Aesop's Fables (84 of them)
AESOP'S FABLES
(84 Fables)
The Cock and the Pearl
The Frog and the Ox
The Wolf and the Lamb
Androcles
The Dog and the Shadow
The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts
The Lion's Share
The Hart and the Hunter
The Wolf and the Crane
The Serpent and the File
The Man and the Serpent
The Man and the Wood
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
The Dog and the Wolf
The Fox and the Crow
The Belly and the Members
The Sick Lion
The Hart in the Ox-Stall
The Ass and the Lapdog
The Fox and the Grapes
The Lion and the Mouse
The Horse, Hunter, and Stag
The Swallow and the Other Birds
The Peacock and Juno
The Frogs Desiring a King
The Fox and the Lion
The Mountains in Labour
The Lion and the Statue
The Hares and the Frogs
The Ant and the Grasshopper
The Wolf and the Kid
The Tree and the Reed
The Woodman and the Serpent
The Fox and the Cat
The Bald Man and the Fly
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
The Fox and the Stork
The Dog in the Manger
The Fox and the Mask
The Man and the Wooden God
The Jay and the Peacock
The Fisher
The Shepherd's Boy
The Miser and His Gold
The Young Thief and His Mother
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
The Man and His Two Wives
The Fox Without a Tail
The Nurse and the Wolf
The One-Eyed Doe
The Tortoise and the Birds
Belling the Cat
The Two Crabs
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Ass in the Lion's Skin
The Old Man and Death
The Two Fellows and the Bear
The Hare With Many Friends
The Two Pots
The Lion in Love
The Four Oxen and the Lion
The Bundle of Sticks
The Fisher and the Little Fish
The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts
Avaricious and Envious
The Ass's Brains
The Crow and the Pitcher
The Eagle and the Arrow
The Man and the Satyr
The Milkmaid and Her Pail
The Goose With the Golden Eggs
The Cat-Maiden
The Labourer and the Nightingale
The Horse and the Ass
The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
The Wind and the Sun
The Buffoon and the Countryman
Hercules and the Waggoner
The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
The Fox and the Goat
Aesop's Fables
The Cock and the Pearl
A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard
among the
hens when suddenly he espied something shinning
amid the straw.
"Ho! ho!" quoth he, "that's for
me," and soon rooted it out from
beneath the straw. What did it turn out to be
but a Pearl that by
some chance had been lost in the yard? "You
may be a treasure,"
quoth Master Cock, "to men that prize you,
but for me I would
rather have a single barley-corn than a peck of
pearls."
Precious things are for those that can prize
them.
The Wolf and the Lamb
Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring
on a hillside,
when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb
just beginning to
drink a little lower down. "There's my supper,"
thought he, "if
only I can find some excuse to seize it."
Then he called out to
the Lamb, "How dare you muddle the water
from which I am
drinking?"
"Nay, master, nay," said Lambikin;
"if the water be muddy up
there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs
down from you to
me."
"Well, then," said the Wolf, "why
did you call me bad names
this time last year?"
"That cannot be," said the Lamb;
"I am only six months old."
"I don't care," snarled the Wolf;
"if it was not you it was
your father;" and with that he rushed upon
the poor little Lamb
and
.WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA
.ate her all up. But before she died she gasped
out
."Any excuse will serve a tyrant."
The Dog and the Shadow
It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat
and was
carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace.
Now on his way
home he had to cross a plank lying across a running
brook. As he
crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow
reflected in the
water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with
another piece of
meat, he made up his mind to have that also.
So he made a snap at
the shadow in the water, but as he opened his
mouth the piece of
meat fell out, dropped into the water and was
never seen more.
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping
at the shadow.
The Lion's Share
The Lion went once a-hunting along with the
Fox, the Jackal,
and the Wolf. They hunted and they hunted till
at last they
surprised a Stag, and soon took its life. Then
came the question
how the spoil should be divided. "Quarter
me this Stag," roared
the Lion; so the other animals skinned it and
cut it into four
parts. Then the Lion took his stand in front
of the carcass and
pronounced judgment: The first quarter is for
me in my capacity
as King of Beasts; the second is mine as arbiter;
another share
comes to me for my part in the chase; and as for
the fourth
quarter, well, as for that, I should like to see
which of you will
dare to lay a paw upon it."
"Humph," grumbled the Fox as he walked
away with his tail
between his legs; but he spoke in a low growl
."You may share the labours of the great,
but you will not share the spoil."
The Wolf and the Crane
A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had
killed, when
suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his
throat and he could
not swallow it. He soon felt terrible pain in
his throat, and ran
up and down groaning and groaning and seeking
for something to
relieve the pain. He tried to induce every one
he met to remove
the bone. "I would give anything,"
said he, "if you would take it
out." At last the Crane agreed to try, and
told the Wolf to lie
on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could.
Then the Crane
put its long neck down the Wolf's throat, and
with its beak
loosened the bone, till at last it got it out.
"Will you kindly give me the reward you
promised?" said the
Crane.
The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said:
"Be content.
You have put your head inside a Wolf's mouth and
taken it out
again in safety; that ought to be reward enough
for you."
Gratitude and greed go not together.
The Man and the Serpent
A Countryman's son by accident trod upon a
Serpent's tail,
which turned and bit him so that he died. The
father in a rage
got his axe, and pursuing the Serpent, cut off
part of its tail.
So the Serpent in revenge began stinging several
of the Farmer's
cattle and caused him severe loss. Well, the
Farmer thought it
best to make it up with the Serpent, and brought
food and honey to
the mouth of its lair, and said to it: "Let's
forget and forgive;
perhaps you were right to punish my son, and take
vengeance on my
cattle, but surely I was right in trying to revenge
him; now that
we are both satisfied why should not we be friends
again?"
"No, no," said the Serpent; "take
away your gifts; you can
never forget the death of your son, nor I the
loss of my tail."
Injuries may be forgiven, but not forgotten.
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon
a time went on a
visit to his cousin in the country. He was rough
and ready, this
cousin, but he loved his town friend and made
him heartily
welcome. Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were
all he had to
offer, but he offered them freely. The Town Mouse
rather turned
up his long nose at this country fare, and said:
"I cannot
understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such
poor food as
this, but of course you cannot expect anything
better in the
country; come you with me and I will show you
how to live. When
you have been in town a week you will wonder how
you could ever
have stood a country life." No sooner said
than done: the two
mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town
Mouse's
residence late at night. "You will want
some refreshment after
our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse,
and took his friend
into the grand dining-room. There they found
the remains of a
fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating
up jellies and cakes
and all that was nice. Suddenly they heard growling
and barking.
