The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Stag
A Stag once asked a Sheep to lend him a measure of wheat, saying that
his friend the Wolf would be his surety. The Sheep, however, was
afraid that they meant to cheat her; so she excused herself, saying,
"The Wolf is in the habit of seizing what he wants and running off
with it without paying, and you, too, can run much faster than I. So how
shall I be able to come up with either of you when the debt falls due?"
Two blacks do not make a white.
The Lion and the three Bulls
Three Bulls were grazing in a meadow, and were watched by a Lion,
who longed to capture and devour them, but who felt that he was no
match for the three so long as they kept together. So he began by false
whispers and malicious hints to foment jealousies and distrust among
them. This stratagem succeeded so well that ere long the Bulls grew
cold and unfriendly, and finally avoided each other and fed each one
by himself apart. No sooner did the Lion see this than he fell upon
them one by one and killed them in turn.
The quarrels of friends are the opportunities of foes.
The Horse and his Rider
A Young Man, who fancied himself something of a horseman, mounted
a Horse which had not been properly broken in, and was exceedingly
difficult to control. No sooner did the Horse feel his weight in the
saddle than he bolted, and nothing would stop him. A friend of the
Rider's met him in the road in his headlong career, and called out,
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" To which he, pointing to the
Horse, replied, "I've no idea: ask him."
The Goat and the Vine
A Goat was straying in a vineyard, and began to browse on the tender
shoots of a Vine which bore several fine bunches of grapes. "What have
I done to you," said the Vine, "that you should harm me thus? Isn't
there grass enough for you to feed on? All the same, even if you eat
up every leaf I have, and leave me quite bare, I shall produce wine
enough to pour over you when you are led to the altar to be sacrificed."
The two Pots
Two Pots, one of earthenware and the other of brass, were carried away
down a river in flood. The Brazen Pot urged his companion to keep
close by his side, and he would protect him. The other thanked him,
but begged him not to come near him on any account: "For that,"
he said, "is just what I am most afraid of. One touch from you and
I should be broken in pieces."
Equals make the best friends.
The old Hound
A Hound who had served his master well for years, and had run down
many a quarry in his time, began to lose his strength and speed owing
to age. One day, when out hunting, his master started a powerful wild
boar and set the Hound at him. The latter seized the beast by the ear,
but his teeth were gone and he could not retain his hold; so the
boar escaped. His master began to scold him severely, but the Hound
interrupted him with these words: "My will is as strong as ever,
master, but my body is old and feeble. You ought to honour me for what
I have been instead of abusing me for what I am."
The Clown and the Countryman
A Nobleman announced his intention of giving a public entertainment in
the theatre, and offered splendid prizes to all who had any novelty
to exhibit at the performance. The announcement attracted a crowd of
conjurers, jugglers, and acrobats, and among the rest a Clown, very
popular with the crowd, who let it be known that he was going to
give an entirely new turn. When the day of the performance came,
the theatre was filled from top to bottom some time before the
entertainment began. Several performers exhibited their tricks, and
then the popular favourite came on empty-handed and alone. At once
there was a hush of expectation: and he, letting his head fall upon
his breast, imitated the squeak of a pig to such perfection that the
audience insisted on his producing the animal, which, they said, he
must have somewhere concealed about his person. He, however, convinced
them that there was no pig there, and then the applause was deafening.
Among the spectators was a Countryman, who disparaged the Clown's
performance and announced that he would give a much superior
exhibition of the same trick on the following day. Again the theatre
was filled to overflowing, and again the Clown gave his imitation
amidst the cheers of the crowd. The Countryman, meanwhile, before
going on the stage, had secreted a young porker under his smock; and
when the spectators derisively bade him do better if he could, he gave
it a pinch in the ear and made it squeal loudly. But they all with one
voice shouted out that the Clown's imitation was much more true to
life. Thereupon he produced the pig from under his smock and said
sarcastically, "There, that shows what sort of judges you are!"
