Aesop’s Fables(page4)

The Tortoise and the Birds
A Tortoise desired to change its place of residence, so
he asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home,
promising her a rich reward for her trouble. The Eagle
agreed and seizing the Tortoise by the shell with her talons
soared aloft. On their way they met a Crow, who said to
the Eagle: ‘Tortoise is good eating.’ ‘The shell is too hard,’
said the Eagle in reply. ‘The rocks will soon crack the
shell,’ was the Crow’s answer; and the Eagle, taking the
hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and the two
birds made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.
Never soar aloft on an enemy’s pinions.
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The Two Crabs

One fine day two Crabs came out from their home to
take a stroll on the sand. ‘Child,’ said the mother, ‘you are
walking very ungracefully. You should accustom yourself,
to walking straight forward without twisting from side to
side.’
‘Pray, mother,’ said the young one, ‘do but set the
example yourself, and I will follow you.’
Example is the best precept.
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The Ass in the Lion’s Skin
An Ass once found a Lion’s skin which the hunters had
left out in the sun to dry. He put it on and went towards
his native village. All fled at his approach, both men and
animals, and he was a proud Ass that day. In his delight he
lifted up his voice and brayed, but then every one knew
him, and his owner came up and gave him a sound
cudgelling for the fright he had caused. And shortly
afterwards a Fox came up to him and said: ‘Ah, I knew
you by your voice.’
Fine clothes may disguise, but silly words will disclose a
fool.
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The Two Fellows and the Bear
Two Fellows were travelling together through a wood,
when a Bear rushed out upon them. One of the travellers
happened to be in front, and he seized hold of the branch
of a tree, and hid himself among the leaves. The other,
seeing no help for it, threw himself flat down upon the
ground, with his face in the dust. The Bear, coming up to
him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and sniffed and
sniffed. But at last with a growl he shook his head and
slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat. Then the
fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and,
laughing, said ‘What was it that Master Bruin whispered to
you?’
‘He told me,’ said the other,
‘Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch.’
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The Two Pots
Two Pots had been left on the bank of a river, one of
brass, and one of earthenware. When the tide rose they
both floated off down the stream. Now the earthenware
pot tried its best to keep aloof from the brass one, which
cried out: ‘Fear nothing, friend, I will not strike you.’
‘But I may come in contact with you,’ said the other,
‘if I come too close; and whether I hit you, or you hit me,
I shall suffer for it.’
The strong and the weak cannot keep company.
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The Four Oxen and the Lion
A Lion used to prowl about a field in which Four
Oxen used to dwell. Many a time he tried to attack them;
but whenever he came near they turned their tails to one
another, so that whichever way he approached them he
was met by the horns of one of them. At last, however,
they fell a-quarrelling among themselves, and each went
off to pasture alone in a separate corner of the field. Then
the Lion attacked them one by one and soon made an end
of all four.
United we stand, divided we fall.
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The Fisher and the Little Fish
It happened that a Fisher, after fishing all day, caught
only a little fish. ‘Pray, let me go, master,’ said the Fish. ‘I
am much too small for your eating just now. If you put
me back into the river I shall soon grow, then you can
make a fine meal off me.’
‘Nay, nay, my little Fish,’ said the Fisher, ‘I have you
now. I may not catch you hereafter.’
A little thing in hand is worth more than a great thing
in prospect.
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Avaricious and Envious
Two neighbours came before Jupiter and prayed him to
grant their hearts’ desire. Now the one was full of avarice,
and the other eaten up with envy. So to punish them
both, Jupiter granted that each might have whatever he
wished for himself, but only on condition that his
neighbour had twice as much. The Avaricious man prayed
to have a room full of gold. No sooner said than done; but
all his joy was turned to grief when he found that his
neighbour had two rooms full of the precious metal. Then
came the turn of the Envious man, who could not bear to
think that his neighbour had any joy at all. So he prayed
that he might have one of his own eyes put out, by which
means his companion would become totally blind.
Vices are their own punishment.
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The Crow and the Pitcher
A Crow, half-dead with thirst, came upon a Pitcher
which had once been full of water; but when the Crow
put its beak into the mouth of the Pitcher he found that
only very little water was left in it, and that he could not
reach far enough down to get at it. He tried, and he tried,
but at last had to give up in despair. Then a thought came
to him, and he took a pebble and dropped it into the
Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped it into
the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and dropped
that into the Pitcher. Then he took another pebble and
dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took another
pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. Then he took
another pebble and dropped that into the Pitcher. At last,
at last, he saw the water mount up near him, and after
casting in a few more pebbles he was able to quench his
thirst and save his life.
