The Project Gutenberg eBook of Jacobs's Fables of Aesop

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The best plush dolls for 18 months under 50 dollarsFables of Aesop

SELECTED, TOLD ANEW
AND
THEIR HISTORY TRACED
By
JOSEPHJACOBS

DONE INTO PICTURES
BY
RICHARD HEIGHWAY

LONDON
MACMILLAN& CO.
& NEW YORK
1894
All rights reserved

To
PROF. F.J. CHILD
OF HARVARD

Contents

PREFACE

It is difficult to say what are and what are not the Fables of Æsop. Almost allthe fables that have appeared in the Western world have been sheltered at onetime or another under the shadow of that name. I could at any rate enumerate atleast seven hundred which have appeared in English in various books entitledÆsop’s Fables. L’Estrange’s collection alone containsover five hundred. In the struggle for existence among all these a certainnumber stand out as being the most effective and the most familiar. I haveattempted to bring most of these into the following pages.

There is no fixed text even for the nucleus collection contained in this book.Æsop himself is so shadowy a figure that we might almost be forgiven if weheld, with regard to him, the heresy of Mistress Elizabeth Prig. What we callhis fables can in most cases be traced back to the fables of other people,notably of Phædrus and Babrius. It is usual to regard the Greek ProseCollections, passing under the name of Æsop, as having greater claims to theeponymous title; but modern research has shown that these are but medievalprosings of Babrius’s verse. I have therefore felt at liberty to retellthe fables in such a way as would interest children, and have adopted from thevarious versions that which seemed most suitable in each case, telling thefable anew in my own way.

Much has been learnt during the present century about the history of thevarious apologues that walk abroad under the name of “Æsop.” Ihave attempted to bring these various lines of research together in thesomewhat elaborate introductory volume which I wrote to accompany my edition ofCaxton’s Æsop, published by Mr. Nutt in his Bibliothèque deCarabas. I have placed in front of the present version of the“Fables,” by kind permission of Mr. Nutt, the short abstract of myresearches in which I there summed up the results of that volume. I mustaccompany it, here as there, by a warning to the reader, that for a largeproportion of the results thus reached I am myself responsible; but I am happyto say that many of them have been accepted by the experts in America, France,and Germany, who have done me the honour to consider my researches. Here, inEngland, there does not seem to be much interest in this class of work, andEnglish scholars, for the most part, are content to remain in ignorance of themethods and results of literary history.

I have attached to the “Fables” in the obscurity of small print atthe end a series of notes, summing up what is known as to the provenanceof each fable. Here, again, I have tried to put in shorter and more readableform the results of my researches in the volume to which I have alreadyreferred. For more detailed information I must refer to the fortyclosely-printed pages (vol. i. pp. 225-268) which contain the bibliography ofthe Fables.

JOSEPH JACOBS.

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ÆSOPIC FABLE

Most nations develop the Beast-Tale as part of their folk-lore, some go furtherand apply it to satiric purposes, and a few nations afford isolated examples ofthe shaping of the Beast-Tale to teach some moral truth by means of the Fableproperly so called.^[1]But only two peoples independently made this a general practice. Both inGreece^[2]and in Indiawe find in the earliest literature such casual and frequent mention of Fablesas seems to imply a body of Folk-Fables current among the people. And in bothcountries special circumstances raised the Fable from folklore into literature.In Greece, during the epoch of the Tyrants, when free speech was dangerous, theFable was largely used for political purposes. The inventor of this applicationor the most prominent user of it was one Æsop, a slave at Samos whose name hasever since been connected with the Fable. All that we know about him iscontained in a few lines of Herodotus: that he flourished 550B.C.; was killed in accordance with a Delphian oracle; and thatwergildwas claimed for him by the grandson of his master, Iadmon. Whenfree speech was established in the Greek democracies, the custom of usingFables in harangues was continued and encouraged by the rhetoricians, while themirth-producing qualities of the Fable caused it to be regarded as fit subjectof after-dinner conversation along with other jests of a broader kind(“Milesian,” “Sybaritic”). This habit of regarding theFable as a form of the Jest intensified the tendency to connect it with awell-known name as in the case of our Joe Miller. About 300 B.C.Demetrius Phalereus, whilom tyrant of Athens and founder of the AlexandriaLibrary, collected together all the Fables he could find under the title ofAssemblies of Æsopic Tales(ΛόγωνΑἰσωπείωνσυναγωγαι). This collection,running probably to some 200 Fables, after being interpolated and edited by theAlexandrine grammarians, was turned into neat Latin iambics by Phædrus, a Greekfreedman of Augustus in the early years of the Christian era. As the modernÆsop is mainly derived from Phædrus, the answer to the question “Whowrote Æsop?” is simple : “Demetrius of Phaleron.”^[3]

[1]E.g.Jotham’s Fable, Judges ix., and that of Menenius Agrippa inLivy, seem to be quite independent of either Greek or Indian influence. But onefable does not make Fable.

[2]Only about twenty fables, however, are known in Greece before Phædrus, 30A.D. See my Caxton’s Æsopvol. i. pp. 26–29, for acomplete enumeration.

[3]For this statement and what follows a reference to the Pedigree of the Fableson p. 196 will be found useful.

