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Here are
more lessons from Aesop. I'll let you formulate the partnering
lesson to be learned from each one.
The Mouse
and the Bull
A Bull was
bitten by a Mouse. The Bull gave chase to the Mouse, but the
Mouse was too quick for him and slipped into a hole in a wall.
The Bull
charged furiously into the wall again and again until he was
tired out, and sank down on the ground exhausted with his efforts.
When all
was quiet, the Mouse darted out and bit him again.
Beside himself
with rage he started to his feet, but by that time the Mouse
was back in his hole again, and he could do nothing but bellow
and fume in helpless anger.
The Mouse
said from inside the wall, "The battle does not always
go to the large, often it is the quick that prevail over the
slow."
The Lion
and the Eagle
An Eagle
stayed his flight and entreated a Lion to make an alliance with
him to their mutual advantage.
The Lion
replied, "I have no objection, but you must excuse me for requiring
you to find surety for your good faith, for how can I trust
anyone as a friend who is able to fly away from his bargain
whenever he pleases?
The Ass,
the Fox, and the Lion
The Ass
and the Fox, having entered into partnership together for their
mutual protection, went out into the forest to hunt. They had
not proceeded far when they met a Lion.
The Fox,
seeing imminent danger, approached the Lion and promised to
contrive for him the capture of the Ass if the Lion would pledge
his word not to harm the Fox.
The Fox,
assuring the Ass that he would not be injured, led the Ass to
a him to a deep pit and arranged that he should fall into it.
The Lion,
seeing that the Ass was secured, immediately clutched the Fox,
and attacked the Ass at his leisure.
The Lion,
the Bear, and the Fox
A Lion and
a Bear seized a Kid at the same moment, and fought fiercely
for its possession. When they had fearfully lacerated each other
and were faint from the long combat, they lay down exhausted
with fatigue.
A Fox, who
had gone round them at a distance several times, saw them both
stretched on the ground with the Kid lying untouched in the
middle. He ran in between them, and seizing the Kid scampered
off as fast as he could.
The Lion
and the Bear saw him, but not being able to get up, said, "Woe
be to us, that we should have fought and belabored ourselves
only to serve the turn of a Fox."
The Lion
and the Fox
A Fox entered
into partnership with a Lion on the pretense of becoming his
servant.
Each undertook
his proper duty in accordance with his own nature and powers.
The Fox discovered and pointed out the prey; the Lion sprang
on it and seized it.
But the
Lion always took the Lion's share, leaving the Fox a very small
one, which didn't please the latter at all. So the Fox determined
to set up on his own account.
The Fox
began by trying to steal a lamb from a flock of sheep: but the
shepherd saw him and set his dogs on him.
The Fox
was very soon caught and dispatched by the dogs.
The Ass
and the Grasshopper
An Ass having
heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and,
desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what
sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices.
They replied, "The dew."
The Ass
resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time
died of hunger.
The Charcoal-Burner
and the Fuller
A Charcoal
Burner carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met
a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with
him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that
their housekeeping expenses would be lessened.
The Fuller
replied, "The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned,
for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken
again with your charcoal."
The Father
and His Sons
A Father
had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves.
Try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony.
He determined
to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion
by the following means. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks,
he invited each in turn to break it across his knee.
All tried
and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed them
the sticks one by one, when they had no difficulty at all in
breaking them.
He then
addressed them in these words: "united you will be more
than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate,
your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack
you."
The Wolf
and the Crane
A Wolf had
a bone stuck in his throat.
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."
The Dog
and the Shadow
A Dog, crossing
a bridge over a stream with a piece of flesh in his mouth, saw
his own shadow in the water and took it for that of another
Dog, with a piece of meat double his own in size.
He immediately
let go of his own, and fiercely attacked the other Dog to get
his larger piece from him.
He thus
lost both: that which he grasped at in the water, because it
was a shadow; and his own, because the stream swept it away.
The Farmer
and the Snake
One winter
a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He had compassion
on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was
quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts,
bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound.
