yard. The hog told the rest that he thought that beast stood first in
rank who was kept most for his own sake, and not for the sake of the
work that he did. “Now, which of you,” said he, “can boast of this
so well as I can?” To the horse he spoke first. “As for you, though
you are well fed, and have grooms to wait on you, and make you sleek
and clean, yet all this is for the sake of your work. Do not I see
the man on the farm take you out at break of day, put you in chains,
or bind you fast to the shafts of a cart with a load in it, and keep
you out till noon? Then, in the space of an hour does he not take you
to work once more till dusk? I may say just the same of the ox, save
that he does not work for such good fare.” To the cow he spoke next:
“You, who are so fond of your straw and grains, you are thought worth
your cost for your milk, which they drain from you twice a day; and
your young ones, who should by right have the milk, are torn from you
to go no one knows where.” Then thus spoke he to the sheep: “They
turn you out to shift as well as you can on the bare hills. You pay
dear for your keep, for you have to part with your warm coats once a
year, and at night starve with the cold. As for the dog, he has to
keep watch all the live long night, while the rest of us are wrapt in
soft sleep. In short, you are all slaves, kept for use; while I, on
my part, have a warm sty, with food close to my snout, all day and
free of cost. All they want from me is to see me eat my food from
the trough, bask in the sun, and live at my ease.” Thus spoke the
hog. But in a short time the frost set in, and, as it was a bad time
for all kinds of food, the man was in great straits to keep his live
stock till the spring. “How can I feed them all?” thought he. “I must
part with those I can best spare. As for my horse and ox, I shall
have _work_ for them--they must be kept, cost what it will. My cows
will not give much milk in the frost, it may be, but they will calve
in the spring, and will thrive in the new grass; the sheep will do
as long as there is a blade on the hills; and if a deep fall of snow
should come, I must give them hay, for I count on their wool to make
out my rent with. But my hog will eat me out of house and home; so,
as he _yields_ naught, I must kill him at once.”
THE DRUM AND THE VASE.
A drum was heard to boast, in these words, to a vase of sweet herbs,
“Hark at my loud, strong tone which rends the sky. When men hear my
voice they march to arms, and join the fight with joy!” “Be not too
proud,” said the vase; “as for me, I grant you there is a chain on
my lips. I speak not, but I am full of good things, while thou hast
naught in thee but noise, and must be struck to give it out.”
THE FROGS AND THEIR KING.
In the days of yore the frogs met to beg of Jove to send them a
king. So he threw them a log, and said, “There’s a king for you--a
good, mild one!” Well, King Log came on the pond with such a splash,
that the frogs took fright at him. Some sought the mud, and some
the reeds; and, for a long time, there was not one that would dare
to take a peep. By and by, when they saw that King Log lay quite
still, they said, “See, he sleeps!” Some came round him, and up to
him, till, one by one they leapt on his back, and at last held him
quite in scorn. So, with harsh croaks, they beg of Jove to change him
for one with more life; in short, a king that would move. Jove then
sent them an eel, and he, too, was too tame for them; and, a third
time, they ask of Jove to choose for them a king with more strength
of will. This time, he sent them a stork, who, day by day, made the
frogs his prey, till there were none left to croak on the lake, save
one, and he shook his head, and said, “If we had had the sense to
keep well, there would have been no need to mend our state. Now we
have found to our loss what we did not seek.”
Set not the Fox to keep the Geese.
[Illustration: The Frogs and their King--Page 76.
_Æsop._]
THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF.
A wolf saw a plump stag, and thought, How can I feast on his flesh?
Then he drew near, and said, “All hail be to thee!” and made friends
with the stag. “Hey day! whom have you here?” quoth a crow that flew
by. The stag told him that he was a good wolf. “Have a care!” said
the crow; “trust him not.” Yet the stag took no heed of his words,
but let the wolf lead him at night to feed in a field that had a crop
of ripe wheat in it. Now, there was a trap in the field, and the poor
stag was caught by the feet. “This is well,” thought the wolf; “for
when his flesh is cut up, the bones, and what is left, will be for
me.” The crow flew to the spot, but could give his friend no aid.
The next day the man who set the snare came with a knife in his hand
to kill the stag. “If you care for your life,” quoth the crow, “lie
quite still, and seem to be dead; but when I give a caw, start up at
once, and take to your heels as fast as you can.” So the stag lay
down quite stiff, held his breath, and shut his eyes. When the man
came up, he thought the stag was dead, and took him from the toils,
and went a few steps off to fold up the net, when the crow’s voice
was heard, and the stag ran off at full speed. In the mean time the
wolf came up to seek for his feast, and was slain by the man.
