/f/f Hesop's Cables from rigfnal Sources *2 tbe "Rev. Gbomas 5ames, flfo. THIlitb more tban nc 1bun^rc^ flllustrations DesicjncS b^ $obn Jennie! Rew JTbe platt & pecft Co. UST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PACK The Fox and the Grapes 21 The Wolf and the Crane 9$ The Fox and the Goat 25 The Vain Jackdaw 27 The Mountain in Labor .......29 The Old Hound 31 The Cock and the Jewel 33 The Eagle and the Fox 35 The Countryman and the Snake 37 The Man and the Satyr 39 The Fighting-Cocks and the Eagle. (Two Illustra- tions) 41 The Dog and the Shadow 43 The Wolf and the Lamb 45 The Country Mouse and the Town Mouse ... 47 The Lion and the Mouse 52 The House-Dog and the Wolf 54 The Frog and the Ox 57 The Tortoise and the Eagle .59 The Hare and the Tortoise . . ... .61 The Shepherd-Boy and the Wolf 63 V 2056680 vi TLiBt of Ifllustrationa The Old Woman and the Wine- Jar .... 65 The Fox and the Woodman 67 The Crow and the Pitcher 69 The One-Eyed Doe 71 The Travellers and the Bear , 73 The Stag ill the Ox-Stall 75 The Collier and the Fuller 77 The Ass and the Lap-Dog ...... 79 The Wind and the Sun (Two illustrations') . . 8l The Trees and the Axe 83 The Lion in Love ........ 85 The Wolves and the Sheep 87 The Belly and the Members 89 Hercules and the Wagoner 91 The Fox without a Tail 93 The Hares and the Frogs 95 The Angler and the Little Fish 97 The Husbandman and the Stork 99 The Nurse and the Wolf 103 The Bundle of Sticks 107 The Man and the Lion 109 The Horse and the Stag Ill The Mischievous Dog 113 The Herdsman and the Lost Bull 115 The Oak and the Reed H7 Mercury and the Woodman 119 The Lion and Other Beasts Hunting .... 123 The Country Maid and her Milk-Can. (Two Illus- trations) ........ 125, 136 tiet of Illustrations vii The Thief and his Mother 128 The Cat and the Mice ....... 130 The Dog in the Manger 133 The I,ion, the Bear, and the Fox 135 The Goose with the Golden Eggs .... 137 The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner 139 The Dog Invited to Supper 143 The Frogs Asking for a King ..... 145 The I? TI&KTTO..- Plutar. Vlt. Sol., p. 94. I fj.a\\ov 6 *pu. Suid. in voc. Apostolius Cent. XII. adag. ooot pvfotcucoi Tr\a.va.i. I Phzedr., II. Ep. Agath. Epigr. 8 Untro&uctton son, as they are commonly given, are but a com- pilation, made in the middle ages, of sorry jokes borrowed from various quarters, with enough of older fact and tradition to give them a sort of plausible consistency. The whole has been attributed to the imagination of Planudes, a monk of the fourteenth century ; but there seems little reason for believing that he did more than collect what he found already made to his hand. JEsop's personal deformity and swarthy com. plexion have not the slightest testimony from ancient authority. The negative evidence, which in this case is strong, tells all the other way; though Bentley has carried his argument rather too far in trying hence to prove that he must have been remarkably handsome.* The oldest authority in which his person is mentioned speaks of his face and voice as contributing as much as his stories to the amusement of his company, f It is not to be supposed that u3jsop was abso- lutely the inventor of Fable. J Under this form, * Dissert. J&&. Works, II., 236. t Himer. Oral., XIII. J" Babr. procem ," II., I. flntrofcuctfon 9 more or less developed, the earliest knowledge of every nation at least of every Eastern nation has been handed down. Poverty of language would, in the first instance, necessi- tate the use of Metaphor, and the Simile would follow, not far removed from Parable and Fable. The more intimate acquaintance with the habits of wild beasts, natural to an uncivilized life, would also suggest illustrations to be drawn from the ways of the wily fox, the timid deer, the noble lion ; while a closer intercourse with them, even though that of enmity, would be apt to attribute not only human passions, but mo- tives and feelings, and hence, speech. In later times, when neither kings nor mobs would bear to look upon naked Truth, recourse to the style of primitive wisdom furnished an effective garb wherewith to clothe it. It nat- tered, by its appeal to national antiquity, and by exercising, without tasking, intellectual acute- ness. Thus Fable was not, in those times, a child's plaything, but a nation's primer. Tyr- anny and rebellion were alike stayed by this only word of the wise that passion would listen 10 tnttobucttott to. Very different in its nature from the old Myth, it was not the result of profound contem- plative philosophy in a popular garb, but it was the off-hand, ready-made weapon of a man of action, one who united presence of mind with presence of wit, who saw his opportunity and knew how to use it. The oldest Fable on record which we know to have been thus practically applied, is that of "The Trees and the Bramble," as found in Holy Writ.