"Oh," cried
the Farmer with his last breath, "I am rightly served for pitying
a scoundrel."
The Tortoise
and the Eagle
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.
The Eagle,
taking the hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and
the two birds made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.
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, never
trust the advice of a man in difficulties."
The Goatherd
and the Wild Goats
A Goatherd,
driving his flock from their pasture at eventide, found some
Wild Goats mingled among them, and shut them up together with
his own for the night.
The next
day it snowed very hard, so that he could not take the herd
to their usual feeding places, but was obliged to keep them
in the fold. He gave his own goats just sufficient food to keep
them alive, but fed the strangers more abundantly in the hope
of enticing them to stay with him and of making them his own.
When the
thaw set in, he led them all out to feed, and the Wild Goats
scampered away as fast as they could to the mountains. The Goatherd
scolded them for their ingratitude in leaving him, when during
the storm he had taken more care of them than of his own herd.
The Wild
Goats responded: "That is the very reason why we are so cautious;
for if you yesterday treated us better than the Goats you have
had so long, it is plain also that if others came after us,
you would in the same manner prefer them to ourselves."
The Boy
and the Nettles
A Boy was
stung by a Nettle. He ran home and told his Mother, saying,
"Although it hurts me very much, I only touched it gently."
"That was just why it stung you," said his Mother.
"The next
time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be soft
as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you."
The Belly
and the Members
The Members
of the Body rebelled against the Belly, and said, "Why should
we be perpetually engaged in administering to your wants, while
you do nothing but take your rest, and enjoy yourself in luxury
and self-indulgence?"
The Members
carried out their resolve and refused their assistance to the
Belly. 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 Horse
and His Rider
A Horse
Soldier took the utmost pains with his charger. As long as the
war lasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in all emergencies
and fed him carefully with hay and corn.
But when
the war was over, he only allowed him chaff to eat and made
him carry heavy loads of wood, subjecting him to much slavish
drudgery and ill-treatment.
War was
again proclaimed, however, and when the trumpet summoned him
to his standard, the Soldier put on his charger its military
trappings, and mounted, being clad in his heavy coat of mail.
The Horse fell down straightway under the weight, no longer
equal to the burden.
The Horse
said to his master, "You must now go to the war on foot, for
you have transformed me from a Horse into an Ass; and how can
you expect that I can again turn in a moment from an Ass to
a Horse?"
The Shepherd
and the Wolf
A Shepherd
once found the whelp of a Wolf and brought it up, and after
a while taught it to steal lambs from the neighboring flocks.
The Wolf, showed himself an apt pupil.
The Wolf
said to the Shepherd, "Since you have taught me to steal, you
must keep a sharp lookout, or you will lose some of your own
flock."
The Wolf
and the Sheep
A Wolf,
sorely wounded and bitten by dogs, lay sick and maimed in his
lair.
Being in
want of food, he called to a Sheep who was passing, and asked
him to fetch some water from a stream flowing close beside him.
"For," he said, "if you will bring me drink, I will find means
to provide myself with meat."
"Yes," said
the Sheep, "if I should bring you the draught, you would doubtless
make me provide the meat also."
The Lion
and the Dolphin
A Lion roaming
by the seashore saw a Dolphin lift up its head out of the waves,
and suggested that they contract an alliance.
The Lion
reasoned that of all the animals they ought to be the best friends,
since the one was the king of beasts on the earth, and the other
was the sovereign ruler of all the inhabitants of the ocean.
The Dolphin gladly consented to this request.
Not long
afterwards the Lion had a combat with a wild bull, and called
on the Dolphin to help him. The Dolphin, though quite willing
to give him assistance, was unable to do so, as he could not
by any means reach the land. The Lion abused him as a traitor.
The Dolphin
replied, "Nay, my friend, blame not me, but Nature, which, while
giving me the sovereignty of the sea, has quite denied me the
power of living upon the land."
The Lion
and the Boar
One hot
and thirsty day in the height of summer a Lion and a Boar came
down to a little spring at the same moment to drink.
