Transcriber’s Note:
Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like
this_; those in bold are surrounded by tildes, ~like this~.
Mid-paragraph illustrations were moved to adjoin their related
fable.
[Illustration: The Fox and the Grapes.--Page 10.
_Æsop._]
ÆSOP’S FABLES
IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE.
BY MARY GODOLPHIN.
_ILLUSTRATED._
NEW YORK:
A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER.
COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY
THE CASSELL PUBLISHING CO.
_All rights reserved._
CONTENTS.
PAGE
THE BOY AND THE WOLF 9
BOYS AND FROGS 10
THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS 10
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES 10
THE FLY AND THE MOTH 11
THE LYNX AND THE MOLE 11
THE CHILD AND THE BROOK 12
THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL 13
THE BEAR IN THE WOOD 13
THE OLD FOX AND HER YOUNG ONE 14
THE SQUEAK OF A PIG 15
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB 15
STONE BROTH 16
THE GNAT AND THE BULL 18
THE DOVES AND THE MOUSE 18
THE COCK AND THE GEM 19
THE OAK AND THE REED 20
THE KID AND THE WOLF 20
THE BAG OF GOLD 22
THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL 22
THE MAN AND THE APE 24
THE MAN AND HIS LIVE STOCK 25
THE FROGS AND THE BULLS 25
THE BLUE WOLF 26
THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS 26
THE FOX AND THE CRANE 28
THE OLD HEN AND HER YOUNG ONES 29
THE BOY AND THE HORN BOOK 30
THE ASS WITH A LOAD OF SALT 31
THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG 31
THE STAG IN THE LAKE 32
THE MAN, THE FOX, AND THE BEAR 33
THE FOX AND THE CROW 34
THE BOOR AND THE STAG 34
THE CAT, THE MOUSE, AND THE COCK 35
THE PLANE TREE 36
THE DOG WHO WAS HUNG 37
THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT 38
THE BOY AND THE NUTS 38
THE APE AND HER YOUNG ONES 39
THE HORSE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX 39
THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES 40
THE KITE, THE SOW, AND THE CAT 41
THE MAN AND THE PERCH 43
THE ROSE AND THE CLAY 44
THE OX AND THE CALF 44
THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP 45
THE COCK, THE FOX, AND THE SPRINGE 45
THE KID AND THE WOLF 46
THE ASS AND THE LAMB 46
THE BEES AND THE SNAIL 47
THE OLD DAME AND HER MAIDS 48
THE TWO GOATS ON THE BRIDGE 48
THE AX AND THE TREES 49
THE DOG AND THE THIEF 49
THE FLY AND THE ANT 50
THE WOLF, AND THE FOX IN THE WELL 52
THE CAT AND THE MICE 52
THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLD EGG 54
THE FOX AND THE STORK 55
THE HART AND THE VINE 56
THE DAW AND THE JAY 56
THE OWLS AND THE WREN 57
THE LEAP AT RHODES 58
THE DOG IN THE OX’S STALL 59
THE NURSE AND THE WOLF 60
THE OLD BLIND DAME 60
THE COCK, THE DOG, AND THE FOX 61
THE BOAR AND THE HORSE 62
THE APE MADE KING 62
THE FROG, THE MOUSE, AND THE HAWK 63
THE WOLF IN A SHEEP’S SKIN 70
THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP 70
THE JUDGE AND THE POOR MAN 64
THE STAG IN THE OX’S STALL 65
THE GOAT, AND THE FOX IN THE WELL 66
THE APE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX 66
THE FOX AND THE CAT 67
THE MULES AND THE THIEVES 68
THE BALD KNIGHT 68
THE WAR HORSE 69
THE WIND AND THE SUN 71
THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN 72
THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS 72
THE HOG, OX, COW, DOG, AND SHEEP 74
THE DRUM AND THE VASE 75
THE FROGS AND THEIR KING 76
THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF 78
THE FIELD OF CORN 79
THE HAWK, THE ROOKS, AND THE CAT 80
THE COCK AND THE FOX 81
THE WOLF AND THE STORK 82
THE JAY AND THE OWL 83
THE NURSE AND THE SNAKE 83
THE LARK AND THE FINCH 84
THE DOVE AND THE ANT 84
THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL 85
THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS 86
THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG 87
[Illustration: The Horse and the Ass.--Page 10.
_Æsop._]
[Illustration]
AESOP’S FABLES.
THE BOY AND THE WOLF.
A boy, who kept watch on a flock of sheep, was heard from time to
time to call out, “The Wolf! The Wolf!” in mere sport. Scores of
times, in this way, had he drawn the men in the fields from their
work. But when they found it was a joke, they made up their minds
that, should the boy call “Wolf” once more, they would not stir to
help him. The wolf, at last, did come. “The Wolf! The Wolf!” shrieks
out the boy, in great fear, but none will now heed his cries, and the
wolf kills the boy, that he may feast on the sheep.
One knows not how to trust those who speak lies, though they may tell
one the truth.
[Illustration: The Boy and the Wolf.--Page 9.
_Æsop._]
BOYS AND FROGS.
Some boys were at play at the edge of a pond, and, as their game
was “ducks and drakes,” they had to throw stones with as much force
as they could, to the great harm of some poor frogs in the pool. At
length one of them, who was more brave than the rest, put his head
out of the pond and said, “Oh, dear young sirs, stop, I pray you, for
what is sport to you is death to us!”
THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS.
A fine horse broke loose from his stall, and as he ran down the road
with a loud, shrill neigh, he met an ass with a load on his back, to
whom he said, in a proud tone, that if he did not make way for him,
he would kick him with his heels, and tread him in the dust. The poor
ass held his peace, and made room for him as fast as he could. In
course of time the horse went to the wars, and was shot in the eye,
which so spoilt his good looks, that he was sent to work on the farm.
