose he assumed the character of a man and visited
\nin this disguise a Sculptor’s studio having looked at various statues,
\nhe demanded the price of two figures of Jupiter and Juno. When the
\nsum at which they were valued was named, he pointed to a figure of
\nhimself, saying to the Sculptor, “You will certainly want much more
\nfor this, as it is the statue of the Messenger of the Gods, and author
\nof all your gain.” The Sculptor replied, “Well, if you will buy these,
\nI’ll fling you that into the bargain.”<\/p>\n
The Swan and the Goose<\/p>\n
A certain rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan. He fed
\nthe one for his table and kept the other for the sake of its song.
\nWhen the time came for killing the Goose, the cook went to get him
\nat night, when it was dark, and he was not able to distinguish one
\nbird from the other. By mistake he caught the Swan instead of the
\nGoose. The Swan, threatened with death, burst forth into song and
\nthus made himself known by his voice, and preserved his life by his
\nmelody.<\/p>\n
The Swollen Fox<\/p>\n
A very hungry Fox, seeing some bread and meat left by shepherds in
\nthe hollow of an oak, crept into the hole and made a hearty meal.
\nWhen he finished, he was so full that he was not able to get out,
\nand began to groan and lament his fate. Another Fox passing by heard
\nhis cries, and coming up, inquired the cause of his complaining. On
\nlearning what had happened, he said to him, “Ah, you will have to
\nremain there, my friend, until you become such as you were when you
\ncrept in, and then you will easily get out.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Woodcutter<\/p>\n
A Fox, running before the hounds, came across a Woodcutter felling
\nan oak and begged him to show him a safe hiding-place. The Woodcutter
\nadvised him to take shelter in his own hut, so the Fox crept in and
\nhid himself in a corner. The huntsman soon came up with his hounds
\nand inquired of the Woodcutter if he had seen the Fox. He declared
\nthat he had not seen him, and yet pointed, all the time he was speaking,
\nto the hut where the Fox lay hidden. The huntsman took no notice of
\nthe signs, but believing his word, hastened forward in the chase.
\nAs soon as they were well away, the Fox departed without taking any
\nnotice of the Woodcutter: whereon he called to him and reproached
\nhim, saying, “You ungrateful fellow, you owe your life to me, and
\nyet you leave me without a word of thanks.” The Fox replied, “Indeed,
\nI should have thanked you fervently if your deeds had been as good
\nas your words, and if your hands had not been traitors to your speech.”<\/p>\n
The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock<\/p>\n
A Birdcatcher was about to sit down to a dinner of herbs when a friend
\nunexpectedly came in. The bird-trap was quite empty, as he had caught
\nnothing, and he had to kill a pied Partridge, which he had tamed for
\na decoy. The bird entreated earnestly for his life: “What would you
\ndo without me when next you spread your nets? Who would chirp you
\nto sleep, or call for you the covey of answering birds?’ The Birdcatcher
\nspared his life, and determined to pick out a fine young Cock just
\nattaining to his comb. But the Cock expostulated in piteous tones
\nfrom his perch: “If you kill me, who will announce to you the appearance
\nof the dawn? Who will wake you to your daily tasks or tell you when
\nit is time to visit the bird-trap in the morning?’ He replied, “What
\nyou say is true. You are a capital bird at telling the time of day.
\nBut my friend and I must have our dinners.”<\/p>\n
Necessity knows no law.<\/p>\n
The Monkey and the Fishermen<\/p>\n
A Monkey perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their
\nnets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings. The Fishermen
\nafter a while gave up fishing, and on going home to dinner left their
\nnets upon the bank. The Monkey, who is the most imitative of animals,
\ndescended from the treetop and endeavored to do as they had done.
\nHaving handled the net, he threw it into the river, but became tangled
\nin the meshes and drowned. With his last breath he said to himself,
\n“I am rightly served; for what business had I who had never handled
\na net to try and catch fish?’<\/p>\n
The Flea and the Wrestler<\/p>\n
A Flea settled upon the bare foot of a Wrestler and bit him, causing
\nthe man to call loudly upon Hercules for help. When the Flea a second
\ntime hopped upon his foot, he groaned and said, “O Hercules! if you
\nwill not help me against a Flea, how can I hope for your assistance
\nagainst greater antagonists?’<\/p>\n
The Two Frogs<\/p>\n
Two Frogs dwelt in the same pool. When the pool dried up under the
\nsummer’s heat, they left it and set out together for another home.
\nAs they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply supplied
\nwith water, and when they saw it, one of the Frogs said to the other,
\n“Let us descend and make our abode in this well: it will furnish us
\nwith shelter and food.” The other replied with greater caution, “But
\nsuppose the water should fail us. How can we get out again from so
\ngreat a depth?’<\/p>\n
Do nothing without a regard to the consequences.<\/p>\n
The Cat and the Mice<\/p>\n
A certain house was overrun with Mice. A Cat, discovering this, made
\nher way into it and began to catch and eat them one by one. Fearing
\nfor their lives, the Mice kept themselves close in their holes. The
\nCat was no longer able to get at them and perceived that she must
\ntempt them forth by some device. For this purpose she jumped upon
\na peg, and suspending herself from it, pretended to be dead. One of
\nthe Mice, peeping stealthily out, saw her and said, “Ah, my good madam,
\neven though you should turn into a meal-bag, we will not come near
\nyou.”<\/p>\n
The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Lion and a Bear seized a Kid at the same moment, and fought fiercely
\nfor its possession. When they had fearfully lacerated each other and
\nwere faint from the long combat, they lay down exhausted with fatigue.
\nA Fox, who had gone round them at a distance several times, saw them
\nboth stretched on the ground with the Kid lying untouched in the middle.
\nHe ran in between them, and seizing the Kid scampered off as fast
\nas he could. The Lion and the Bear saw him, but not being able to
\nget up, said, “Woe be to us, that we should have fought and belabored
\nourselves only to serve the turn of a Fox.”<\/p>\n
It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another all
\nthe profit.<\/p>\n
The Doe and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Doe hard pressed by hunters sought refuge in a cave belonging to
\na Lion. The Lion concealed himself on seeing her approach, but when
\nshe was safe within the cave, sprang upon her and tore her to pieces.
\n“Woe is me,” exclaimed the Doe, “who have escaped from man, only to
\nthrow myself into the mouth of a wild beast?’<\/p>\n
In avoiding one evil, care must be taken not to fall into another.<\/p>\n
The Farmer and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Farmer, who bore a grudge against a Fox for robbing his poultry
\nyard, caught him at last, and being determined to take an ample revenge,
\ntied some rope well soaked in oil to his tail, and set it on fire.
\nThe Fox by a strange fatality rushed to the fields of the Farmer who
\nhad captured him. It was the time of the wheat harvest; but the Farmer
\nreaped nothing that year and returned home grieving sorely.<\/p>\n
The Seagull and the Kite<\/p>\n
A Seagull having bolted down too large a fish, burst its deep gullet-bag
\nand lay down on the shore to die. A Kite saw him and exclaimed: “You
\nrichly deserve your fate; for a bird of the air has no business to
\nseek its food from the sea.”<\/p>\n
Every man should be content to mind his own business.<\/p>\n
The Philosopher, the Ants, and Mercury<\/p>\n
A Philosopher witnessed from the shore the shipwreck of a vessel,
\nof which the crew and passengers were all drowned. He inveighed against
\nthe injustice of Providence, which would for the sake of one criminal
\nperchance sailing in the ship allow so many innocent persons to perish.
\nAs he was indulging in these reflections, he found himself surrounded
\nby a whole army of Ants, near whose nest he was standing. One of them
\nclimbed up and stung him, and he immediately trampled them all to
\ndeath with his foot. Mercury presented himself, and striking the Philosopher
\nwith his wand, said, “And are you indeed to make yourself a judge
\nof the dealings of Providence, who hast thyself in a similar manner
\ntreated these poor Ants?’<\/p>\n
The Mouse and the Bull<\/p>\n
A Bull was bitten by a Mouse and, angered by the wound, tried to capture
\nhim. But the Mouse reached his hole in safety. Though the Bull dug
\ninto the walls with his horns, he tired before he could rout out the
\nMouse, and crouching down, went to sleep outside the hole. The Mouse
\npeeped out, crept furtively up his flank, and again biting him, retreated
\nto his hole. The Bull rising up, and not knowing what to do, was sadly
\nperplexed. At which the Mouse said, “The great do not always prevail.
\nThere are times when the small and lowly are the strongest to do mischief.”<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Hare<\/p>\n
A Lion came across a Hare, who was fast asleep. He was just in the
\nact of seizing her, when a fine young Hart trotted by, and he left
\nthe Hare to follow him. The Hare, scared by the noise, awoke and scudded
\naway. The Lion was unable after a long chase to catch the Hart, and
\nreturned to feed upon the Hare. On finding that the Hare also had
\nrun off, he said, “I am rightly served, for having let go of the food
\nthat I had in my hand for the chance of obtaining more.”<\/p>\n
The Peasant and the Eagle<\/p>\n
A Peasant found an Eagle captured in a trap, and much admiring the
\nbird, set him free. The Eagle did not prove ungrateful to his deliverer,
\nfor seeing the Peasant sitting under a wall which was not safe, he
\nflew toward him and with his talons snatched a bundle from his head.
\nWhen the Peasant rose in pursuit, the Eagle let the bundle fall again.
\nTaking it up, the man returned to the same place, to find that the
\nwall under which he had been sitting had fallen to pieces; and he
\nmarveled at the service rendered him by the Eagle.<\/p>\n
The Image of Mercury and the Carpenter<\/p>\n
A very poor man, a Carpenter by trade, had a wooden image of Mercury,
\nbefore which he made offerings day by day, and begged the idol to
\nmake him rich, but in spite of his entreaties he became poorer and
\npoorer. At last, being very angry, he took his image down from its
\npedestal and dashed it against the wall. When its head was knocked
\noff, out came a stream of gold, which the Carpenter quickly picked
\nup and said, “Well, I think thou art altogether contradictory and
\nunreasonable; for when I paid you honor, I reaped no benefits: but
\nnow that I maltreat you I am loaded with an abundance of riches.”<\/p>\n
The Bull and the Goat<\/p>\n
A Bull, escaping from a Lion, hid in a cave which some shepherds had
\nrecently occupied. As soon as he entered, a He-Goat left in the cave
\nsharply attacked him with his horns. The Bull quietly addressed him:
\n“Butt away as much as you will. I have no fear of you, but of the
\nLion. Let that monster go away and I will soon let you know what is
\nthe respective strength of a Goat and a Bull.”<\/p>\n
It shows an evil disposition to take advantage of a friend in distress.<\/p>\n
The Dancing Monkeys<\/p>\n
A Prince had some Monkeys trained to dance. Being naturally great
\nmimics of men’s actions, they showed themselves most apt pupils, and
\nwhen arrayed in their rich clothes and masks, they danced as well
\nas any of the courtiers. The spectacle was often repeated with great
\napplause, till on one occasion a courtier, bent on mischief, took
\nfrom his pocket a handful of nuts and threw them upon the stage. The
\nMonkeys at the sight of the nuts forgot their dancing and became (as
\nindeed they were) Monkeys instead of actors. Pulling off their masks
\nand tearing their robes, they fought with one another for the nuts.
\nThe dancing spectacle thus came to an end amidst the laughter and
\nridicule of the audience.<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Leopard<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Leopard disputed which was the more beautiful of the
\ntwo. The Leopard exhibited one by one the various spots which decorated
\nhis skin. But the Fox, interrupting him, said, “And how much more
\nbeautiful than you am I, who am decorated, not in body, but in mind.”<\/p>\n
The Monkeys and Their Mother<\/p>\n
The Monkey, it is said, has two young ones at each birth. The Mother
\nfondles one and nurtures it with the greatest affection and care,
\nbut hates and neglects the other. It happened once that the young
\none which was caressed and loved was smothered by the too great affection
\nof the Mother, while the despised one was nurtured and reared in spite
\nof the neglect to which it was exposed.<\/p>\n
The best intentions will not always ensure success.<\/p>\n
The Oaks and Jupiter<\/p>\n
The Oaks presented a complaint to Jupiter, saying, “We bear for no
\npurpose the burden of life, as of all the trees that grow we are the
\nmost continually in peril of the axe.” Jupiter made answer: “You have
\nonly to thank yourselves for the misfortunes to which you are exposed:
\nfor if you did not make such excellent pillars and posts, and prove
\nyourselves so serviceable to the carpenters and the farmers, the axe
\nwould not so frequently be laid to your roots.”<\/p>\n
The Hare and the Hound<\/p>\n
A Hound started a Hare from his lair, but after a long run, gave up
\nthe chase. A goat-herd seeing him stop, mocked him, saying “The little
\none is the best runner of the two.” The Hound replied, “You do not
\nsee the difference between us: I was only running for a dinner, but
\nhe for his life.”<\/p>\n
The Traveler and Fortune<\/p>\n
A Traveler wearied from a long journey lay down, overcome with fatigue,
\non the very brink of a deep well. Just as he was about to fall into
\nthe water, Dame Fortune, it is said, appeared to him and waking him
\nfrom his slumber thus addressed him: “Good Sir, pray wake up: for
\nif you fall into the well, the blame will be thrown on me, and I shall
\nget an ill name among mortals; for I find that men are sure to impute
\ntheir calamities to me, however much by their own folly they have
\nreally brought them on themselves.”<\/p>\n
Everyone is more or less master of his own fate.<\/p>\n
The Bald Knight<\/p>\n
A Bald Knight, who wore a wig, went out to hunt. A sudden puff of
\nwind blew off his hat and wig, at which a loud laugh rang forth from
\nhis companions. He pulled up his horse, and with great glee joined
\nin the joke by saying, “What a marvel it is that hairs which are not
\nmine should fly from me, when they have forsaken even the man on whose
\nhead they grew.”<\/p>\n
The Shepherd and the Dog<\/p>\n
A Shepherd penning his sheep in the fold for the night was about to
\nshut up a wolf with them, when his Dog perceiving the wolf said, “Master,
\nhow can you expect the sheep to be safe if you admit a wolf into the
\nfold?’<\/p>\n
The Lamp<\/p>\n
A Lamp, soaked with too much oil and flaring brightly, boasted that
\nit gave more light than the sun. Then a sudden puff of wind arose,
\nand the Lamp was immediately extinguished. Its owner lit it again,
\nand said: “Boast no more, but henceforth be content to give thy light
\nin silence. Know that not even the stars need to be relit”<\/p>\n
SECTION 3<\/p>\n
The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass<\/p>\n
The Lion, the Fox and the Ass entered into an agreement to assist
\neach other in the chase. Having secured a large booty, the Lion on
\ntheir return from the forest asked the Ass to allot his due portion
\nto each of the three partners in the treaty. The Ass carefully divided
\nthe spoil into three equal shares and modestly requested the two others
\nto make the first choice. The Lion, bursting out into a great rage,
\ndevoured the Ass. Then he requested the Fox to do him the favor to
\nmake a division. The Fox accumulated all that they had killed into
\none large heap and left to himself the smallest possible morsel. The
\nLion said, “Who has taught you, my very excellent fellow, the art
\nof division? You are perfect to a fraction.” He replied, “I learned
\nit from the Ass, by witnessing his fate.”<\/p>\n
Happy is the man who learns from the misfortunes of others.<\/p>\n
The Bull, the Lioness, and the Wild-Boar Hunter<\/p>\n
A Bull finding a lion’s cub asleep gored him to death with his horns.