* When the Israelites, discon- tented at not having an earthly sovereign, had allowed Abimelech, the base son of Gideon, to usurp kingly authority over them, Jotham, whose better claims had been passed over by them, addressed them in the fable of THE TREES AND THE BRAMBLE. The Trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them ; and they said unto the Olive- tree : " Reign thou over us " ; but the Olive tree said unto them : " Should I leave my fat- ness, wherewith by me they honor God and * Judges, ix., 7. " Untrofcuctfon n man, and go to be promoted over the trees ? " And the Trees said to the Fig-tree : " Come thou and reign over us " ; but the Fig-tree said unto them: "Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees ? ' ' Then said the Trees unto the Vine : " Come thou and reign over us " ; and the Vine said unto them : " Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees ? ' ' Then said all the Trees unto the Bramble : " Come thou and reign over us " ; and the Bramble said unto the trees : "If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow ; and if not, let fire come out of the Bramble, and de- vour the Cedars of Lebanon." No less effective was Nathan's parable of " The Ewe-Lamb " addressed to King David, with its terrible application, "THOU ART THE MAN."* In like manner Fables effected their work in the politics of Greece. The citizens of Himera were warned by Stesichorus against the en- * II. Sani., xii. 12 fntroOuction croachments of the tyrant Phalaris, by the re- cital of ' ' The Horse and the Stag. " * A timely lesson was given to Peisistratus and the Athe- nians by the Fable of "The Frogs and Jupi- ter." f The Simians, when they would have put to death one who had battened upon the public treasury, were checked by ^Ejsop's intro- duction of "The Fox and the Hedgehog." J When the lonians, who had rejected a previous invitation of Cyrus to join him, sent ambassa- dors to him after his success, offering him terms, the indignant conqueror gave them no other reply than the story of " The Fisherman Piping." Demosthenes turned the pliant mind of the Athenians when they were ready to betray him into Philip's hands, by warning them in "The Wolves and the Sheep," lest, in giving up the public orators, they surrendered the watch-dogs of the state. And, on another occasion, when the people would not hear him speaking on a serious matter of public business, * Arist. Rhet., II., 20. fPhaedr., I., 2. I Arist. Rhet., II., 20 ; afterwards applied, by Tiberius to the extortionate prefects of the Roman provinces. I Herod., I., 141. Introduction 13 he called them to an acknowledgment of their frivolity, and to a sense of their duty, by com- mencing the Fable of " The Ass's Shadow." * Roman history furnishes the celebrated in- stance of Menenius Agrippa quelling an insur- rection by reciting "The Belly and the Mem- bers" f ; and Scotland furnishes the character of Archibald "Bell-the-Cat." J The present book of Fables is not, of course, put forward as the veritable words of J^sop. The date of his life, and the nature of the com- position, alike forbid us to suppose that his Fables were committed to writing by the author himself. Nor if such a work, as an authentic collection of them, ever existed, could the common Greek text lay any claim to that title. It would, however, be equally absurd to adopt the alternative usually given, that the whole or the greater part of the existing Fables are the composition of monks of the middle ages. The history of -35sopian Fable seems rather to be this. ^5sop was one of the first and most * Vit. Demosth. ad fin. tlviv.,11.,32. I W. Scott's Scotland, Ch. XXII. 14 IFntroDuctton successful in adopting this kind of Apologue as a general vehicle of instruction. Being striking in point, and easy of remembrance, his stories were soon bandied about from mouth to mouth, and handed down from generation to genera- tion, with such alterations as are ever attendant on oral narration. In later times, writers, equally with speakers, preserving the traditionary outline of the Fable, filled it up in their own words ; while all the good stories afloat upon the surface of conver- sation became, naturally enough, referred to the great master in that style of composition. The popularity of JEsop's Fables among the Athenians soon became unbounded. We find them continually referred to in the works of the best Greek authors. Socrates relieved the monotony of his prison hours by turning them into verse ; Demetrius Phalereus and others followed in the same course ; and after a con- siderable interval, we have them presented anew in the Greek choliambics of Babrius, and in the Latin iambics of Phaedrus. Certainly Phsedrus, and probably the other older and ffntro&uction 15 later versionists, made divers alterations, and sometimes inserted additional Fables of their own. From all these various sources the bulk of the existing Fables is derived. This will ac- count for the variety of versions, sometimes as many as six or seven of the same Fable ; while the late dialect of the Greek text, and the occasional obvious interpolation of Christian forms of speech and sentiment, though indica- tions of the hands through which the Fables we-e last transmitted, need not drive us from the conclusion that we have, in the main, both the spirit and body of ^sop's Fables, if not as they proceeded from the Sage's own lips, at least as they were known in the best times of Greek literature. This collection of Fables the most popular Moral and Political Class-book of more than two thousand years it has been the object of the translator to restore, in a more genuine form than has yet been attempted, into the hands of the present generation, from which the wearisome and otherwise objectionable 16 Introduction paraphrases of the ordinary versions had al- most banished it. The recent happy discovery of the long-lost Fables of Babrius, and their opportune appear- ance in this country in the excellent edition of Mr. George Cornwall Lewis, suggested the idea that by a recurrence to the Greek texts, and by collating and sifting the various ancient