Stript of all his pomp, he was met by the ass, who said to him. “Ha!
is it you? Your state is now as low as mine. I thought your pride
would have a fall some day!”
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
One hot day a fox saw some grapes which hung on a wall, and he took
a spring to seize them, but made too short a bound; so then he leapt
with all his might, but could not quite reach them; and each jump he
took was still too short. There hung the fine ripe grapes, but not
for him. Then, as he found he could not get at them, he said, “It is
not worth my while to try, for the grapes are sour.”
They who can not as they will, must will as they can.
THE FLY AND THE MOTH.
A fly, one night, stood on the rim of a pot of jam, and as he could
not turn from so rare a feast, he went down the jar that he might
reach the fruit; but found to his cost that he stuck fast like a bird
caught with lime. A moth that flew by, chid him thus: “It serves thee
right! How couldst thou think that such legs and wings as thine,
would be safe in a pot of jam?” By and by the moth saw a lamp in the
same room, and flew in the light of it, but at last his sight grew
dim, he sprang up to the flame, and was burnt to death. “What!” says
the fly, who saw him, “How is this? You love to play with fire! You
who took me to task for so small a crime as a taste for jam!”
We tax our friends with faults, but see not our own.
THE LYNX AND THE MOLE.
A lynx by chance met a mole at the foot of a mound. “Ah, poor
wretch!” said the lynx, “what a life is yours! Shut up in the cold,
damp ground, you see no light, nor feel the warmth of the sun, for
you do but move from mine to mine. If you could but see me as I vault
by your dark mound with limbs so free, and my sight--ah! my sight--so
keen, you would die of grief at your dull life. Would that I could
change it for you, my friend!” “I thank you for your kind wish,” said
the mole; “but I need not your help, nor do I feel so dull as you
think, for I was bred and born in the ground, and all my days have
been spent here. I have my dear young ones round me, and more than
all, I am safe. My eyes are small, it is true, but that has made my
ears sharp, and if they serve me well now, I hear a sound which seems
to come from where you stand, and it tells of a foe.” Just then up
rode some men from the hunt, who thrust a spear through the heart of
the poor lynx, and he fell dead; but the mole went safe back to her
hole in the bank, and said, when she got there, “Home is home for all
that.”
What the eye sees not, the heart rues not.
Though the fox runs, the chick has wings.
THE CHILD AND THE BROOK.
An old man who saw a child stand for a long time by the side of a
stream, said, “My boy, why do you gaze so long on this brook?” “Sir,”
said the child, “I stay here to wait till the stream has run off,
for then I shall pass with dry feet.” “Nay,” quoth the old man, “you
might stay out your life, and yet not do that, for this brook will
run on as long as time. And as you wend your way through life, you
will find this out. If you go with the stream, you will get to the
sea; but if you do not go with the stream, you will have to wade.”
THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL.
Once on a time some mice were in such great dread of a cat, that they
did not dare to stir day or night lest she should kill them. At this
rate they thought they should starve, so they all met to talk of the
best thing for them to do. While they thus sat in great doubt, a pert
young mouse rose and said, “I have thought of a good plan, and that
is to tie a bell to the cat’s neck, which would ring at each step
she takes, and let us know when she comes near.” This bright speech
brought hope with it, and made the mice jump for joy. Then a grave
old mouse, who till now had been quite mute, rose and said, “I have
heard that you ‘hold a wolf by the ears’ and that you ‘put salt on
the bird’s tail,’ but what shall we do to bell the cat?”
Safe bind, safe find.
THE BEAR IN THE WOOD.
Two men had to pass through a thick wood, and one of them said,
“Should we fall in with wild beasts, I will come to your help, if
you will do the same by me.” “So be it,” said his friend, and off
they set. They had not gone far when a bear made a rush out of the
wood. The man who had made the good rule for them to act on, got up
a tree to hide, and his poor friend was put to his wits’ end to save
his life, so he fell flat on the ground, held his breath, and lay
quite still, that the bear might think he was dead. The huge beast
came close up to him, and felt him with his snout, but as he took him
for a dead man, did him no harm. When the bear was gone, and all was
safe, the man came down from the tree, and with a smile, said, “What
did the bear tell you when he put his snout so close up to your ear?”
“Well,” said his friend, “what he told me was this--‘Have a care of
that rogue up the tree, and for the time to come put no trust in
him!’”
Prove thy friend ere thou have need of him.
THE OLD FOX AND HER YOUNG ONE.
An old fox and her young one found their way to a yard where hens
were kept, and one by one they put them all to death. It was the wish
of the young fox to eat them all then and there, but his dam said,
“We have had great luck, yet we must not spend all our stock at once,
but put some by, and come for it when we want it.” “Don’t preach to
me,” said the pert young fox, “the fowls will not keep sweet a day,
so I shall eat as much as I can now, for when the men on the farm see
what we have done, they will, of course, look out for us.” The young
fox then ate such a meal that it was all he could do to crawl to his
hole, and in less than an hour he was dead. The old fox came back to
the hoard, and was caught by the men, who had lain in wait to kill
her. “Ah!” said she, with her last breath, “each age hath its fault;
each bean its black; each day its night; each weal its woe!”
THE SQUEAK OF A PIG.
A man, well known for his wit, said he could show a trick which had
not yet been seen. So he took his stand on a stage, and, with his
head thrust down, he gave out a sound like the squeak of a pig. This
he did so well, that all thought he had brought a young pig in his
cloak; but though a search was made, they did not find one. A rough
man from a farm, who had come to look on, said, “Faith, I can do this
as well as he.” So the next night they were both to try their skill.