In India the great ethical reformer, Sakyamuni, the Buddha, initiated (oradopted from the Brahmins) the habit of using the Beast-Tale for moralpurposes, or, in other words, transformed it into the Fable proper. Acollection of these seems to have existed previously and independently, inwhich the Fables were associated with the name of a mythical sage, Kasyâpa.These were appropriated by the early Buddhists by the simple expedient ofmaking Kasyâpa the immediately preceding incarnation of the Buddha. A number ofhis itihâsasor Tales were included in the sacred Buddhistic workcontaining the Jātakasor previous-births of the Buddha, in some ofwhich the Bodisat (or future Buddha) appears as one of the Dramatis Personæ ofthe Fables; the Crane, e.g., in our Wolf and Cranebeing one ofthe incarnations of the Buddha. So, too, the Lamb of our Wolf and Lambwas once Buddha; it was therefore easy for him—so the Buddhiststhought—to remember and tell these Fables as incidents of his formercareers. It is obvious that the whole idea of a Fable as an anecdote about aman masquerading in the form of a beast could most easily arise and gaincurrency where the theory of transmigration was vividly credited.

The Fables of Kasyâpa, or rather the moral verses (gathas) which servedas a memoria technicato them, were probably carried over to Ceylon in241 B.C. along with the Jātakas. About 300 years later (say 50A.D.) some 100 of these were brought by a Cingalese embassy toAlexandria, where they were translated under the title of “LibyanFables” (ΛόγοιΛυβικοί), which had been earlier applied tosimilar stories that had percolated to Hellas from India; they were attributedto “Kybises.” This collection seems to have introduced the habit ofsumming up the teaching of a Fable in the Moral, corresponding to thegathaof the Jātakas. About the end of the first centuryA.D. the Libyan Fables of “Kybises” became known tothe Rabbinic school at Jabne, founded by R. Jochanan ben Saccai, and a numberof the Fables translated into Aramaic which are still extant in the Talmud andMidrash.

In the Roman world the two collections of Demetrius and “Kybises”were brought together by Nicostratus, a rhetor attached to the court of MarcusAurelius. In the earlier part of the next century (c. 230 A.D.)this corpusof the ancient fable, Æsopic and Libyan, amounting in all tosome 300 members, was done into Greek verse with Latin accentuation(choliambics) by Valerius Babrius, tutor to the young son of Alexander Severus.Still later, towards the end of the fourth century, forty-two of these, mainlyof the Libyan section, were translated into Latin verse by one Avian, with whomthe ancient history of the Fable ends.

In the Middle Ages it was naturally the Latin Phædrus that represented theÆsopic Fable to the learned world, but Phædrus in a fuller form than hasdescended to us in verse. A selection of some eighty fables was turned intoindifferent prose in the ninth century, probably at the Schools of Charles theGreat. This was attributed to a fictitious Romulus. Another prose collection byAdemar of Chabannes was made before 1030, and still preserves some of the linesof the lost Fables of Phædrus. The Fables became especially popular among theNormans. A number of them occur on the Bayeux Tapestry, and in the twelfthcentury England, the head of the Angevin empire, became the home of the Fable,all the important adaptations and versions of Æsop being made in this country.One of these done into Latin verse by Walter the Englishman became the standardÆsop of medieval Christendom. The same history applies in large measure to theFables of Avian, which were done into prose, transferred back into Latin verse,and sent forth through Europe from England.

Meanwhile Babrius had been suffering the same fate as Phædrus. His scazons wereturned into poor Greek prose, and selections of them pass to this day as theoriginal Fables of Æsop. Some fifty of these were selected, and with theaddition of a dozen Oriental fables, were attributed to an imaginary Persiansage, Syntipas; this collection was translated into Syriac, and thence intoArabic, where they passed under the name of the legendary Lôqman (probably adoublet of Balaam). A still larger collection of the Greek prose versions gotinto Arabic, where it was enriched by some 60 fables from the Arabic Bidpai andother sources, but still passed under the name of Æsop. This collection,containing 164 fables, was brought to England after the Third Crusade ofRichard I., and translated into Latin by an Englishman named Alfred, with theaid of an Oxford Jew named Berachyah ha-Nakdan (“Benedictus lePuncteur” in the English Records), who, on his own account, translated anumber of the fables into Hebrew rhymed prose, under the Talmudic titleMishle Shu‘alim(Fox Fables).^[4]Part of Alfred’s Æsop was translated into English alliterative verse, andthis again was translated about 1200 into French by Marie de France, whoattributed the new fables to King Alfred. After her no important addition wasmade to the medieval Æsop.

[4]I have given specimens of his Fables in my Jews of Angevin England, pp.165–173, 278–281.

With the invention of printing the European book of Æsop was compiled about1480 by Heinrich Stainhöwel, who put together the Romulus with selections fromAvian, some of the Greek prose versions of Babrius from Ranuzio’stranslation, and a few from Alfred’s Æsop. To these he added thelegendary life of Æsop and a selection of somewhat loose tales from PetrusAlphonsi and Poggio Bracciolini, corresponding to the Milesian and Sybaritictales which were associated with the Fable in antiquity. Stainhöwel translatedall this into German, and within twenty years his collection had been turnedinto French, English (by Caxton, in 1484), Italian, Dutch, and Spanish.Additions were made to it by Brandt and Waldis in Germany, by L’Estrangein England, and by La Fontaine in France; these were chiefly from the largerGreek collections published after Stainhöwel’s day, and, in the case ofLa Fontaine, from Bidpai and other Oriental sources. But these additions haverarely taken hold, and the Æsop of modern Europe is in large measureStainhöwel’s, even to the present day. The first three quarters of thepresent collection are Stainhöwel mainly in Stainhöwel’s order.Selections from it passed into spelling and reading books, and made the Fablespart of modern European folk-lore.^[5]

[5]An episode in the history of the modern Æsop deserves record, if only toillustrate the law that Æsop always begins his career as a political weapon ina new home. When a selection of the Fables were translated into Chinese in 1840they became favourite reading with the officials, till a high dignitary said,“This is clearly directed against us,” and ordered Æsop tobe included in the Chinese Index Expurgatorius(R. Morris, Cont.Rev. xxxix. p. 731).