\nThe Lioness came up, and bitterly lamented the death of her whelp.
\nA wild-boar Hunter, seeing her distress, stood at a distance and said
\nto her, “Think how many men there are who have reason to lament the
\nloss of their children, whose deaths have been caused by you.”<\/p>\n
The Oak and the Woodcutter<\/p>\n
The Woodcutter cut down a Mountain Oak and split it in pieces, making
\nwedges of its own branches for dividing the trunk. The Oak said with
\na sigh, “I do not care about the blows of the axe aimed at my roots,
\nbut I do grieve at being torn in pieces by these wedges made from
\nmy own branches.”<\/p>\n
Misfortunes springing from ourselves are the hardest to bear.<\/p>\n
The Hen and the Golden Eggs<\/p>\n
A cottager and his wife had a Hen that laid a golden egg every day.
\nThey supposed that the Hen must contain a great lump of gold in its
\ninside, and in order to get the gold they killed it. Having done so,
\nthey found to their surprise that the Hen differed in no respect from
\ntheir other hens. The foolish pair, thus hoping to become rich all
\nat once, deprived themselves of the gain of which they were assured
\nday by day.<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Frogs<\/p>\n
An Ass, carrying a load of wood, passed through a pond. As he was
\ncrossing through the water he lost his footing, stumbled and fell,
\nand not being able to rise on account of his load, groaned heavily.
\nSome Frogs frequenting the pool heard his lamentation, and said, “What
\nwould you do if you had to live here always as we do, when you make
\nsuch a fuss about a mere fall into the water?”<\/p>\n
Men often bear little grievances with less courage than they do large
\nmisfortunes.<\/p>\n
The Crow and the Raven<\/p>\n
A Crow was jealous of the Raven, because he was considered a bird
\nof good omen and always attracted the attention of men, who noted
\nby his flight the good or evil course of future events. Seeing some
\ntravelers approaching, the Crow flew up into a tree, and perching
\nherself on one of the branches, cawed as loudly as she could. The
\ntravelers turned towards the sound and wondered what it foreboded,
\nwhen one of them said to his companion, “Let us proceed on our journey,
\nmy friend, for it is only the caw of a crow, and her cry, you know,
\nis no omen.”<\/p>\n
Those who assume a character which does not belong to them, only make
\nthemselves ridiculous.<\/p>\n
The Trees and the Axe<\/p>\n
A man came into a forest and asked the Trees to provide him a handle
\nfor his axe. The Trees consented to his request and gave him a young
\nash-tree. No sooner had the man fitted a new handle to his axe from
\nit, than he began to use it and quickly felled with his strokes the
\nnoblest giants of the forest. An old oak, lamenting when too late
\nthe destruction of his companions, said to a neighboring cedar, “The
\nfirst step has lost us all. If we had not given up the rights of the
\nash, we might yet have retained our own privileges and have stood
\nfor ages.”<\/p>\n
The Crab and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Crab, forsaking the seashore, chose a neighboring green meadow as
\nits feeding ground. A Fox came across him, and being very hungry ate
\nhim up. Just as he was on the point of being eaten, the Crab said,
\n“I well deserve my fate, for what business had I on the land, when
\nby my nature and habits I am only adapted for the sea?’<\/p>\n
Contentment with our lot is an element of happiness.<\/p>\n
The Woman and Her Hen<\/p>\n
A Woman possessed a Hen that gave her an egg every day. She often
\npondered how she might obtain two eggs daily instead of one, and at
\nlast, to gain her purpose, determined to give the Hen a double allowance
\nof barley. From that day the Hen became fat and sleek, and never once
\nlaid another egg.<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Old Shepherd<\/p>\n
A Shepherd, watching his Ass feeding in a meadow, was alarmed all
\nof a sudden by the cries of the enemy. He appealed to the Ass to fly
\nwith him, lest they should both be captured, but the animal lazily
\nreplied, “Why should I, pray? Do you think it likely the conqueror
\nwill place on me two sets of panniers?’ “No,” rejoined the Shepherd.
\n“Then,” said the Ass, “as long as I carry the panniers, what matters
\nit to me whom I serve?’<\/p>\n
In a change of government the poor change nothing beyond the name
\nof their master.<\/p>\n
The Kites and the Swans<\/p>\n
The Kites of olden times, as well as the Swans, had the privilege
\nof song. But having heard the neigh of the horse, they were so enchanted
\nwith the sound, that they tried to imitate it; and, in trying to neigh,
\nthey forgot how to sing.<\/p>\n
The desire for imaginary benefits often involves the loss of present
\nblessings.<\/p>\n
The Wolves and the Sheepdogs<\/p>\n
The Wolves thus addressed the Sheepdogs: “Why should you, who are
\nlike us in so many things, not be entirely of one mind with us, and
\nlive with us as brothers should? We differ from you in one point only.
\nWe live in freedom, but you bow down to and slave for men, who in
\nreturn for your services flog you with whips and put collars on your
\nnecks. They make you also guard their sheep, and while they eat the
\nmutton throw only the bones to you. If you will be persuaded by us,
\nyou will give us the sheep, and we will enjoy them in common, till
\nwe all are surfeited.” The Dogs listened favorably to these proposals,
\nand, entering the den of the Wolves, they were set upon and torn to
\npieces.<\/p>\n
The Hares and the Foxes<\/p>\n
The Hares waged war with the Eagles, and called upon the Foxes to
\nhelp them. They replied, “We would willingly have helped you, if we
\nhad not known who you were, and with whom you were fighting.”<\/p>\n
Count the cost before you commit yourselves.<\/p>\n
The Bowman and Lion<\/p>\n
A very skillful Bowman went to the mountains in search of game, but
\nall the beasts of the forest fled at his approach. The Lion alone
\nchallenged him to combat. The Bowman immediately shot out an arrow
\nand said to the Lion: “I send thee my messenger, that from him thou
\nmayest learn what I myself shall be when I assail thee.” The wounded
\nLion rushed away in great fear, and when a Fox who had seen it all
\nhappen told him to be of good courage and not to back off at the first
\nattack he replied: “You counsel me in vain; for if he sends so fearful
\na messenger, how shall I abide the attack of the man himself?’<\/p>\n
Be on guard against men who can strike from a distance.<\/p>\n
The Camel<\/p>\n
When man first saw the Camel, he was so frightened at his vast size
\nthat he ran away. After a time, perceiving the meekness and gentleness
\nof the beast’s temper, he summoned courage enough to approach him.
\nSoon afterwards, observing that he was an animal altogether deficient
\nin spirit, he assumed such boldness as to put a bridle in his mouth,
\nand to let a child drive him.<\/p>\n
Use serves to overcome dread.<\/p>\n
The Wasp and the Snake<\/p>\n
A Wasp seated himself upon the head of a Snake and, striking him unceasingly
\nwith his stings, wounded him to death. The Snake, being in great torment
\nand not knowing how to rid himself of his enemy, saw a wagon heavily
\nladen with wood, and went and purposely placed his head under the
\nwheels, saying, “At least my enemy and I shall perish together.”<\/p>\n
The Dog and the Hare<\/p>\n
A Hound having started a Hare on the hillside pursued her for some
\ndistance, at one time biting her with his teeth as if he would take
\nher life, and at another fawning upon her, as if in play with another
\ndog. The Hare said to him, “I wish you would act sincerely by me,
\nand show yourself in your true colors. If you are a friend, why do
\nyou bite me so hard? If an enemy, why do you fawn on me?’<\/p>\n
No one can be a friend if you know not whether to trust or distrust
\nhim.<\/p>\n
The Bull and the Calf<\/p>\n
A Bull was striving with all his might to squeeze himself through
\na narrow passage which led to his stall. A young Calf came up, and
\noffered to go before and show him the way by which he could manage
\nto pass. “Save yourself the trouble,” said the Bull; “I knew that
\nway long before you were born.”<\/p>\n
The Stag, the Wolf, and the Sheep<\/p>\n
A Stag asked a Sheep to lend him a measure of wheat, and said that
\nthe Wolf would be his surety. The Sheep, fearing some fraud was intended,
\nexcused herself, saying, “The Wolf is accustomed to seize what he
\nwants and to run off; and you, too, can quickly outstrip me in your
\nrapid flight. How then shall I be able to find you, when the day of
\npayment comes?’<\/p>\n
Two blacks do not make one white.<\/p>\n
The Peacock and the Crane<\/p>\n
A Peacock spreading its gorgeous tail mocked a Crane that passed by,
\nridiculing the ashen hue of its plumage and saying, “I am robed, like
\na king, in gold and purple and all the colors of the rainbow; while
\nyou have not a bit of color on your wings.” “True,” replied the Crane;
\n“but I soar to the heights of heaven and lift up my voice to the stars,
\nwhile you walk below, like a cock, among the birds of the dunghill.”<\/p>\n
Fine feathers don’t make fine birds.<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Hedgehog<\/p>\n
A Fox swimming across a rapid river was carried by the force of the
\ncurrent into a very deep ravine, where he lay for a long time very
\nmuch bruised, sick, and unable to move. A swarm of hungry blood-sucking
\nflies settled upon him. A Hedgehog, passing by, saw his anguish and
\ninquired if he should drive away the flies that were tormenting him.
\n“By no means,” replied the Fox; “pray do not molest them.” “How is
\nthis?’ said the Hedgehog; “do you not want to be rid of them?’ “No,”
\nreturned the Fox, “for these flies which you see are full of blood,
\nand sting me but little, and if you rid me of these which are already
\nsatiated, others more hungry will come in their place, and will drink
\nup all the blood I have left.”<\/p>\n
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow<\/p>\n
An Eagle made her nest at the top of a lofty oak; a Cat, having found
\na convenient hole, moved into the middle of the trunk; and a Wild
\nSow, with her young, took shelter in a hollow at its foot. The Cat
\ncunningly resolved to destroy this chance-made colony. To carry out
\nher design, she climbed to the nest of the Eagle, and said, “Destruction
\nis preparing for you, and for me too, unfortunately. The Wild Sow,
\nwhom you see daily digging up the earth, wishes to uproot the oak,
\nso she may on its fall seize our families as food for her young.”
\nHaving thus frightened the Eagle out of her senses, she crept down
\nto the cave of the Sow, and said, “Your children are in great danger;
\nfor as soon as you go out with your litter to find food, the Eagle
\nis prepared to pounce upon one of your little pigs.” Having instilled
\nthese fears into the Sow, she went and pretended to hide herself in
\nthe hollow of the tree. When night came she went forth with silent
\nfoot and obtained food for herself and her kittens, but feigning to
\nbe afraid, she kept a lookout all through the day. Meanwhile, the
\nEagle, full of fear of the Sow, sat still on the branches, and the
\nSow, terrified by the Eagle, did not dare to go out from her cave.
\nAnd thus they both, along with their families, perished from hunger,
\nand afforded ample provision for the Cat and her kittens.<\/p>\n
The Thief and the Innkeeper<\/p>\n
A Thief hired a room in a tavern and stayed a while in the hope of
\nstealing something which should enable him to pay his reckoning. When
\nhe had waited some days in vain, he saw the Innkeeper dressed in a
\nnew and handsome coat and sitting before his door. The Thief sat down
\nbeside him and talked with him. As the conversation began to flag,
\nthe Thief yawned terribly and at the same time howled like a wolf.