Little by little does the trick.
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The Man and the Satyr
A Man had lost his way in a wood one bitter winter’s
night. As he was roaming about, a Satyr came up to him,
and finding that he had lost his way, promised to give him
a lodging for the night, and guide him out of the forest in
the morning. As he went along to the Satyr’s cell, the Man
raised both his hands to his mouth and kept on blowing at
them. ‘What do you do that for?’ said the Satyr.
‘My hands are numb with the cold,’ said the Man, ‘and
my breath warms them.’
After this they arrived at the Satyr’s home, and soon the
Satyr put a smoking dish of porridge before him. But
when the Man raised his spoon to his mouth he began
blowing upon it. ‘And what do you do that for?’ said the
Satyr.
‘The porridge is too hot, and my breath will cool it.’
‘Out you go,’ said the Satyr. ‘I will have nought to do
with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same
breath.’
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The Goose With the Golden Eggs
One day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose
found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he
took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to
throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played
upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and
soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold.
Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon
became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew
greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose
could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.
Greed oft o’er reaches itself.
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The Labourer and the Nightingale
A Labourer lay listening to a Nightingale’s song
throughout the summer night. So pleased was he with it
that the next night he set a trap for it and captured it.
‘Now that I have caught thee,’ he cried, ‘thou shalt always
sing to me.’
‘We Nightingales never sing in a cage.’ said the bird.
‘Then I’ll eat thee.’ said the Labourer. ‘I have always
heard say that a nightingale on toast is dainty morsel.’
‘Nay, kill me not,’ said the Nightingale; ‘but let me
free, and I’ll tell thee three things far better worth than my
poor body.’ The Labourer let him loose, and he flew up to
a branch of a tree and said: ‘Never believe a captive’s
promise; that’s one thing. Then again: Keep what you
have. And third piece of advice is: Sorrow not over what
is lost forever.’ Then the song-bird flew away.
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The Fox, the Cock, and the Dog
One moonlight night a Fox was prowling about a
farmer’s hen-coop, and saw a Cock roosting high up
beyond his reach. ‘Good news, good news!’ he cried.
‘Why, what is that?’ said the Cock.
‘King Lion has declared a universal truce. No beast may
hurt a bird henceforth, but all shall dwell together in
brotherly friendship.’
‘Why, that is good news,’ said the Cock; ‘and there I
see some one coming, with whom we can share the good
tidings.’ And so saying he craned his neck forward and
looked afar off.
‘What is it you see?’ said the Fox.
‘It is only my master’s Dog that is coming towards us.
What, going so soon?’ he continued, as the Fox began to
turn away as soon as he had heard the news. ‘Will you not
stop and congratulate the Dog on the reign of universal
peace?’
‘I would gladly do so,’ said the Fox, ‘but I fear he may
not have heard of King Lion’s decree.’
Cunning often outwits itself.
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The Wind and the Sun
The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the
stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the
road, and the Sun said: ‘I see a way to decide our dispute.
Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his
cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin.’ So the
Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow
as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he
blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak
round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon
the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his
cloak on.
Kindness effects more than severity.
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Hercules and the Waggoner
A Waggoner was once driving a heavy load along a
very muddy way. At last he came to a part of the road
where the wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the
more the horses pulled, the deeper sank the wheels. So the
Waggoner threw down his whip, and knelt down and
prayed to Hercules the Strong. ‘O Hercules, help me in
this my hour of distress,’ quoth he. But Hercules appeared
to him, and said:
‘Tut, man, don’t sprawl there. Get up and put your
shoulder to the wheel.’
The gods help them that help themselves.
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The Man, the Boy, and the
Donkey
A Man and his son were once going with their Donkey
to market. As they were walking along by its side a
countryman passed them and said: ‘You fools, what is a
Donkey for but to ride upon?’
So the Man put the Boy on the Donkey and they went
on their way. But soon they passed a group of men, one of
whom said: ‘See that lazy youngster, he lets his father walk
while he rides.’
So the Man ordered his Boy to get off, and got on
himself. But they hadn’t gone far when they passed two
women, one of whom said to the other: ‘Shame on that
lazy lout to let his poor little son trudge along.’
Well, the Man didn’t know what to do, but at last he
took his Boy up before him on the Donkey. By this time
they had come to the town, and the passers-by began to
jeer and point at them. The Man stopped and asked what
they were scoffing at. The men said: ‘Aren’t you ashamed
of yourself for overloading that poor donkey of yoursu and
your hulking son?’