"What is that?" said the Country Mouse.
"It is only the dogs of
the house," answered the other. "Only!"
said the Country Mouse.
"I do not like that music at my dinner."
Just at that moment the
door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and
the two mice had to
scamper down and run off. "Good-bye, Cousin,"
said the Country
Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the
other. "Yes," he replied;
"Better beans and bacon in peace
than cakes and ale in fear."
The Fox and the Crow
A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece
of cheese in its
beak and settle on a branch of a tree. "That's
for me, as I am a
Fox," said Master Reynard, and he walked
up to the foot of the
tree. "Good-day, Mistress Crow," he
cried. "How well you are
looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how
bright your eye. I
feel sure your voice must surpass that of other
birds, just as
your figure does; let me hear but one song from
you that I may
greet you as the Queen of Birds." The Crow
lifted up her head and
began to caw her best, but the moment she opened
her mouth the
piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be
snapped up by
Master Fox. "That will do," said he.
"That was all I wanted. In
exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece
of advice for the
future
."Do not trust flatterers."
The Sick Lion
A Lion had come to the end of his days and
lay sick unto death
at the mouth of his cave, gasping for breath.
The animals, his
subjects, came round him and drew nearer as he
grew more and more
helpless. When they saw him on the point of death
they thought to
themselves: "Now is the time to pay off old
grudges." So the Boar
came up and drove at him with his tusks; then
a Bull gored him
with his horns; still the Lion lay helpless before
them: so the
Ass, feeling quite safe from danger, came up,
and turning his tail
to the Lion kicked up his heels into his face.
"This is a double
death," growled the Lion.
Only cowards insult dying majesty.
The Ass and the Lapdog
A Farmer one day came to the stables to see
to his beasts of
burden: among them was his favourite Ass, that
was always well fed
and often carried his master. With the Farmer
came his Lapdog,
who danced about and licked his hand and frisked
about as happy as
could be. The Farmer felt in his pocket, gave
the Lapdog some
dainty food, and sat down while he gave his orders
to his
servants. The Lapdog jumped into his master's
lap, and lay there
blinking while the Farmer stroked his ears. The
Ass, seeing this,
broke loose from his halter and commenced prancing
about in
imitation of the Lapdog. The Farmer could not
hold his sides with
laughter, so the Ass went up to him, and putting
his feet upon the
Farmer's shoulder attempted to climb into his
lap. The Farmer's
servants rushed up with sticks and pitchforks
and soon taught the
Ass that
.Clumsy jesting is no joke.
The Lion and the Mouse
Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse
began running up
and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion,
who placed his huge
paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow
him. "Pardon, O
King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive
me this time, I shall
never forget it: who knows but what I may be able
to do you a turn
some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled
at the idea of the
Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up
his paw and let
him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in
a trap, and the
hunters who desired to carry him alive to the
King, tied him to a
tree while they went in search of a waggon to
carry him on. Just
then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and
seeing the sad
plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and
soon gnawed away
the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts.
"Was I not right?"
said the little Mouse.
Little friends may prove great friends.
The Swallow and the Other Birds
It happened that a Countryman was sowing some
hemp seeds in a
field where a Swallow and some other birds were
hopping about
picking up their food. "Beware of that man,"
quoth the Swallow.
"Why, what is he doing?" said the others.
"That is hemp seed he
is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of
the seeds, or else
you will repent it." The birds paid no heed
to the Swallow's
words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was
made into cord, and
of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that
had despised the
Swallow's advice was caught in nets made out of
that very hemp.
"What did I tell you?" said the Swallow.
Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up
to your ruin.
The Frogs Desiring a King
The Frogs were living as happy as could be
in a marshy swamp
that just suited them; they went splashing about
caring for nobody
and nobody troubling with them. But some of them
thought that
this was not right, that they should have a king
and a proper
constitution, so they determined to send up a
petition to Jove to
give them what they wanted. "Mighty Jove,"
they cried, "send unto
us a king that will rule over us and keep us in
order." Jove
laughed at their croaking, and threw down into
the swamp a huge
Log, which came downrplashto the swamp. The Frogs
were frightened out of their lives by the commotion
made in their
midst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the
horrible monster;
but after a time, seeing that it did not move,
one or two of the
boldest of them ventured out towards the Log,
and even dared to
touch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest
hero of the
Frogs jumped upon the Log and commenced dancing
up and down upon
it, thereupon all the Frogs came and did the same;
and for some
time the Frogs went about their business every
day without taking
the slightest notice of their new King Log lying
in their midst.
But this did not suit them, so they sent another
petition to Jove,
and said to him, "We want a real king; one
that will really rule
over us." Now this made Jove angry, so he
sent among them a big
Stork that soon set to work gobbling them all
up. Then the Frogs
repented when too late.
Better no rule than cruel rule.
The Mountains in Labour
One day the Countrymen noticed that the Mountains
were in
labour; smoke came out of their summits, the earth
was quaking at
their feet, trees were crashing, and huge rocks
were tumbling.
They felt sure that something horrible was going
to happen. They
all gathered together in one place to see what
terrible thing this
could be. They waited and they waited, but nothing
came. At last
there was a still more violent earthquake, and
a huge gap appeared
in the side of the Mountains. They all fell down
upon their knees
and waited. At last, and at last, a teeny, tiny
mouse poked its
little head and bristles out of the gap and came
running down
towards them, and ever after they used to say:
"Much outcry, little outcome."
The Hares and the Frogs
The Hares were so persecuted by the other beasts,
they did not
know where to go. As soon as they saw a single
animal approach
them, off they used to run. One day they saw
a troop of wild
Horses stampeding about, and in quite a panic
all the Hares
scuttled off to a lake hard by, determined to
drown themselves
rather than live in such a continual state of
fear. But just as
they got near the bank of the lake, a troop of
Frogs, frightened
in their turn by the approach of the Hares scuttled
off, and
jumped into the water. "Truly," said
one of the Hares, "things
are not so bad as they seem:
"There is always someone worse off than
yourself."
The Wolf and the Kid
A Kid was perched up on the top of a house,
and looking down
saw a Wolf passing under him. Immediately he
began to revile and
attack his enemy. "Murderer and thief,"
he cried, "what do you
here near honest folks' houses? How dare you
make an appearance
where your vile deeds are known?"