A great crowd came to see them, and the men went on the stage. The
first man gave his squeak, which brought a roar of praise, as it had
done the first night. The boor’s turn then came, and he had a real
young pig in his cloak; but though he made it squeak by a hard pinch
on the ear, all gave the palm to the first man, and sent the boor off
the stage with a loud hiss.
Give a man luck, and you may throw him in the sea.
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
One hot day a wolf came to quench his thirst at a clear brook that
ran down the side of a hill. By chance a young lamb stood there. The
wolf had a wish to eat her, but felt some qualms, so for a plea he
made out that the lamb was his foe. “Stand off from the banks, sir,”
said he, “for as you tread them you stir mud in the stream, and all I
can get to drink is thick and foul.” The young lamb said, in a mild
tone, that she did not see how that could be the case, as the brook
ran down hill to her from the spot where he stood. “But,” said the
wolf, “how dare you drink of it at all, till I have had my fill?”
Then the poor lamb told him that as yet her dam’s milk was both food
and drink to her. “Be that as it may,” said the wolf, “you are a
bad lamb; for last year I heard that you spoke ill of me and all my
race.” “Last year! dread sir,” quoth the lamb, “why, I have not yet
been shorn, and at the time you name I was not born.” The wolf, who
found it was of no use to tell lies, fell in a great rage, and as he
came up to the lamb, he said, “All you sheep have the same dull kind
of face, and how is one to know which is which? If it was not you, it
was your dam, and that’s all the same thing, so I shall not let you
go from here.” He then flew at the poor meek lamb, and made a meal of
her.
Might beats Right.
[Illustration: The Wolf and the Lamb.--Page 15.
_Æsop._]
STONE BROTH.
A poor man, in a storm of wind and rain, came to a great house to
beg for alms, and was sent off with cross words. But he went back,
and said, “May I but ask to dry my clothes at your fire, for I am
wet with rain?” This the maids thought would not cost them much, so
they let him come in. He then told the cook that if she would but
give him a pan, and let him fill it from the pump, he would make some
stone broth. This kind of dish was so new to the cook, that she let
him make it. The man then got a stone from the road, and put it in
the pan. The cook gave him some salt, peas, mint, thyme, and all the
scraps of meat that she could spare, to throw in. Thus the poor man
made a rich mess, and the cook said, “Well done! you have made a silk
purse out of a sow’s ear; and it just shows that ‘they who crave for
food will break through stone walls.’”
Where there’s a will there’s a way.
THE GNAT AND THE BULL.
Once on a time a poor gnat sat on the horn of a bull, and said, “I
have made free to rest on the tip of your horn; but if my weight is
at all too much for you, pray say so, and I will move off.” “I think
you are more nice than wise,” said the bull. “To tell you the truth,
I did not know when you sat down, so I shall not miss you when you
think fit to rise up.” At this the bull gave his head a toss, and put
the gnat to death with his tongue.
It is a dull bird that points out her own nest.
THE DOVES AND THE MOUSE.
A man who sold doves in the East threw down some grains of rice in a
wood, and flung a net on the top of them in such a way that it could
not be seen in the grass, and then hid close by to watch. Soon the
king of the wild doves, “Smooth Neck” by name, flew up to the spot
with his train, and said, “Whence can all these grains of rice come?
Let it be seen to. Eat them not yet.” But the doves, drawn by greed,
set to work to pick them up, and they were all caught in the net.
“Ha!” said Smooth Neck, “I thought this might be the work of a foe.
You would not wait, as I told you to do, and this has come of it.
Hark to the plan which I have in hand. We know that small things may
work out great ends, and that huge beasts may be bound with straws
made firm in a thick rope. Now, all put out your strength at once,
take up the net, and fly off.” This they did, and the man who had set
the snare was much struck to see his net borne off in the air by the
birds. “This is well,” said one of the doves, “but what are we to do
now, with these toils on our feet?” Smooth Neck said, “We are in an
ill plight, but Gold Fur, the wise king of the mice, may help us.” So
he went in search of Gold Fur’s hole, which had scores of small doors
that led to it, deep down in the ground. The good mouse came out to
meet them, and when he had heard their tale, he said, “As long as my
teeth do not break, I will gnaw the nets for you.” So with his sharp
teeth he cut the snare, and set them all free. Then, with great joy,
the king of the doves bent low his smooth neck to him, and said, “How
much we owe to you! Think of us as your slaves for life; for a friend
in need is the best friend of all.”
THE COCK AND THE GEM.
A cock came down from his roost at break of day, and set up a loud,
shrill crow; he then went to work to scratch the ground in search of
food for the hens. By and by, what should he turn up but a bright
gem. He gave it a kick and said, “Ha! you are a fine thing, no
doubt; but, to my mind, one good grain of wheat is worth all the gems
in the world.”
Do not cast pearls to swine.
[Illustration: The Cock and the Gem.--Page 19.
_Æsop._]
THE OAK AND THE REED.
An oak which stood on the side of a brook was torn up by the roots in
a storm, and as the wind took it down the stream, its boughs caught
on some reeds which grew on the bank. “How strange it is,” said the
oak, “that such a slight and frail thing as a reed should face the
blast, while my proud front, which till now has stood like an Alp,
is torn down, root and branch!” A reed, which caught the sound of
these words, said, in soft tones, “If I may be free with you, I think
the cause of it lies in your pride of heart. You are stiff and hard,
and trust in your own strength, while we yield and bow to the rough
blast.”
It is worse to break than to bend.
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
A young kid that would stray from the herd saw a wolf, and did her
best to get out of his reach; but when she found that all hope was
lost, she said, “Sir wolf, I know that I am to die at your hands, so
as my life will now be but short, I pray of you to let it be a gay
one. Now, do you pipe while I dance.” So the wolf pipes, and the
kid jumps and springs to please him. A pack of hounds who heard the
sound, ran up to see who was there, and then the wolf set off as fast
as his legs would take him, and the kid came home safe. Quoth she,
with a hop and a skip:
[Illustration]
“He that sticks to chance,
When fools pipe he may dance.”