Bad faith is like to fall back on the head of those who make use of
it.
THE FIELD OF CORN.
An old man had a field, and when he fell ill, he sent for his three
sons, that he might take leave of them, and give them his last
charge. “My sons,” said he, “there is one thing which, with my last
breath, I charge you to do, and that is, to seek out a rich gift
which I have left you, and which you will find in my field--” Here
the poor old man’s voice grew faint, and his head sank down on his
breast in death. The sons were in too much grief for their loss to
put in force that which the old man had bade them do, till want
drove them to seek for what they thought must be a hoard of gold in
the field; so they made a search from end to end of it, till there
was not a clod they did not turn, in the hunt. At last they gave it
up. “It is strange that the old man should have set us on this long
search for a thing that is not here,” said Jack. “Come,” said Dick,
“since we have gone through so much toil on the field, we may as
well sow it with corn, and so make the most of it.” At this bright
thought they set to work to sow the grain, and in due time a crop
sprang up, five times as large as those crops which grew there in the
old man’s time. The thought now struck the youths that this was the
wealth the old man meant, and that it was his wish that they should
earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
Seek till you find, and you will not lose by the toil.
[Illustration]
THE HAWK, THE ROOKS, AND THE CAT.
In the trunk of an old elm tree dwelt a large bird of prey, with
claws blunt, and eyes blind with age. The rooks fed him from their
own store, while he, on his part, took charge of their young ones
when the old birds went in search of food. One day, a cat--“Long Ear”
by name--came to prey on the young rooks, who, when they saw her,
gave a loud scream. The old hawk heard it, and said, “Who is that?”
“I am a cat,” said “Long Ear.” “Ha!” quoth the hawk, “Cats love
flesh, and the young rooks dwell here--that’s all I know. Get you
gone at once, or I will put you to death!” “Not so,” said the cat. “I
eat no meat now; and all the beasts of the field and the birds of the
air love me--for I am good. I pray of you to let me stay, for you are
old and wise, and can teach me much.” By this praise sly puss made
the old hawk put his trust in her, so he let her stay in the trunk
of the tree. Day by day she ate some of the young birds, and took all
the bones that were left from the feast to a hole in the stem of the
old elm tree, that the death of the young rooks might be laid to the
charge of the hawk. The old birds were in great grief for the loss
of their young ones; and when they saw the bones in the hole of the
tree, they of course laid the blame on the hawk, and they all flew at
the poor old bird and put him to death. He said with his last breath,
“Ah me! How much worse than a foe is a false friend!”
THE COCK AND THE FOX.
A cock stood on the top of a rick, and gave a loud crow. A fox, who
saw him, thought he would just do for a meal; but though the cock
could fly down to him, he could not climb up to the cock; so he said,
“Have you heard the news?”
_Cock._--What news?
_Fox._--Peace has been sworn by bird and beast.
_Cock._--Do you say so? Let me hear how it came to pass.
_Fox._--Well, the birds and the beasts have met, and have sworn a
truce. We are now quite safe by night and day. The wolf will no more
tear the lamb, nor the fox kill the kid; the cat will not catch the
mice, nor the dog bark at the sheep; and from this time all will live
in peace: so come down, that I may wish you joy on this new state of
things.
The cock did not say much, but gave his neck a stretch, and made a
feint that he saw some foe at hand.
_Fox._--What is it you see?
_Cock._--Why, I think I see a pack of hounds. No doubt they come this
way to tell the good news.
_Fox._--Oh, then, I must be gone!
_Cock._--No; pray, sir, do not go; I am just on the point of a flight
down to you. You can have no fear of dogs in this time of peace.
_Fox._--Why, no--no--but--ten to one they have not heard the news.
_Cock._--If the sky falls, we shall catch larks. You might as well
try to make me think the moon is made of green cheese!
THE WOLF AND THE STORK.
A wolf had a bone that stuck in his throat, and gave him so much
pain, that he ran with a howl, up and down, to ask all whom he met to
lend him a kind hand, and said he would give a large sum to bird or
beast who would take it out. At last a crane, who heard of the bribe,
came up, put her long bill down the wolf’s throat, and drew out the
bone. The crane then said, “Now, where is the fee which you spoke
of?” “Wretch that you are!” said the wolf, “to ask for more than
this--that you should put your head in a wolf’s mouth, and bring it
safe out!”
A bribe walks in, and gives no knock.
[Illustration: The Wolf and the Stork.--Page 82.
_Æsop._]
THE JAY AND THE OWL.
One day an old owl, who sat in a dark barn, had a call from a jay.