"Curse away, my young friend," said
the Wolf.
"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."
The Woodman and the Serpent
One wintry day a Woodman was tramping home
from his work when
he saw something black lying on the snow. When
he came closer he
saw it was a Serpent to all appearance dead.
But he took it up
and put it in his bosom to warm while he hurried
home. As soon as
he got indoors he put the Serpent down on the
hearth before the
fire. The children watched it and saw it slowly
come to life
again. Then one of them stooped down to stroke
it, but thc
Serpent raised its head and put out its fangs
and was about to
sting the child to death. So the Woodman seized
his axe, and with
one stroke cut the Serpent in two. "Ah,"
said he,
"No gratitude from the wicked."
The Bald Man and the Fly
There was once a Bald Man who sat down after
work on a hot
summer's day. A Fly came up and kept buzzing
about his bald pate,
and stinging him from time to time. The Man aimed
a blow at his
little enemy, but acks palm came on his head instead;
again the Fly tormented him, but this time the
Man was wiser and
said:
"You will only injure yourself if you
take notice of despicable enemies."
The Fox and the Stork
At one time the Fox and the Stork were on visiting
terms and
seemed very good friends. So the Fox invited
the Stork to dinner,
and for a joke put nothing before her but some
soup in a very
shallow dish. This the Fox could easily lap up,
but the Stork
could only wet the end of her long bill in it,
and left the meal
as hungry as when she began. "I am sorry,"
said the Fox, "the
soup is not to your liking."
"Pray do not apologise," said the
Stork. "I hope you will
return this visit, and come and dine with me soon."
So a day was
appointed when the Fox should visit the Stork;
but when they were
seated at table all that was for their dinner
was contained in a
very long-necked jar with a narrow mouth, in which
the Fox could
not insert his snout, so all he could manage to
do was to lick the
outside of the jar.
"I will not apologise for the dinner,"
said the Stork:
"One bad turn deserves another."
The Fox and the Mask
A Fox had by some means got into the store-room
of a theatre.
Suddenly he observed a face glaring down on him
and began to be
very frightened; but looking more closely he found
it was only a
Mask such as actors use to put over their face.
"Ah," said the
Fox, "you look very fine; it is a pity you
have not got any
brains."
Outside show is a poor substitute for inner
worth.
The Jay and the Peacock
A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks
used to walk, found
there a number of feathers which had fallen from
the Peacocks when
they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail
and strutted
down towards the Peacocks. When he came near
them they soon
discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked
at him and
plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay
could do no better
than go back to the other Jays, who had watched
his behaviour from
a distance; but they were equally annoyed with
him, and told him:
"It is not only fine feathers that make
fine birds."
The Frog and the Ox
"Oh Father," said a little Frog to
the big one sitting by the
side of a pool, "I have seen such a terrible
monster! It was as
big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and
a long tail, and it
had hoofs divided in two."
"Tush, child, tush," said the old
Frog, "that was only Farmer
White's Ox. It isn't so big either; he may be
a little bit taller
than I, but I could easily make myself quite as
broad; just you
see." So he blew himself out, and blew himself
out, and blew
himself out. "Was he as big as that?"
asked he.
"Oh, much bigger than that," said
the young Frog.
Again the old one blew himself out, and asked
the young one if
the Ox was as big as that.
"Bigger, father, bigger," was the
reply.
So the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and
blew and blew,
and swelled and swelled and swelled. And then
he said: "I'm sure
the Ox is not as big asBut at this moment he burst.
Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction.
Androcles
A slave named Androcles once escaped from his
master and fled
to the forest. As he was wandering about there
he came upon a
Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first
he turned to flee,
but finding that the Lion did not pursue him,
he turned back and
went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put
out his paw, which
was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found
that a huge
thorn had got into it, and was causing all the
pain. He pulled
out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion,
who was soon able
to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a
dog. Then the Lion
took Androcles to his cave, and every day used
to bring him meat
from which to live. But shortly afterwards both
Androcles and the
Lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced
to be thrown to
the Lion, after the latter had been kept without
food for several
days. The Emperor and all his Court came to see
the spectacle,
and Androcles was led out into the middle of the
arena. Soon the
Lion was let loose from his den, and rushed bounding
and roaring
towards his victim. But as soon as he came near
to Androcles he
recognised his friend, and fawned upon him, and
licked his hands
like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at
this, summoned
Androcles to him, who told him the whole story.
Whereupon the
slave was pardoned and freed, and the Lion let
loose to his native
forest.
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
The Bat, the Birds, and the Beasts
A great conflict was about to come off between
the Birds and
the Beasts. When the two armies were collected
together the Bat
hesitated which to join. The Birds that passed
his perch said:
"Come with us"; but he said: "I
am a Beast." Later on, some
Beasts who were passing underneath him looked
up and said: "Come
with us"; but he said: "I am a Bird."
Luckily at the last moment
peace was made, and no battle took place, so the
Bat came to the
Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, but
they all turned
against him and he had to fly away. He then went
to the Beasts,
but soon had to beat a retreat, or else they would
have torn him
to pieces. "Ah," said the Bat, "I
see now,
"He that is neither one thing nor the
other has no friends."
The Hart and the Hunter
The Hart was once drinking from a pool and
admiring the noble
figure he made there. "Ah," said he,
"where can you see such
noble horns as these, with such antlers! I wish
I had legs more
worthy to bear such a noble crown; it is a pity
they are so slim
and slight." At that moment a Hunter approached
and sent an arrow
whistling after him. Away bounded the Hart, and
soon, by the aid
of his nimble legs, was nearly out of sight of
the Hunter; but not
noticing where he was going, he passed under some
trees with
branches growing low down in which his antlers
were caught, so
that the Hunter had time to come up. "Alas!
alas!" cried the
Hart:
"We often despise what is most useful
to us."
The Serpent and the File
A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came
into an
armourer's shop. As he glided over the floor
he felt his skin
pricked by a file lying there. In a rage he turned
round upon it
and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he could
do no harm to
heavy iron and had soon to give over his wrath.
It is useless attacking the insensible.
The Man and the Wood
A Man came into a Wood one day with an axe
in his hand, and
begged all the Trees to give him a small branch
which he wanted
for a particular purpose. The Trees were good-natured
and gave
him one of their branches. What did the Man do
but fix it into
the axe head, and soon set to work cutting down
tree after tree.