In a trice
they were quarreling as to who should drink first. The quarrel
soon became a fight and they attacked one another with the utmost
fury. Presently, stopping for a moment to take breath, they
saw some vultures seated on a rock above evidently waiting for
one of them to be killed, when they would fly down and feed
upon the carcass. The sight sobered them at once, and they made
up their quarrel.
They said
to each other, "We had much better be friends than fight
and be eaten by vultures."
The Oak
and the Reeds
A very
large oak was uprooted by the wind and thrown across a stream.
It fell among some Reeds.
It addressed
the Reeds: "I wonder how you, who are so light and weak, are
not entirely crushed by these strong winds."
The Reeds
replied, "You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently
you are destroyed; while we on the contrary bend before the
least breath of air, and therefore remain unbroken, and escape."
The Fisherman
and the Little Fish
A Fisherman
who lived on the produce of his nets, one day caught a single
small Fish as the result of his day's labor.
The Fish,
panting convulsively, thus entreated for his life: "O Sir, what
good can I be to you, and how little am I worth? I am not yet
come to my full size. Pray spare my life, and put me back into
the sea. I shall soon become a large fish fit for the tables
of the rich, and then you can catch me again, and make a handsome
profit of me."
The Fisherman
replied, "I should indeed be a very simple fellow if, for the
chance of a greater uncertain profit, I were to forego my present
certain gain."
The Lion
and the Hare
A Lion
came across a Hare, who was fast asleep. He was just in the
act of seizing her, when a fine young Hart trotted by, and he
left the Hare to follow him.
The Hare,
scared by the noise, awoke and scudded away. The Lion was unable
after a long chase to catch the Hart, and returned to feed upon
the Hare.
On finding
that the Hare also had run off, he said, "I am rightly served,
for having let go of the food that I had in my hand for the
chance of obtaining more."
The Milkmaid
and Her Spilt Milk ("don't count your chickens")
A Milkmaid
was carrying her milk from the field on her head.
As she went
along she began calculating what she would do with the money
she would get for the milk. "The money for which this milk will
be sold, will buy at least three hundred eggs. The eggs, allowing
for all mishaps, will produce two hundred and fifty chickens.
The chickens will become ready for the market when poultry will
fetch the highest price, so that by the end of the year I shall
have money enough from my share to buy a new frock.
At this
moment she tossed her head in unison with her thoughts, when
down fell the milk to the ground, and all her imaginary schemes
perished in a moment. 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 Trees
and the Ax
A Man came
into a Wood one day with an ax 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 ax 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 Crab
and the Fox
A Crab once
left the seashore and went and settled in a meadow some way
inland, which looked very nice and green and seemed likely to
be a good place to feed in.
But a hungry
Fox came along and spied the Crab and caught him.
Just as
he was going to be eaten up, the Crab said, "This is just
what I deserve; for I had no business to leave my natural home
by the sea and settle here as though I belonged to the land."
The Stag,
the Wolf, and the Sheep
A Stag asked
a Sheep to lend him a measure of wheat, and said that the Wolf
would be his surety. The Sheep, fearing some fraud was intended,
excused herself.
The Sheep
pointed out, "The Wolf is accustomed to seize what he wants
and to run off; and you, too, can quickly outstrip me in your
rapid flight. How then shall I be able to find you, when the
day of payment comes?"
The Two
Frogs
Two Frogs
were neighbors.
One lived
in a marsh, where there was plenty of water, which frogs love:
the other in a lane some distance away, where all the water
to be had was that which lay in the ruts after rain.
The Marsh
Frog warned his friend and pressed him to come and live with
him in the marsh, for he would find his quarters there far more
comfortable and - what was still more important - more safe.
But the
other refused, saying that he could not bring himself to move
from a place to which he had become accustomed.
A few days
afterwards a heavy wagon passed through the gully and crushed
him to death under its wheels.
The Hawk
and the Nightingale
A Nightingale,
sitting aloft upon an oak and singing according to his wont,
was seen by a Hawk who, being in need of food, swooped down
and seized him.