\nThe Innkeeper said, “Why do you howl so fearfully?’ “I will tell you,”
\nsaid the Thief, “but first let me ask you to hold my clothes, or I
\nshall tear them to pieces. I know not, sir, when I got this habit
\nof yawning, nor whether these attacks of howling were inflicted on
\nme as a judgment for my crimes, or for any other cause; but this I
\ndo know, that when I yawn for the third time, I actually turn into
\na wolf and attack men.” With this speech he commenced a second fit
\nof yawning and again howled like a wolf, as he had at first. The Innkeeper.
\nhearing his tale and believing what he said, became greatly alarmed
\nand, rising from his seat, attempted to run away. The Thief laid hold
\nof his coat and entreated him to stop, saying, “Pray wait, sir, and
\nhold my clothes, or I shall tear them to pieces in my fury, when I
\nturn into a wolf.” At the same moment he yawned the third time and
\nset up a terrible howl. The Innkeeper, frightened lest he should be
\nattacked, left his new coat in the Thief’s hand and ran as fast as
\nhe could into the inn for safety. The Thief made off with the coat
\nand did not return again to the inn.<\/p>\n
Every tale is not to be believed.<\/p>\n
The Mule<\/p>\n
A Mule, frolicsome from lack of work and from too much corn, galloped
\nabout in a very extravagant manner, and said to himself: “My father
\nsurely was a high-mettled racer, and I am his own child in speed and
\nspirit.” On the next day, being driven a long journey, and feeling
\nvery wearied, he exclaimed in a disconsolate tone: “I must have made
\na mistake; my father, after all, could have been only an ass.”<\/p>\n
The Hart and the Vine<\/p>\n
A Hart, hard pressed in the chase, hid himself beneath the large leaves
\nof a Vine. The huntsmen, in their haste, overshot the place of his
\nconcealment. Supposing all danger to have passed, the Hart began to
\nnibble the tendrils of the Vine. One of the huntsmen, attracted by
\nthe rustling of the leaves, looked back, and seeing the Hart, shot
\nan arrow from his bow and struck it. The Hart, at the point of death,
\ngroaned: “I am rightly served, for I should not have maltreated the
\nVine that saved me.”<\/p>\n
The Serpent and the Eagle<\/p>\n
A Serpent and an Eagle were struggling with each other in deadly conflict.
\nThe Serpent had the advantage, and was about to strangle the bird.
\nA countryman saw them, and running up, loosed the coil of the Serpent
\nand let the Eagle go free. The Serpent, irritated at the escape of
\nhis prey, injected his poison into the drinking horn of the countryman.
\nThe rustic, ignorant of his danger, was about to drink, when the Eagle
\nstruck his hand with his wing, and, seizing the drinking horn in his
\ntalons, carried it aloft.<\/p>\n
The Crow and the Pitcher<\/p>\n
A Crow perishing with thirst saw a pitcher, and hoping to find water,
\nflew to it with delight. When he reached it, he discovered to his
\ngrief that it contained so little water that he could not possibly
\nget at it. He tried everything he could think of to reach the water,
\nbut all his efforts were in vain. At last he collected as many stones
\nas he could carry and dropped them one by one with his beak into the
\npitcher, until he brought the water within his reach and thus saved
\nhis life.<\/p>\n
Necessity is the mother of invention.<\/p>\n
The Two Frogs<\/p>\n
Two Frogs were neighbors. One inhabited a deep pond, far removed from
\npublic view; the other lived in a gully containing little water, and
\ntraversed by a country road. The Frog that lived in the pond warned
\nhis friend to change his residence and entreated him to come and live
\nwith him, saying that he would enjoy greater safety from danger and
\nmore abundant food. The other refused, saying that he felt it so very
\nhard to leave a place to which he had become accustomed. A few days
\nafterwards a heavy wagon passed through the gully and crushed him
\nto death under its wheels.<\/p>\n
A willful man will have his way to his own hurt.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Fox<\/p>\n
At one time a very large and strong Wolf was born among the wolves,
\nwho exceeded all his fellow-wolves in strength, size, and swiftness,
\nso that they unanimously decided to call him “Lion.” The Wolf, with
\na lack of sense proportioned to his enormous size, thought that they
\ngave him this name in earnest, and, leaving his own race, consorted
\nexclusively with the lions. An old sly Fox, seeing this, said, “May
\nI never make myself so ridiculous as you do in your pride and self-conceit;
\nfor even though you have the size of a lion among wolves, in a herd
\nof lions you are definitely a wolf.”<\/p>\n
The Walnut-Tree<\/p>\n
A Walnut-Tree standing by the roadside bore an abundant crop of fruit.
\nFor the sake of the nuts, the passers-by broke its branches with stones
\nand sticks. The Walnut-Tree piteously exclaimed, “O wretched me! that
\nthose whom I cheer with my fruit should repay me with these painful
\nrequitals!”<\/p>\n
The Gnat and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Gnat came and said to a Lion, “I do not in the least fear you, nor
\nare you stronger than I am. For in what does your strength consist?
\nYou can scratch with your claws and bite with your teeth an a woman
\nin her quarrels. I repeat that I am altogether more powerful than
\nyou; and if you doubt it, let us fight and see who will conquer.”
\nThe Gnat, having sounded his horn, fastened himself upon the Lion
\nand stung him on the nostrils and the parts of the face devoid of
\nhair. While trying to crush him, the Lion tore himself with his claws,
\nuntil he punished himself severely. The Gnat thus prevailed over the
\nLion, and, buzzing about in a song of triumph, flew away. But shortly
\nafterwards he became entangled in the meshes of a cobweb and was eaten
\nby a spider. He greatly lamented his fate, saying, “Woe is me! that
\nI, who can wage war successfully with the hugest beasts, should perish
\nmyself from this spider, the most inconsiderable of insects!”<\/p>\n
The Monkey and the Dolphin<\/p>\n
A Sailor, bound on a long voyage, took with him a Monkey to amuse
\nhim while on shipboard. As he sailed off the coast of Greece, a violent
\ntempest arose in which the ship was wrecked and he, his Monkey, and
\nall the crew were obliged to swim for their lives. A Dolphin saw the
\nMonkey contending with the waves, and supposing him to be a man (whom
\nhe is always said to befriend), came and placed himself under him,
\nto convey him on his back in safety to the shore. When the Dolphin
\narrived with his burden in sight of land not far from Athens, he asked
\nthe Monkey if he were an Athenian. The latter replied that he was,
\nand that he was descended from one of the most noble families in that
\ncity. The Dolphin then inquired if he knew the Piraeus (the famous
\nharbor of Athens). Supposing that a man was meant, the Monkey answered
\nthat he knew him very well and that he was an intimate friend. The
\nDolphin, indignant at these falsehoods, dipped the Monkey under the
\nwater and drowned him.<\/p>\n
The Jackdaw and the Doves<\/p>\n
A Jackdaw, seeing some Doves in a cote abundantly provided with food,
\npainted himself white and joined them in order to share their plentiful
\nmaintenance. The Doves, as long as he was silent, supposed him to
\nbe one of themselves and admitted him to their cote. But when one
\nday he forgot himself and began to chatter, they discovered his true
\ncharacter and drove him forth, pecking him with their beaks. Failing
\nto obtain food among the Doves, he returned to the Jackdaws. They
\ntoo, not recognizing him on account of his color. expelled him from
\nliving with them. So desiring two ends, he obtained neither.<\/p>\n
The Horse and the Stag<\/p>\n
At one time the Horse had the plain entirely to himself. Then a Stag
\nintruded into his domain and shared his pasture. The Horse, desiring
\nto revenge himself on the stranger, asked a man if he were willing
\nto help him in punishing the Stag. The man replied that if the Horse
\nwould receive a bit in his mouth and agree to carry him, he would
\ncontrive effective weapons against the Stag. The Horse consented and
\nallowed the man to mount him. From that hour he found that instead
\nof obtaining revenge on the Stag, he had enslaved himself to the service
\nof man.<\/p>\n
The Kid and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A Kid, returning without protection from the pasture, was pursued
\nby a Wolf. Seeing he could not escape, he turned round, and said:
\n“I know, friend Wolf, that I must be your prey, but before I die I
\nwould ask of you one favor you will play me a tune to which I may
\ndance.” The Wolf complied, and while he was piping and the Kid was
\ndancing, some hounds hearing the sound ran up and began chasing the
\nWolf. Turning to the Kid, he said, “It is just what I deserve; for
\nI, who am only a butcher, should not have turned piper to please you.”<\/p>\n
The Prophet<\/p>\n
A Wizard, sitting in the marketplace, was telling the fortunes of
\nthe passers-by when a person ran up in great haste, and announced
\nto him that the doors of his house had been broken open and that all
\nhis goods were being stolen. He sighed heavily and hastened away as
\nfast as he could run. A neighbor saw him running and said, “Oh! you
\nfellow there! you say you can foretell the fortunes of others; how
\nis it you did not foresee your own?’<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Monkey<\/p>\n
A Fox and a Monkey were traveling together on the same road. As they
\njourneyed, they passed through a cemetery full of monuments. “All
\nthese monuments which you see,” said the Monkey, “are erected in honor
\nof my ancestors, who were in their day freedmen and citizens of great
\nrenown.” The Fox replied, “You have chosen a most appropriate subject
\nfor your falsehoods, as I am sure none of your ancestors will be able
\nto contradict you.”<\/p>\n
A false tale often betrays itself.<\/p>\n
The Thief and the Housedog<\/p>\n
A Thief came in the night to break into a house. He brought with him
\nseveral slices of meat in order to pacify the Housedog, so that he
\nwould not alarm his master by barking. As the Thief threw him the
\npieces of meat, the Dog said, “If you think to stop my mouth, you
\nwill be greatly mistaken. This sudden kindness at your hands will
\nonly make me more watchful, lest under these unexpected favors to
\nmyself, you have some private ends to accomplish for your own benefit,
\nand for my master’s injury.”<\/p>\n
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog<\/p>\n
A Horse, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought
\nshelter and protection from Man. He received them kindly, lighted
\na fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse make free with his oats,
\ngave the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with meat from his
\nown table. Grateful for these favors, the animals determined to repay
\nhim to the best of their ability. For this purpose, they divided the
\nterm of his life between them, and each endowed one portion of it
\nwith the qualities which chiefly characterized himself. The Horse
\nchose his earliest years and gave them his own attributes: hence every
\nman is in his youth impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining
\nhis own opinion. The Ox took under his patronage the next term of
\nlife, and therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted
\nto labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources.
\nThe end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man is
\noften snappish, irritable, hard to please, and selfish, tolerant only
\nof his own household, but averse to strangers and to all who do not
\nadminister to his comfort or to his necessities.<\/p>\n
The Apes and the Two Travelers<\/p>\n
Two men, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told nothing
\nbut lies, were traveling together and by chance came to the land of
\nApes. One of the Apes, who had raised himself to be king, commanded
\nthem to be seized and brought before him, that he might know what
\nwas said of him among men. He ordered at the same time that all the
\nApes be arranged in a long row on his right hand and on his left,
\nand that a throne be placed for him, as was the custom among men.
\nAfter these preparations he signified that the two men should be brought
\nbefore him, and greeted them with this salutation: “What sort of a
\nking do I seem to you to be, O strangers?’ The Lying Traveler replied,
\n“You seem to me a most mighty king.” “And what is your estimate of
\nthose you see around me?’ “These,” he made answer, “are worthy companions
\nof yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and leaders of armies.”
\nThe Ape and all his court, gratified with the lie, commanded that
\na handsome present be given to the flatterer. On this the truthful
\nTraveler thought to himself, “If so great a reward be given for a
\nlie, with what gift may not I be rewarded, if, according to my custom,
\nI tell the truth?’ The Ape quickly turned to him. “And pray how do
\nI and these my friends around me seem to you?’ “Thou art,” he said,
\n“a most excellent Ape, and all these thy companions after thy example
\nare excellent Apes too.” The King of the Apes, enraged at hearing
\nthese truths, gave him over to the teeth and claws of his companions.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Shepherd<\/p>\n
A Wolf followed a flock of sheep for a long time and did not attempt
\nto injure one of them. The Shepherd at first stood on his guard against
\nhim, as against an enemy, and kept a strict watch over his movements.
\nBut when the Wolf, day after day, kept in the company of the sheep
\nand did not make the slightest effort to seize them, the Shepherd
\nbegan to look upon him as a guardian of his flock rather than as a
\nplotter of evil against it; and when occasion called him one day into
\nthe city, he left the sheep entirely in his charge. The Wolf, now
\nthat he had the opportunity, fell upon the sheep, and destroyed the
\ngreater part of the flock. When the Shepherd returned to find his
\nflock destroyed, he exclaimed: “I have been rightly served; why did
\nI trust my sheep to a Wolf?’<\/p>\n
The Hares and the Lions<\/p>\n
The Hares harangued the assembly, and argued that all should be equal.
\nThe Lions made this reply: “Your words, O Hares! are good; but they
\nlack both claws and teeth such as we have.”<\/p>\n
The Lark and Her Young Ones<\/p>\n
A Lark had made her nest in the early spring on the young green wheat.
\nThe brood had almost grown to their full strength and attained the
\nuse of their wings and the full plumage of their feathers, when the
\nowner of the field, looking over his ripe crop, said, “The time has
\ncome when I must ask all my neighbors to help me with my harvest.”