We may conclude this history of Æsop with a similar account of the progress ofÆsopic investigation. First came collection; the Greek Æsop was broughttogether by Neveletus in 1610, the Latin by Nilant in 1709. The main truthabout the former was laid down by the master-hand of Bentley during a skirmishin the Battle of the Books; the equally great critic Lessing began to unravelthe many knotty points connected with the medieval Latin Æsop. Hisinvestigations have been carried on and completed by three Frenchmen in thepresent century, Robert, Du Méril, and Hervieux; while three Germans, Crusius,Benfey, and Mall, have thrown much needed light on Babrius, on the OrientalÆsop, and on Marie de France. Lastly, I have myself brought together thesevarious lines of inquiry, and by adding a few threads of my own, have been ableto weave them all for the first time into a consistent pattern.^[6]

[6]The Fables of Æsop, as first printed by William Caxton in1484, nowagain edited and induced by Joseph Jacobs(London, 1889), 2 vols., thefirst containing a History of the Æsopic Fable.

So much for the past of the Fable. Has it a future as a mode of literaryexpression? Scarcely; its method is at once too simple and too roundabout. Tooroundabout; for the truths we have to tell we prefer to speak out directly andnot by way of allegory. And the truths the Fable has to teach are too simple tocorrespond to the facts of our complex civilisation; its rude graffitiof human nature cannot reproduce the subtle gradations of modern life. But aswe all pass through in our lives the various stages of ancestral culture, therecomes a time when these rough sketches of life have their appeal to us as theyhad for our forefathers. The allegory gives us a pleasing and not too strenuousstimulation of the intellectual powers; the lesson is not too complicated forchildlike minds. Indeed, in their grotesque grace, in their quaint humour, intheir trust in the simpler virtues, in their insight into the cruder vices, intheir innocence of the fact of sex, Æsop’s Fables are as little children.They are as little children, and for that reason they will for ever find a homein the heaven of little children’s souls.

Aesop’s Fables

The Cock and the Pearl

A cock was once strutting up and down the farmyard among the hens when suddenlyhe espied something shinning amid the straw. “Ho! ho!” quoth he,“that’s for me,” and soon rooted it out from beneath thestraw. “What did it turn out to be but a Pearl that by some chance hadbeen 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 singlebarley-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, lookingup, 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 findsome excuse to seize it.” Then he called out to the Lamb, “How dareyou muddle the water from which I am drinking?”

“Nay, master, nay,” said Lambikin; “if the water be muddy upthere, 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 namesthis time last year?”

“That cannot be,” said the Lamb; “I am only six monthsold.”

“I don’t care,” snarled the Wolf; “if it was not you itwas 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 hismouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lyingacross a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadowreflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another pieceof meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadowin the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, droppedinto 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. Theyhunted and they hunted till at last they surprised a Stag, and soon took itslife. Then came the question how the spoil should be divided. “Quarter methis Stag,” roared the Lion; so the other animals skinned it and cut itinto four parts. Then the Lion took his stand in front of the carcass andpronounced judgment: The first quarter is for me in my capacity as King ofBeasts; the second is mine as arbiter; another share comes to me for my part inthe chase; and as for the fourth quarter, well, as for that, I should like tosee which of you will dare to lay a paw upon it.”

“Humph,” grumbled the Fox as he walked away with his tail betweenhis legs; but he spoke in a low growl—

“You may share the labours of the great, but you will not share thespoil.”

The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, when suddenly a small bonein the meat stuck in his throat and he could not swallow it. He soon feltterrible pain in his throat, and ran up and down groaning and groaning andseeking for something to relieve the pain. He tried to induce every one he metto remove the bone. “I would give anything,” said he, “if youwould take it out.” At last the Crane agreed to try, and told the Wolf tolie on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could. Then the Crane put itslong 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 putyour head inside a Wolf’s mouth and taken it out again in safety; thatought 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, whichturned and bit him so that he died. The father in a rage got his axe, andpursuing the Serpent, cut off part of its tail. So the Serpent in revenge beganstinging 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 andhoney to the mouth of its lair, and said to it: “Let’s forget andforgive; perhaps you were right to punish my son, and take vengeance on mycattle, but surely I was right in trying to revenge him; now that we are bothsatisfied why should not we be friends again?”

