Two hungry cats having stolen some cheese, could not agree between
themselves how to divide their booty; therefore they went to the law,
and a cunning monkey was to decide their case.
"Let us see," said the judge (with as arch a look as could be); "ay,
ay, this slice truly outweighs the other;" and with this he bit off a
large piece, on order, as he told them, to make a fair balance.
The other scale had now become too heavy, which gave this upright
judge a pretence to make free with a second mouthful.
"Hold, hold!" cried the two cats; give each of us our share of what
is left and we will be content.
"If you are content," said the monkey, "justice is not; the law, my
friends, must have it's course."
Upon this he nibbled first one piece and then the other, till the
poor cats, seeing their cheese in a fair way to be all eaten up, most
humbly begged him not to put himself to any further trouble, to give
them what still remained.
"Ha! ha! ha! not so fast, I beseech you, good ladies," said the
monkey; "we owe justice to ourselves as well as to you: and what
remains is due to me as the lawyer." Upon this he crammed the whole
into his mouth at once, and very gravely broke up the court.
This fable teaches us that it is better to put up with a trifling
loss, than to run the risk of losing all we have by going to the law.