Then the Trees saw how foolish they had been in
giving their enemy
the means of destroying themselves.
The Dog and the Wolf
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when
he happened to
meet a House-dog who was passing by. "Ah,
Cousin," said the Dog.
"I knew how it would be; your irregular life
will soon be the ruin
of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do,
and get your food
regularly given to you?"
"I would have no objection," said
the Wolf, "if I could only
get a place."
"I will easily arrange that for you,"
said the Dog; "come with
me to my master and you shall share my work."
So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town
together. On
the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on
a certain part of
the Dog's neck was very much worn away, so he
asked him how that
had come about.
"Oh, it is nothing," said the Dog.
"That is only the place
where the collar is put on at night to keep me
chained up; it
chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it."
"Is that all?" said the Wolf. "Then
good-bye to you, Master
Dog."
Better starve free than be a fat slave.
The Belly and the Members
One fine day it occurred to the Members of
the Body that they
were doing all the work and the Belly was having
all the food. So
they held a meeting, and after a long discussion,
decided to
strike work till the Belly consented to take its
proper share of
the work. So for a day or two, the Hands refused
to take the
food, the Mouth refused to receive it, and the
Teeth had no work
to do. But after a day or two the Members began
to find that they
themselves were not in a very active condition:
the Hands could
hardly move, and the Mouth was all parched and
dry, while the Legs
were unable to support the rest. So thus they
found that even the
Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary
work for the Body,
and that all must work together or the Body will
go to pieces.
The Hart in the Ox-Stall
A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for
refuge into an
ox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay,
leaving nothing to
be seen but the tips of his horns. Soon after
the Hunters came up
and asked if any one had seen the Hart. The stable
boys, who had
been resting after their dinner, looked round,
but could see
nothing, and the Hunters went away. Shortly afterwards
the master
came in, and looking round, saw that something
unusual had taken
place. He pointed to the truss of hay and said:
"What are those
two curious things sticking out of the hay?"
And when the stable
boys came to look they discovered the Hart, and
soon made an end
of him. He thus learnt that
Nothing escapes the master's eye.
The Fox and the Grapes
One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through
an orchard
till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening
on a vine which
had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just
the thing to quench
my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few
paces, he took a run and
a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round
again with a
One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater
success. Again
and again he tried after the tempting morsel,
but at last had to
give it up, and walked away with his nose in the
air, saying: "I
am sure they are sour."
It is easy to despise what you cannot get.
The Horse, Hunter, and Stag
A quarrel had arisen between the Horse and
the Stag, so the
Horse came to a Hunter to ask his help to take
revenge on the
Stag. The Hunter agreed, but said: "If you
desire to conquer the
Stag, you must permit me to place this piece of
iron between your
jaws, so that I may guide you with these reins,
and allow this
saddle to be placed upon your back so that I may
keep steady upon
you as we follow after the enemy." The Horse
agreed to the
conditions, and the Hunter soon saddled and bridled
him. Then
with the aid of the Hunter the Horse soon overcame
the Stag, and
said to the Hunter: "Now, get off, and remove
those things from my
mouth and back."
"Not so fast, friend," said the Hunter.
"I have now got you
under bit and spur, and prefer to keep you as
you are at present."
If you allow men to use you for your own purposes,
they will use you for theirs.
The Peacock and Juno
A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno
desiring to have
the voice of a nightingale in addition to his
other attractions;
but Juno refused his request. When he persisted,
and pointed out
that he was her favourite bird, she said:
"Be content with your lot;
one cannot be first in everything."
The Fox and the Lion
When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly
frightened,
and ran away and hid himself in the wood. Next
time however he
came near the King of Beasts he stopped at a safe
distance and
watched him pass by. The third time they came
near one another
the Fox went straight up to the Lion and passed
the time of day
with him, asking him how his family were, and
when he should have
the pleasure of seeing him again; then turning
his tail, he parted
from the Lion without much ceremony.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
The Lion and the Statue
A Man and a Lion were discussing the relative
strength of men
and lions in general. The Man contended that
he and his fellows
were stronger than lions by reason of their greater
intelligence.
"Come now with me," he cried, "and
I will soon prove that I am
right." So he took him into the public gardens
and showed him a
statue of Hercules overcoming the Lion and tearing
his mouth in
two.
"That is all very well," said the
Lion, "but proves nothing,
for it was a man who made the statue."
We can easily represent things as we wish them
to be.
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was
hopping about,
chirping and singing to its heart's content.
An Ant passed by,
bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he
was taking to the
nest.
"Why not come and chat with me,"
said the Grasshopper,
"instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"
"I am helping to lay up food for the winter,"
said the Ant,
"and recommend you to do the same."
"Why bother about winter?" said the
Grasshopper; we have got
plenty of food at present." But the Ant
went on its way and
continued its toil. When the winter came the
Grasshopper had no
food and found itself dying of hunger, while it
saw the ants
distributing every day corn and grain from the
stores they had
collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper
knew:
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
The Tree and the Reed
"Well, little one," said a Tree to
a Reed that was growing at
its foot, "why do you not plant your feet
deeply in the ground,
and raise your head boldly in the air as I do?"
"I am contented with my lot," said
the Reed. "I may not be so
grand, but I think I am safer."
"Safe!" sneered the Tree. "Who
shall pluck me up by the roots
or bow my head to the ground?" But it soon
had to repent of its
boasting, for a hurricane arose which tore it
up from its roots,
and cast it a useless log on the ground, while
the little Reed,
bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright
again when
the storm had passed over.
Obscurity often brings safety.
The Fox and the Cat
A Fox was boasting to a Cat of its clever devices
for escaping
its enemies. "I have a whole bag of tricks,"
he said, "which
contains a hundred ways of escaping my enemies."
"I have only one," said the Cat;
"but I can generally manage
with that." Just at that moment they heard
the cry of a pack of
hounds coming towards them, and the Cat immediately
scampered up a
tree and hid herself in the boughs. "This
is my plan," said the
Cat. "What are you going to do?" The
Fox thought first of one
way, then of another, and while he was debating
the hounds came
nearer and nearer, and at last the Fox in his
confusion was caught
up by the hounds and soon killed by the huntsmen.
Miss Puss, who
had been looking on, said:
"Better one safe way than a hundred on
which
you cannot reckon."
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at
the sheep owing to
the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But
one day it found
the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown
aside, so it
put it on over its own pelt and strolled down
among the sheep.