The Lark and the Farmer
A Lark nested in a field of corn, and was rearing her brood under
cover of the ripening grain. One day, before the young were fully
fledged, the Farmer came to look at the crop, and, finding it
yellowing fast, he said, "I must send round word to my neighbours to
come and help me reap this field." One of the young Larks overheard
him, and was very much frightened, and asked her mother whether they
hadn't better move house at once. "There's no hurry," replied she;
"a man who looks to his friends for help will take his time about a
thing." In a few days the Farmer came by again, and saw that the grain
was overripe and falling out of the ears upon the ground. "I must put
it off no longer," he said; "This very day I'll hire the men and set
them to work at once." The Lark heard him and said to her young,
"Come, my children, we must be off: he talks no more of his friends
now, but is going to take things in hand himself."
Self-help is the best help.
The Lion and the Ass
A Lion and an Ass set up as partners and went a-hunting together.
In course of time they came to a cave in which there were a number of
wild goats. The Lion took up his stand at the mouth of the cave, and
waited for them to come out; while the Ass went inside and brayed for
all he was worth in order to frighten them out into the open. The Lion
struck them down one by one as they appeared; and when the cave was
empty the Ass came out and said, "Well, I scared them pretty well,
didn't I?" "I should think you did," said the Lion: "why, if I hadn't
known you were an Ass, I should have turned and run myself."
The Prophet
A Prophet sat in the market-place and told the fortunes of all who
cared to engage his services. Suddenly there came running up one who
told him that his house had been broken into by thieves, and that they
had made off with everything they could lay hands on. He was up in a
moment, and rushed off, tearing his hair and calling down curses on
the miscreants. The bystanders were much amused, and one of them said,
"Our friend professes to know what is going to happen to others,
but it seems he's not clever enough to perceive what's in store for himself."
The Hound and the Hare
A young Hound started a Hare, and, when he caught her up, would at one
moment snap at her with his teeth as though he were about to kill her,
while at another he would let go his hold and frisk about her, as if
he were playing with another dog. At last the Hare said, "I wish you
would show yourself in your true colours! If you are my friend, why do
you bite me? If you are my enemy, why do you play with me?"
He is no friend who plays double.
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox
A Lion was lying asleep at the mouth of his den when a Mouse ran over
his back and tickled him so that he woke up with a start and began
looking about everywhere to see what it was that had disturbed him.
A Fox, who was looking on, thought he would have a joke at the expense
of the Lion; so he said, "Well, this is the first time I've seen a Lion
afraid of a Mouse." "Afraid of a Mouse?" said the Lion testily:
"not I! It's his bad manners I can't stand."
The Trumpeter taken Prisoner
A Trumpeter marched into battle in the van of the army and put courage
into his comrades by his warlike tunes. Being captured by the enemy,
he begged for his life, and said, "Do not put me to death; I have
killed no one: indeed, I have no weapons, but carry with me only my
trumpet here." But his captors replied, "That is only the more reason
why we should take your life; for, though you do not fight yourself,
you stir up others to do so."
The Wolf and the Crane
A Wolf once got a bone stuck in his throat. So he went to a Crane and
begged her to put her long bill down his throat and pull it out. "I'll make
it worth your while," he added. The Crane did as she was asked,
and got the bone out quite easily. The Wolf thanked her warmly, and
was just turning away, when she cried, "What about that fee of mine?"
"Well, what about it?" snapped the Wolf, baring his teeth as he spoke;
"you can go about boasting that you once put your head into a Wolf's
mouth and didn't get it bitten off. What more do you want?"
The Eagle, the Cat, and the wild Sow
An Eagle built her nest at the top of a high tree; a Cat with her
family occupied a hollow in the trunk half-way down; and a Wild Sow
and her young took up their quarters at the foot. They might have got
on very well as neighbours had it not been for the evil cunning of the
Cat. Climbing up to the Eagle's nest she said to the Eagle, "You and I
are in the greatest possible danger. That dreadful creature, the Sow,
who is always to be seen grubbing away at the foot of the tree, means
to uproot it, that she may devour your family and mine at her ease."
Having thus driven the Eagle almost out of her senses with terror, the
Cat climbed down the tree, and said to the Sow, "I must warn you
against that dreadful bird, the Eagle. She is only waiting her chance
to fly down and carry off one of your little pigs when you take them
out, to feed her brood with." She succeeded in frightening the Sow as
much as the Eagle. Then she returned to her hole in the trunk, from
which, feigning to be afraid, she never came forth by day. Only by
night did she creep out unseen to procure food for her kittens.