\nOne of the young Larks heard his speech and related it to his mother,
\ninquiring of her to what place they should move for safety. “There
\nis no occasion to move yet, my son,” she replied; “the man who only
\nsends to his friends to help him with his harvest is not really in
\nearnest.” The owner of the field came again a few days later and saw
\nthe wheat shedding the grain from excess of ripeness. He said, “I
\nwill come myself tomorrow with my laborers, and with as many reapers
\nas I can hire, and will get in the harvest.” The Lark on hearing these
\nwords said to her brood, “It is time now to be off, my little ones,
\nfor the man is in earnest this time; he no longer trusts his friends,
\nbut will reap the field himself.”<\/p>\n
Self-help is the best help.<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Lion<\/p>\n
When a Fox who had never yet seen a Lion, fell in with him by chance
\nfor the first time in the forest, he was so frightened that he nearly
\ndied with fear. On meeting him for the second time, he was still much
\nalarmed, but not to the same extent as at first. On seeing him the
\nthird time, he so increased in boldness that he went up to him and
\ncommenced a familiar conversation with him.<\/p>\n
Acquaintance softens prejudices.<\/p>\n
The Weasel and the Mice<\/p>\n
A Weasel, inactive from age and infirmities, was not able to catch
\nmice as he once did. He therefore rolled himself in flour and lay
\ndown in a dark corner. A Mouse, supposing him to be food, leaped upon
\nhim, and was instantly caught and squeezed to death. Another perished
\nin a similar manner, and then a third, and still others after them.
\nA very old Mouse, who had escaped many a trap and snare, observed
\nfrom a safe distance the trick of his crafty foe and said, “Ah! you
\nthat lie there, may you prosper just in the same proportion as you
\nare what you pretend to be!”<\/p>\n
The Boy Bathing<\/p>\n
A boy bathing in a river was in danger of being drowned. He called
\nout to a passing traveler for help, but instead of holding out a helping
\nhand, the man stood by unconcernedly, and scolded the boy for his
\nimprudence. “Oh, sir!” cried the youth, “pray help me now and scold
\nme afterwards.”<\/p>\n
Counsel without help is useless.<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Wolf<\/p>\n
An Ass feeding in a meadow saw a Wolf approaching to seize him, and
\nimmediately pretended to be lame. The Wolf, coming up, inquired the
\ncause of his lameness. The Ass replied that passing through a hedge
\nhe had trod with his foot upon a sharp thorn. He requested that the
\nWolf pull it out, lest when he ate him it should injure his throat.
\nThe Wolf consented and lifted up the foot, and was giving his whole
\nmind to the discovery of the thorn, when the Ass, with his heels,
\nkicked his teeth into his mouth and galloped away. The Wolf, being
\nthus fearfully mauled, said, “I am rightly served, for why did I attempt
\nthe art of healing, when my father only taught me the trade of a butcher?’<\/p>\n
The Seller of Images<\/p>\n
A certain man made a wooden image of Mercury and offered it for sale.
\nWhen no one appeared willing to buy it, in order to attract purchasers,
\nhe cried out that he had the statue to sell of a benefactor who bestowed
\nwealth and helped to heap up riches. One of the bystanders said to
\nhim, “My good fellow, why do you sell him, being such a one as you
\ndescribe, when you may yourself enjoy the good things he has to give?’
\n“Why,” he replied, “I am in need of immediate help, and he is wont
\nto give his good gifts very slowly.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Grapes<\/p>\n
A famished Fox saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging from
\na trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but
\nwearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them. At last she
\nturned away, hiding her disappointment and saying: “The Grapes are
\nsour, and not ripe as I thought.”<\/p>\n
The Man and His Wife<\/p>\n
A Man had a Wife who made herself hated by all the members of his
\nhousehold. Wishing to find out if she had the same effect on the persons
\nin her father’s house, he made some excuse to send her home on a visit
\nto her father. After a short time she returned, and when he inquired
\nhow she had got on and how the servants had treated her, she replied,
\n“The herdsmen and shepherds cast on me looks of aversion.” He said,
\n“O Wife, if you were disliked by those who go out early in the morning
\nwith their flocks and return late in the evening, what must have been
\nfelt towards you by those with whom you passed the whole day!”<\/p>\n
Straws show how the wind blows.<\/p>\n
The Peacock and Juno<\/p>\n
The Peacock made complaint to Juno that, while the nightingale pleased
\nevery ear with his song, he himself no sooner opened his mouth than
\nhe became a laughingstock to all who heard him. The Goddess, to console
\nhim, said, “But you far excel in beauty and in size. The splendor
\nof the emerald shines in your neck and you unfold a tail gorgeous
\nwith painted plumage.” “But for what purpose have I,” said the bird,
\n“this dumb beauty so long as I am surpassed in song?’ “The lot of
\neach,” replied Juno, “has been assigned by the will of the Fates–to
\nthee, beauty; to the eagle, strength; to the nightingale, song; to
\nthe raven, favorable, and to the crow, unfavorable auguries. These
\nare all contented with the endowments allotted to them.”<\/p>\n
The Hawk and the Nightingale<\/p>\n
A Nightingale, sitting aloft upon an oak and singing according to
\nhis wont, was seen by a Hawk who, being in need of food, swooped down
\nand seized him. The Nightingale, about to lose his life, earnestly
\nbegged the Hawk to let him go, saying that he was not big enough to
\nsatisfy the hunger of a Hawk who, if he wanted food, ought to pursue
\nthe larger birds. The Hawk, interrupting him, said: “I should indeed
\nhave lost my senses if I should let go food ready in my hand, for
\nthe sake of pursuing birds which are not yet even within sight.”<\/p>\n
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Dog and a Cock being great friends, agreed to travel together. At
\nnightfall they took shelter in a thick wood. The Cock flying up, perched
\nhimself on the branches of a tree, while the Dog found a bed beneath
\nin the hollow trunk. When the morning dawned, the Cock, as usual,
\ncrowed very loudly several times. A Fox heard the sound, and wishing
\nto make a breakfast on him, came and stood under the branches, saying
\nhow earnestly he desired to make the acquaintance of the owner of
\nso magnificent a voice. The Cock, suspecting his civilities, said:
\n“Sir, I wish you would do me the favor of going around to the hollow
\ntrunk below me, and waking my porter, so that he may open the door
\nand let you in.” When the Fox approached the tree, the Dog sprang
\nout and caught him, and tore him to pieces.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Goat<\/p>\n
A Wolf saw a Goat feeding at the summit of a steep precipice, where
\nhe had no chance of reaching her. He called to her and earnestly begged
\nher to come lower down, lest she fall by some mishap; and he added
\nthat the meadows lay where he was standing, and that the herbage was
\nmost tender. She replied, “No, my friend, it is not for the pasture
\nthat you invite me, but for yourself, who are in want of food.”<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Bull<\/p>\n
A Lion, greatly desiring to capture a Bull, and yet afraid to attack
\nhim on account of his great size, resorted to a trick to ensure his
\ndestruction. He approached the Bull and said, “I have slain a fine
\nsheep, my friend; and if you will come home and partake of him with
\nme, I shall be delighted to have your company.” The Lion said this
\nin the hope that, as the Bull was in the act of reclining to eat,
\nhe might attack him to advantage, and make his meal on him. The Bull,
\non approaching the Lion’s den, saw the huge spits and giant caldrons,
\nand no sign whatever of the sheep, and, without saying a word, quietly
\ntook his departure. The Lion inquired why he went off so abruptly
\nwithout a word of salutation to his host, who had not given him any
\ncause for offense. “I have reasons enough,” said the Bull. “I see
\nno indication whatever of your having slaughtered a sheep, while I
\ndo see very plainly every preparation for your dining on a bull.”<\/p>\n
The Goat and the Ass<\/p>\n
A man once kept a Goat and an Ass. The Goat, envying the Ass on account
\nof his greater abundance of food, said, “How shamefully you are treated:
\nat one time grinding in the mill, and at another carrying heavy burdens”;
\nand he further advised him to pretend to be epileptic and fall into
\na ditch and so obtain rest. The Ass listened to his words, and falling
\ninto a ditch, was very much bruised. His master, sending for a leech,
\nasked his advice. He bade him pour upon the wounds the lungs of a
\nGoat. They at once killed the Goat, and so healed the Ass.<\/p>\n
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse<\/p>\n
A Country Mouse invited a Town Mouse, an intimate friend, to pay him
\na visit and partake of his country fare. As they were on the bare
\nplowlands, eating there wheat-stocks and roots pulled up from the
\nhedgerow, the Town Mouse said to his friend, “You live here the life
\nof the ants, while in my house is the horn of plenty. I am surrounded
\nby every luxury, and if you will come with me, as I wish you would,
\nyou shall have an ample share of my dainties.” The Country Mouse was
\neasily persuaded, and returned to town with his friend. On his arrival,
\nthe Town Mouse placed before him bread, barley, beans, dried figs,
\nhoney, raisins, and, last of all, brought a dainty piece of cheese
\nfrom a basket. The Country Mouse, being much delighted at the sight
\nof such good cheer, expressed his satisfaction in warm terms and lamented
\nhis own hard fate. Just as they were beginning to eat, someone opened
\nthe door, and they both ran off squeaking, as fast as they could,
\nto a hole so narrow that two could only find room in it by squeezing.
\nThey had scarcely begun their repast again when someone else entered
\nto take something out of a cupboard, whereupon the two Mice, more
\nfrightened than before, ran away and hid themselves. At last the Country
\nMouse, almost famished, said to his friend: “Although you have prepared
\nfor me so dainty a feast, I must leave you to enjoy it by yourself.
\nIt is surrounded by too many dangers to please me. I prefer my bare
\nplowlands and roots from the hedgerow, where I can live in safety,
\nand without fear.”<\/p>\n
The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape<\/p>\n
A Wolf accused a Fox of theft, but the Fox entirely denied the charge.
\nAn Ape undertook to adjudge the matter between them. When each had
\nfully stated his case the Ape announced this sentence: “I do not think
\nyou, Wolf, ever lost what you claim; and I do believe you, Fox, to
\nhave stolen what you so stoutly deny.”<\/p>\n
The dishonest, if they act honestly, get no credit.<\/p>\n
The Fly and the Draught-Mule<\/p>\n
A Fly sat on the axle-tree of a chariot, and addressing the Draught-Mule
\nsaid, “How slow you are! Why do you not go faster? See if I do not
\nprick your neck with my sting.” The Draught-Mule replied, “I do not
\nheed your threats; I only care for him who sits above you, and who
\nquickens my pace with his whip, or holds me back with the reins. Away,
\ntherefore, with your insolence, for I know well when to go fast, and
\nwhen to go slow.”<\/p>\n
The Fishermen<\/p>\n
Some Fishermen were out trawling their nets. Perceiving them to be
\nvery heavy, they danced about for joy and supposed that they had taken
\na large catch. When they had dragged the nets to the shore they found
\nbut few fish: the nets were full of sand and stones, and the men were
\nbeyond measure cast downso much at the disappointment which had befallen
\nthem, but because they had formed such very different expectations.
\nOne of their company, an old man, said, “Let us cease lamenting, my
\nmates, for, as it seems to me, sorrow is always the twin sister of
\njoy; and it was only to be looked for that we, who just now were over-rejoiced,
\nshould next have something to make us sad.”<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Three Bulls<\/p>\n
Three Bulls for a long time pastured together. A Lion lay in ambush
\nin the hope of making them his prey, but was afraid to attack them
\nwhile they kept together. Having at last by guileful speeches succeeded
\nin separating them, he attacked them without fear as they fed alone,
\nand feasted on them one by one at his own leisure.<\/p>\n
Union is strength.<\/p>\n
The Fowler and the Viper<\/p>\n
A Fowler, taking his bird-lime and his twigs, went out to catch birds.
\nSeeing a thrush sitting upon a tree, he wished to take it, and fitting
\nhis twigs to a proper length, watched intently, having his whole thoughts
\ndirected towards the sky. While thus looking upwards, he unknowingly
\ntrod upon a Viper asleep just before his feet. The Viper, turning
\nabout, stung him, and falling into a swoon, the man said to himself,
\n“Woe is me! that while I purposed to hunt another, I am myself fallen
\nunawares into the snares of death.”<\/p>\n
The Horse and the Ass<\/p>\n
A Horse, proud of his fine trappings, met an Ass on the highway. The
\nAss, being heavily laden, moved slowly out of the way. “Hardly,” said
\nthe Horse, “can I resist kicking you with my heels.” The Ass held
\nhis peace, and made only a silent appeal to the justice of the gods.
\nNot long afterwards the Horse, having become broken-winded, was sent
\nby his owner to the farm. The Ass, seeing him drawing a dungcart,
\nthus derided him: “Where, O boaster, are now all thy gay trappings,
\nthou who are thyself reduced to the condition you so lately treated
\nwith contempt?’<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Mask<\/p>\n
A Fox entered the house of an actor and, rummaging through all his
\nproperties, came upon a Mask, an admirable imitation of a human head.
\nHe placed his paws on it and said, “What a beautiful head! Yet it
\nis of no value, as it entirely lacks brains.”<\/p>\n
The Geese and the Cranes<\/p>\n
The Geese and the Cranes were feeding in the same meadow, when a birdcatcher
\ncame to ensnare them in his nets. The Cranes, being light of wing,
\nfled away at his approach; while the Geese, being slower of flight
\nand heavier in their bodies, were captured.<\/p>\n
The Blind Man and the Whelp<\/p>\n
A Blind Man was accustomed to distinguishing different animals by
\ntouching them with his hands. The whelp of a Wolf was brought him,
\nwith a request that he would feel it, and say what it was. He felt
\nit, and being in doubt, said: “I do not quite know whether it is the
\ncub of a Fox, or the whelp of a Wolf, but this I know full well. It
\nwould not be safe to admit him to the sheepfold.”<\/p>\n
Evil tendencies are shown in early life.<\/p>\n
The Dogs and the Fox<\/p>\n
Some Dogs, finding the skin of a lion, began to tear it in pieces
\nwith their teeth. A Fox, seeing them, said, “If this lion were alive,
\nyou would soon find out that his claws were stronger than your teeth.”<\/p>\n
It is easy to kick a man that is down.<\/p>\n
The Cobbler Turned Doctor<\/p>\n
A Cobbler unable to make a living by his trade and made desperate
\nby poverty, began to practice medicine in a town in which he was not
\nknown. He sold a drug, pretending that it was an antidote to all poisons,
\nand obtained a great name for himself by long-winded puffs and advertisements.