The Nightingale,
about to lose his life, earnestly begged the Hawk to let him
go, saying that he was not big enough to satisfy the hunger
of a Hawk who, if he wanted food, ought to pursue the larger
birds.
The Hawk,
interrupting him, said: "You must think me very simple
if you suppose I am going to give up a certain prize on the
chance of a better of which I see at present no signs."
The Wolf
and the Goat
A Wolf
saw a Goat feeding at the summit of a steep precipice, where
he had no chance of reaching her.
He called
to her and earnestly begged her to come lower down, lest she
fall by some mishap; and he added that the meadows lay where
he was standing, and that the herbage was most tender.
She replied,
"No, my friend, it is not for the pasture that you invite me,
but for yourself, who are in want of food."
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.
The Ass
and the Horse
An Ass
besought a Horse to spare him a small portion of his feed.
"Yes," said
the Horse; "if any remains out of what I am now eating I will
give it you for the sake of my own superior dignity, and if
you will come when I reach my own stall in the evening, I will
give you a little sack full of barley."
The Ass
replied, "Thank you. But I can't think that you, who refuse
me a little matter now will by and by confer on me a greater
benefit."
The Hen
and the Swallow
A Hen finding
the eggs of a viper and carefully keeping them warm, nourished
them into life.
A Swallow,
observing what she had done, said, "You silly creature! why
have you hatched these vipers which, when they shall have grown,
will inflict injury on all, beginning with yourself?"
The Miller,
His Son, and Their Ass
A Miller
and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to
sell him.
They had
not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round
a well, talking and laughing. "Look there," cried one of them,
"did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road
on foot when they might ride?' The old man hearing this, quickly
made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily
by his side.
Presently
they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. "There,"
said one of them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect
is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad
riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young
scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon
this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself.
In this
manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of
women and children: "Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several
tongues at once, "how can you ride upon the beast, while that
poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?'
The good-natured Miller immediately took up his son behind him.
They had
now almost reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a citizen,
"is that Ass your own?' "Yes," replied the old man. "O, one
would not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you
load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the
poor beast than he you." "Anything to please you," said the
old man; "we can but try." So, alighting with his son, they
tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a pole
endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near
the entrance to the town.
This entertaining
sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the
Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was
subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off
the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed
and ashamed, made the best of his way home again.
As the Miller
left he observed: "By endeavoring to please everybody I
pleased no one and lost my Ass in the bargain.
The Crow
and the Sheep
A troublesome
Crow seated herself on the back of a Sheep.
The Sheep,
much against his will, carried her backward and forward for
a long time, and at last said, "If you had treated a dog in
this way, you would have had your deserts from his sharp teeth."
To this
the Crow replied, "I despise the weak and yield to the strong.
I know whom I may bully and whom I must flatter; and I thus
prolong my life to a good old age."
The Fox
and the Bramble
A Fox was
mounting a hedge when he lost his footing and caught hold of
a Bramble to save himself.
Having pricked
and grievously tom the soles of his feet, he accused the Bramble
because, when he had fled to her for assistance, she had used
him worse than the hedge itself.
The Bramble,
interrupting him, said, "But you really must have been out of
your senses to fasten yourself on me, who am myself always accustomed
to fasten upon others."
The Viper
and the File
A Lion,
entering the workshop of a smith, sought from the tools the
means of satisfying his hunger. He more particularly addressed
himself to a File, and asked of him the favor of a meal.
The File
replied, "You must indeed be a simple-minded fellow if you expect
to get anything from me, who am accustomed to take from everyone,
and never to give anything in return."
The Eagle
and the Kite
An Eagle,
overwhelmed with sorrow, sat upon the branches of a tree in
company with a Kite. "Why," said the Kite, "do I see you with
such a rueful look?'
"I seek,"
the Eagle replied, "a mate suitable for me, and am not able
to find one." "Take me," returned the Kite, "I am much stronger
than you are." "Why, are you able to secure the means of living
by your plunder?' "Well, I have often caught and carried away
an ostrich in my talons."
The Eagle,
persuaded by these words, accepted him as her mate.