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The Man and Boy got off and tried to think what to
do. They thought and they thought, till at last they cut
down a pole, tied the donkey’s feet to it, and raised the
pole and the donkey to their shoulders. They went along
amid the laughter of all who met them till they came to
Market Bridge, when the Donkey, getting one of his feet
loose, kicked out and caused the Boy to drop his end of
the pole. In the struggle the Donkey fell over the bridge,
and his fore-feet being tied together he was drowned.
‘That will teach you,’ said an old man who had
followed them:
‘Please all, and you will please none.’
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The Miser and His Gold
Once upon a time there was a Miser who used to hide
his gold at the foot of a tree in his garden; but every week
he used to go and dig it up and gloat over his gains. A
robber, who had noticed this, went and dug up the gold
and decamped with it. When the Miser next came to gloat
over his treasures, he found nothing but the empty hole.
He tore his hair, and raised such an outcry that all the
neighbours came around him, and he told them how he
used to come and visit his gold. ‘Did you ever take any of
it out?’ asked one of them.
‘Nay,’ said he, ‘I only came to look at it.’
‘Then come again and look at the hole,’ said a
neighbour; ‘it will do you just as much good.’
Wealth unused might as well not exist.
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The Fox and the Mosquitoes
A Fox after crossing a river got its tail entangled in a
bush, and could not move. A number of Mosquitoes
seeing its plight settled upon it and enjoyed a good meal
undisturbed by its tail. A hedgehog strolling by took pity
upon the Fox and went up to him: ‘You are in a bad way,
neighbour,’ said the hedgehog; ‘shall I relieve you by
driving off those Mosquitoes who are sucking your
blood?’
‘Thank you, Master Hedgehog,’ said the Fox, ‘but I
would rather not.’
‘Why, how is that?’ asked the hedgehog.
‘Well, you see,’ was the answer, ‘these Mosquitoes
have had their fill; if you drive these away, others will
come with fresh appetite and bleed me to death.’
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The Fox Without a Tail
It happened that a Fox caught its tail in a trap, and in
struggling to release himself lost all of it but the stump. At
first he was ashamed to show himself among his fellow
foxes. But at last he determined to put a bolder face upon
his misfortune, and summoned all the foxes to a general
meeting to consider a proposal which he had to place
before them. When they had assembled together the Fox
proposed that they should all do away with their tails. He
pointed out how inconvenient a tail was when they were
pursued by their enemies, the dogs; how much it was in
the way when they desired to sit down and hold a friendly
conversation with one another. He failed to see any
advantage in carrying about such a useless encumbrance.
‘That is all very well,’ said one of the older foxes; ‘but I do
not think you would have recommended us to dispense
with our chief ornament if you had not happened to lose
it yourself.’
Distrust interested advice.
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The One-Eyed Doe
A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes,
and could not see any one approaching her on that side.
So to avoid any danger she always used to feed on a high
cliff near the sea, with her sound eye looking towards the
land. By this means she could see whenever the hunters
approached her on land, and often escaped by this means.
But the hunters found out that she was blind of one eye,
and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where she used to
feed and shot her from the sea. ‘Ah,’ cried she with her
dying voice,
‘You cannot escape your fate.’
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Belling the Cat
Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider
what measures they could take to outwit their common
enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at
last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to
make, which he thought would meet the case. ‘You will
all agree,’ said he, ‘that our chief danger consists in the sly
and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches
us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach,
we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to
propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a
ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we
should always know when she was about, and could easily
retire while she was in the neighbourhood.’
This proposal met with general applause, until an old
mouse got up and said: ‘That is all very well, but who is to
bell the Cat?’ The mice looked at one another and nobody
spoke. Then the old mouse said:
‘It is easy to propose impossible remedies.’
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The Hare and the Tortoise
The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the
other animals. ‘I have never yet been beaten,’ said he,
‘when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here
to race with me.’
The Tortoise said quietly, ‘I accept your challenge.’
‘That is a good joke,’ said the Hare; ‘I could dance
round you all the way.’
‘Keep your boasting till you’ve beaten,’ answered the
Tortoise. ‘Shall we race?’
So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare
darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and,
to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a
nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when
the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just
near the winning-post and could not run up in time to
save the race. Then said the Tortoise:
‘Plodding wins the race.’
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The Old Man and Death
An old labourer, bent double with age and toil, was
gathering sticks in a forest. At last he grew so tired and
hopeless that he threw down the bundle of sticks, and
cried out: ‘I cannot bear this life any longer. Ah, I wish
Death would only come and take me!’