The Eagle, meanwhile was afraid to stir from her nest, and the Sow
dared not leave her home among the roots: so that in time both they
and their families perished of hunger, and their dead bodies supplied the
Cat with ample food for her growing family.
The Wolf and the Sheep
A Wolf was worried and badly bitten by dogs, and lay a long time for
dead. By and by he began to revive, and, feeling very hungry, called
out to a passing Sheep and said, "Would you kindly bring me some water
from the stream close by? I can manage about meat, if only I could
get something to drink." But this Sheep was no fool. "I can quite
understand", said he, "that if I brought you the water, you would have
no difficulty about the meat. Good-morning."
The Tunny-Fish and the Dolphin
A Tunny-fish was chased by a Dolphin and splashed through the water at
a great rate, but the Dolphin gradually gained upon him, and was just
about to seize him when the force of his flight carried the Tunny on
to a sandbank. In the heat of the chase the Dolphin followed him, and
there they both lay out of the water, gasping for dear life. When the
Tunny saw that his enemy was doomed like himself, he said, "I don't
mind having to die now: for I see that he who is the cause of my death
is about to share the same fate."
The three Tradesmen
The citizens of a certain city were debating about the best material
to use in the fortifications which were about to be erected for the
greater security of the town. A Carpenter got up and advised the use
of wood, which he said was readily procurable and easily worked.
A Stone-mason objected to wood on the ground that it was so inflammable,
and recommended stones instead. Then a Tanner got on his legs and
said, "In my opinion there's nothing like leather."
Every man for himself.
The Mouse and the Bull
A Bull gave chase to a Mouse which had bitten him in the nose: 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. Presently he heard a shrill little voice say
from inside the wall, "You big fellows don't always have it your own
way, you see: sometimes we little ones come off best."
The battle is not always to the strong.
The Hare and the Hound
A Hound started a Hare from her form, and pursued her for some
distance; but as she gradually gained upon him, he gave up the chase.
A rustic who had seen the race met the Hound as he was returning,
and taunted him with his defeat. "The little one was too much for you,"
said he. "Ah, well," said the Hound, "don't forget it's one thing to be
running for your dinner, but quite another to be running for your life."
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were acquaintances, and the Country
Mouse one day invited his friend to come and see him at his home in
the fields. The Town Mouse came, and they sat down to a dinner of
barleycorns and roots, the latter of which had a distinctly earthy
flavour. The fare was not much to the taste of the guest, and
presently he broke out with "My poor dear friend, you live here no
better than the ants. Now, you should just see how I fare! My larder
is a regular horn of plenty. You must come and stay with me, and
I promise you you shall live on the fat of the land." So when he
returned to town he took the Country Mouse with him, and showed him
into a larder containing flour and oatmeal and figs and honey and
dates. The Country Mouse had never seen anything like it, and sat down
to enjoy the luxuries his friend provided: but before they had well
begun, the door of the larder opened and some one came in. The two
Mice scampered off and hid themselves in a narrow and exceedingly
uncomfortable hole. Presently, when all was quiet, they ventured out
again; but some one else came in, and off they scuttled again. This
was too much for the visitor. "Good-bye," said he, "I'm off. You live
in the lap of luxury, I can see, but you are surrounded by dangers;
whereas at home I can enjoy my simple dinner of roots and corn in peace."
The Lion and the Bull
A Lion saw a fine fat Bull pasturing among a herd of cattle and cast
about for some means of getting him into his clutches; so he sent him
word that he was sacrificing a sheep, and asked if he would do him the
honour of dining with him. The Bull accepted the invitation, but, on
arriving at the Lion's den, he saw a great array of saucepans and
spits, but no sign of a sheep; so he turned on his heel and walked
quietly away. The Lion called after him in an injured tone to ask the
reason, and the Bull turned round and said, "I have reason enough.
When I saw all your preparations it struck me at once that the victim
was to be a Bull and not a sheep."
The net is spread in vain in sight of the bird.
The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape
A Wolf charged a Fox with theft, which he denied, and the case was
brought before an Ape to be tried. When he had heard the evidence on
both sides, the Ape gave judgment as follows: "I do not think," he said,
"that you, O Wolf, ever lost what you claim; but all the same I believe
that you, Fox, are guilty of the theft, in spite of all your denials."
The dishonest get no credit, even if they act honestly.