\nWhen the Cobbler happened to fall sick himself of a serious illness,
\nthe Governor of the town determined to test his skill. For this purpose
\nhe called for a cup, and while filling it with water, pretended to
\nmix poison with the Cobbler’s antidote, commanding him to drink it
\non the promise of a reward. The Cobbler, under the fear of death,
\nconfessed that he had no knowledge of medicine, and was only made
\nfamous by the stupid clamors of the crowd. The Governor then called
\na public assembly and addressed the citizens: “Of what folly have
\nyou been guilty? You have not hesitated to entrust your heads to a
\nman, whom no one could employ to make even the shoes for their feet.”<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Horse<\/p>\n
A Wolf coming out of a field of oats met a Horse and thus addressed
\nhim: “I would advise you to go into that field. It is full of fine
\noats, which I have left untouched for you, as you are a friend whom
\nI would love to hear enjoying good eating.” The Horse replied, “If
\noats had been the food of wolves, you would never have indulged your
\nears at the cost of your belly.”<\/p>\n
Men of evil reputation, when they perform a good deed, fail to get
\ncredit for it.<\/p>\n
The Brother and the Sister<\/p>\n
A father had one son and one daughter, the former remarkable for his
\ngood looks, the latter for her extraordinary ugliness. While they
\nwere playing one day as children, they happened by chance to look
\ntogether into a mirror that was placed on their mother’s chair. The
\nboy congratulated himself on his good looks; the girl grew angry,
\nand could not bear the self-praises of her Brother, interpreting all
\nhe said (and how could she do otherwise?) into reflection on herself.
\nShe ran off to her father. to be avenged on her Brother, and spitefully
\naccused him of having, as a boy, made use of that which belonged only
\nto girls. The father embraced them both, and bestowing his kisses
\nand affection impartially on each, said, “I wish you both would look
\ninto the mirror every day: you, my son, that you may not spoil your
\nbeauty by evil conduct; and you, my daughter, that you may make up
\nfor your lack of beauty by your virtues.”<\/p>\n
The Wasps, the Partridges, and the Farmer<\/p>\n
The Wasps and the Partridges, overcome with thirst, came to a Farmer
\nand besought him to give them some water to drink. They promised amply
\nto repay him the favor which they asked. The Partridges declared that
\nthey would dig around his vines and make them produce finer grapes.
\nThe Wasps said that they would keep guard and drive off thieves with
\ntheir stings. But the Farmer interrupted them, saying: “I have already
\ntwo oxen, who, without making any promises, do all these things. It
\nis surely better for me to give the water to them than to you.”<\/p>\n
The Crow and Mercury<\/p>\n
A Crow caught in a snare prayed to Apollo to release him, making a
\nvow to offer some frankincense at his shrine. But when rescued from
\nhis danger, he forgot his promise. Shortly afterwards, again caught
\nin a snare, he passed by Apollo and made the same promise to offer
\nfrankincense to Mercury. Mercury soon appeared and said to him, “O
\nthou most base fellow? how can I believe thee, who hast disowned and
\nwronged thy former patron?’<\/p>\n
The North Wind and the Sun<\/p>\n
The North Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the most powerful,
\nand agreed that he should be declared the victor who could first strip
\na wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind first tried his power
\nand blew with all his might, but the keener his blasts, the closer
\nthe Traveler wrapped his cloak around him, until at last, resigning
\nall hope of victory, the Wind called upon the Sun to see what he could
\ndo. The Sun suddenly shone out with all his warmth. The Traveler no
\nsooner felt his genial rays than he took off one garment after another,
\nand at last, fairly overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a
\nstream that lay in his path.<\/p>\n
Persuasion is better than Force.<\/p>\n
The Two Men Who Were Enemies<\/p>\n
Two Men, deadly enemies to each other, were sailing in the same vessel.
\nDetermined to keep as far apart as possible, the one seated himself
\nin the stem, and the other in the prow of the ship. A violent storm
\narose, and with the vessel in great danger of sinking, the one in
\nthe stern inquired of the pilot which of the two ends of the ship
\nwould go down first. On his replying that he supposed it would be
\nthe prow, the Man said, “Death would not be grievous to me, if I could
\nonly see my Enemy die before me.”<\/p>\n
The Gamecocks and the Partridge<\/p>\n
A man had two Gamecocks in his poultry-yard. One day by chance he
\nfound a tame Partridge for sale. He purchased it and brought it home
\nto be reared with his Gamecocks. When the Partridge was put into the
\npoultry-yard, they struck at it and followed it about, so that the
\nPartridge became grievously troubled and supposed that he was thus
\nevilly treated because he was a stranger. Not long afterwards he saw
\nthe Cocks fighting together and not separating before one had well
\nbeaten the other. He then said to himself, “I shall no longer distress
\nmyself at being struck at by these Gamecocks, when I see that they
\ncannot even refrain from quarreling with each other.”<\/p>\n
The Quack Frog<\/p>\n
A Frog once upon a time came forth from his home in the marsh and
\nproclaimed to all the beasts that he was a learned physician, skilled
\nin the use of drugs and able to heal all diseases. A Fox asked him,
\n“How can you pretend to prescribe for others, when you are unable
\nto heal your own lame gait and wrinkled skin?’<\/p>\n
The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Lion, growing old, lay sick in his cave. All the beasts came to
\nvisit their king, except the Fox. The Wolf therefore, thinking that
\nhe had a capital opportunity, accused the Fox to the Lion of not paying
\nany respect to him who had the rule over them all and of not coming
\nto visit him. At that very moment the Fox came in and heard these
\nlast words of the Wolf. The Lion roaring out in a rage against him,
\nthe Fox sought an opportunity to defend himself and said, “And who
\nof all those who have come to you have benefited you so much as I,
\nwho have traveled from place to place in every direction, and have
\nsought and learnt from the physicians the means of healing you?’ The
\nLion commanded him immediately to tell him the cure, when he replied,
\n“You must flay a wolf alive and wrap his skin yet warm around you.”
\nThe Wolf was at once taken and flayed; whereon the Fox, turning to
\nhim, said with a smile, “You should have moved your master not to
\nill, but to good, will.”<\/p>\n
The Dog’s House<\/p>\n
In the wintertime, a Dog curled up in as small a space as possible
\non account of the cold, determined to make himself a house. However
\nwhen the summer returned again, he lay asleep stretched at his full
\nlength and appeared to himself to be of a great size. Now he considered
\nthat it would be neither an easy nor a necessary work to make himself
\nsuch a house as would accommodate him.<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Lion<\/p>\n
Roaming by the mountainside at sundown, a Wolf saw his own shadow
\nbecome greatly extended and magnified, and he said to himself, “Why
\nshould I, being of such an immense size and extending nearly an acre
\nin length, be afraid of the Lion? Ought I not to be acknowledged as
\nKing of all the collected beasts?’ While he was indulging in these
\nproud thoughts, a Lion fell upon him and killed him. He exclaimed
\nwith a too late repentance, “Wretched me! this overestimation of myself
\nis the cause of my destruction.”<\/p>\n
SECTION 4<\/p>\n
The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat<\/p>\n
The Birds waged war with the Beasts, and each were by turns the conquerors.
\nA Bat, fearing the uncertain issues of the fight, always fought on
\nthe side which he felt was the strongest. When peace was proclaimed,
\nhis deceitful conduct was apparent to both combatants. Therefore being
\ncondemned by each for his treachery, he was driven forth from the
\nlight of day, and henceforth concealed himself in dark hiding-places,
\nflying always alone and at night.<\/p>\n
The Spendthrift and the Swallow<\/p>\n
A young man, a great spendthrift, had run through all his patrimony
\nand had but one good cloak left. One day he happened to see a Swallow,
\nwhich had appeared before its season, skimming along a pool and twittering
\ngaily. He supposed that summer had come, and went and sold his cloak.
\nNot many days later, winter set in again with renewed frost and cold.
\nWhen he found the unfortunate Swallow lifeless on the ground, he said,
\n“Unhappy bird! what have you done? By thus appearing before the springtime
\nyou have not only killed yourself, but you have wrought my destruction
\nalso.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Fox saw a Lion confined in a cage, and standing near him, bitterly
\nreviled him. The Lion said to the Fox, “It is not thou who revilest
\nme; but this mischance which has befallen me.”<\/p>\n
The Owl and the Birds<\/p>\n
An Owl, in her wisdom, counseled the Birds that when the acorn first
\nbegan to sprout, to pull it all up out of the ground and not allow
\nit to grow. She said acorns would produce mistletoe, from which an
\nirremediable poison, the bird- lime, would be extracted and by which
\nthey would be captured. The Owl next advised them to pluck up the
\nseed of the flax, which men had sown, as it was a plant which boded
\nno good to them. And, lastly, the Owl, seeing an archer approach,
\npredicted that this man, being on foot, would contrive darts armed
\nwith feathers which would fly faster than the wings of the Birds themselves.
\nThe Birds gave no credence to these warning words, but considered
\nthe Owl to be beside herself and said that she was mad. But afterwards,
\nfinding her words were true, they wondered at her knowledge and deemed
\nher to be the wisest of birds. Hence it is that when she appears they
\nlook to her as knowing all things, while she no longer gives them
\nadvice, but in solitude laments their past folly.<\/p>\n
The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner<\/p>\n
A Trumpeter, bravely leading on the soldiers, was captured by the
\nenemy. He cried out to his captors, “Pray spare me, and do not take
\nmy life without cause or without inquiry. I have not slain a single
\nman of your troop. I have no arms, and carry nothing but this one
\nbrass trumpet.” “That is the very reason for which you should be put
\nto death,” they said; “for, while you do not fight yourself, your
\ntrumpet stirs all the others to battle.”<\/p>\n
The Ass in the Lion’s Skin<\/p>\n
An Ass, having put on the Lion’s skin, roamed about in the forest
\nand amused himself by frightening all the foolish animals he met in
\nhis wanderings. At last coming upon a Fox, he tried to frighten him
\nalso, but the Fox no sooner heard the sound of his voice than he exclaimed,
\n“I might possibly have been frightened myself, if I had not heard
\nyour bray.”<\/p>\n
The Sparrow and the Hare<\/p>\n
A Hare pounced upon by an eagle sobbed very much and uttered cries
\nlike a child. A Sparrow upbraided her and said, “Where now is thy
\nremarkable swiftness of foot? Why were your feet so slow?” While the
\nSparrow was thus speaking, a hawk suddenly seized him and killed him.
\nThe Hare was comforted in her death, and expiring said, “Ah! you who
\nso lately, when you supposed yourself safe, exulted over my calamity,
\nhave now reason to deplore a similar misfortune.”<\/p>\n
The Flea and the Ox<\/p>\n
A Flea thus questioned an Ox: “What ails you, that being so huge and
\nstrong, you submit to the wrongs you receive from men and slave for
\nthem day by day, while I, being so small a creature, mercilessly feed
\non their flesh and drink their blood without stint?’ The Ox replied:
\n“I do not wish to be ungrateful, for I am loved and well cared for
\nby men, and they often pat my head and shoulders.” “Woe’s me!” said
\nthe flea; “this very patting which you like, whenever it happens to
\nme, brings with it my inevitable destruction.”<\/p>\n
The Goods and the Ills<\/p>\n
All the Goods were once driven out by the Ills from that common share
\nwhich they each had in the affairs of mankind; for the Ills by reason
\nof their numbers had prevailed to possess the earth. The Goods wafted
\nthemselves to heaven and asked for a righteous vengeance on their
\npersecutors. They entreated Jupiter that they might no longer be associated
\nwith the Ills, as they had nothing in common and could not live together,
\nbut were engaged in unceasing warfare; and that an indissoluble law
\nmight be laid down for their future protection. Jupiter granted their
\nrequest and decreed that henceforth the Ills should visit the earth
\nin company with each other, but that the Goods should one by one enter
\nthe habitations of men. Hence it arises that Ills abound, for they
\ncome not one by one, but in troops, and by no means singly: while
\nthe Goods proceed from Jupiter, and are given, not alike to all, but
\nsingly, and separately; and one by one to those who are able to discern
\nthem.<\/p>\n
The Dove and the Crow<\/p>\n
A Dove shut up in a cage was boasting of the large number of young
\nones which she had hatched. A Crow hearing her, said: “My good friend,
\ncease from this unseasonable boasting. The larger the number of your
\nfamily, the greater your cause of sorrow, in seeing them shut up in
\nthis prison-house.” Mercury and the Workmen<\/p>\n
A Workman, felling wood by the side of a river, let his axe drop –
\nby accident into a deep pool. Being thus deprived of the means of
\nhis livelihood, he sat down on the bank and lamented his hard fate.
