at a Bramble to save himself from falling. Naturally, he got badly
scratched, and in disgust he cried to the Bramble, "It was your help
I wanted, and see how you have treated me! I'd sooner have fallen
outright." The Bramble, interrupting him, replied, "You must have lost
your wits, my friend, to catch at me, who am myself always catching at
others."
THE FOX AND THE SNAKE
A Snake, in crossing a river, was carried away by the current, but
managed to wriggle on to a bundle of thorns which was floating by, and
was thus carried at a great rate down-stream. A Fox caught sight of
it from the bank as it went whirling along, and called out, "Gad! the
passenger fits the ship!"
THE LION, THE FOX, AND THE STAG
A Lion lay sick in his den, unable to provide himself with food. So
he said to his friend the Fox, who came to ask how he did, "My good
friend, I wish you would go to yonder wood and beguile the big Stag,
who lives there, to come to my den: I have a fancy to make my dinner
off a stag's heart and brains." The Fox went to the wood and found the
Stag and said to him, "My dear sir, you're in luck. You know the Lion,
our King: well, he's at the point of death, and has appointed you his
successor to rule over the beasts. I hope you won't forget that I was
the first to bring you the good news. And now I must be going back to
him; and, if you take my advice, you'll come too and be with him at
the last." The Stag was highly flattered, and followed the Fox to the
Lion's den, suspecting nothing. No sooner had he got inside than the
Lion sprang upon him, but he misjudged his spring, and the Stag got
away with only his ears torn, and returned as fast as he could to the
shelter of the wood. The Fox was much mortified, and the Lion, too,
was dreadfully disappointed, for he was getting very hungry in spite
of his illness. So he begged the Fox to have another try at coaxing
the Stag to his den. "It'll be almost impossible this time," said the
Fox, "but I'll try"; and off he went to the wood a second time, and
found the Stag resting and trying to recover from his fright. As soon
as he saw the Fox he cried, "You scoundrel, what do you mean by trying
to lure me to my death like that? Take yourself off, or I'll do you
to death with my horns." But the Fox was entirely shameless. "What a
coward you were," said he; "surely you didn't think the Lion meant any
harm? Why, he was only going to whisper some royal secrets into your
ear when you went off like a scared rabbit. You have rather disgusted
him, and I'm not sure he won't make the wolf King instead, unless you
come back at once and show you've got some spirit. I promise you he
won't hurt you, and I will be your faithful servant." The Stag was
foolish enough to be persuaded to return, and this time the Lion made
no mistake, but overpowered him, and feasted right royally upon his
carcase. The Fox, meanwhile, watched his chance and, when the Lion
wasn't looking, filched away the brains to reward him for his trouble.
Presently the Lion began searching for them, of course without
success: and the Fox, who was watching him, said, "I don't think it's
much use your looking for the brains: a creature who twice walked into
a Lion's den can't have got any."
THE MAN WHO LOST HIS SPADE
A Man was engaged in digging over his vineyard, and one day on coming
to work he missed his Spade. Thinking it may have been stolen by one
of his labourers, he questioned them closely, but they one and all
denied any knowledge of it. He was not convinced by their denials, and
insisted that they should all go to the town and take oath in a temple
that they were not guilty of the theft. This was because he had no
great opinion of the simple country deities, but thought that the
thief would not pass undetected by the shrewder gods of the town. When
they got inside the gates the first thing they heard was the town
crier proclaiming a reward for information about a thief who had
stolen something from the city temple. "Well," said the Man to
himself, "it strikes me I had better go back home again. If these town
gods can't detect the thieves who steal from their own temples, it's
scarcely likely they can tell me who stole my Spade."
THE PARTRIDGE AND THE FOWLER
A Fowler caught a Partridge in his nets, and was just about to wring
its neck when it made a piteous appeal to him to spare its life and
said, "Do not kill me, but let me live and I will repay you for your
kindness by decoying other partridges into your nets." "No," said the
Fowler, "I will not spare you. I was going to kill you anyhow, and
after that treacherous speech you thoroughly deserve your fate."
THE RUNAWAY SLAVE
A Slave, being discontented with his lot, ran away from his master. He
was soon missed by the latter, who lost no time in mounting his horse
and setting out in pursuit of the fugitive. He presently came up with
him, and the Slave, in the hope of avoiding capture, slipped into a
treadmill and hid himself there. "Aha," said his master, "that's the
very place for you, my man!"
THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN
A Hunter was searching in the forest for the tracks of a lion, and,
catching sight presently of a Woodman engaged in felling a tree, he
went up to him and asked him if he had noticed a lion's footprints
anywhere about, or if he knew where his den was. The Woodman answered,
"If you will come with me, I will show you the lion himself." The
Hunter turned pale with fear, and his teeth chattered as he replied,
"Oh, I'm not looking for the lion, thanks, but only for his tracks."
THE SERPENT AND THE EAGLE
An Eagle swooped down upon a Serpent and seized it in his talons with
the intention of carrying it off and devouring it. But the Serpent was
too quick for him and had its coils round him in a moment; and then
there ensued a life-and-death struggle between the two. A countryman,
who was a witness of the encounter, came to the assistance of the
Eagle, and succeeded in freeing him from the Serpent and enabling him
to escape. In revenge the Serpent spat some of his poison into the
man's drinking-horn. Heated with his exertions, the man was about to
slake his thirst with a draught from the horn, when the Eagle knocked
it out of his hand, and spilled its contents upon the ground.
One good turn deserves another.
THE ROGUE AND THE ORACLE
A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the Oracle at Delphi to be
untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by
himself. So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small
bird in his hand, which he concealed under the folds of his cloak,
and asked whether what he held in his hand were alive or dead. If the
Oracle said "dead," he meant to produce the bird alive: if the reply
was "alive," he intended to wring its neck and show it to be dead. But
the Oracle was one too many for him, for the answer he got was this:
"Stranger, whether the thing that you hold in your hand be alive
or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will."
THE HORSE AND THE ASS
A Horse, proud of his fine harness, met an Ass on the high-road. As
the Ass with his heavy burden moved slowly out of the way to let him
pass, the Horse cried out impatiently that he could hardly resist
kicking him to make him move faster. The Ass held his peace, but did
not forget the other's insolence. Not long afterwards the Horse became
broken-winded, and was sold by his owner to a farmer. One day, as he
was drawing a dung-cart, he met the Ass again, who in turn derided him
and said, "Aha! you never thought to come to this, did you, you who
were so proud! Where are all your gay trappings now?"
THE DOG CHASING A WOLF
A Dog was chasing a Wolf, and as he ran he thought what a fine fellow
he was, and what strong legs he had, and how quickly they covered the
ground. "Now, there's this Wolf," he said to himself, "what a poor
creature he is: he's no match for me, and he knows it and so he runs
away." But the Wolf looked round just then and said, "Don't you
imagine I'm running away from you, my friend: it's your master I'm
afraid of."
GRIEF AND HIS DUE
When Jupiter was assigning the various gods their privileges, it so
happened that Grief was not present with the rest: but when all had
received their share, he too entered and claimed his due. Jupiter was
at a loss to know what to do, for there was nothing left for him.
However, at last he decided that to him should belong the tears that
are shed for the dead. Thus it is the same with Grief as it is with
the other gods. The more devoutly men render to him his due, the
more lavish is he of that which he has to bestow. It is not well,
therefore, to mourn long for the departed; else Grief, whose sole
pleasure is in such mourning, will be quick to send fresh cause for
tears.
THE HAWK, THE KITE, AND THE PIGEONS
The Pigeons in a certain dovecote were persecuted by a Kite, who every
now and then swooped down and carried off one of their number. So they
invited a Hawk into the dovecote to defend them against their enemy.
But they soon repented of their folly: for the Hawk killed more of
them in a day than the Kite had done in a year.
THE WOMAN AND THE FARMER
A Woman, who had lately lost her husband, used to go every day to his
grave and lament her loss. A Farmer, who was engaged in ploughing not
far from the spot, set eyes upon the Woman and desired to have her
for his wife: so he left his plough and came and sat by her side,
and began to shed tears himself. She asked him why he wept; and he
replied, "I have lately lost my wife, who was very dear to me, and
tears ease my grief." "And I," said she, "have lost my husband." And
so for a while they mourned in silence. Then he said, "Since you and I
are in like case, shall we not do well to marry and live together? I
shall take the place of your dead husband, and you, that of my dead
wife." The Woman consented to the plan, which indeed seemed reasonable
enough: and they dried their tears. Meanwhile, a thief had come
and stolen the oxen which the Farmer had left with his plough. On
discovering the theft, he beat his breast and loudly bewailed his
loss. When the Woman heard his cries, she came and said, "Why, are you
weeping still?" To which he replied, "Yes, and I mean it this time."