But the wolf gave a deep sigh, and said:
“He who will not when he may,
When he wills, he shall have nay.”
[Illustration: The Kid and the Wolf.--Page 20.
_Æsop._]
THE BAG OF GOLD.
Two men set off to walk from Bath to York, and said they would each
share the same fate, come what might. All went well till they got
half way, when one of them saw a bag of gold in the path, which he
took up. “Ha!” said he, “I am in luck’s way. See, I have found a
bag of gold! I will buy a horse and ride the rest of my way.” “My
friend,” said the man who went with him, “when we set out you told
me we were to share the same luck, be it good or bad; so you ought
to say ‘we’ have found a bag of gold, not ‘I.’” “You may think just
as you please,” said the man, “but as it was I who found the gold, I
shall keep it, and do with it as I said, and wish you good day.” Just
then they heard a hue and cry of “Stop thief!” “Come, I pray you,”
said the man (who held the bag), in a great fright; “come, let us
hide in this wood, for if the men find us with the gold, they will
take us for thieves, and we shall get hung for it.” “How now?” said
his friend; “you swore it should be ‘I’ when you found the bag, so
pray let it be ‘I’ as long as there is fear of theft.”
A just man’s word is as good as a bond.
One gets the prize, and both bear the blame.
THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL.
A fox who went to steal some young chicks was caught in a trap, from
which he got free, but with the loss of his tail; and when he came to
mix with the world, he saw how high a price he had paid for it, for
none of the beasts who stole a look at him could hide a laugh, and
the fox thought it would have been well for him if his life had gone
with the “brush.” But, to make the best of things, he sent to all the
rest of his race to beg of them to meet him on a heath, and there the
fox held forth and said, “I would have you all cut off your tails.
You know not the ease with which I can now move. Of what use is the
tail to us? If we creep through a hole in the hedge, as we fly from
the hounds, it stops us in the way. It is the ‘brush,’ you know, that
man strives for in the hunt; and then, too, in spite of all we can
do, it is apt to be caught in a trap.” A sly old fox who heard him,
said, with a leer, “It strikes me that you would not so much care to
see us part with our tails, if you had a chance to get your own back!”
Bought wit is the best.
[Illustration: The Fox who had lost His Tail.--Page 22.
_Æsop._]
THE MAN AND THE APE.
A man in the East kept a tame ape, who was of great use to him, for
he could scare the birds from the fruit and peas. One day the man
took his sleep at noon, and the ape sat by his side to brush the
flies from his face. One fly came and stood on the tip of his nose,
so the ape, with a grin, sent it off; then it flew to his chin, and
this put the ape in such a rage that he flung a stone at it, which
smote the fly; but, sad to tell, the force with which the stone was
thrown broke the man’s jaw.
A rash friend is worse than a foe.
THE MAN AND HIS LIVE STOCK.
A man who had a farm in a cold part of the world, was shut up in it
by a deep fall of snow, and could not get out to buy food, so he
ate all his sheep, one by one, and, as the frost did not break up,
he then ate his pigs, then his goats, and, at last, the ox that was
kept for the plough. When the dogs on the farm found this out, they
said, “Let us be off! for since the man thinks it no harm to kill his
sheep, his pigs, his goats, and his ox, how can we hope that he will
spare us?”
When the house next door is on fire, it is high time to look to our
own.
THE FROGS AND THE BULLS.
Some frogs that were in a damp marsh saw two bulls which fought in a
field some way off. “Look!” said one of them, “there’s a sight! Dear
sirs, what must we do?” “I pray thee,” said a young frog, “do not
take fright at that. How can the feuds of two bulls hurt us? They are
not of the same tribe as we are, far less in the same rank of life;
and as to size, why we are too small for such large beasts as those
to take note of us. They do but fight to see which shall be head of
the herd.” “That is true,” said an old frog, “but as one will win the
day, one must, of course, yield, and the bull that is sent out of the
field will come to the marsh for rush and reed, and will crush us to
death at each step. Know you not that when great folk fall out, small
folk smart for it?”
THE BLUE WOLF.
A wolf once fell in a vat of blue dye which is made in the East. A
man came by and thought he was dead, so he took him out and laid him
on the bank and went his way; and then the wolf, glad to be safe, ran
off to the woods. One by one, all the beasts came to gaze on him,
and knew not what to make of him. So then the sly wolf said, “My fur
is of a fine blue! You see in me a new kind of beast, and so I must,
of course, be king of all the rest!” Then the bears, the boars, the
apes, the wolves, as well as the ounce, the lynx, the bull, the fox,
and all the rest of them, drew near to bow their heads to him as the
lord of the wood. But soon the wolves thought they saw in the king
some trace of kin, and one of them said, “Be it for me to find out,
and let it be done as I say. At night you must all set up a loud yell
near him, and if he be one of us--as I think he is--he will send
forth a loud howl too.” So all at once the wolves put up their heads
to howl, and they soon heard the new king join in the cry, for he
could not help it. At this, a loud laugh rang through the wood from
all the beasts of the plain. What is bred in the bone will not out of
the flesh.
THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS.
A man and his son drove their ass to a fair to sell him. They had
not gone far, when one of a group of girls, who stood round a well,
said, with a laugh, “Look at those two fools--they let their ass walk
at his ease, while they trudge on foot by his side.” The man heard
this, and set his son on the beast. They had not gone more than half
a mile, when they came up to some old men who sat in grave talk.