As he spoke, Death, a grisly skeleton, appeared and said
to him: ‘What wouldst thou, Mortal? I heard thee call
me.’
‘Please, sir,’ replied the woodcutter, ‘would you kindly
help me to lift this faggot of sticks on to my shoulder?’
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified.
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The Hare With Many Friends
A Hare was very popular with the other beasts who all
claimed to be her friends. But one day she heard the
hounds approaching and hoped to escape them by the aid
of her many Friends. So, she went to the horse, and asked
him to carry her away from the hounds on his back. But
he declined, stating that he had important work to do for
his master. ‘He felt sure,’ he said, ‘that all her other friends
would come to her assistance.’ She then applied to the
bull, and hoped that he would repel the hounds with his
horns. The bull replied: ‘I am very sorry, but I have an
appointment with a lady; but I feel sure that our friend the
goat will do what you want.’ The goat, however, feared
that his back might do her some harm if he took her upon
it. The ram, he felt sure, was the proper friend to apply to.
So she went to the ram and told him the case. The ram
replied: ‘Another time, my dear friend. I do not like to
interfere on the present occasion, as hounds have been
known to eat sheep as well as hares.’ The Hare then
applied, as a last hope, to the calf, who regretted that he
was unable to help her, as he did not like to take the
responsibility upon himself, as so many older persons than
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himself had declined the task. By this time the hounds
were quite near, and the Hare took to her heels and
luckily escaped.
He that has many friends, has no friends.
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The Lion in Love
A Lion once fell in love with a beautiful maiden and
proposed marriage to her parents. The old people did not
know what to say. They did not like to give their
daughter to the Lion, yet they did not wish to enrage the
King of Beasts. At last the father said: ‘We feel highly
honoured by your Majesty’s proposal, but you see our
daughter is a tender young thing, and we fear that in the
vehemence of your affection you might possibly do her
some injury. Might I venture to suggest that your Majesty
should have your claws removed, and your teeth
extracted, then we would gladly consider your proposal
again.’ The Lion was so much in love that he had his
claws trimmed and his big teeth taken out. But when he
came again to the parents of the young girl they simply
laughed in his face, and bade him do his worst.
Love can tame the wildest.
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The Bundle of Sticks
An old man on the point of death summoned his sons
around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered
his servants to bring in a faggot of sticks, and said to his
eldest son: ‘Break it.’ The son strained and strained, but
with all his efforts was unable to break the Bundle. The
other sons also tried, but none of them was successful.
‘Untie the faggots,’ said the father, ‘and each of you take a
stick.’ When they had done so, he called out to them:
‘Now, break,’ and each stick was easily broken. ‘You see
my meaning,’ said their father.
Union gives strength.
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The Lion, the Fox, and the Beasts
The Lion once gave out that he was sick unto death
and summoned the animals to come and hear his last Will
and Testament. So the Goat came to the Lion’s cave, and
stopped there listening for a long time. Then a Sheep
went in, and before she came out a Calf came up to
receive the last wishes of the Lord of the Beasts. But soon
the Lion seemed to recover, and came to the mouth of his
cave, and saw the Fox, who had been waiting outside for
some time. ‘Why do you not come to pay your respects to
me?’ said the Lion to the Fox.
‘I beg your Majesty’s pardon,’ said the Fox, ‘but I
noticed the track of the animals that have already come to
you; and while I see many hoof-marks going in, I see
none coming out. Till the animals that have entered your
cave come out again I prefer to remain in the open air.’
It is easier to get into the enemy’s toils than out again.
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The Ass’s Brains
The Lion and the Fox went hunting together. The
Lion, on the advice of the Fox, sent a message to the Ass,
proposing to make an alliance between their two families.
The Ass came to the place of meeting, overjoyed at the
prospect of a royal alliance. But when he came there the
Lion simply pounced on the Ass, and said to the Fox:
‘Here is our dinner for to-day. Watch you here while I go
and have a nap. Woe betide you if you touch my prey.’
The Lion went away and the Fox waited; but finding that
his master did not return, ventured to take out the brains
of the Ass and ate them up. When the Lion came back he
soon noticed the absence of the brains, and asked the Fox
in a terrible voice: ‘What have you done with the brains?’
‘Brains, your Majesty! it had none, or it would never
have fallen into your trap.’
Wit has always an answer ready.
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The Eagle and the Arrow
An Eagle was soaring through the air when suddenly it
heard the whizz of an Arrow, and felt itself wounded to
death. Slowly it fluttered down to the earth, with its lifeblood
pouring out of it. Looking down upon the Arrow
with which it had been pierced, it found that the shaft of
the Arrow had been feathered with one of its own plumes.