\nMercury appeared and demanded the cause of his tears. After he told
\nhim his misfortune, Mercury plunged into the stream, and, bringing
\nup a golden axe, inquired if that were the one he had lost. On his
\nsaying that it was not his, Mercury disappeared beneath the water
\na second time, returned with a silver axe in his hand, and again asked
\nthe Workman if it were his. When the Workman said it was not, he dived
\ninto the pool for the third time and brought up the axe that had been
\nlost. The Workman claimed it and expressed his joy at its recovery.
\nMercury, pleased with his honesty, gave him the golden and silver
\naxes in addition to his own. The Workman, on his return to his house,
\nrelated to his companions all that had happened. One of them at once
\nresolved to try and secure the same good fortune for himself. He ran
\nto the river and threw his axe on purpose into the pool at the same
\nplace, and sat down on the bank to weep. Mercury appeared to him just
\nas he hoped he would; and having learned the cause of his grief, plunged
\ninto the stream and brought up a golden axe, inquiring if he had lost
\nit. The Workman seized it greedily, and declared that truly it was
\nthe very same axe that he had lost. Mercury, displeased at his knavery,
\nnot only took away the golden axe, but refused to recover for him
\nthe axe he had thrown into the pool.<\/p>\n
The Eagle and the Jackdaw<\/p>\n
An Eagle, flying down from his perch on a lofty rock, seized upon
\na lamb and carried him aloft in his talons. A Jackdaw, who witnessed
\nthe capture of the lamb, was stirred with envy and determined to emulate
\nthe strength and flight of the Eagle. He flew around with a great
\nwhir of his wings and settled upon a large ram, with the intention
\nof carrying him off, but his claws became entangled in the ram’s fleece
\nand he was not able to release himself, although he fluttered with
\nhis feathers as much as he could. The shepherd, seeing what had happened,
\nran up and caught him. He at once clipped the Jackdaw’s wings, and
\ntaking him home at night, gave him to his children. On their saying,
\n“Father, what kind of bird is it?’ he replied, “To my certain knowledge
\nhe is a Daw; but he would like you to think an Eagle.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Crane<\/p>\n
A Fox invited a Crane to supper and provided nothing for his entertainment
\nbut some soup made of pulse, which was poured out into a broad flat
\nstone dish. The soup fell out of the long bill of the Crane at every
\nmouthful, and his vexation at not being able to eat afforded the Fox
\nmuch amusement. The Crane, in his turn, asked the Fox to sup with
\nhim, and set before her a flagon with a long narrow mouth, so that
\nhe could easily insert his neck and enjoy its contents at his leisure.
\nThe Fox, unable even to taste it, met with a fitting requital, after
\nthe fashion of her own hospitality.<\/p>\n
Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, and Momus<\/p>\n
According to an ancient legend, the first man was made by Jupiter,
\nthe first bull by Neptune, and the first house by Minerva. On the
\ncompletion of their labors, a dispute arose as to which had made the
\nmost perfect work. They agreed to appoint Momus as judge, and to abide
\nby his decision. Momus, however, being very envious of the handicraft
\nof each, found fault with all. He first blamed the work of Neptune
\nbecause he had not made the horns of the bull below his eyes, so he
\nmight better see where to strike. He then condemned the work of Jupiter,
\nbecause he had not placed the heart of man on the outside, that everyone
\nmight read the thoughts of the evil disposed and take precautions
\nagainst the intended mischief. And, lastly, he inveighed against Minerva
\nbecause she had not contrived iron wheels in the foundation of her
\nhouse, so its inhabitants might more easily remove if a neighbor proved
\nunpleasant. Jupiter, indignant at such inveterate faultfinding, drove
\nhim from his office of judge, and expelled him from the mansions of
\nOlympus.<\/p>\n
The Eagle and the Fox<\/p>\n
An Eagle and a Fox formed an intimate friendship and decided to live
\nnear each other. The Eagle built her nest in the branches of a tall
\ntree, while the Fox crept into the underwood and there produced her
\nyoung. Not long after they had agreed upon this plan, the Eagle, being
\nin want of provision for her young ones, swooped down while the Fox
\nwas out, seized upon one of the little cubs, and feasted herself and
\nher brood. The Fox on her return, discovered what had happened, but
\nwas less grieved for the death of her young than for her inability
\nto avenge them. A just retribution, however, quickly fell upon the
\nEagle. While hovering near an altar, on which some villagers were
\nsacrificing a goat, she suddenly seized a piece of the flesh, and
\ncarried it, along with a burning cinder, to her nest. A strong breeze
\nsoon fanned the spark into a flame, and the eaglets, as yet unfledged
\nand helpless, were roasted in their nest and dropped down dead at
\nthe bottom of the tree. There, in the sight of the Eagle, the Fox
\ngobbled them up.<\/p>\n
The Man and the Satyr<\/p>\n
A Man and a Satyr once drank together in token of a bond of alliance
\nbeing formed between them. One very cold wintry day, as they talked,
\nthe Man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them. When the Satyr
\nasked the reason for this, he told him that he did it to warm his
\nhands because they were so cold. Later on in the day they sat down
\nto eat, and the food prepared was quite scalding. The Man raised one
\nof the dishes a little towards his mouth and blew in it. When the
\nSatyr again inquired the reason, he said that he did it to cool the
\nmeat, which was too hot. “I can no longer consider you as a friend,”
\nsaid the Satyr, “a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold.”<\/p>\n
The Ass and His Purchaser<\/p>\n
A man wished to purchase an Ass, and agreed with its owner that he
\nshould try out the animal before he bought him. He took the Ass home
\nand put him in the straw-yard with his other Asses, upon which the
\nnew animal left all the others and at once joined the one that was
\nmost idle and the greatest eater of them all. Seeing this, the man
\nput a halter on him and led him back to his owner. On being asked
\nhow, in so short a time, he could have made a trial of him, he answered,
\n“I do not need a trial; I know that he will be just the same as the
\none he chose for his companion.”<\/p>\n
A man is known by the company he keeps.<\/p>\n
The Two Bags<\/p>\n
Every man, according to an ancient legend, is born into the world
\nwith two bags suspended from his neck all bag in front full of his
\nneighbors’ faults, and a large bag behind filled with his own faults.
\nHence it is that men are quick to see the faults of others, and yet
\nare often blind to their own failings.<\/p>\n
The Stag At the Pool<\/p>\n
A Stag overpowered by heat came to a spring to drink. Seeing his own
\nshadow reflected in the water, he greatly admired the size and variety
\nof his horns, but felt angry with himself for having such slender
\nand weak feet. While he was thus contemplating himself, a Lion appeared
\nat the pool and crouched to spring upon him. The Stag immediately
\ntook to flight, and exerting his utmost speed, as long as the plain
\nwas smooth and open kept himself easily at a safe distance from the
\nLion. But entering a wood he became entangled by his horns, and the
\nLion quickly came up to him and caught him. When too late, he thus
\nreproached himself: “Woe is me! How I have deceived myself! These
\nfeet which would have saved me I despised, and I gloried in these
\nantlers which have proved my destruction.”<\/p>\n
What is most truly valuable is often underrated.<\/p>\n
The Jackdaw and the Fox<\/p>\n
A half-famished Jackdaw seated himself on a fig-tree, which had produced
\nsome fruit entirely out of season, and waited in the hope that the
\nfigs would ripen. A Fox seeing him sitting so long and learning the
\nreason of his doing so, said to him, “You are indeed, sir, sadly deceiving
\nyourself; you are indulging a hope strong enough to cheat you, but
\nwhich will never reward you with enjoyment.”<\/p>\n
The Lark Burying Her Father<\/p>\n
The Lark (according to an ancient legend) was created before the earth
\nitself, and when her father died, as there was no earth, she could
\nfind no place of burial for him. She let him lie uninterred for five
\ndays, and on the sixth day, not knowing what else to do, she buried
\nhim in her own head. Hence she obtained her crest, which is popularly
\nsaid to be her father’s grave-hillock.<\/p>\n
Youth’s first duty is reverence to parents.<\/p>\n
The Gnat and the Bull<\/p>\n
A Gnat settled on the horn of a Bull, and sat there a long time. Just
\nas he was about to fly off, he made a buzzing noise, and inquired
\nof the Bull if he would like him to go. The Bull replied, “I did not
\nknow you had come, and I shall not miss you when you go away.”<\/p>\n
Some men are of more consequence in their own eyes than in the eyes
\nof their neighbors.<\/p>\n
The Bitch and Her Whelps<\/p>\n
A Bitch, ready to whelp, earnestly begged a shepherd for a place where
\nshe might litter. When her request was granted, she besought permission
\nto rear her puppies in the same spot. The shepherd again consented.
\nBut at last the Bitch, protected by the bodyguard of her Whelps, who
\nhad now grown up and were able to defend themselves, asserted her
\nexclusive right to the place and would not permit the shepherd to
\napproach.<\/p>\n
The Dogs and the Hides<\/p>\n
Some Dogs famished with hunger saw a number of cowhides steeping in
\na river. Not being able to reach them, they agreed to drink up the
\nriver, but it happened that they burst themselves with drinking long
\nbefore they reached the hides.<\/p>\n
Attempt not impossibilities.<\/p>\n
The Shepherd and the Sheep<\/p>\n
A Shepherd driving his Sheep to a wood, saw an oak of unusual size
\nfull of acorns, and spreading his cloak under the branches, he climbed
\nup into the tree and shook them down. The Sheep eating the acorns
\ninadvertently frayed and tore the cloak. When the Shepherd came down
\nand saw what was done, he said, “O you most ungrateful creatures!
\nYou provide wool to make garments for all other men, but you destroy
\nthe clothes of him who feeds you.”<\/p>\n
The Grasshopper and the Owl<\/p>\n
An Owl, accustomed to feed at night and to sleep during the day, was
\ngreatly disturbed by the noise of a Grasshopper and earnestly besought
\nher to stop chirping. The Grasshopper refused to desist, and chirped
\nlouder and louder the more the Owl entreated. When she saw that she
\ncould get no redress and that her words were despised, the Owl attacked
\nthe chatterer by a stratagem. “Since I cannot sleep,” she said, “on
\naccount of your song which, believe me, is sweet as the lyre of Apollo,
\nI shall indulge myself in drinking some nectar which Pallas lately
\ngave me. If you do not dislike it, come to me and we will drink it
\ntogether.” The Grasshopper, who was thirsty, and pleased with the
\npraise of her voice, eagerly flew up. The Owl came forth from her
\nhollow, seized her, and put her to death.<\/p>\n
The Monkey and the Camel<\/p>\n
The beasts of the forest gave a splendid entertainment at which the
\nMonkey stood up and danced. Having vastly delighted the assembly,
\nhe sat down amidst universal applause. The Camel, envious of the praises
\nbestowed on the Monkey and desiring to divert to himself the favor
\nof the guests, proposed to stand up in his turn and dance for their
\namusement. He moved about in so utterly ridiculous a manner that the
\nBeasts, in a fit of indignation, set upon him with clubs and drove
\nhim out of the assembly.<\/p>\n
It is absurd to ape our betters.<\/p>\n
The Peasant and the Apple-Tree<\/p>\n
A Peasant had in his garden an Apple-Tree which bore no fruit but
\nonly served as a harbor for the sparrows and grasshoppers. He resolved
\nto cut it down, and taking his axe in his hand, made a bold stroke
\nat its roots. The grasshoppers and sparrows entreated him not to cut
\ndown the tree that sheltered them, but to spare it, and they would
\nsing to him and lighten his labors. He paid no attention to their
\nrequest, but gave the tree a second and a third blow with his axe.
\nWhen he reached the hollow of the tree, he found a hive full of honey.
\nHaving tasted the honeycomb, he threw down his axe, and looking on
\nthe tree as sacred, took great care of it.<\/p>\n
Self-interest alone moves some men.<\/p>\n
The Two Soldiers and the Robber<\/p>\n
Two Soldiers traveling together were set upon by a Robber. The one
\nfled away; the other stood his ground and defended himself with his
\nstout right hand. The Robber being slain, the timid companion ran
\nup and drew his sword, and then, throwing back his traveling cloak
\nsaid, “I’ll at him, and I’ll take care he shall learn whom he has
\nattacked.” On this, he who had fought with the Robber made answer,
\n“I only wish that you had helped me just now, even if it had been
\nonly with those words, for I should have been the more encouraged,
\nbelieving them to be true; but now put up your sword in its sheath
\nand hold your equally useless tongue, till you can deceive others
\nwho do not know you. I, indeed, who have experienced with what speed
\nyou run away, know right well that no dependence can be placed on
\nyour valor.”<\/p>\n
The Trees Under the Protection of the Gods<\/p>\n
The Gods, according to an ancient legend, made choice of certain trees
\nto be under their special protection. Jupiter chose the oak, Venus
\nthe myrtle, Apollo the laurel, Cybele the pine, and Hercules the poplar.
\nMinerva, wondering why they had preferred trees not yielding fruit,
\ninquired the reason for their choice. Jupiter replied, “It is lest
\nwe should seem to covet the honor for the fruit.” But said Minerva,
\n“Let anyone say what he will the olive is more dear to me on account
\nof its fruit.” Then said Jupiter, “My daughter, you are rightly called
\nwise; for unless what we do is useful, the glory of it is vain.”<\/p>\n
The Mother and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A famished Wolf was prowling about in the morning in search of food.