“There,” said one of them, “that just proves what I say; now a days
the young take no care of the old; see, that young rogue rides, while
the old man has to walk by his side. Get down, and let your sire rest
his limbs.” At this the man made his son jump off the ass, that he
might ride him. Thus they went on for a space, when they met three
kind dames, each with a child on her arm. “Why, you old sloth,” said
one of them, “what a shame to sit at ease while that poor slight lad
can scarce keep pace by the side of you!” The man then took his son
on the croup of the ass by his side, and so they rode till they got
near the town. “Pray, good friend,” said a young man who met them,
“is that ass your own?” “Yes,” said he. “One would not have thought
so by the way you load him. Why, it seems to me more fit that you two
should take him to the fair, than that he should take you.” “Well,
be it so,” said the old man; “we can but try.” So they got off, and
made fast the legs of the ass to a pole, which each took hold of at
one end, and so went on their way, till they came to a bridge. This
was a rare sight, and so the boys and girls thought, for they ran in
crowds to laugh at the farce, till the ass--which took fright at the
noise--gave a kick which broke the cords that bound him; so he fell
in the stream, and sank. The old man then made the best of his way
home, and said, “If we try to please all, we please none.”
[Illustration: THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS.]
THE FOX AND THE CRANE.
A fox that had been out to poach, had got hurt in a trap, and lay at
the point of death. For a long time he sought in vain for aid, but at
last he saw a crane, and said to her, “I beg of you to bring me some
drink to quench my thirst, for I might then gain strength to go in
search of food.” “Not far in search, I think,” said the crane, “for
were I to bring you drink, I make no doubt that the food would come
with me.”
Play not with edge tools.
THE OLD HEN AND HER YOUNG ONES.
[Illustration]
A hen led her train of young chicks through a yard, to rake the chaff
and to show the grain, when one of them flew on the edge of a well
to try her wings, and by chance dropt down it, to the great grief
of the old bird. The next day, when the hen met one of her chicks
from an old brood, she said, “My dear son, I know you are strong and
bold, but, for your life, do not go near that well; if you do, some
great harm will come to you.” “Why should she give me this charge?”
said he. “Does she think I am not brave, or does she store some good
thing down the well, which she keeps for her last brood? I will go
and see.” So he stood at the brink of the well, and, far down in the
dark, he saw a spruce young cock, whose plumes rose, and whose wings
spread, as if he had a wish to fight. Down flew the young bird--to
rise no more.
If a fool is bid not to do a thing, he is sure to do it.
The best shield is to keep out of the reach of shot.
THE BOY AND THE HORN BOOK.
A boy stole a horn book from school, and brought it home to his aunt,
who did not take him to task for what he had done, but gave him some
plums for his pains. In course of time the child grew up to be a man,
and--need we say?--a thief. He stole more and more, and at last was
caught in a great theft, and was hung. A crowd came to look on at the
sad scene, and with them the aunt of the thief, who, with sobs and
tears, tore her hair and beat her breast. The thief saw her, and said
to those who were in charge of him, “Give me leave to say a word to
my aunt.” When she came up, he put his face to hers, as if he would
speak, and bit off her ear! At this the aunt gave a loud cry, and all
who stood near were struck with awe at so base a deed. “Good sirs,”
said the young man, “it is she who is the cause of my guilt; for if,
when I stole the horn book from school, she had had the sense to
point out to me that I had done wrong, I should not have come to this
sad end.”
Spare the rod, and spoil the child.
He that will steal an ounce, will steal a pound.
THE ASS WITH A LOAD OF SALT.
A man drove his ass down to the coast to buy a load of salt, and on
his way home the ass fell in the midst of a stream. The salt, of
course, did not take long to melt, and so the ass lost his load, and
came home fresh and gay. The next day the man set off to the coast
for some more salt, and put the load on his ass once more. As they
went through the stream, the ass took care to fall down just at the
same spot, and thus got rid of his load this time too. But the man,
who now saw the trick, made a plan to cure the ass of it. He bought a
large load of sponge, and put it on the back of the beast, and drove
him, for the third time, to the coast. By and by they came to the
stream, when the ass thought to play his old pranks. But the sponge
got wet through, and the ass found to his cost that so far from a
light load, he had now on his back one which was ten times the weight
of the first.
If a man cheats me once, shame on him. If he cheats me twice, shame
on me.
THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG.
A poor lean wolf, that was but skin and bone, fell in with a plump
house dog, and said, “How comes it, my friend, that you look so fat
and sleek, while I, who am in the woods night and day in search of
food, do but starve at the best?” “Well,” said the dog, “you may be
as well off as I am, if you will do the same for it. I have but to
guard the house from thieves; so come home with me, and see how you
like the life.” “With all my heart!” cries the wolf.
As they went down the road side by side, the wolf saw a mark on the
dog’s neck, and would know what it was. So they had a talk.
_Dog._--Well, it may be a slight mark from the chain.
_Wolf._--Chain! Do you mean to say that you may not roam when and
where you please?
_Dog._--Why, not quite. For, you see, they do look on me as the least
in the world fierce, so they tie me up by day, but I am let loose
at night. And all in the house pet me, and feed me with scraps from
their own plates, and--Come on. What ails you?
_Wolf._--Oh, good night to you. I wish you joy of your fine life;
but, for my part, though I may not be fat, I will at least be free.
No one loves chains, though they be made of gold.
[Illustration: The Wolf and the House Dog.--Page 31.
_Æsop._]
THE STAG IN THE LAKE.
One hot day, a stag came to quench his thirst at a lake, and stood
there to scan his shape from head to foot, as it shone in the clear
pool. “What strength is there,” said he, “in this fine pair of horns
which branch out with so much grace from each side of my head! If the
rest of my form were but of a piece with my horns, I would give place
to none. But, ah, me! how slight are these poor legs of mine. I would
as lief have none at all.” Just then some men, and a pack of hounds
that had been on the scent, made to the spot where the stag stood.