‘Alas!’ it cried, as it died,
‘We often give our enemies the means for our own
destruction.’
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The Milkmaid and Her Pail
Patty the Milkmaid was going to market carrying her
milk in a Pail on her head. As she went along she began
calculating what she would do with the money she would
get for the milk. ‘I’ll buy some fowls from Farmer Brown,’
said she, ‘and they will lay eggs each morning, which I
will sell to the parson’s wife. With the money that I get
from the sale of these eggs I’ll buy myself a new dimity
frock and a chip hat; and when I go to market, won’t all
the young men come up and speak to me! Polly Shaw will
be that jealous; but I don’t care. I shall just look at her and
toss my head like this. As she spoke she tossed her head
back, the Pail fell off it, and all the milk was spilt. So she
had to go home and tell her mother what had occurred.
‘Ah, my child,’ said the mother,
‘Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.’
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The Cat-Maiden
The gods were once disputing whether it was possible
for a living being to change its nature. Jupiter said ‘Yes,’
but Venus said ‘No.’ So, to try the question, Jupiter
turned a Cat into a Maiden, and gave her to a young man
for a wife. The wedding was duly performed and the
young couple sat down to the wedding-feast. ‘See,’ said
Jupiter, to Venus, ‘how becomingly she behaves. Who
could tell that yesterday she was but a Cat? Surely her
nature is changed?’
‘Wait a minute,’ replied Venus, and let loose a mouse
into the room. No sooner did the bride see this than she
jumped up from her seat and tried to pounce upon the
mouse. ‘Ah, you see,’ said Venus,
‘Nature will out.’
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The Horse and the Ass
A Horse and an Ass were travelling together, the Horse
prancing along in its fine trappings, the Ass carrying with
difficulty the heavy weight in its panniers. ‘I wish I were
you,’ sighed the Ass; ‘nothing to do and well fed, and all
that fine harness upon you.’ Next day, however, there was
a great battle, and the Horse was wounded to death in the
final charge of the day. His friend, the Ass, happened to
pass by shortly afterwards and found him on the point of
death. ‘I was wrong,’ said the Ass:
‘Better humble security than gilded danger.’
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The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
A Trumpeter during a battle ventured too near the
enemy and was captured by them. They were about to
proceed to put him to death when he begged them to
hear his plea for mercy. ‘I do not fight,’ said he, ‘and
indeed carry no weapon; I only blow this trumpet, and
surely that cannot harm you; then why should you kill
me?’
‘You may not fight yourself,’ said the others, ‘but you
encourage and guide your men to the fight.’
Words may be deeds.
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The Buffoon and the Countryman
At a country fair there was a Buffoon who made all the
people laugh by imitating the cries of various animals. He
finished off by squeaking so like a pig that the spectators
thought that he had a porker concealed about him. But a
Countryman who stood by said: ‘Call that a pig s squeak!
Nothing like it. You give me till tomorrow and I will
show you what it’s like.’ The audience laughed, but next
day, sure enough, the Countryman appeared on the stage,
and putting his head down squealed so hideously that the
spectators hissed and threw stones at him to make him
stop. ‘You fools!’ he cried, ‘see what you have been
hissing,’ and held up a little pig whose ear he had been
pinching to make him utter the squeals.
Men often applaud an imitation and hiss the real thing.
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The Old Woman and the Wine-
Jar
You must know that sometimes old women like a glass
of wine. One of this sort once found a Wine-jar lying in
the road, and eagerly went up to it hoping to find it full.
But when she took it up she found that all the wine had
been drunk out of it. Still she took a long sniff at the
mouth of the Jar. ‘Ah,’ she cried,
‘What memories cling ‘round the instruments of our
pleasure.’
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The Fox and the Goat
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By an unlucky chance a
Fox fell into a deep well
from which he could not
get out. A Goat passed
by shortly afterwards, and
asked the Fox what he
was doing down there.
‘Oh, have you not
heard?’ said the Fox;
‘there is going to be a
great drought, so I
jumped down here in
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order to be sure to have
water by me. Why don’t
you come down too?’
The Goat thought well of
this advice, and jumped
down into the well. But
the Fox immediately
jumped on her back, and
by putting his foot on her
long horns managed to
jump up to the edge of
the well. ‘Good-bye,
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friend,’ said the Fox,
‘remember next time,
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‘Never trust the advice
of a man in difficulties.’
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