“No, no,” said the Serpent; “take away your gifts; you cannever 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 hiscousin in the country. He was rough and ready, this cousin, but he loved histown 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 ratherturned up his long nose at this country fare, and said: “I cannotunderstand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as this, but ofcourse you cannot expect anything better in the country; come you with me and Iwill show you how to live. When you have been in town a week you will wonderhow 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’sresidence late at night. “You will want some refreshment after our longjourney,” said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend into the granddining-room. There they found the remains of a fine feast, and soon the twomice were eating up jellies and cakes and all that was nice. Suddenly theyheard 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 atmy dinner.” Just at that moment the door flew open, in came two hugemastiffs, and the two mice had to scamper down and run off. “Good-bye,Cousin,” said the Country Mouse. “What! going so soon?” saidthe 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 ona branch of a tree. “That’s for me, as I am a Fox,” saidMaster Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. “Good-day,Mistress Crow,” he cried. “How well you are looking to-day: howglossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpassthat of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song fromyou that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.” The Crow lifted up herhead and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the pieceof cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox. “Thatwill do,” said he. “That was all I wanted. In exchange for yourcheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future—

“Do not trust flatterers.”

The Flatter doth rob by stealth,
His victim, both of Wit and Wealth.

The Sick Lion

A Lion had come to the end of his days and lay sick unto death at the mouth ofhis cave, gasping for breath. The animals, his subjects, came round him anddrew nearer as he grew more and more helpless. When they saw him on the pointof death they thought to themselves: “Now is the time to pay off oldgrudges.” So the Boar came up and drove at him with his tusks; then aBull gored him with his horns; still the Lion lay helpless before them: so theAss, feeling quite safe from danger, came up, and turning his tail to the Lionkicked 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 themwas 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 andfrisked about as happy as could be. The Farmer felt in his pocket, gave theLapdog 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 theFarmer stroked his ears. The Ass, seeing this, broke loose from his halter andcommenced prancing about in imitation of the Lapdog. The Farmer could not holdhis sides with laughter, so the Ass went up to him, and putting his feet uponthe Farmer’s shoulder attempted to climb into his lap. The Farmer’sservants 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 hisbig 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 maybe able to do you a turn some of these days?” The Lion was so tickled atthe idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and lethim go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters whodesired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went insearch of a waggon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to passby, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soongnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. “Was I notright?” 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 aSwallow and some other birds were hopping about picking up their food.“Beware of that man,” quoth the Swallow. “Why, what is hedoing?” said the others. “That is hemp seed he is sowing; becareful 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 hempgrew up and was made into cord, and of the cords nets were made, and many abird that had despised the Swallow’s advice was caught in nets made outof 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 suitedthem; they went splashing about caring for nobody and nobody troubling withthem. But some of them thought that this was not right, that they should have aking and a proper constitution, so they determined to send up a petition toJove 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, whichcame down splashing into the swamp. The Frogs were frightened out of theirlives by the commotion made in their midst, and all rushed to the bank to lookat the horrible monster; but after a time, seeing that it did not move, one ortwo of the boldest of them ventured out towards the Log, and even dared totouch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest hero of the Frogs jumpedupon the Log and commenced dancing up and down upon it, thereupon all the Frogscame and did the same; and for some time the Frogs went about their businessevery day without taking the slightest notice of their new King Log lying intheir 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 overus.” Now this made Jove angry, so he sent among them a big Stork thatsoon 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 cameout 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 goingto happen. They all gathered together in one place to see what terrible thingthis could be. They waited and they waited, but nothing came. At last there wasa still more violent earthquake, and a huge gap appeared in the side of theMountains. They all fell down upon their knees and waited. At last, and atlast, a teeny, tiny mouse poked its little head and bristles out of the gap andcame 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 togo. 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 panicall the Hares scuttled off to a lake hard by, determined to drown themselvesrather than live in such a continual state of fear. But just as they got nearthe bank of the lake, a troop of Frogs, frightened in their turn by theapproach of the Hares scuttled off, and jumped into the water.“Truly,” said one of the Hares, “things are not so bad asthey 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 passingunder him. Immediately he began to revile and attack his enemy. “Murdererand 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 somethingblack lying on the snow. When he came closer he saw it was a Serpent to allappearance dead. But he took it up and put it in his bosom to warm while hehurried home. As soon as he got indoors he put the Serpent down on the hearthbefore the fire. The children watched it and saw it slowly come to life again.Then one of them stooped down to stroke it, but the Serpent raised its head andput out its fangs and was about to sting the child to death. So the Woodmanseized 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 timeto time. The Man aimed a blow at his little enemy,but—whack—his palm came on his head instead; again the Flytormented him, but this time the Man was wiser and said:

“You will only injure yourself if you take notice of despicableenemies.”

The Fox and the Stork

At one time the Fox and the Stork were on visiting terms and seemed very goodfriends. So the Fox invited the Stork to dinner, and for a joke put nothingbefore her but some soup in a very shallow dish. This the Fox could easily lapup, but the Stork could only wet the end of her long bill in it, and left themeal 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 willreturn this visit, and come and dine with me soon.” So a day wasappointed when the Fox should visit the Stork; but when they were seated attable all that was for their dinner was contained in a very long-necked jarwith a narrow mouth, in which the Fox could not insert his snout, so all hecould 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 heobserved a face glaring down on him and began to be very frightened; butlooking more closely he found it was only a Mask such as actors use to put overtheir face. “Ah,” said the Fox, “you look very fine; it is apity 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 numberof feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when they were moulting. He tiedthem all to his tail and strutted down towards the Peacocks. When he came nearthem they soon discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him andplucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay could do no better than go back tothe other Jays, who had watched his behaviour from a distance; but they wereequally 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 sideof a pool, “I have seen such a terrible monster! It was as big as amountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it had hoofs divided intwo.”