Shortly
after the nuptials, the Eagle said, "Fly off and bring me back
the ostrich you promised me." The Kite, soaring aloft into the
air, brought back the shabbiest possible mouse, stinking from
the length of time it had lain about the fields. "Is this,"
said the Eagle, "the faithful fulfillment of your promise to
me?'
The Kite
replied, "That I might attain your royal hand, there is nothing
that I would not have promised, however much I knew that I must
fail in the performance."
The Doe
and the Lion
A Doe hard pressed by hunters sought refuge in a cave belonging
to a Lion. The Lion concealed himself on seeing her approach,
but when she was safe within the cave, sprang upon her and tore
her to pieces.
"Woe
is me," exclaimed the Doe, "who have escaped from
man, only to throw myself into the mouth of a wild beast?"
The Frogs
and the Well
Two Frogs lived together in a marsh. But one hot summer the
marsh dried up, and they left it to look for another place to
live in: for frogs like damp places if they can get them.
By and by
they came to a deep well, and one of them looked down into it,
and said to the other, "This looks a nice cool place. Let
us jump in and settle here." But the other, who had a wiser
head on his shoulders, replied, "Not so fast, my friend.
Supposing
this well dried up like the marsh, how should we get out again?"
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."
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."
The Goose
With the Golden Eggs
A Man and his Wife had the good fortune to possess a Goose which
laid a Golden Egg every day.
Lucky though
they were, they soon began to think they were not getting rich
fast enough, and, imagined the bird must be made of gold inside.
They decided
to kill it in order to secure the whole store of precious metal
at once. But when they cut it open they found it was just like
any other goose.
Thus, they
neither got rich all at once, as they had hoped, nor enjoyed
any longer the daily addition to their wealth.
The Horse
and the Groom
There was once a Groom who used to spend long hours clipping
and combing the Horse of which he had charge, but who daily
stole a portion of his allowance of oats, and sold it for his
own profit. The Horse gradually got into worse and worse condition.
The Horse
at last cried to the Groom, "If you really want me to look
sleek and well, you must comb me less and feed me more."
The North
Wind and the Sun
A dispute arose between the North Wind and the Sun, each claiming
that he was stronger than the other. At
last they agreed to try their powers upon a traveler, to see
which could soonest strip him of his cloak.
The North
Wind had the first try; and, gathering up all his force for
the attack, he came whirling furiously down upon the man, and
caught up his cloak as though he would wrest it from him by
one single effort: but the harder he blew, the more closely
the man wrapped it round himself.
Then came
the turn of the Sun. At first he beamed gently upon the traveler,
who soon unclasped his cloak and walked on with it hanging loosely
about his shoulders: then he shone forth in his full strength,
and the man, before he had gone many steps, was glad to throw
his cloak right off and complete his journey more lightly clad.
"Persuasion
is better than force" beamed the Sun.
The Boy
and the Filberts
A Boy put his hand into a jar of Filberts, and grasped as many
as his fist could possibly hold. But
when he tried to pull it out again, he found he couldn't do
so, for the neck of the jar was too small to allow of the passage
of so large a handful.
Unwilling
to lose his nuts but unable to withdraw his hand, he burst into
tears.
A bystander,
who saw where the trouble lay, said to him, "Come, my boy,
don't be so greedy: be content with half the amount, and you'll
be able to get your hand out without difficulty - Do not attempt
too much at once."
The Ass
and the Old Peasant
An old Peasant was sitting in a meadow watching his Ass, which
was grazing close by, when all of a sudden he caught sight of
armed men stealthily approaching.
He jumped
up in a moment, and begged the Ass to fly with him as fast as
he could, "Or else," said he, "we shall both
be captured by the enemy." But
the Ass just looked round lazily and said, "And if so,
do you think they'll make me carry heavier loads than I have
to now?" "No," said his master.
"Oh,
well, then," said the Ass, "I don't mind if they do
take me, for I shan't be any worse off."