The Eagle and the Cocks
There were two Cocks in the same farmyard, and they fought to decide
who should be master. When the fight was over, the beaten one went
and hid himself in a dark corner; while the victor flew up on to the roof
of the stables and crowed lustily. But an Eagle espied him from high
up in the sky, and swooped down and carried him off. Forthwith the
other Cock came out of his corner and ruled the roost without a rival.
Pride comes before a fall.
The escaped Jackdaw
A Man caught a Jackdaw and tied a piece of string to one of its legs,
and then gave it to his children for a pet. But the Jackdaw didn't at
all like having to live with people; so, after a while, when he seemed
to have become fairly tame and they didn't watch him so closely,
he slipped away and flew back to his old haunts. Unfortunately, the
string was still on his leg, and before long it got entangled in the
branches of a tree and the Jackdaw couldn't get free, try as he would.
He saw it was all up with him, and cried in despair, "Alas, in gaining
my freedom I have lost my life."
The Farmer and the Fox
A Farmer was greatly annoyed by a Fox, which came prowling about his
yard at night and carried off his fowls. So he set a trap for him and
caught him; and in order to be revenged upon him, he tied a bunch of
tow to his tail and set fire to it and let him go. As ill-luck would
have it, however, the Fox made straight for the fields where the corn
was standing ripe and ready for cutting. It quickly caught fire and
was all burnt up, and the Farmer lost all his harvest.
Revenge is a two-edged sword.
Venus and the Cat
A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and begged the goddess
Venus to change her into a woman. Venus was very gracious about it,
and changed her at once into a beautiful maiden, whom the young man
fell in love with at first sight and shortly afterwards married. One day
Venus thought she would like to see whether the Cat had changed her
habits as well as her form; so she let a mouse run loose in the room
where they were. Forgetting everything, the young woman had no
sooner seen the mouse than up she jumped and was after it like a shot:
at which the goddess was so disgusted that she changed her back again
into a Cat.
The Crow and the Swan
A Crow was filled with envy on seeing the beautiful white plumage of a
Swan, and thought it was due to the water in which the Swan constantly
bathed and swam. So he left the neighbourhood of the altars, where he
got his living by picking up bits of the meat offered in sacrifice,
and went and lived among the pools and streams. But though he bathed
and washed his feathers many times a day, he didn't make them any
whiter, and at last died of hunger into the bargain.
You may change your habits, but not your nature.
The Stag with one Eye
A Stag, blind of one eye, was grazing close to the sea-shore and kept
his sound eye turned towards the land, so as to be able to perceive
the approach of the hounds, while the blind eye he turned towards the
sea, never suspecting that any danger would threaten him from that
quarter. As it fell out, however, some sailors, coasting along the
shore, spied him and shot an arrow at him, by which he was mortally
wounded. As he lay dying, he said to himself, "Wretch that I am!
I bethought me of the dangers of the land, whence none assailed me:
but I feared no peril from the sea, yet thence has come my ruin."
Misfortune often assails us from an unexpected quarter.
The Fly and the draught Mule
A Fly sat on one of the shafts of a cart and said to the Mule who was
pulling it, "How slow you are! Do mend your pace, or I shall have to
use my sting as a goad." The Mule was not in the least disturbed.
"Behind me, in the cart," said he, "sits my master. He holds the reins,
and flicks me with his whip, and him I obey, but I don't want any of
your impertinence. I know when I may dawdle and when I may not."
The Cock and the Jewel
A Cock, scratching the ground for something to eat, turned up a Jewel
that had by chance been dropped there. "Ho!" said he, "a fine thing
you are, no doubt, and, had your owner found you, great would his joy
have been. But for me! give me a single grain of corn before all the
jewels in the world."
The Wolf and the Shepherd
A Wolf hung about near a flock of sheep for a long time, but made no
attempt to molest them. The Shepherd at first kept a sharp eye on him,
for he naturally thought he meant mischief: but as time went by and
the Wolf showed no inclination to meddle with the flock, he began to
look upon him more as a protector than as an enemy: and when one day
some errand took him to the city, he felt no uneasiness at leaving
the Wolf with the sheep. But as soon as his back was turned the
Wolf attacked them and killed the greater number. When the Shepherd
returned and saw the havoc he had wrought, he cried, "It serves me
right for trusting my flock to a Wolf."