\nAs he passed the door of a cottage built in the forest, he heard a
\nMother say to her child, “Be quiet, or I will throw you out of the
\nwindow, and the Wolf shall eat you.” The Wolf sat all day waiting
\nat the door. In the evening he heard the same woman fondling her child
\nand saying: “You are quiet now, and if the Wolf should come, we will
\nkill him.” The Wolf, hearing these words, went home, gasping with
\ncold and hunger. When he reached his den, Mistress Wolf inquired of
\nhim why he returned wearied and supperless, so contrary to his wont.
\nHe replied: “Why, forsooth! use I gave credence to the words of a
\nwoman!”<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Horse<\/p>\n
An Ass besought a Horse to spare him a small portion of his feed.
\n“Yes,” said the Horse; “if any remains out of what I am now eating
\nI will give it you for the sake of my own superior dignity, and if
\nyou will come when I reach my own stall in the evening, I will give
\nyou a little sack full of barley.” The Ass replied, “Thank you. But
\nI can’t think that you, who refuse me a little matter now. will by
\nand by confer on me a greater benefit.”<\/p>\n
Truth and the Traveler<\/p>\n
A wayfaring man, traveling in the desert, met a woman standing alone
\nand terribly dejected. He inquired of her, “Who art thou?” “My name
\nis Truth,” she replied. “And for what cause,” he asked, “have you
\nleft the city to dwell alone here in the wilderness?” She made answer,
\n“Because in former times, falsehood was with few, but is now with
\nall men.”<\/p>\n
The Manslayer<\/p>\n
A man committed a murder, and was pursued by the relations of the
\nman whom he murdered. On his reaching the river Nile he saw a Lion
\non its bank and being fearfully afraid, climbed up a tree. He found
\na serpent in the upper branches of the tree, and again being greatly
\nalarmed, he threw himself into the river, where a crocodile caught
\nhim and ate him. Thus the earth, the air, and the water alike refused
\nshelter to a murderer.<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Fox<\/p>\n
A Fox entered into partnership with a Lion on the pretense of becoming
\nhis servant. Each undertook his proper duty in accordance with his
\nown nature and powers. The Fox discovered and pointed out the prey;
\nthe Lion sprang on it and seized it. The Fox soon became jealous of
\nthe Lion carrying off the Lion’s share, and said that he would no
\nlonger find out the prey, but would capture it on his own account.
\nThe next day he attempted to snatch a lamb from the fold, but he himself
\nfell prey to the huntsmen and hounds.<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Eagle<\/p>\n
An Eagle stayed his flight and entreated a Lion to make an alliance
\nwith him to their mutual advantage. The Lion replied, “I have no objection,
\nbut you must excuse me for requiring you to find surety for your good
\nfaith, for how can I trust anyone as a friend who is able to fly away
\nfrom his bargain whenever he pleases?’<\/p>\n
Try before you trust.<\/p>\n
The Hen and the Swallow<\/p>\n
A Hen finding the eggs of a viper and carefully keeping them warm,
\nnourished them into life. A Swallow, observing what she had done,
\nsaid, “You silly creature! why have you hatched these vipers which,
\nwhen they shall have grown, will inflict injury on all, beginning
\nwith yourself?’<\/p>\n
The Buffoon and the Countryman<\/p>\n
A rich nobleman once opened the theaters without charge to the people,
\nand gave a public notice that he would handsomely reward any person
\nwho invented a new amusement for the occasion. Various public performers
\ncontended for the prize. Among them came a Buffoon well known among
\nthe populace for his jokes, and said that he had a kind of entertainment
\nwhich had never been brought out on any stage before. This report
\nbeing spread about made a great stir, and the theater was crowded
\nin every part. The Buffoon appeared alone upon the platform, without
\nany apparatus or confederates, and the very sense of expectation caused
\nan intense silence. He suddenly bent his head towards his bosom and
\nimitated the squeaking of a little pig so admirably with his voice
\nthat the audience declared he had a porker under his cloak, and demanded
\nthat it should be shaken out. When that was done and nothing was found,
\nthey cheered the actor, and loaded him with the loudest applause.
\nA Countryman in the crowd, observing all that has passed, said, “So
\nhelp me, Hercules, he shall not beat me at that trick!” and at once
\nproclaimed that he would do the same thing on the next day, though
\nin a much more natural way. On the morrow a still larger crowd assembled
\nin the theater, but now partiality for their favorite actor very generally
\nprevailed, and the audience came rather to ridicule the Countryman
\nthan to see the spectacle. Both of the performers appeared on the
\nstage. The Buffoon grunted and squeaked away first, and obtained,
\nas on the preceding day, the applause and cheers of the spectators.
\nNext the Countryman commenced, and pretending that he concealed a
\nlittle pig beneath his clothes (which in truth he did, but not suspected
\nby the audience ) contrived to take hold of and to pull his ear causing
\nthe pig to squeak. The Crowd, however, cried out with one consent
\nthat the Buffoon had given a far more exact imitation, and clamored
\nfor the Countryman to be kicked out of the theater. On this the rustic
\nproduced the little pig from his cloak and showed by the most positive
\nproof the greatness of their mistake. “Look here,” he said, “this
\nshows what sort of judges you are.”<\/p>\n
The Crow and the Serpent<\/p>\n
A Crow in great want of food saw a Serpent asleep in a sunny nook,
\nand flying down, greedily seized him. The Serpent, turning about,
\nbit the Crow with a mortal wound. In the agony of death, the bird
\nexclaimed: “O unhappy me! who have found in that which I deemed a
\nhappy windfall the source of my destruction.”<\/p>\n
The Hunter and the Horseman<\/p>\n
A certain Hunter, having snared a hare, placed it upon his shoulders
\nand set out homewards. On his way he met a man on horseback who begged
\nthe hare of him, under the pretense of purchasing it. However, when
\nthe Horseman got the hare, he rode off as fast as he could. The Hunter
\nran after him, as if he was sure of overtaking him, but the Horseman
\nincreased more and more the distance between them. The Hunter, sorely
\nagainst his will, called out to him and said, “Get along with you!
\nfor I will now make you a present of the hare.”<\/p>\n
The King’s Son and the Painted Lion<\/p>\n
A King, whose only son was fond of martial exercises, had a dream
\nin which he was warned that his son would be killed by a lion. Afraid
\nthe dream should prove true, he built for his son a pleasant palace
\nand adorned its walls for his amusement with all kinds of life-sized
\nanimals, among which was the picture of a lion. When the young Prince
\nsaw this, his grief at being thus confined burst out afresh, and,
\nstanding near the lion, he said: “O you most detestable of animals!
\nthrough a lying dream of my father’s, which he saw in his sleep, I
\nam shut up on your account in this palace as if I had been a girl:
\nwhat shall I now do to you?’ With these words he stretched out his
\nhands toward a thorn-tree, meaning to cut a stick from its branches
\nso that he might beat the lion. But one of the tree’s prickles pierced
\nhis finger and caused great pain and inflammation, so that the young
\nPrince fell down in a fainting fit. A violent fever suddenly set in,
\nfrom which he died not many days later.<\/p>\n
We had better bear our troubles bravely than try to escape them.<\/p>\n
The Cat and Venus<\/p>\n
A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and entreated Venus
\nto change her into the form of a woman. Venus consented to her request
\nand transformed her into a beautiful damsel, so that the youth saw
\nher and loved her, and took her home as his bride. While the two were
\nreclining in their chamber, Venus wishing to discover if the Cat in
\nher change of shape had also altered her habits of life, let down
\na mouse in the middle of the room. The Cat, quite forgetting her present
\ncondition, started up from the couch and pursued the mouse, wishing
\nto eat it. Venus was much disappointed and again caused her to return
\nto her former shape.<\/p>\n
Nature exceeds nurture.<\/p>\n
The She-Goats and Their Beards<\/p>\n
The She-Goats having obtained a beard by request to Jupiter, the He-Goats
\nwere sorely displeased and made complaint that the females equaled
\nthem in dignity. “Allow them,” said Jupiter, “to enjoy an empty honor
\nand to assume the badge of your nobler sex, so long as they are not
\nyour equals in strength or courage.”<\/p>\n
It matters little if those who are inferior to us in merit should
\nbe like us in outside appearances.<\/p>\n
The Camel and the Arab<\/p>\n
An Arab camel-driver, after completing the loading of his Camel, asked
\nhim which he would like best, to go up hill or down. The poor beast
\nreplied, not without a touch of reason: “Why do you ask me? Is it
\nthat the level way through the desert is closed?”<\/p>\n
The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass<\/p>\n
A Miller and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair
\nto sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women
\ncollected round a well, talking and laughing. “Look there,” cried
\none of them, “did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along
\nthe road on foot when they might ride?’ The old man hearing this,
\nquickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily
\nby his side. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest
\ndebate. “There,” said one of them, “it proves what I was a-saying.
\nWhat respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle
\nlad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace,
\nand let the old man rest his weary limbs.” Upon this the old man made
\nhis son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not
\nproceeded far when they met a company of women and children: “Why,
\nyou lazy old fellow,” cried several tongues at once, “how can you
\nride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep
\npace by the side of you?’ The good-natured Miller immediately took
\nup his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. “Pray,
\nhonest friend,” said a citizen, “is that Ass your own?’ “Yes,” replied
\nthe old man. “O, one would not have thought so,” said the other, “by
\nthe way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry
\nthe poor beast than he you.” “Anything to please you,” said the old
\nman; “we can but try.” So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs
\nof the Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry
\nhim on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town.
\nThis entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it,
\ntill the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he
\nwas subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the
\npole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed,
\nmade the best of his way home again, convinced that by endeavoring
\nto please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in the
\nbargain.<\/p>\n
The Crow and the Sheep<\/p>\n
A troublesome Crow seated herself on the back of a Sheep. The Sheep,
\nmuch against his will, carried her backward and forward for a long
\ntime, and at last said, “If you had treated a dog in this way, you
\nwould have had your deserts from his sharp teeth.” To this the Crow
\nreplied, “I despise the weak and yield to the strong. I know whom
\nI may bully and whom I must flatter; and I thus prolong my life to
\na good old age.”<\/p>\n
The Fox and the Bramble<\/p>\n
A Fox was mounting a hedge when he lost his footing and caught hold
\nof a Bramble to save himself. Having pricked and grievously tom the
\nsoles of his feet, he accused the Bramble because, when he had fled
\nto her for assistance, she had used him worse than the hedge itself.
\nThe Bramble, interrupting him, said, “But you really must have been
\nout of your senses to fasten yourself on me, who am myself always
\naccustomed to fasten upon others.”<\/p>\n
The Wolf and the Lion<\/p>\n
A Wolf, having stolen a lamb from a fold, was carrying him off to
\nhis lair. A Lion met him in the path, and seizing the lamb, took it
\nfrom him. Standing at a safe distance, the Wolf exclaimed, “You have
\nunrighteously taken that which was mine from me!” To which the Lion
\njeeringly replied, “It was righteously yours, eh? The gift of a friend?’<\/p>\n
The Dog and the Oyster<\/p>\n
A Dog, used to eating eggs, saw an Oyster and, opening his mouth to
\nits widest extent, swallowed it down with the utmost relish, supposing
\nit to be an egg. Soon afterwards suffering great pain in his stomach,
\nhe said, “I deserve all this torment, for my folly in thinking that
\neverything round must be an egg.”<\/p>\n
They who act without sufficient thought, will often fall into unsuspected
\ndanger.<\/p>\n
The Ant and the Dove<\/p>\n
An Ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being
\ncarried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning.
\nA Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and
\nlet it fall into the stream close to her. The Ant climbed onto it
\nand floated in safety to the bank. Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher
\ncame and stood under the tree, and laid his lime-twigs for the Dove,
\nwhich sat in the branches. The Ant, perceiving his design, stung him
\nin the foot. In pain the birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the
\nnoise made the Dove take wing.<\/p>\n
The Partridge and the Fowler<\/p>\n
A Fowler caught a Partridge and was about to kill it. The Partridge
\nearnestly begged him to spare his life, saying, “Pray, master, permit
\nme to live and I will entice many Partridges to you in recompense
\nfor your mercy to me.” The Fowler replied, “I shall now with less
\nscruple take your life, because you are willing to save it at the
\ncost of betraying your friends and relations.”<\/p>\n
The Flea and the Man<\/p>\n
A Man, very much annoyed with a Flea, caught him at last, and said,
\n“Who are you who dare to feed on my limbs, and to cost me so much
\ntrouble in catching you?’ The Flea replied, “O my dear sir, pray spare
\nmy life, and destroy me not, for I cannot possibly do you much harm.”
\nThe Man, laughing, replied, “Now you shall certainly die by mine own
\nhands, for no evil, whether it be small or large, ought to be tolerated.”<\/p>\n
The Thieves and the Cock<\/p>\n
Some Thieves broke into a house and found nothing but a Cock, whom
\nthey stole, and got off as fast as they could. Upon arriving at home
\nthey prepared to kill the Cock, who thus pleaded for his life: “Pray
\nspare me; I am very serviceable to men. I wake them up in the night
\nto their work.” “That is the very reason why we must the more kill
\nyou,” they replied; “for when you wake your neighbors, you entirely
\nput an end to our business.”<\/p>\n
The safeguards of virtue are hateful to those with evil intentions.<\/p>\n
The Dog and the Cook<\/p>\n
A rich man gave a great feast, to which he invited many friends and
\nacquaintances. His Dog availed himself of the occasion to invite a
\nstranger Dog, a friend of his, saying, “My master gives a feast, and
\nthere is always much food remaining; come and sup with me tonight.”
\nThe Dog thus invited went at the hour appointed, and seeing the preparations
\nfor so grand an entertainment, said in the joy of his heart, “How
\nglad I am that I came! I do not often get such a chance as this. I
\nwill take care and eat enough to last me both today and tomorrow.”