The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin
the Wolf was
wearing, began to follow the Wolf in the Sheep's
clothing; so,
leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made
a meal off her, and
for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep,
and enjoying
hearty meals.
Appearances are deceptive.
The Dog in the Manger
A Dog looking out for its afternoon nap jumped
into the Manger
of an Ox and lay there cosily upon the straw.
But soon the Ox,
returning from its afternoon work, came up to
the Manger and
wanted to eat some of the straw. The Dog in a
rage, being
awakened from its slumber, stood up and barked
at the Ox, and
whenever it came near attempted to bite it. At
last the Ox had to
give up the hope of getting at the straw, and
went away muttering:
"Ah, people often grudge others what they
cannot enjoy themselves."
The Man and the Wooden God
In the old days men used to worship stocks
and stones and
idols, and prayed to them to give them luck.
It happened that a
Man had often prayed to a wooden idol he had received
from his
father, but his luck never seemed to change.
He prayed and he
prayed, but still he remained as unlucky as ever.
One day in the
greatest rage he went to the Wooden God, and with
one blow swept
it down from its pedestal. The idol broke in
two, and what did he
see? An immense number of coins flying all over
the place.
The Fisher
A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank
of a river, and
played upon them with the hope of making the fish
rise; but never
a one put his nose out of the water. So he cast
his net into the
river and soon drew it forth filled with fish.
Then he took his
bagpipes again, and, as he played, the fish leapt
up in the net.
"Ah, you dance now when I play," said
he.
"Yes," said an old Fish:
"When you are in a man's power you must
do as he bids you."
The Shepherd's Boy
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended
his sheep at
the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It
was rather lonely
for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by
which he could get a
little company and some excitement. He rushed
down towards the
village calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and
the villagers came out to
meet him, and some of them stopped with him for
a considerable
time. This pleased the boy so much that a few
days afterwards he
tried the same trick, and again the villagers
came to his help.
But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come
out from the
forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the
boy of course cried
out "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than
before. But this time the
villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought
the boy was
again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come
to his help. So
the Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock,
and when the boy
complained, the wise man of the village said:
"A liar will not be believed, even when
he speaks the truth."
The Young Thief and His Mother
A young Man had been caught in a daring act
of theft and had
been condemned to be executed for it. He expressed
his desire to
see his Mother, and to speak with her before he
was led to
execution, and of course this was granted. When
his Mother came
to him he said: "I want to whisper to you,"
and when she brought
her ear near him, he nearly bit it off. All the
bystanders were
horrified, and asked him what he could mean by
such brutal and
inhuman conduct. "It is to punish her,"
he said. "When I was
young I began with stealing little things, and
brought them home
to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing
me, she laughed and
said: "It will not be noticed." It
is because of her that I am
here to-day."
"He is right, woman," said the Priest;
"the Lord hath said:
"Train up a child in the way he should
go; and
when he is old he will not depart therefrom."
The Man and His Two Wives
In the old days, when men were allowed to have
many wives, a
middle-aged Man had one wife that was old and
one that was young;
each loved him very much, and desired to see him
like herself.
Now the Man's hair was turning grey, which the
young Wife did not
like, as it made him look too old for her husband.
So every night
she used to comb his hair and pick out the white
ones. But the
elder Wife saw her husband growing grey with great
pleasure, for
she did not like to be mistaken for his mother.
So every morning
she used to arrange his hair and pick out as many
of the black
ones as she could. The consequence was the Man
soon found himself
entirely bald.
Yield to all and you will soon have nothing
to yield.
The Nurse and the Wolf
"Be quiet now," said an old Nurse
to a child sitting on her
lap. "If you make that noise again I will
throw you to the Wolf."
Now it chanced that a Wolf was passing close
under the window
as this was said. So he crouched down by the
side of the house
and waited. "I am in good luck to-day,"
thought he. "It is sure
to cry soon, and a daintier morsel I haven't had
for many a long
day." So he waited, and he waited, and he
waited, till at last
the child began to cry, and the Wolf came forward
before the
window, and looked up to the Nurse, wagging his
tail. But all the
Nurse did was to shut down the window and call
for help, and the
dogs of the house came rushing out. "Ah,"
said the Wolf as he
galloped away,
"Enemies promises were made to be broken."
The Tortoise and the Birds
A Tortoise desired to change its place of residence,
so he
asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home, promising
her a rich
reward for her trouble. The Eagle agreed and
seizing the Tortoise
by the shell with her talons soared aloft. On
their way they met
a Crow, who said to the Eagle: "Tortoise
is good eating." "The
shell is too hard," said the Eagle in reply.
"The rocks will soon
crack the shell," was the Crow's answer;
and the Eagle, taking the
hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and
the two birds
made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.
Never soar aloft on an enemy's pinions.
The Two Crabs
One fine day two Crabs came out from their
home to take a
stroll on the sand. "Child," said the
mother, "you are walking
very ungracefully. You should accustom yourself,
to walking
straight forward without twisting from side to
side."
"Pray, mother," said the young one,
"do but set the example
yourself, and I will follow you."
Example is the best precept.
The Ass in the Lion's Skin
An Ass once found a Lion's skin which the hunters
had left out
in the sun to dry. He put it on and went towards
his native
village. All fled at his approach, both men and
animals, and he
was a proud Ass that day. In his delight he lifted
up his voice
and brayed, but then every one knew him, and his
owner came up and
gave him a sound cudgelling for the fright he
had caused. And
shortly afterwards a Fox came up to him and said:
"Ah, I knew you
by your voice."
Fine clothes may disguise, but
silly words will disclose a fool.
The Two Fellows and the Bear
Two Fellows were travelling together through
a wood, when a
Bear rushed out upon them. One of the travellers
happened to be
in front, and he seized hold of the branch of
a tree, and hid
himself among the leaves. The other, seeing no
help for it, threw
himself flat down upon the ground, with his face
in the dust. The
Bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to
his ear, and
sniffed and sniffed. But at last with a growl
he shook his head
and slouched off, for bears will not touch dead
meat. Then the
fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and,
laughing, said
"What was it that Master Bruin whispered
to you?"
"He told me," said the other,
"Never trust a friend who deserts you
at a pinch."
The Two Pots
Two Pots had been left on the bank of a river,
one of brass,
and one of earthenware. When the tide rose they
both floated off
down the stream. Now the earthenware pot tried
its best to keep
aloof from the brass one, which cried out: "Fear
nothing, friend,
I will not strike you."