The Pack-Ass,
the Wild Ass, and the Lion
A Wild Ass saw a Pack-Ass jogging along under a heavy load,
and taunted him with the condition of slavery in which he lived,
in these words: "What a vile lot is yours compared with
mine! I am free as the air, and never do a stroke of work; and,
as for fodder, I have only to go to the hills and there I find
far more than enough for my needs. But you! you depend on your
master for food, and he makes you carry heavy loads every day
and beats you unmercifully."
At that
moment a Lion appeared on the scene, and made no attempt to
molest the Pack-Ass owing to the presence of the driver; but
he fell upon the Wild Ass, who had no one to protect him, and
without more ado made a meal of him.
Watching
this the Pack-Ass said "It is no use being your own master
unless you can stand up for yourself."
The Fox
and the Grasshopper
A Grasshopper sat chirping in the branches of a tree. A Fox
heard her, and, thinking what a dainty morsel she would make,
he tried to get her down by a trick.
Standing
below in full view of her, the Fox praised the Grasshopper's
song in the most flattering terms, and begged her to descend,
saying he would like to make the acquaintance of the owner of
so beautiful a voice.
But she
was not to be taken in, and replied, "You are very much
mistaken, my dear sir, if you imagine I am going to come down:
I keep well out of the way of you and your kind ever since the
day when I saw numbers of grasshoppers' wings strewn about the
entrance to a fox's earth."
The Dog
and the Wolf
A Dog was lying in the sun before a farmyard gate when a Wolf
pounced upon him and was just going to eat him up; but he begged
for his life and said, "You see how thin I am and what
a wretched meal I should make you now: but if you will only
wait a few days my master is going to give a feast. All the
rich scraps and pickings will fall to me and I shall get nice
and fat: then will be the time for you to eat me."
The Wolf
thought this was a very good plan and went away. Some time afterwards
he came to the farmyard again, and found the Dog lying out of
reach on the stable roof. "Come down," he called,
"and be eaten: you remember our agreement?"
But the
Dog said coolly, "My friend, if ever you catch me lying
down by the gate there again, don't you wait for any feast."
The Eagle
and the Beetle
An Eagle was chasing a Hare, which was running for dear life
and was at her wits' end to know where to turn for help.
The Hare
spied a Beetle, and begged it to aid her. So when the Eagle
came up the Beetle warned her not to touch the hare, which was
under its protection. But
the Eagle never noticed the Beetle because it was so small,
seized the hare and ate her up.
The Beetle
never forgot this, and used to keep an eye on the Eagle's nest,
and whenever the Eagle laid an egg it climbed up and rolled
it out of the nest and broke it.
The Swan
The Swan is said to sing but once in its life - when it knows
that it is about to die.
A certain
man, who had heard of the song of the Swan, one day saw one
of these birds for sale in the market, and bought it and took
it home with him. A few days later he had some friends to dinner,
and produced the Swan, and bade it sing for their entertainment:
but the Swan remained silent.
In course
of time, when the Swan was growing old, it became aware of its
approaching end and broke into a sweet, sad song.
When its
owner heard it, he said angrily, "If the creature only
sings when it is about to die, what a fool I was that day I
wanted to hear its song! I ought to have wrung its neck instead
of merely inviting it to sing."
The Stag
and the Lion
A Stag was chased by the hounds, and took refuge in a cave,
where he hoped to be safe from his pursuers. Unfortunately the
cave contained a Lion, to whom he fell an easy prey.
The Stag
cried out "I am saved from the power of the dogs only to
fall into the clutches of a Lion."
The Apple
of Discord
Hercules was once traveling along a narrow road when he saw
lying on the ground in front of him what appeared to be an apple,
and as he passed he stamped upon it with his heel.
To his astonishment,
instead of being crushed it doubled in size; and, on his attacking
it again and smiting it with his club, it swelled up to an enormous
size and blocked up the whole road. Upon this he dropped his
club, and stood looking at it in amazement. Just then Minerva
appeared, and said to him, "Leave it alone, my friend."
"That
which you see before you is the apple of discord: if you do
not meddle with it, it remains small as it was at first, but
if you resort to violence it swells into the thing you see."
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