“Tush, child, tush,” said the old Frog, “that was only FarmerWhite’s Ox. It isn’t so big either; he may be a little bit tallerthan I, but I could easily make myself quite as broad; just you see.” Sohe blew himself out, and blew himself out, and blew himself out. “Was heas 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 asbig as that.

“Bigger, father, bigger,” was the reply.

So the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and blew and blew, and swelled andswelled and swelled. And then he said: “I’m sure the Ox is not asbig as this. But 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. Ashe was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning andgroaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the Lion did not pursuehim, he turned back and went up to him. As he came near, the Lion put out hispaw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and Androcles found that a huge thornhad got into it, and was causing all the pain. He pulled out the thorn andbound up the paw of the Lion, who was soon able to rise and lick the hand ofAndrocles like a dog. Then the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every dayused to bring him meat from which to live. But shortly afterwards bothAndrocles and the Lion were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrownto the Lion, after the latter had been kept without food for several days. TheEmperor and all his Court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led outinto the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, andrushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came near toAndrocles he recognised his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked his handslike 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, andthe 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. Whenthe two armies were collected together the Bat hesitated which to join. TheBirds that passed his perch said: “Come with us”; but he said:“I am a Beast.” Later on, some Beasts who were passing underneathhim looked up and said: “Come with us”; but he said: “I am aBird.” Luckily at the last moment peace was made, and no battle tookplace, so the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join in the rejoicings, butthey 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 madethere. “Ah,” said he, “where can you see such noble horns asthese, with such antlers! I wish I had legs more worthy to bear such a noblecrown; it is a pity they are so slim and slight.” At that moment a Hunterapproached and sent an arrow whistling after him. Away bounded the Hart, andsoon, by the aid of his nimble legs, was nearly out of sight of the Hunter; butnot noticing where he was going, he passed under some trees with branchesgrowing low down in which his antlers were caught, so that the Hunter had timeto 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. Ina rage he turned round upon it and tried to dart his fangs into it; but hecould 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 theTrees to give him a small branch which he wanted for a particular purpose. TheTrees were good-natured and gave him one of their branches. What did the Man dobut fix it into the axe head, and soon set to work cutting down tree aftertree. Then the Trees saw how foolish they had been in giving their enemy themeans of destroying themselves.

The Dog and the Wolf

A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dogwho was passing by. “Ah, Cousin,” said the Dog. “I knew howit would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you notwork steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?”

“I would have no objection,” said the Wolf, “if I could onlyget a place.”

“I will easily arrange that for you,” said the Dog; “comewith 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 theWolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the Dog’s neck was verymuch worn away, so he asked him how that had come about.

“Oh, it is nothing,” said the Dog. “That is only the placewhere the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, butone soon gets used to it.”

“Is that all?” said the Wolf. “Then good-bye to you, MasterDog.”

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 allthe work and the Belly was having all the food. So they held a meeting, andafter a long discussion, decided to strike work till the Belly consented totake its proper share of the work. So for a day or two, the Hands refused totake the food, the Mouth refused to receive it, and the Teeth had no work todo. But after a day or two the Members began to find that they themselves werenot in a very active condition: the Hands could hardly move, and the Mouth wasall parched and dry, while the Legs were unable to support the rest. So thusthey found that even the Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary workfor 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 burieditself 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. Thestable boys, who had been resting after their dinner, looked round, but couldsee nothing, and the Hunters went away. Shortly afterwards the master came in,and looking round, saw that something unusual had taken place. He pointed tothe truss of hay and said: “What are those two curious things stickingout of the hay?” And when the stable boys came to look they discoveredthe 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 cameto a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over alofty 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 greatersuccess. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had togive it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: “I am surethey are sour.”

It is easy to despise what you cannot get.

The Peacock and Juno

A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno desiring to have the voice of anightingale 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 Horse, Hunter, and Stag

A quarrel had arisen between the Horse and the Stag, so the Horse came to aHunter to ask his help to take revenge on the Stag. The Hunter agreed, butsaid: “If you desire to conquer the Stag, you must permit me to placethis 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 steadyupon you as we follow after the enemy.” The Horse agreed to theconditions, and the Hunter soon saddled and bridled him. Then with the aid ofthe 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 youunder 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 fortheirs.

The Fox and the Lion

When first the Fox saw the Lion he was terribly frightened, and ran away andhid himself in the wood. Next time however he came near the King of Beasts hestopped at a safe distance and watched him pass by. The third time they camenear one another the Fox went straight up to the Lion and passed the time ofday with him, asking him how his family were, and when he should have thepleasure of seeing him again; then turning his tail, he parted from the Lionwithout much ceremony.

Familiarity breeds contempt.

The Lion and the Statue

A Man and a Lion were discussing the relative strength of men and lions ingeneral. The Man contended that he and his fellows were stronger than lions byreason of their greater intelligence. “Come now with me,” he cried,“and I will soon prove that I am right.” So he took him into thepublic gardens and showed him a statue of Hercules overcoming the Lion andtearing 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 andsinging to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along withgreat 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 plentyof 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 ofhunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from thestores 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 itsfoot, “why do you not plant your feet deeply in the ground, and raiseyour head boldly in the air as I do?”

“I am contented with my lot,” said the Reed. “I may not be sogrand, but I think I am safer.”

“Safe!” sneered the Tree. “Who shall pluck me up by the rootsor 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 uselesslog 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 ahundred ways of escaping my enemies.”