"But I may come in contact with you,"
said the other, "if I
come too close; and whether I hit you, or you
hit me, I shall
suffer for it."
The strong and the weak cannot keep company.
The Four Oxen and the Lion
A Lion used to prowl about a field in which
Four Oxen used to
dwell. Many a time he tried to attack them; but
whenever he came
near they turned their tails to one another, so
that whichever way
he approached them he was met by the horns of
one of them. At
last, however, they fell a-quarrelling among themselves,
and each
went off to pasture alone in a separate corner
of the field. Then
the Lion attacked them one by one and soon made
an end of all
four.
United we stand, divided we fall.
The Fisher and the Little Fish
It happened that a Fisher, after fishing all
day, caught only
a little fish. "Pray, let me go, master,"
said the Fish. "I am
much too small for your eating just now. If you
put me back into
the river I shall soon grow, then you can make
a fine meal off
me."
"Nay, nay, my little Fish," said
the Fisher, "I have you now.
I may not catch you hereafter."
A little thing in hand is worth more than
a great thing in prospect.
Avaricious and Envious
Two neighbours came before Jupiter and prayed
him to grant
their hearts' desire. Now the one was full of
avarice, and the
other eaten up with envy. So to punish them both,
Jupiter granted
that each might have whatever he wished for himself,
but only on
condition that his neighbour had twice as much.
The Avaricious
man prayed to have a room full of gold. No sooner
said than done;
but all his joy was turned to grief when he found
that his
neighbour had two rooms full of the precious metal.
Then came the
turn of the Envious man, who could not bear to
think that his
neighbour had any joy at all. So he prayed that
he might have one
of his own eyes put out, by which means his companion
would become
totally blind.
Vices are their own punishment.
The Crow and the Pitcher
A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a
Pitcher which had
once been full of water; but when the Crow put
its beak into the
mouth of the Pitcher he found that only very little
water was left
in it, and that he could not reach far enough
down to get at it.
He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give
up in despair.
Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble
and dropped it
into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble
and dropped it into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into
the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water
mount up near
him, and after casting in a few more pebbles he
was able to quench
his thirst and save his life.
Little by little does the trick.
The Man and the Satyr
A Man had lost his way in a wood one bitter
winter's night.
As he was roaming about, a Satyr came up to him,
and finding that
he had lost his way, promised to give him a lodging
for the night,
and guide him out of the forest in the morning.
As he went along
to the Satyr's cell, the Man raised both his hands
to his mouth
and kept on blowing at them. "What do you
do that for?" said the
Satyr.
"My hands are numb with the cold,"
said the Man, "and my
breath warms them."
After this they arrived at the Satyr's home,
and soon the
Satyr put a smoking dish of porridge before him.
But when the Man
raised his spoon to his mouth he began blowing
upon it. "And what
do you do that for?" said the Satyr.
"The porridge is too hot, and my breath
will cool it."
"Out you go," said the Satyr. "I
will have nought to do with
a man who can blow hot and cold with the same
breath."
The Goose With the Golden Eggs
One day a countryman going to the nest of his
Goose found
there an egg all yellow and glittering. When
he took it up it was
as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it
away, because he
thought a trick had been played upon him. But
he took it home on
second thoughts, and soon found to his delight
that it was an egg
of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred,
and he soon
became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich
he grew greedy;
and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose
could give, he
killed it and opened it only to find nothing.
Greed oft o'er reaches itself.
The Labourer and the Nightingale
A Labourer lay listening to a Nightingale's
song throughout
the summer night. So pleased was he with it that
the next night
he set a trap for it and captured it. "Now
that I have caught
thee," he cried, "thou shalt always
sing to me."
"We Nightingales never sing in a cage."
said the bird.
"Then I'll eat thee." said the Labourer.
"I have always heard
say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel."
"Nay, kill me not," said the Nightingale;
"but let me free,
and I'll tell thee three things far better worth
than my poor
body." The Labourer let him loose, and he
flew up to a branch of
a tree and said: "Never believe a captive's
promise; that's one
thing. Then again: Keep what you have. And third
piece of advice
is: Sorrow not over what is lost forever."
Then the song-bird
flew away.
The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about
a farmer's
hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up beyond
his reach. "Good
news, good news!" he cried.
"Why, what is that?" said the Cock.
"King Lion has declared a universal truce.
No beast may hurt
a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together
in brotherly
friendship."
"Why, that is good news," said the
Cock; "and there I see some
one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings."
And so
saying he craned his neck forward and looked afar
off.
"What is it you see?" said the Fox.
"It is only my master's Dog that is coming
towards us. What,
going so soon?" he continued, as the Fox
began to turn away as
soon as he had heard the news. "Will you
not stop and
congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal
peace?"
"I would gladly do so," said the
Fox, "but I fear he may not
have heard of King Lion's decree."
Cunning often outwits itself.
The Wind and the Sun
The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was
the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the
road, and the Sun
said: "I see a way to decide our dispute.
Whichever of us can
cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall
be regarded as
the stronger. You begin." So the Sun retired
behind a cloud, and
the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon
the traveller.
But the harder he blew the more closely did the
traveller wrap his
cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to
give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory
upon the
traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with
his cloak on.
Kindness effects more than severity.
Hercules and the Waggoner
A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along
a very muddy
way. At last he came to a part of the road where
the wheels sank
half-way into the mire, and the more the horses
pulled, the deeper
sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threw down his
whip, and knelt
down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. "O
Hercules, help me in
this my hour of distress," quoth he. But
Hercules appeared to
him, and said:
"Tut, man, don't sprawl there. Get up
and put your shoulder
to the wheel."
The gods help them that help themselves.
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey
A Man and his son were once going with their
Donkey to market.
As they were walking along by its side a countryman
passed them
and said: "You fools, what is a Donkey for
but to ride upon?"
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they
went on their
way. But soon they passed a group of men, one
of whom said: "See
that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk while
he rides."
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and
got on himself.
But they hadn't gone far when they passed two
women, one of whom
said to the other: "Shame on that lazy lout
to let his poor little
son trudge along."
Well, the Man didn't know what to do, but at
last he took his
Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time
they had come to
the town, and the passers-by began to jeer and
point at them. The
Man stopped and asked what they were scoffing
at. The men said:
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself for overloading
that poor donkey
of yoursu and your hulking son?"