\nWhile he was congratulating himself and wagging his tail to convey
\nhis pleasure to his friend, the Cook saw him moving about among his
\ndishes and, seizing him by his fore and hind paws, bundled him without
\nceremony out of the window. He fell with force upon the ground and
\nlimped away, howling dreadfully. His yelling soon attracted other
\nstreet dogs, who came up to him and inquired how he had enjoyed his
\nsupper. He replied, “Why, to tell you the truth, I drank so much wine
\nthat I remember nothing. I do not know how I got out of the house.”<\/p>\n
The Travelers and the Plane-Tree<\/p>\n
Two Travelers, worn out by the heat of the summer’s sun, laid themselves
\ndown at noon under the widespreading branches of a Plane-Tree. As
\nthey rested under its shade, one of the Travelers said to the other,
\n“What a singularly useless tree is the Plane! It bears no fruit, and
\nis not of the least service to man.” The Plane-Tree, interrupting
\nhim, said, “You ungrateful fellows! Do you, while receiving benefits
\nfrom me and resting under my shade, dare to describe me as useless,
\nand unprofitable?’<\/p>\n
Some men underrate their best blessings.<\/p>\n
The Hares and the Frogs<\/p>\n
The Hares, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of
\nthe perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined
\nto put an end to themselves and their troubles by jumping from a lofty
\nprecipice into a deep lake below. As they scampered off in large numbers
\nto carry out their resolve, the Frogs lying on the banks of the lake
\nheard the noise of their feet and rushed helter-skelter to the deep
\nwater for safety. On seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs,
\none of the Hares cried out to his companions: “Stay, my friends, do
\nnot do as you intended; for you now see that there are creatures who
\nare still more timid than ourselves.”<\/p>\n
The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant<\/p>\n
The Lion wearied Jupiter with his frequent complaints. “It is true,
\nO Jupiter!” he said, “that I am gigantic in strength, handsome in
\nshape, and powerful in attack. I have jaws well provided with teeth,
\nand feet furnished with claws, and I lord it over all the beasts of
\nthe forest, and what a disgrace it is, that being such as I am, I
\nshould be frightened by the crowing of a cock.” Jupiter replied, “Why
\ndo you blame me without a cause? I have given you all the attributes
\nwhich I possess myself, and your courage never fails you except in
\nthis one instance.” On hearing this the Lion groaned and lamented
\nvery much and, reproaching himself with his cowardice, wished that
\nhe might die. As these thoughts passed through his mind, he met an
\nElephant and came close to hold a conversation with him. After a time
\nhe observed that the Elephant shook his ears very often, and he inquired
\nwhat was the matter and why his ears moved with such a tremor every
\nnow and then. Just at that moment a Gnat settled on the head of the
\nElephant, and he replied, “Do you see that little buzzing insect?
\nIf it enters my ear, my fate is sealed. I should die presently.” The
\nLion said, “Well, since so huge a beast is afraid of a tiny gnat,
\nI will no more complain, nor wish myself dead. I find myself, even
\nas I am, better off than the Elephant.”<\/p>\n
The Lamb and the Wolf<\/p>\n
A Wolf pursued a Lamb, which fled for refuge to a certain Temple.
\nThe Wolf called out to him and said, “The Priest will slay you in
\nsacrifice, if he should catch you.” On which the Lamb replied, “It
\nwould be better for me to be sacrificed in the Temple than to be eaten
\nby you.”<\/p>\n
The Rich Man and the Tanner<\/p>\n
A rich man lived near a Tanner, and not being able to bear the unpleasant
\nsmell of the tan-yard, he pressed his neighbor to go away. The Tanner
\nput off his departure from time to time, saying that he would leave
\nsoon. But as he still continued to stay, as time went on, the rich
\nman became accustomed to the smell, and feeling no manner of inconvenience,
\nmade no further complaints.<\/p>\n
The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea<\/p>\n
A shipwrecked man, having been cast upon a certain shore, slept after
\nhis buffetings with the deep. After a while he awoke, and looking
\nupon the Sea, loaded it with reproaches. He argued that it enticed
\nmen with the calmness of its looks, but when it had induced them to
\nplow its waters, it grew rough and destroyed them. The Sea, assuming
\nthe form of a woman, replied to him: “Blame not me, my good sir, but
\nthe winds, for I am by my own nature as calm and firm even as this
\nearth; but the winds suddenly falling on me create these waves, and
\nlash me into fury.”<\/p>\n
The Mules and the Robbers<\/p>\n
Two Mules well-laden with packs were trudging along. One carried panniers
\nfilled with money, the other sacks weighted with grain. The Mule carrying
\nthe treasure walked with head erect, as if conscious of the value
\nof his burden, and tossed up and down the clear-toned bells fastened
\nto his neck. His companion followed with quiet and easy step. All
\nof a sudden Robbers rushed upon them from their hiding-places, and
\nin the scuffle with their owners, wounded with a sword the Mule carrying
\nthe treasure, which they greedily seized while taking no notice of
\nthe grain. The Mule which had been robbed and wounded bewailed his
\nmisfortunes. The other replied, “I am indeed glad that I was thought
\nso little of, for I have lost nothing, nor am I hurt with any wound.”<\/p>\n
The Viper and the File<\/p>\n
A Lion, entering the workshop of a smith, sought from the tools the
\nmeans of satisfying his hunger. He more particularly addressed himself
\nto a File, and asked of him the favor of a meal. The File replied,
\n“You must indeed be a simple-minded fellow if you expect to get anything
\nfrom me, who am accustomed to take from everyone, and never to give
\nanything in return.”<\/p>\n
The Lion and the Shepherd<\/p>\n
A Lion, roaming through a forest, trod upon a thorn. Soon afterward
\nhe came up to a Shepherd and fawned upon him, wagging his tail as
\nif to say, “I am a suppliant, and seek your aid.” The Shepherd boldly
\nexamined the beast, discovered the thorn, and placing his paw upon
\nhis lap, pulled it out; thus relieved of his pain, the Lion returned
\ninto the forest. Some time after, the Shepherd, being imprisoned on
\na false accusation, was condemned “to be cast to the Lions” as the
\npunishment for his imputed crime. But when the Lion was released from
\nhis cage, he recognized the Shepherd as the man who healed him, and
\ninstead of attacking him, approached and placed his foot upon his
\nlap. The King, as soon as he heard the tale, ordered the Lion to be
\nset free again in the forest, and the Shepherd to be pardoned and
\nrestored to his friends.<\/p>\n
The Camel and Jupiter<\/p>\n
The Camel, when he saw the Bull adorned with horns, envied him and
\nwished that he himself could obtain the same honors. He went to Jupiter,
\nand besought him to give him horns. Jupiter, vexed at his request
\nbecause he was not satisfied with his size and strength of body, and
\ndesired yet more, not only refused to give him horns, but even deprived
\nhim of a portion of his ears.<\/p>\n
The Panther and the Shepherds<\/p>\n
A Panther, by some mischance, fell into a pit. The Shepherds discovered
\nhim, and some threw sticks at him and pelted him with stones, while
\nothers, moved with compassion towards one about to die even though
\nno one should hurt him, threw in some food to prolong his life. At
\nnight they returned home, not dreaming of any danger, but supposing
\nthat on the morrow they would find him dead. The Panther, however,
\nwhen he had recruited his feeble strength, freed himself with a sudden
\nbound from the pit, and hastened to his den with rapid steps. After
\na few days he came forth and slaughtered the cattle, and, killing
\nthe Shepherds who had attacked him, raged with angry fury. Then they
\nwho had spared his life, fearing for their safety, surrendered to
\nhim their flocks and begged only for their lives. To them the Panther
\nmade this reply: “I remember alike those who sought my life with stones,
\nand those who gave me food aside, therefore, your fears. I return
\nas an enemy only to those who injured me.”<\/p>\n
The Ass and the Charger<\/p>\n
An Ass congratulated a Horse on being so ungrudgingly and carefully
\nprovided for, while he himself had scarcely enough to eat and not
\neven that without hard work. But when war broke out, a heavily armed
\nsoldier mounted the Horse, and riding him to the charge, rushed into
\nthe very midst of the enemy. The Horse was wounded and fell dead on
\nthe battlefield. Then the Ass, seeing all these things, changed his
\nmind, and commiserated the Horse.<\/p>\n
The Eagle and His Captor<\/p>\n
An Eagle was once captured by a man, who immediately clipped his wings
\nand put him into his poultry-yard with the other birds, at which treatment
\nthe Eagle was weighed down with grief. Later, another neighbor purchased
\nhim and allowed his feathers to grow again. The Eagle took flight,
\nand pouncing upon a hare, brought it at once as an offering to his
\nbenefactor. A Fox, seeing this, exclaimed, “Do not cultivate the favor
\nof this man, but of your former owner, lest he should again hunt for
\nyou and deprive you a second time of your wings.”<\/p>\n
The Bald Man and the Fly<\/p>\n
A Fly bit the bare head of a Bald Man who, endeavoring to destroy
\nit, gave himself a heavy slap. Escaping, the Fly said mockingly, “You
\nwho have wished to revenge, even with death, the Prick of a tiny insect,
\nsee what you have done to yourself to add insult to injury?’ The Bald
\nMan replied, “I can easily make peace with myself, because I know
\nthere was no intention to hurt. But you, an ill-favored and contemptible
\ninsect who delights in sucking human blood, I wish that I could have
\nkilled you even if I had incurred a heavier penalty.”<\/p>\n
The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Tree<\/p>\n
The Olive-Tree ridiculed the Fig-Tree because, while she was green
\nall the year round, the Fig-Tree changed its leaves with the seasons.
\nA shower of snow fell upon them, and, finding the Olive full of foliage,
\nit settled upon its branches and broke them down with its weight,
\nat once despoiling it of its beauty and killing the tree. But finding
\nthe Fig-Tree denuded of leaves, the snow fell through to the ground,
\nand did not injure it at all.<\/p>\n
The Eagle and the Kite<\/p>\n
An Eagle, overwhelmed with sorrow, sat upon the branches of a tree
\nin company with a Kite. “Why,” said the Kite, “do I see you with such
\na rueful look?’ “I seek,” she replied, “a mate suitable for me, and
\nam not able to find one.” “Take me,” returned the Kite, “I am much
\nstronger than you are.” “Why, are you able to secure the means of
\nliving by your plunder?’ “Well, I have often caught and carried away
\nan ostrich in my talons.” The Eagle, persuaded by these words, accepted
\nhim as her mate. Shortly after the nuptials, the Eagle said, “Fly
\noff and bring me back the ostrich you promised me.” The Kite, soaring
\naloft into the air, brought back the shabbiest possible mouse, stinking
\nfrom the length of time it had lain about the fields. “Is this,” said
\nthe Eagle, “the faithful fulfillment of your promise to me?’ The Kite
\nreplied, “That I might attain your royal hand, there is nothing that
\nI would not have promised, however much I knew that I must fail in
\nthe performance.”<\/p>\n
The Ass and His Driver<\/p>\n
An Ass, being driven along a high road, suddenly started off and bolted
\nto the brink of a deep precipice. While he was in the act of throwing
\nhimself over, his owner seized him by the tail, endeavoring to pull
\nhim back. When the Ass persisted in his effort, the man let him go
\nand said, “Conquer, but conquer to your cost.”<\/p>\n
The Thrush and the Fowler<\/p>\n
A Thrush was feeding on a myrtle-tree and did not move from it because
\nits berries were so delicious. A Fowler observed her staying so long
\nin one spot, and having well bird-limed his reeds, caught her. The
\nThrush, being at the point of death, exclaimed, “O foolish creature
\nthat I am! For the sake of a little pleasant food I have deprived
\nmyself of my life.”<\/p>\n
The Rose and the Amaranth<\/p>\n
An Amaranth planted in a garden near a Rose-Tree, thus addressed it:
\n“What a lovely flower is the Rose, a favorite alike with Gods and
\nwith men. I envy you your beauty and your perfume.” The Rose replied,
\n“I indeed, dear Amaranth, flourish but for a brief season! If no cruel
\nhand pluck me from my stem, yet I must perish by an early doom. But
\nthou art immortal and dost never fade, but bloomest for ever in renewed
\nyouth.”<\/p>\n
The Frogs’ Complaint Against the Sun<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, when the Sun announced his intention to take a wife,
\nthe Frogs lifted up their voices in clamor to the sky. Jupiter, disturbed
\nby the noise of their croaking, inquired the cause of their complaint.
\nOne of them said, “The Sun, now while he is single, parches up the
\nmarsh, and compels us to die miserably in our arid homes. What will
\nbe our future condition if he should beget other suns?”<\/p>\n
THE END<\/p>\n
Copyright statement:
\nThe Internet Classics Archive by Daniel C. Stevenson, Web Atomics.
\nWorld Wide Web presentation is copyright (C) 1994-2000, Daniel
\nC. Stevenson, Web Atomics.
\nAll rights reserved under international and pan-American copyright
\nconventions, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part
\nin any form. Direct permission requests to classics@classics.mit.edu.
\nTranslation of “The Deeds of the Divine Augustus” by Augustus is
\ncopyright (C) Thomas Bushnell, BSG.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aesop’s Fables By Aesop Translated by George Fyler Townsend SECTION 1 The Wolf and the Lamb Wolf, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the Lamb the Wolf’s right to eat him. He thus addressed him: “Sirrah, last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40024","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40024\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}