“I have only one,” said the Cat; “but I can generally managewith that.” Just at that moment they heard the cry of a pack of houndscoming towards them, and the Cat immediately scampered up a tree and hidherself in the boughs. “This is my plan,” said the Cat. “Whatare 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 theFox in his confusion was caught up by the hounds and soon killed by thehuntsmen. 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 ofthe shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that hadbeen flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and strolleddown among the sheep. The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolfwas 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 timehe 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 laythere cosily upon the straw. But soon the Ox, returning from its afternoonwork, came up to the Manger and wanted to eat some of the straw. The Dog in arage, being awakened from its slumber, stood up and barked at the Ox, andwhenever it came near attempted to bite it. At last the Ox had to give up thehope 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 sticks and stones and idols, and prayed tothem to give them luck. It happened that a Man had often prayed to a woodenidol he had received from his father, but his luck never seemed to change. Heprayed and he prayed, but still he remained as unlucky as ever. One day in thegreatest rage he went to the Wooden God, and with one blow swept it down fromits pedestal. The idol broke in two, and what did he see? An immense number ofcoins flying all over the place.

The Fisher

A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river, and played upon themwith the hope of making the fish rise; but never a one put his nose out of thewater. So he cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth filled withfish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played, the fish leapt up inthe 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 amountain near a dark forest. It was rather lonely for him all day, so hethought upon a plan by which he could get a little company and some excitement.He rushed down towards the village calling out “Wolf, Wolf,” andthe villagers came out to meet him, and some of them stopped with him for aconsiderable time. This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards hetried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. But shortlyafter this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest, and began to worry thesheep, and the boy of course cried out “Wolf, Wolf,” still louderthan 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 hishelp. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy’s flock, and when the boycomplained, 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 tobe executed for it. He expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speakwith her before he was led to execution, and of course this was granted. Whenhis Mother came to him he said: “I want to whisper to you,” andwhen she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off. All the bystanderswere horrified, and asked him what he could mean by such brutal and inhumanconduct. “It is to punish her,” he said. “When I was young Ibegan with stealing little things, and brought them home to Mother. Instead ofrebuking and punishing me, she laughed and said: “It will not benoticed.” 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 notdepart therefrom.”

The Man and His Two Wives

In the old days, when men were allowed to have many wives, a middle-aged Manhad one wife that was old and one that was young; each loved him very much, anddesired 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 theelder Wife saw her husband growing grey with great pleasure, for she did notlike to be mistaken for his mother. So every morning she used to arrange hishair and pick out as many of the black ones as she could. The consequence wasthe 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 goodluck to-day,” thought he. “It is sure to cry soon, and a daintiermorsel I haven’t had for many a long day.” So he waited, and hewaited, and he waited, till at last the child began to cry, and the Wolf cameforward before the window, and looked up to the Nurse, wagging his tail. Butall the Nurse did was to shut down the window and call for help, and the dogsof the house came rushing out. “Ah,” said the Wolf as he gallopedaway,

“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 tocarry him to his new home, promising her a rich reward for her trouble. TheEagle agreed and seizing the Tortoise by the shell with her talons soaredaloft. On their way they met a Crow, who said to the Eagle: “Tortoise isgood eating.” “The shell is too hard,” said the Eagle inreply. “The rocks will soon crack the shell,” was the Crow’sanswer; 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 fromside to side.”

“Pray, mother,” said the young one, “do but set the exampleyourself, 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 sunto dry. He put it on and went towards his native village. All fled at hisapproach, both men and animals, and he was a proud Ass that day. In his delighthe lifted up his voice and brayed, but then every one knew him, and his ownercame up and gave him a sound cudgelling for the fright he had caused. Andshortly afterwards a Fox came up to him and said: “Ah, I knew you by yourvoice.”

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 outupon them. One of the travellers happened to be in front, and he seized hold ofthe branch of a tree, and hid himself among the leaves. The other, seeing nohelp for it, threw himself flat down upon the ground, with his face in thedust. The Bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and sniffedand sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head and slouched off, forbears will not touch dead meat. Then the fellow in the tree came down to hiscomrade, and, laughing, said “What was it that Master Bruin whispered toyou?”

“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 ofearthenware. When the tide rose they both floated off down the stream. Now theearthenware pot tried its best to keep aloof from the brass one, which criedout: “Fear nothing, friend, I will not strike you.”

“But I may come in contact with you,” said the other, “if Icome too close; and whether I hit you, or you hit me, I shall suffer forit.”

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 atime he tried to attack them; but whenever he came near they turned their tailsto one another, so that whichever way he approached them he was met by thehorns of one of them. At last, however, they fell a-quarrelling amongthemselves, and each went off to pasture alone in a separate corner of thefield. 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 toosmall for your eating just now. If you put me back into the river I shall soongrow, 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. Soto punish them both, Jupiter granted that each might have whatever he wishedfor himself, but only on condition that his neighbour had twice as much. TheAvaricious 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 tworooms full of the precious metal. Then came the turn of the Envious man, whocould not bear to think that his neighbour had any joy at all. So he prayedthat he might have one of his own eyes put out, by which means his companionwould 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 ofwater; but when the Crow put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he foundthat only very little water was left in it, and that he could not reach farenough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried, but at last had to give up indespair. Then a thought came to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it intothe Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into the Pitcher. Thenhe took another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took anotherpebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble anddropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped thatinto the Pitcher. At last, at last, he saw the water mount up near him, andafter casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his thirst and savehis 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 wasroaming 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 forestin the morning. As he went along to the Satyr’s cell, the Man raised bothhis hands to his mouth and kept on blowing at them. “What do you do thatfor?” said the Satyr.