PROMETHEUS AND THE MAKING OF MAN
At the bidding of Jupiter, Prometheus set about the creation of Man
and the other animals. Jupiter, seeing that Mankind, the only rational
creatures, were far outnumbered by the irrational beasts, bade him
redress the balance by turning some of the latter into men. Prometheus
did as he was bidden, and this is the reason why some people have the
forms of men but the souls of beasts.
THE SWALLOW AND THE CROW
A Swallow was once boasting to a Crow about her birth. "I was once a
princess," said she, "the daughter of a King of Athens, but my husband
used me cruelly, and cut out my tongue for a slight fault. Then, to
protect me from further injury, I was turned by Juno into a bird."
"You chatter quite enough as it is," said the Crow. "What you would
have been like if you hadn't lost your tongue, I can't think."
THE HUNTER AND THE HORSEMAN
A Hunter went out after game, and succeeded in catching a hare, which
he was carrying home with him when he met a man on horseback, who said
to him, "You have had some sport I see, sir," and offered to buy it.
The Hunter readily agreed; but the Horseman had no sooner got the
hare in his hands than he set spurs to his horse and went off at full
gallop. The Hunter ran after him for some little distance; but it soon
dawned upon him that he had been tricked, and he gave up trying to
overtake the Horseman, and, to save his face, called after him as loud
as he could, "All right, sir, all right, take your hare: it was meant
all along as a present."
THE GOATHERD AND THE WILD GOATS
A Goatherd was tending his goats out at pasture when he saw a number
of Wild Goats approach and mingle with his flock. At the end of the
day he drove them home and put them all into the pen together. Next
day the weather was so bad that he could not take them out as usual:
so he kept them at home in the pen, and fed them there. He only gave
his own goats enough food to keep them from starving, but he gave the
Wild Goats as much as they could eat and more; for he was very anxious
for them to stay, and he thought that if he fed them well they
wouldn't want to leave him. When the weather improved, he took them
all out to pasture again; but no sooner had they got near the hills
than the Wild Goats broke away from the flock and scampered off. The
Goatherd was very much disgusted at this, and roundly abused them for
their ingratitude. "Rascals!" he cried, "to run away like that after
the way I've treated you!" Hearing this, one of them turned round and
said, "Oh, yes, you treated us all right--too well, in fact; it was
just that that put us on our guard. If you treat newcomers like
ourselves so much better than your own flock, it's more than likely
that, if another lot of strange goats joined yours, _we_ should then
be neglected in favour of the last comers."
THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE SWALLOW
A Swallow, conversing with a Nightingale, advised her to quit the
leafy coverts where she made her home, and to come and live with men,
like herself, and nest under the shelter of their roofs. But the
Nightingale replied, "Time was when I too, like yourself, lived among
men: but the memory of the cruel wrongs I then suffered makes them
hateful to me, and never again will I approach their dwellings."
The scene of past sufferings revives painful memories.
THE TRAVELLER AND FORTUNE
A Traveller, exhausted with fatigue after a long journey, sank down at
the very brink of a deep well and presently fell asleep. He was within
an ace of falling in, when Dame Fortune appeared to him and touched
him on the shoulder, cautioning him to move further away. "Wake up,
good sir, I pray you," she said; "had you fallen into the well, the
blame would have been thrown not on your own folly but on me, Fortune."
ILLUSTRATIONS
[Illustration: THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE]
[Illustration: THE MOON AND HER MOTHER]
[Illustration: THE FIR-TREE AND THE BRAMBLE]
[Illustration: THE CRAB AND HIS MOTHER]
[Illustration: THE QUACK FROG]
[Illustration: THE SHIPWRECKED MAN AND THE SEA]
[Illustration: THE BLACKAMOOR]
[Illustration: THE TWO POTS]
[Illustration: VENUS AND THE CAT]
[Illustration: THE TRAVELLERS AND THE PLANE-TREE]
[Illustration: THE TREES AND THE AXE]
[Illustration: THE LION, JUPITER, AND THE ELEPHANT]
[Illustration: THE GNAT AND THE LION]