The Man and Boy got off and tried to think
what to do. They
thought and they thought, till at last they cut
down a pole, tied
the donkey's feet to it, and raised the pole and
the donkey to
their shoulders. They went along amid the laughter
of all who met
them till they came to Market Bridge, when the
Donkey, getting one
of his feet loose, kicked out and caused the Boy
to drop his end
of the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell
over the bridge, and
his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.
"That will teach you," said an old
man who had followed them:
"Please all, and you will please none."
The Miser and His Gold
Once upon a time there was a Miser who used
to hide his gold
at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every
week he used to go
and dig it up and gloat over his gains. A robber,
who had noticed
this, went and dug up the gold and decamped with
it. When the
Miser next came to gloat over his treasures, he
found nothing but
the empty hole. He tore his hair, and raised
such an outcry that
all the neighbours came around him, and he told
them how he used
to come and visit his gold. "Did you ever
take any of it out?"
asked one of them.
"Nay," said he, "I only came
to look at it."
"Then come again and look at the hole,"
said a neighbour; "it
will do you just as much good."
Wealth unused might as well not exist.
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled
in a bush,
and could not move. A number of Mosquitoes seeing
its plight
settled upon it and enjoyed a good meal undisturbed
by its tail.
A hedgehog strolling by took pity upon the Fox
and went up to him:
"You are in a bad way, neighbour," said
the hedgehog; "shall I
relieve you by driving off those Mosquitoes who
are sucking your
blood?"
"Thank you, Master Hedgehog," said
the Fox, "but I would
rather not."
"Why, how is that?" asked the hedgehog.
"Well, you see," was the answer,
"these Mosquitoes have had
their fill; if you drive these away, others will
come with fresh
appetite and bleed me to death."
The Fox Without a Tail
It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a
trap, and in
struggling to release himself lost all of it but
the stump. At
first he was ashamed to show himself among his
fellow foxes. But
at last he determined to put a bolder face upon
his misfortune,
and summoned all the foxes to a general meeting
to consider a
proposal which he had to place before them. When
they had
assembled together the Fox proposed that they
should all do away
with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient
a tail was when
they were pursued by their enemies, the dogs;
how much it was in
the way when they desired to sit down and hold
a friendly
conversation with one another. He failed to see
any advantage in
carrying about such a useless encumbrance. "That
is all very
well," said one of the older foxes; "but
I do not think you would
have recommended us to dispense with our chief
ornament if you had
not happened to lose it yourself."
Distrust interested advice.
The One-Eyed Doe
A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of
her eyes, and
could not see any one approaching her on that
side. So to avoid
any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff
near the sea,
with her sound eye looking towards the land.
By this means she
could see whenever the hunters approached her
on land, and often
escaped by this means. But the hunters found
out that she was
blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under
the cliff where
she used to feed and shot her from the sea. "Ah,"
cried she with
her dying voice,
"You cannot escape your fate."
Belling the Cat
Long ago, the mice had a general council to
consider what
measures they could take to outwit their common
enemy, the Cat.
Some said this, and some said that; but at last
a young mouse got
up and said he had a proposal to make, which he
thought would meet
the case. "You will all agree," said
he, "that our chief danger
consists in the sly and treacherous manner in
which the enemy
approaches us. Now, if we could receive some
signal of her
approach, we could easily escape from her. I
venture, therefore,
to propose that a small bell be procured, and
attached by a ribbon
round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should
always know
when she was about, and could easily retire while
she was in the
neighbourhood."
This proposal met with general applause, until
an old mouse
got up and said: "That is all very well,
but who is to bell the
Cat?" The mice looked at one another and
nobody spoke. Then the
old mouse said:
"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Hare was once boasting of his speed before
the other
animals. "I have never yet been beaten,"
said he, "when I put
forth my full speed. I challenge any one here
to race with me."
The Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your
challenge."
"That is a good joke," said the Hare;
"I could dance round you
all the way."
"Keep your boasting till you've beaten,"
answered the
Tortoise. "Shall we race?"
So a course was fixed and a start was made.
The Hare darted
almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped
and, to show his
contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a
nap. The Tortoise
plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke
from his nap,
he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post
and could not run
up in time to save the race. Then said the Tortoise:
"Plodding wins the race."
The Old Man and Death
An old labourer, bent double with age and toil,
was gathering
sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired
and hopeless that he
threw down the bundle of sticks, and cried out:
"I cannot bear
this life any longer. Ah, I wish Death would
only come and take
me!"
As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared
and said to
him: "What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard
thee call me."
"Please, sir," replied the woodcutter,
"would you kindly help
me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?"
We would often be sorry if our wishes were
gratified.
The Hare With Many Friends
A Hare was very popular with the other beasts
who all claimed
to be her friends. But one day she heard the
hounds approaching
and hoped to escape them by the aid of her many
Friends. So, she
went to the horse, and asked him to carry her
away from the hounds
on his back. But he declined, stating that he
had important work
to do for his master. "He felt sure,"
he said, "that all her
other friends would come to her assistance."
She then applied to
the bull, and hoped that he would repel the hounds
with his horns.
The bull replied: "I am very sorry, but I
have an appointment with
a lady; but I feel sure that our friend the goat
will do what you
want." The goat, however, feared that his
back might do her some
harm if he took her upon it. The ram, he felt
sure, was the
proper friend to apply to. So she went to the
ram and told him
the case. The ram replied: "Another time,
my dear friend. I do
not like to interfere on the present occasion,
as hounds have been
known to eat sheep as well as hares." The
Hare then applied, as a
last hope, to the calf, who regretted that he
was unable to help
her, as he did not like to take the responsibility
upon himself,
as so many older persons than himself had declined
the task. By
this time the hounds were quite near, and the
Hare took to her
heels and luckily escaped.
He that has many friends, has no friends.
The Lion in Love
A Lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden
and proposed
marriage to her parents. The old people did not
know what to say.
They did not like to give their daughter to the
Lion, yet they did
not wish to enrage the King of Beasts. At last
the father said:
"We feel highly honoured by your Majesty's
proposal, but you see
our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear
that in the
vehemence of your affection you might possibly
do her some injury.
Might I venture to suggest that your Majesty should
have your
claws removed, and your teeth extracted, then
we would gladly
consider your proposal again." The Lion
was so much in love that
he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth taken
out. But when he
came again to the parents of the young girl they
simply laughed in
his face, and bade him do his worst.
Love can tame the wildest.