Off he went, at full speed; and those legs, with which he found so
much fault, soon took him out of the reach of hounds and men. But the
horns which he was so vain of, by ill luck, caught in the boughs of a
tree, and held him there till the hounds came to pull him down.
[Illustration: The Stag in the Lake.--Page 32.
_Æsop._]
THE MAN, THE FOX, AND THE BEAR.
A man once saw a fox which had so sleek a coat that he felt a wish
to kill him for the sake of it, and he thought of a plan by which he
might save the skin whole. He dug a deep trench just in front of his
hole, on which he spread leaves, sticks, and straw, and then hid in
the thick trees out of sight, to wait till the fox came home. But he
went to sleep; and while he slept, the fox came up, saw the piece
of meat, and had a great wish to taste it; yet when he stole a look
round him, he had his doubts that all was right, so he did not touch
it. Soon a bear came up, and sprang on the bait. The sticks gave way
as he lit on them, and down he fell in the pit. The noise woke up the
man, who, as he thought of course it was his friend the fox, went
down the pit, where the bear gave him a hug which took all the breath
out of his lungs, and then ate him up. So the man was caught in his
own trap.
He must rise in good time who would cheat the fox.
THE FOX AND THE CROW.
A crow sat on the bough of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak.
A sly old fox which saw her, said, “What a fine bird thou art! How
bright is thine eye, how sleek are thy wings, what grace is there
in the turn of thy whole form! Oh, that such a bird should lack a
voice!” The poor crow was much struck with this speech, saw not its
guile, and would fain prove how sweet her note was; so she gave a
loud caw, and down fell the cheese to the ground. The fox ran off
with it, and said, as he went, “I spoke loud of her charms; but fair
words do not cost much, nor does the heart feel all that the false
tongue speaks. Yet I said not a word of her brains; for a wise head
makes a close mouth, and a close mouth will catch no flies.”
[Illustration: The Fox and the Crow.--Page 34.
_Æsop._]
THE BOOR AND THE STAG.
A stag that had left the hounds a long way off, came up to a man who
was at work on a farm, to ask if he would show him some safe place
to hide in. So the man bade him hide in his own hut, which was close
by. The stag lay quite still in the hut, and in a short time up came
the squire and his train with the hounds. The squire caught sight of
the boor, and drew back to ask him if he had seen the stag pass that
way. “No,” said the boor, in a loud tone, “I have not.” At the same
time--as he had a wish to keep on good terms with the squire--he held
out his hand, with a sly look, to point to the hut where the stag
lay hid; but as luck would have it, the squire took no heed of this
sign, nor did he so much as see it. So on he went to join the rest;
but though they rode through the field where the hut was, they did
not see the stag. As soon as they were well out of sight, the stag
stole from the hut, but said not a word to the boor, who now gave a
loud call to him. “You wretch!” said he, “you owe your life to me,
yet when you leave my hut, where I sent you to screen you from your
foes, you say not one word of thanks.” “Nay,” quoth the stag, “you
may make sure I should fill your ears as full of praise and thanks
as my heart is of joy, if your deeds had been true to your words; in
short, if I had not, through the door of the hut, seen your hand play
false to your tongue.”
THE CAT, THE MOUSE, AND THE COCK.
A young mouse, which had not seen much of the world, came home one
day and said, “Oh, I have had such a fright! I have seen a thing with
such a fierce look, that struts now here, now there, on two legs; on
his head he wears a small red flag, and one round his throat, his
arms flap up and down on his sides as if he meant to rise in the air.
But you should have seen him stretch out his head, and roar at me
with his sharp mouth, till I thought he would eat me up. It made me
shake from head to foot with fear, and I was glad to run home as fast
as my feet would take me. But for this I should have made friends
with as sweet a soul as could be. She had soft fur like ours, which
was black and gray in streaks. Her look was so bland and meek that
I fell quite in love with her. Then she had a fine long tail, which
you might see wave to and fro, first on this side, then on that; and
when I saw her fix her bright eyes on me I thought she had a wish to
speak; when that fierce wretch set up his scream, which drove me in
this haste, quite out of breath with fear.” “Ah! my dear child,” said
the old mouse, “in good truth you have run for your life; but the
fierce thing you speak of was not your foe, for it was but a bird,
that would not have done you the least harm in the world; while that
sweet thing, of which you seem so fond, was a cat, and cats eat all
us mice when they have a chance--in short, they live on mice.”
Judge not by looks.
THE PLANE TREE.
One hot day in June, two men lay down in the shade of a plane tree,
to get out of the rays of the sun, and as they lay there, they cast
their eyes up to the boughs. “A plane tree bears no fruit,” said
one of them. “In good sooth,” quoth his friend, “that seems but a
poor tree that is of no use to man!” The plane chid them, and said,
“Sirs, you must be as blind as you are base, to come here and lie in
the shade I give, and yet rail at me as a thing that is of no use to
man.”
THE DOG WHO WAS HUNG.
Once on a time two sheep met, and one of them said to her friend,
“Last night our dog Spring ate a lamb, and then bit the old one to
death, as well as the man of the farm.” “Nay,” quoth the friend, “if
that be true, in whom can we put our trust?” Thus spread the news,
and such was the crime of Spring, who now lay bound, while a group
of men sat to judge his case. Spring then said, with a firm voice,
“For more than ten years I have done my work as a sheep dog should.
Last night, as I lay on the ground, a wolf leapt forth from the wood,
sprang at a lamb, and drank its blood, then let fall his prize, and
stood at bay. We fought, and I slew the wolf. But now, when I saw
the lamb, as it lay dead on the grass, I could in no way curb my
wish to eat it. While I was at my feast, the ewe came up to seek for
her young one; so, lest she should charge its death on me, I thought
it best to kill her. Just then, up came the man of the farm, who of
course thought that I had put both to death. His eye met mine; he
held up his staff; I could not pause; dead men tell no tales, thought
I, and so flew at his throat. You know, too well, the rest.”