“My hands are numb with the cold,” said the Man, “and mybreath warms them.”

After this they arrived at the Satyr’s home, and soon the Satyr put asmoking dish of porridge before him. But when the Man raised his spoon to hismouth he began blowing upon it. “And what do you do that for?” saidthe Satyr.

“The porridge is too hot, and my breath will cool it.”

“Out you go,” said the Satyr. “I will have nought to do witha 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 allyellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he wasgoing 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 itwas an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soonbecame rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinkingto get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened itonly 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 summernight. So pleased was he with it that the next night he set a trap for it andcaptured it. “Now that I have caught thee,” he cried, “thoushalt always sing to me.”

“We Nightingales never sing in a cage.” said the bird.

“Then I’ll eat thee.” said the Labourer. “I have alwaysheard 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 poorbody.” The Labourer let him loose, and he flew up to a branch of a treeand said: “Never believe a captive’s promise; that’s onething. Then again: Keep what you have. And third piece of advice is: Sorrow notover 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 sawa 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 birdhenceforth, but all shall dwell together in brotherly friendship.”

“Why, that is good news,” said the Cock; “and there I seesome one coming, with whom we can share the good tidings.” And so sayinghe 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, goingso soon?” he continued, as the Fox began to turn away as soon as he hadheard the news. “Will you not stop and congratulate the Dog on the reignof universal peace?”

“I would gladly do so,” said the Fox, “but I fear he may nothave 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 atraveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decideour dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloakshall be regarded as the stronger. You begin.” So the Sun retired behinda cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. Butthe 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 andshone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walkwith 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 hecame to a part of the road where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, andthe more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So the Waggoner threwdown his whip, and knelt down and prayed to Hercules the Strong. “OHercules, help me in this my hour of distress,” quoth he. But Herculesappeared to him, and said:

“Tut, man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your shoulder to thewheel.”

The gods help them that help themselves.

The Miser and His Gold

Once upon a time there was a Miser who used to hide his gold at the foot of atree in his garden; but every week he used to go and dig it up and gloat overhis gains. A robber, who had noticed this, went and dug up the gold anddecamped with it. When the Miser next came to gloat over his treasures, hefound nothing but the empty hole. He tore his hair, and raised such an outcrythat all the neighbours came around him, and he told them how he used to comeand visit his gold. “Did you ever take any of it out?” asked one ofthem.

“Nay,” said he, “I only came to look at it.”

“Then come again and look at the hole,” said a neighbour; “itwill do you just as much good.”

Wealth unused might as well not exist.

The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey

A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey to market. As they werewalking 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 theypassed a group of men, one of whom said: “See that lazy youngster, helets his father walk while he rides.”

So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on himself. But theyhadn’t gone far when they passed two women, one of whom said to theother: “Shame on that lazy lout to let his poor little son trudgealong.”

Well, the Man didn’t know what to do, but at last he took his Boy upbefore him on the Donkey. By this time they had come to the town, and thepassers-by began to jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what theywere scoffing at. The men said: “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself foroverloading that poor donkey of yours and your hulking son?”

The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to do. They thought and theythought, 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 thelaughter 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 ofthe pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge, and his fore-feetbeing 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 Fox and the Mosquitoes

A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled in a bush, and could notmove. A number of Mosquitoes seeing its plight settled upon it and enjoyed agood meal undisturbed by its tail. A hedgehog strolling by took pity upon theFox and went up to him: “You are in a bad way, neighbour,” said thehedgehog; “shall I relieve you by driving off those Mosquitoes who aresucking your blood?”

“Thank you, Master Hedgehog,” said the Fox, “but I wouldrather not.”

“Why, how is that?” asked the hedgehog.

“Well, you see,” was the answer, “these Mosquitoes have hadtheir fill; if you drive these away, others will come with fresh appetite andbleed me to death.”

The Fox Without a Tail

It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in struggling to releasehimself lost all of it but the stump. At first he was ashamed to show himselfamong his fellow foxes. But at last he determined to put a bolder face upon hismisfortune, and summoned all the foxes to a general meeting to consider aproposal which he had to place before them. When they had assembled togetherthe Fox proposed that they should all do away with their tails. He pointed outhow 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 friendlyconversation with one another. He failed to see any advantage in carrying aboutsuch a useless encumbrance. “That is all very well,” said one ofthe older foxes; “but I do not think you would have recommended us todispense with our chief ornament if you had not happened to lose ityourself.”

Distrust interested advice.

The One-Eyed Doe

A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and could not see any oneapproaching her on that side. So to avoid any danger she always used to feed ona high cliff near the sea, with her sound eye looking towards the land. By thismeans she could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and oftenescaped 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 herfrom 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 couldtake 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 hethought would meet the case. “You will all agree,” said he,“that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner inwhich the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of herapproach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to proposethat a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of theCat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easilyretire 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 micelooked 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 havenever yet been beaten,” said he, “when I put forth my full speed. Ichallenge 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 roundyou all the way.”

“Keep your boasting till you’ve beaten,” answered theTortoise. “Shall we race?”

So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted almost out of sightat once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay downto have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awokefrom his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not runup 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 aforest. At last he grew so tired and hopeless that he threw down the bundle ofsticks, and cried out: “I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wishDeath would only come and take me!”