The owl sat quite still in his nook, save when he saw a mouse, and
did not speak a word, so that the jay had all the talk. When he had
thus spent an hour or so, he took his leave, full of glee, with a
heart as gay as his plumes, and said as he went that he must love
that dear old owl, and that he did not know when he had had a chat to
cheer him up so much.
If you wish to please your friend, sit still, and let him talk.
THE NURSE AND THE SNAKE.
A child that was at play in a field, by chance trod on a snake which
stung him to death. The nurse, in a great rage, hit the snake a blow
which struck off his tail. The next day she came to the snake’s
hole to coax him with some salt and meal, that she might kill him.
“I pray thee come forth,” said the nurse, “and let us make it up on
both sides”; but she could in no way get the snake to leave his hole.
All he would do was to give a hiss, and tell her that as long as she
thought of the dead child, and he thought of the tail, they could not
be friends.
He who does you a wrong is sure not to love you.
THE LARK AND THE FINCH.
A poor lark was kept in a cage that hung on a wall, in a town that
was full of dust and dirt. One day, as he stood on his piece of dead
turf, to trill out his sweet song, a finch, who by chance flew that
way, said, “How canst thou sing so blithe a strain, shut up in that
vile cage?” “Finch, finch,” rang out the lark, in his clear tones,
“know you not that if I did not sing while I am shut up here, I
should fail to call to mind my song, when the time came for me to
mount up to the sky?”
It is meet for us to sing hymns of praise while we are on earth, to
fit us for our flight to realms of bliss.
THE DOVE AND THE ANT.
A hot day in June drove a poor ant to take a sip from a clear brook,
when she fell in, and went down with the stream. A dove that sat in
a tree close by saw the ant fall, so she threw a leaf down to her in
the brook, which the ant clung to, and so was brought safe to land.
In a few days from this time, the ant saw a man take aim with his bow
to shoot the dove, and, just in the nick of time, she stung him on
the heel. This made him give a start, and spoilt his aim, so that the
dove flew off safe and sound.
Live, and let live.
THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL.
One day, as a young maid went down the road with her pail of milk on
her head, she was heard to say, “This pail of milk will fetch me so
much, which sum I will lay out in eggs; these eggs will bring a score
of chicks, and they will be fit to sell just at the time when fowls
bear a good price; so that on May day I shall have a new gown. Let me
see,--yes, green will suit me best, and green it shall be. In this
dress I will go to the fair, and all who are there will pay their
court to me; but with a proud look I shall turn from them.”
[Illustration]
Wrapt in this dream of joy, she gave a toss of the head to suit the
words, when down came the pail of milk, and with it the eggs, the
chicks, the green gown, and all the bright thoughts of what she would
do at the fair.
Count not your chicks till they are out of the shell. Each “may be”
hath a “may not be.”
THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS.
A hare that was known to be good and kind was a friend to all the
beasts of the field. One day the hounds caught sight of her, and gave
her such a hard chase that at last she lay quite faint by the side
of the road. To her great joy a horse came by. “Let me mount you,”
said she, “and the hounds will then be thrown off the scent.” “Poor
Puss,” said the horse, with a sigh, “it makes me sad to see you thus;
but look up--all your friends are near.” She next sought aid from the
bull. “I would lend you help, and be sure I wish you well,” said he;
“but I am the head of the herd, and I must now join it.” The goat,
who came next, said, “I fear my coat is too rough for you; there’s
the sheep with his soft wool.” But the sheep told her that she was
too weak to bear her weight, and that hounds eat sheep as well as
hares. A young calf was the poor hare’s last chance, and he said,
“If those who have gone by, who are grown up, did not help you, what
good can I do, who am but young and weak?” Just then the hounds came
in sight, and the calf ran off, and left the poor hare to her fate.
“Ah!” said she, “friends are like bees: on bright days they swarm,
but when clouds shut out the sun they are not to be found, though
sought.”
When your friend is in want, lose no time, but help him.
THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.
Once on a time there was a man who had a pet dog, of which he was so
fond that he let him eat from his own plate, and sit on his knee. The
same man kept an ass that drew wood all day, and had to take his turn
at the mill at night. “What a hard fate is mine!” said he; “I work
night and day, while the lap dog leads a life of ease. No doubt my
lord would get as fond of his ass as he is of his dog, if I could but
win him by the same tricks.”
At this thought he broke from the stall, set off to the room where
the man was, sprang to his face to lick it, and gave a loud bray in
his ear. But now the ass had gone too far with his rough play; for
the men of the farm came in with clubs, sticks, and staves to beat
him.
THE END.
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