If we do not crush sin in the bud, it will grow strong, and crush us.
Do what you ought, come what may.
THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT.
The birds and the beasts once went to war. The bat--which could not
be said to be bird or beast--at first kept out of the way of both,
but when he thought the beasts would win the day, he was found in
their ranks, and to prove his right to be there, he said, “Can you
find a bird that has two rows of teeth in his head, as I have?” At
last the birds had the best of the fight, so then the bat was seen to
join their ranks. “Look,” said he, “I have wings, so what else can I
be but a bird?” “To grind with all winds” was thought base in the bat
by both sides of the fight, and he could not get bird or beast to own
him, and to this day he hides and skulks in caves and stems of trees,
and does not come out till dark, when all the birds of the air have
gone to roost, and the beasts of the field are wrapt in sleep.
One must not blow hot and cold.
THE BOY AND THE NUTS.
A young child put his hand in a jar where nuts and figs were kept. He
took all that his fist could hold, but when he came to pull it out,
the neck of the jar was too small for him to do so. At this the tears
came in his eyes, and a friend, who stood by, said, “Grasp at but
half, my boy, and you will have it; but grasp at all, and lose all.”
THE APE AND HER YOUNG ONES.
An ape, who had two young ones, felt a great love for her fine child,
but did not care at all for the plain one. One day, when by chance
the old dam was put to flight, she caught up the fine young ape in
her arms, but left the plain one to get on as it could, so it leapt
on the dam’s back, and off they set. The old ape ran so fast to save
her pet, that in her haste its head was caught by the branch of a
tree, and it fell down dead from the blow; but the plain one clung on
tight to the dam’s rough back, and so came off safe and sound.
The pet child may die from too much care.
THE HORSE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX.
A fox one night had been out some hours in the snow in search of
food, and yet had found none. At last he met a wolf in the same case,
to whom he said, “Do you see the horse in that field? Well, I think
if you lend me your help, I could kill him.” When they came up to the
horse, the fox was much struck to find how small his size was by the
side of him. “May I ask your name, and that of the man who owns you?”
“My name is Squire,” said the horse. “I have not yet heard the man’s
name, but I think if you wish to know it you can see the stamp on
my shoe.” The sly fox, who made a shrewd guess at what this meant,
said, “Nay, I do not know how to read, but”--here he gave a low bow
to the wolf--“my friend has a gift that way.” The wolf, who was made
quite vain by this soft speech, came up to read, but as he bent down
his head to do so, Squire gave a kick which clave his skull in two.
Take the nuts out of the fire with the cat’s paw.
THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.
[Illustration: THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.]
A lark had a nest of young birds in a field of corn, and one day
two men came to look at the state of the crop. “Well,” says one of
them to his son, “I think this wheat is ripe, so now go and ask our
friends to help us reap it.” When the old lark came back to her nest,
the young brood told her, in a great fright, what they had heard.
“So they look to their friends,” said she; “well, I think we have no
cause to fear.” The next day the man of the farm came, and saw no
friends in the corn field, so he bade his son fetch his kith and kin
to help him. This the young birds heard, and told to the old one when
she came home to her nest. Quoth she, “I do not see that men go much
out of their way to help those that are of the same kith and kin.”
In the course of a day or two, as the man found that no one came, he
said to his son, “Hark you, John; we will trust to none, but you and
I will reap the corn at dawn of day.” “Now,” said the old lark, “we
must be gone; for when a man takes his work in his own hands, it is
sure to be done.”
No eye so good as one’s own; no work so well done.
He that by the plow would thrive ... must hold or drive.
[Illustration: The Lark and Her Young Ones.--Page 40.
_Æsop._]
THE KITE, THE SOW, AND THE CAT.
A kite had built her nest at the top of an old oak, and in a hole
half way up the tree, a wild cat had found a home; while the foot of
the tree made a sty for a sow and her young pigs. For some time they
all went on in peace, and might have done so to this day, but for
the spite of the cat. For, first of all, she crept up to the kite,
and said, “Good friend, I have news to tell you, which will plunge us
both in grief. The old sow does naught else than grub at the foot of
the tree, and we all know what that will come to. It is clear that
she means to root it up, that she may kill your young ones. For my
part, I will take care of my own, and you can do as you please; but
you may be sure I shall watch her well, though I were to stay at home
for a month for it.” When she had said this to the kite, she went
down and made a call on the sow at the foot of the tree. She put on a
grave face, and said, “I hope you do not mean to go out?” “Why not?”
said the sow. “Nay,” said she, “you may do as you please; but I heard
the kite say to her brood that she would treat them with a pig the
first time she saw you go out; and I do not feel sure that she may
not take one of _my_ young ones at the same time. So good day to you,
for I must look at home, you see.” With these words she went back to
her hole.
The scheme that puss had in her head was to steal out at night for
her prey, and peep all day at her hole, that the sow and the kite
might think she was in great dread. This plan put them both in such
a fright, that the kite did not dare to stir out in search of food,
for fear of the sow, nor the sow for fear of the kite; and the end of
it was that they and their young ones were all kept in their homes to
starve, and so were made a prey of by the cat.
THE MAN AND THE PERCH.
A man went to fish in a fresh stream, and caught a small perch, who
said, “I pray of you to save my life, and put me in the stream once
more, for as I am but young and small now, it is not so well worth
your while to take me as it will be some time hence, when I am grown
a large fish.” “So you think,” said the man; “but I am not one of
those who give up that which is at hand for that which is far off;
nor do I make sure of fish, flesh, or fowl till I have got it, for
one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
[Illustration]
All is fish that comes to the net.
