Aesop’s Fables(page2)

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep
owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But
one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed
and thrown aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and
strolled down among the sheep. The Lamb that belonged
to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was wearing, began to
follow the Wolf in the Sheep’s clothing; so, leading the
Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for
some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and
enjoying hearty meals.
Appearances are deceptive.
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The Dog in the Manger
A Dog looking out for its afternoon nap jumped into
the Manger of an Ox and lay there cosily upon the straw.
But soon the Ox, returning from its afternoon work, came
up to the Manger and wanted to eat some of the straw.
The Dog in a rage, being awakened from its slumber,
stood up and barked at the Ox, and whenever it came
near attempted to bite it. At last the Ox had to give up the
hope of getting at the straw, and went away muttering:
‘Ah, people often grudge others what they cannot
enjoy themselves.’

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The Man and the Wooden God
In the old days men used to worship stocks and stones
and idols, and prayed to them to give them luck. It
happened that a Man had often prayed to a wooden idol
he had received from his father, but his luck never seemed
to change. He prayed and he prayed, but still he remained
as unlucky as ever. One day in the greatest rage he went
to the Wooden God, and with one blow swept it down
from its pedestal. The idol broke in two, and what did he
see? An immense number of coins flying all over the place.
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The Fisher
A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river,
and played upon them with the hope of making the fish
rise; but never a one put his nose out of the water. So he
cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth filled with
fish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played,
the fish leapt up in the net. ‘Ah, you dance now when I
play,’ said he.
‘Yes,’ said an old Fish:
‘When you are in a man’s power you must do as he
bids you.’
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The Shepherd’s Boy
There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his
sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was
rather lonely for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by
which he could get a little company and some excitement.
He rushed down towards the village calling out ‘Wolf,
Wolf,’ and the villagers came out to meet him, and some
of them stopped with him for a considerable time. This
pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he
tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his
help. But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out
from the forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the
boy of course cried out ‘Wolf, Wolf,’ still louder than
before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled
twice before, thought the boy was again deceiving them,
and nobody stirred to come to his help. So the Wolf made
a good meal off the boy’s flock, and when the boy
complained, the wise man of the village said:
‘A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the
truth.’
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The Young Thief and His Mother
A young Man had been caught in a daring act of theft
and had been condemned to be executed for it. He
expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak with
her before he was led to execution, and of course this was
granted. When his Mother came to him he said: ‘I want to
whisper to you,’ and when she brought her ear near him,
he nearly bit it off. All the bystanders were horrified, and
asked him what he could mean by such brutal and
inhuman conduct. ‘It is to punish her,’ he said. ‘When I
was young I began with stealing little things, and brought
them home to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing
me, she laughed and said: ‘It will not be noticed.’ It is
because of her that I am here to-day.’
‘He is right, woman,’ said the Priest; ‘the Lord hath
said:
‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he
is old he will not depart therefrom.’
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The Man and His Two Wives
In the old days, when men were allowed to have many
wives, a middle-aged Man had one wife that was old and
one that was young; each loved him very much, and
desired to see him like herself. Now the Man’s hair was
turning grey, which the young Wife did not like, as it
made him look too old for her husband. So every night
she used to comb his hair and pick out the white ones.
But the elder Wife saw her husband growing grey with
great pleasure, for she did not like to be mistaken for his
mother. So every morning she used to arrange his hair and
pick out as many of the black ones as she could. The
consequence was the Man soon found himself entirely
bald.
Yield to all and you will soon have nothing to yield.
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The Nurse and the Wolf
‘Be quiet now,’ said an old Nurse to a child sitting on
her lap. ‘If you make that noise again I will throw you to
the Wolf.’
Now it chanced that a Wolf was passing close under
the window as this was said. So he crouched down by the
side of the house and waited. ‘I am in good luck to-day,’
thought he. ‘It is sure to cry soon, and a daintier morsel I
haven’t had for many a long day.’ So he waited, and he
waited, and he waited, till at last the child began to cry,
and the Wolf came forward before the window, and
looked up to the Nurse, wagging his tail. But all the Nurse
did was to shut down the window and call for help, and
the dogs of the house came rushing out. ‘Ah,’ said the
Wolf as he galloped away,
‘Enemies promises were made to be broken.’
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