The Bundle of Sticks
An old man on the point of death summoned his
sons around him
to give them some parting advice. He ordered
his servants to
bring in a faggot of sticks, and said to his eldest
son: "Break
it." The son strained and strained, but
with all his efforts was
unable to break the Bundle. The other sons also
tried, but none
of them was successful. "Untie the faggots,"
said the father,
"and each of you take a stick." When
they had done so, he called
out to them: "Now, break," and each
stick was easily broken. "You
see my meaning," said their father.
Union gives strength.
The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts
The Lion once gave out that he was sick unto
death and
summoned the animals to come and hear his last
Will and Testament.
So the Goat came to the Lion's cave, and stopped
there listening
for a long time. Then a Sheep went in, and before
she came out a
Calf came up to receive the last wishes of the
Lord of the Beasts.
But soon the Lion seemed to recover, and came
to the mouth of his
cave, and saw the Fox, who had been waiting outside
for some time.
"Why do you not come to pay your respects
to me?" said the Lion to
the Fox.
"I beg your Majesty's pardon," said
the Fox, "but I noticed
the track of the animals that have already come
to you; and while
I see many hoof-marks going in, I see none coming
out. Till the
animals that have entered your cave come out again
I prefer to
remain in the open air."
It is easier to get into the enemy's toils
than out again.
The Ass's Brains
The Lion and the Fox went hunting together.
The Lion, on the
advice of the Fox, sent a message to the Ass,
proposing to make an
alliance between their two families. The Ass
came to the place of
meeting, overjoyed at the prospect of a royal
alliance. But when
he came there the Lion simply pounced on the Ass,
and said to the
Fox: "Here is our dinner for to-day. Watch
you here while I go
and have a nap. Woe betide you if you touch my
prey." The Lion
went away and the Fox waited; but finding that
his master did not
return, ventured to take out the brains of the
Ass and ate them
up. When the Lion came back he soon noticed the
absence of the
brains, and asked the Fox in a terrible voice:
"What have you done
with the brains?"
"Brains, your Majesty! it had none, or
it would never have
fallen into your trap."
Wit has always an answer ready.
The Eagle and the Arrow
An Eagle was soaring through the air when suddenly
it heard
the whizz of an Arrow, and felt itself wounded
to death. Slowly
it fluttered down to the earth, with its life-blood
pouring out of
it. Looking down upon the Arrow with which it
had been pierced,
it found that the shaft of the Arrow had been
feathered with one
of its own plumes. "Alas!" it cried,
as it died,
"We often give our enemies the means for
our own destruction."
The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty the Milkmaid was going to market carrying
her milk in a
Pail on her head. As she went along she began
calculating what
she would do with the money she would get for
the milk. "I'll buy
some fowls from Farmer Brown," said she,
"and they will lay eggs
each morning, which I will sell to the parson's
wife. With the
money that I get from the sale of these eggs I'll
buy myself a new
dimity frock and a chip hat; and when I go to
market, won't all
the young men come up and speak to me! Polly
Shaw will be that
jealous; but I don't care. I shall just look
at her and toss my
head like this. As she spoke she tossed her head
back, the Pail
fell off it, and all the milk was spilt. So she
had to go home
and tell her mother what had occurred.
"Ah, my child," said the mother,
"Do not count your chickens before they
are hatched."
The Cat-Maiden
The gods were once disputing whether it was
possible for a
living being to change its nature. Jupiter said
"Yes," but Venus
said "No." So, to try the question,
Jupiter turned a Cat into a
Maiden, and gave her to a young man for a wife.
The wedding was
duly performed and the young couple sat down to
the wedding-feast.
"See," said Jupiter, to Venus, "how
becomingly she behaves. Who
could tell that yesterday she was but a Cat?
Surely her nature is
changed?"
"Wait a minute," replied Venus, and
let loose a mouse into the
room. No sooner did the bride see this than she
jumped up from
her seat and tried to pounce upon the mouse.
"Ah, you see," said
Venus,
"Nature will out."
The Horse and the Ass
A Horse and an Ass were travelling together,
the Horse
prancing along in its fine trappings, the Ass
carrying with
difficulty the heavy weight in its panniers.
"I wish I were you,"
sighed the Ass; "nothing to do and well fed,
and all that fine
harness upon you." Next day, however, there
was a great battle,
and the Horse was wounded to death in the final
charge of the day.
His friend, the Ass, happened to pass by shortly
afterwards and
found him on the point of death. "I was
wrong," said the Ass:
"Better humble security than gilded danger."
The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
A Trumpeter during a battle ventured too near
the enemy and
was captured by them. They were about to proceed
to put him to
death when he begged them to hear his plea for
mercy. "I do not
fight," said he, "and indeed carry no
weapon; I only blow this
trumpet, and surely that cannot harm you; then
why should you kill
me?"
"You may not fight yourself," said
the others, "but you
encourage and guide your men to the fight."
Words may be deeds.
The Buffoon and the Countryman
At a country fair there was a Buffoon who made
all the people
laugh by imitating the cries of various animals.
He finished off
by squeaking so like a pig that the spectators
thought that he had
a porker concealed about him. But a Countryman
who stood by said:
"Call that a pig s squeak! Nothing like
it. You give me till
tomorrow and I will show you what it's like."
The audience
laughed, but next day, sure enough, the Countryman
appeared on the
stage, and putting his head down squealed so hideously
that the
spectators hissed and threw stones at him to make
him stop. "You
fools!" he cried, "see what you have
been hissing," and held up a
little pig whose ear he had been pinching to make
him utter the
squeals.
Men often applaud an imitation and hiss the
real thing.
The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar
You must know that sometimes old women like
a glass of wine.
One of this sort once found a Wine-jar lying in
the road, and
eagerly went up to it hoping to find it full.
But when she took
it up she found that all the wine had been drunk
out of it. Still
she took a long sniff at the mouth of the Jar.
"Ah," she cried,
"What memories cling 'round the instruments
of our pleasure."
The Fox and the Goat
By an unlucky chance a Fox fell into a deep
well from which he
could not get out. A Goat passed by shortly afterwards,
and asked
the Fox what he was doing down there. "Oh,
have you not heard?"
said the Fox; "there is going to be a great
drought, so I jumped
down here in order to be sure to have water by
me. Why don't you
come down too?" The Goat thought well of
this advice, and jumped
down into the well. But the Fox immediately jumped
on her back,
and by putting his foot on her long horns managed
to jump up to
the edge of the well. "Good-bye, friend,"
said the Fox, "remember
next time,
|