As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said to him: “Whatwouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call me.”

“Please, sir,” replied the woodcutter, “would you kindly helpme 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 herfriends. But one day she heard the hounds approaching and hoped to escape themby the aid of her many Friends. So, she went to the horse, and asked him tocarry her away from the hounds on his back. But he declined, stating that hehad important work to do for his master. “He felt sure,” he said,“that all her other friends would come to her assistance.” She thenapplied 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 alady; 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 herupon it. The ram, he felt sure, was the proper friend to apply to. So she wentto the ram and told him the case. The ram replied: “Another time, my dearfriend. I do not like to interfere on the present occasion, as hounds have beenknown to eat sheep as well as hares.” The Hare then applied, as a lasthope, to the calf, who regretted that he was unable to help her, as he did notlike to take the responsibility upon himself, as so many older persons thanhimself had declined the task. By this time the hounds were quite near, and theHare 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 herparents. The old people did not know what to say. They did not like to givetheir 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’sproposal, but you see our daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that inthe vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her some injury. Might Iventure to suggest that your Majesty should have your claws removed, and yourteeth extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal again.” TheLion was so much in love that he had his claws trimmed and his big teeth takenout. But when he came again to the parents of the young girl they simplylaughed 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 someparting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a faggot of sticks, andsaid 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 alsotried, but none of them was successful. “Untie the faggots,” saidthe father, “and each of you take a stick.” When they had done so,he called out to them: “Now, break,” and each stick was easilybroken. “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 tocome and hear his last Will and Testament. So the Goat came to the Lion’scave, and stopped there listening for a long time. Then a Sheep went in, andbefore she came out a Calf came up to receive the last wishes of the Lord ofthe Beasts. But soon the Lion seemed to recover, and came to the mouth of hiscave, and saw the Fox, who had been waiting outside for some time. “Whydo 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 Inoticed the track of the animals that have already come to you; and while I seemany hoof-marks going in, I see none coming out. Till the animals that haveentered 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 twofamilies. The Ass came to the place of meeting, overjoyed at the prospect of aroyal alliance. But when he came there the Lion simply pounced on the Ass, andsaid to the Fox: “Here is our dinner for to-day. Watch you here while Igo and have a nap. Woe betide you if you touch my prey.” The Lion wentaway and the Fox waited; but finding that his master did not return, venturedto take out the brains of the Ass and ate them up. When the Lion came back hesoon 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 intoyour 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 anArrow, 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 whichit had been pierced, it found that the shaft of the Arrow had been featheredwith one of its own plumes. “Alas!” it cried, as it died,

“We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.”

The Cat-Maiden

The gods were once disputing whether it was possible for a living being tochange 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 theyoung couple sat down to the wedding-feast. “See,” said Jupiter, toVenus, “how becomingly she behaves. Who could tell that yesterday she wasbut a Cat? Surely her nature is changed?”

“Wait a minute,” replied Venus, and let loose a mouse into theroom. No sooner did the bride see this than she jumped up from her seat andtried to pounce upon the mouse. “Ah, you see,” said Venus,

“Nature will out.”

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 shewould get for the milk. “I’ll buy some fowls from FarmerBrown,” said she, “and they will lay eggs each morning, which Iwill sell to the parson’s wife. With the money that I get from the saleof these eggs I’ll buy myself a new dimity frock and a chip hat; and whenI go to market, won’t all the young men come up and speak to me! PollyShaw will be that jealous; but I don’t care. I shall just look at her andtoss my head like this. As she spoke she tossed her head back, the Pail felloff it, and all the milk was spilt. So she had to go home and tell her motherwhat had occurred.

“Ah, my child,” said the mother,

“Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.”

The Horse and the Ass

A Horse and an Ass were travelling together, the Horse prancing along in itsfine trappings, the Ass carrying with difficulty the heavy weight in itspanniers. “I wish I were you,” sighed the Ass; “nothing to doand 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 finalcharge of the day. His friend, the Ass, happened to pass by shortly afterwardsand 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 bythem. They were about to proceed to put him to death when he begged them tohear his plea for mercy. “I do not fight,” said he, “andindeed carry no weapon; I only blow this trumpet, and surely that cannot harmyou; then why should you kill me?”

“You may not fight yourself,” said the others, “but youencourage 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 byimitating the cries of various animals. He finished off by squeaking so like apig that the spectators thought that he had a porker concealed about him. But aCountryman who stood by said: “Call that a pig’s squeak! Nothinglike it. You give me till tomorrow and I will show you what it’slike.” The audience laughed, but next day, sure enough, the Countrymanappeared on the stage, and putting his head down squealed so hideously that thespectators hissed and threw stones at him to make him stop. “Youfools!” he cried, “see what you have been hissing,” and heldup 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 sortonce found a Wine-jar lying in the road, and eagerly went up to it hoping tofind it full. But when she took it up she found that all the wine had beendrunk 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 getout. A Goat passed by shortly afterwards, and asked the Fox what he was doingdown there. “Oh, have you not heard?” said the Fox; “there isgoing to be a great drought, so I jumped down here in order to be sure to havewater by me. Why don’t you come down too?” The Goat thought well ofthis advice, and jumped down into the well. But the Fox immediately jumped onher back, and by putting his foot on her long horns managed to jump up to theedge of the well. “Good-bye, friend,” said the Fox, “remembernext time,

“Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties.”

And this is the end of Æsop’s Fables. HURRAH!

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