THE ROSE AND THE CLAY.
A man in the East by chance took up a piece of clay which lay in his
path, and was much struck to find it smell so sweet. “It is but a
poor piece of clay,” said he, “a mean clod of earth, yet how sweet is
it! How fresh! But whence has it this scent?” The clay said, “I have
dwelt with the rose.”
Make friends with the good if you wish to be like them.
THE OX AND THE CALF.
In days of old, a calf that ran wild in some fields near Rome, and
had not yet felt the yoke, said to an old ox, “Dull slave! How can
you drudge on in this way from day to day with a plough at your tail?
Look at me, see how I skip and play!” The ox said not a word, but
went on with his work. The next day there was a great feast held at
Rome, so the ox did not go to the plough; but his friend the calf,
was led off in great pomp to be slain, with a wreath round his neck.
“If this is the last scene of your gay life,” said the ox, “let me
drudge on at the plough, for the yoke is more to my mind than the ax.”
Of two ills, choose the least.
[Illustration: The Ox and the Calf.--Page 44.
_Æsop._]
THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP.
The wolves and the sheep had been for a long time at war. At last the
wolves said, “It is the dogs that are the cause of it all; they bark
if we do but come near you. Now, if you will but send them off from
your heels, we, on our part, will give up our young ones to you.” The
poor sheep thought it a fair thing; but as soon as the change was
made, the young cubs set up a howl for want of their dams. On this
the old wolves gave out that the peace was at an end; so they fell on
the sheep, who, as they had lost their best friends, the dogs, had
none now to help them, and were torn to death by the wolves.
[Illustration: The Wolves and the Sheep.--Page 45.
_Æsop._]
THE COCK, THE FOX, AND THE SPRINGE.
A fox, who came to a farm at break of day, was caught in a springe,
which had been put there for that end. A cock, who sat on the bough
of a tree, did not at first dare to go near so dire a foe; but when
he saw that the fox could not stir from the spot, he came down from
the tree to greet him. The fox said, “Dear bird, you see what has
come to me, and all for your sake; for as I crept through the hedge,
on my way home, I felt I must come to ask how you are. And now I will
beg of you to fetch me a knife to cut this wire.” The cock spoke not,
but flew off as fast as he could to tell the news to the men on the
farm, who soon came up with a knife with which to cut the wire, and
kill the fox. The cock said that he thought those who spoke doves’
words should lead doves’ lives. “Ha!” cries the fox, “he gives twice
who gives in a trice.”
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
A young kid who stood on the roof of a house, out of harm’s way, saw
a wolf pass by, and set to work to taunt and tease his foe. But the
wolf said, “I hear you. Yet it is not you who mock me, but the roof
on which you stand.”
Time and place will give to the weak more strength than the strong.
THE ASS AND THE LAMB.
An ass once lay down in a shed that he might shirk his work, and
make known to those who were near what toil was put on him. All the
beasts, great and small, came to lend him help. At the same time a
poor meek lamb lay at the point of death from want, but none came
to give her their aid. “How is it,” said she, “that I lie here in
so much need of care, whilst the ass gets all this help?” A fox,
who heard her, said, “The ass knows well that the loud bray which
he gives by way of thanks, makes the kind acts of his friends well
known, and so it swells their pride to help him.”
A good deed may spring from a bad source.
THE BEES AND THE SNAIL.
A snail, one day, made his way through the hole of a bee hive, where,
in a great rage, the bees flew round him, and stung him to death.
But soon they found that the snail, when dead, was all the more a
foe than when he had life, for the air in the hive was not fit to
breathe. What was to be done? He was of too great bulk for the bees
to turn him out, so they had to leave the hive; and they found, to
their cost, that they ought to have let the poor snail just crawl out
as he had come in. The bees made a long search for a new home, but in
vain, so they went back to their old hive, to see what could be done
with the dead snail. And, in the end, they all set to work to build a
case of wax round the shell of their guest, so as to close him in a
sort of tomb, and thus they made the hive as sweet as the stores that
were laid up in the combs.
When things come to the worst, they must mend.
THE OLD DAME AND HER MAIDS.
In the good old times, when there were no clocks, an old dame kept
a cock in her yard, which at dawn of day gave a loud crow, and then
she got up to rouse her maids, that they might go to their work. But
they thought it hard to be woke out of their sweet sleep at such an
hour, so, one day, they wrung the cock’s neck. The next night the old
dame slept till late, as she had not heard the cock crow; but when
she found that he was dead, and that there was now no means by which
to tell the time, she went at all hours of the night to wake up her
maids, for fear they should sleep too long.
Strive to mend, and you will oft times mar what’s well.
THE TWO GOATS ON THE BRIDGE.
Two goats that had been brought up in the same glen, left it, and by
chance met on a bridge, which was a mere plank, and would not hold
them both side by side. One of the fair ones set her foot on it, and
her friend was not slow to do the same. They came up, step by step,
till they met half way, and as they could not pass, and were both too
proud to give in, each did her best to push by with a skip and jump,
till at last the plank broke, and they both fell in, and were borne
off by the stream.
It is not so bad to clear the way as to fall in the ditch.
THE AX AND THE TREES.
Once on a time a man came to a wood to ask the trees if they would
give him a stick for his ax. This was so small a boon to ask, that
the chief trees said at once, “By all means, give him what he wants
from a good tough ash.” But as soon as the man had made the stick fit
the ax, he fell to work with it to hack and hew down all the best
trees in the wood. The oak was heard to say, in sad tones to the
beech, “The first step has lost us all. We gave up our poor friend
the ash to the foe. But for this we might all have stood for an age
to come; now we must take our sad fate for our pains.”
THE DOG AND THE THIEF.