ver- sions, a nearer approach might be gained to the true ^Esopian Fable than has yet been pro- posed in any English collection. In the present version, however, no strict and definite plan of translation has been followed. Though the general rule has been to give a free translation from the oldest source to which the Fable could be traced, or from its best later form in the dead languages, there will be found 'exceptional cases of all kinds. Some are com- pounded out of many ancient versions ; some are a collection of ancient and modern ; some are abridged, some interpolated ; one takes the turn of a Greek epigram, another follows the lively and diffusive gossip of Horace ; some walk more in the track of the Greek verse of UntroJwctton 17 Babrius, some in that of the Latin verse of Phaedrus ; a few adopt the turn given by I/ Es- trange, or speak almost in the very words of Croxall or Dodsley. This method of translation wholly without excuse if applied to a genuine classic will, perhaps, be deemed admissible for a popular volume of JSsopian Fables, seeing that it is neither more nor less than has happened to them since the days when the Sage first scat- tered his Apologues on the wide waters of society, to be taken up and treated as suited the whim or purpose of subsequent recounters and version ists from Socrates to Mrs. Trimmer. A greater liberty has been taken with those venerable deductions which are usually ap- pended in set form to the Fable, under the title of Morals, or Applications ; and in this an es- sential departure has been made from the com- mon plan of the English Fabulists, who have generally smothered the original Fable under an overpowering weight of their own commen- tary. Of course when Fables were first spoken they were supposed to convey their own Moral i8 Introduction along with them, or else they were spoken in vain ; and even when first written, the applica- tion given was that of the particular occasion, not of general inference. When, in later times, Morals were formally added, they were always brief, and mostly in a proverbial form. To this character it has been attempted to recall them, though, in some instances, they are in- corporated with the Fable, and in others, where the story seems to speak for itself, omitted altogether. It would be quite unnecessary for the Trans- lator to suggest, even in an age much less pic- torial than the present, how much this book is indebted for any value it may possess to the il- lustrations of the Artist ; but he cannot close his own portion of the work without expressing how greatly the pleasure of the undertaking has been enhanced to him by having such a coadjutor : a pleasure which has arisen no less from the kindly spirit of Mr. Tenniel's coop- eration than from the happy results of his skill. THEDDINGWORTH VICARAGE, January, 1848. FABLES. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A Fox, just at the time of the vintage, stole into a vineyard where the ripe sunny Grapes were trel- Plised up on high in most tempting show. He made many a spring and a jump after the luscious prize ; but, failing in all his attempts, he muttered as he retreated : "Well ! i what does it matter ! The Grapes ( are sour ! " 22 Gbe JBowman anD tbe Xton FABI.E IL THE BOWMAN AND THE LION. A Man who was very skilful with his bow, went up into the mountains to hunt. At his approach there was instantly a great consterna- tion and rout among all the wild beasts, the Lion alone showing any determination to fight. " Stop," said the Bowman to him, " and await my messenger, who has somewhat to say to you." With that he sent an arrow after the Lion, and wounded him in the side. The Lion, smarting with anguish, fled into the depth of the thickets, but a Fox, seeing him run, bade him take courage and face his enemy. "No," said the Lion, " you will not persuade me to that ; for if the messenger he sends is so sharp, what must be the power of him who sends it? " Wolf anD tbe Crane in. THE WOLF AND THE CRANE. A Wolf had got a bone stuck in his throat, and in the greatest agony ran up and down, be- seeching every animal he met to relieve him, at the same time hinting at a very handsome reward to the successful operator. A Crane, moved by his entreaties and promises, ventured her long neck down the Wolf's throat, and drew out the bone. She then modestly asked 24 Gbe 3Boie ano tbe Scorpion for the promised reward. To which the Wolf, grinning and showing his teeth, replied with seeming indignation: "Ungrateful creature! to ask for any other reward than that you have put your head into a Wolf's jaws and brought it safe out again ! " Those Avho are charitable only in the hope of a return, must not be surprised if, in their deal- ings with evil men, they meet with more jeers than thanks. FABLE IV. THE BOY AND THE SCORPION. A Boy was hunting Locusts upon a wall, and had caught a great number of them ; when, seeing a Scorpion, he mistook it for another Locust, and was just hollowing his hand to catch it, when the Scorpion, lifting up his sting, said: "I wish you had done it, for I would soon have made you drop me, and the Locusts into the bargain." and tbe oat 25 FABLE V. THE FOX AND THE GOAT. A Fox had fallen into a well, and had been casting about for a long time how he should get out again ; when at length a Goat came to the place, and, wanting to drink, asked Reynard whether the water was good, and if there was plenty of it. The Fox, dissemblin^ the real danger of his case, replied : " Come down, my 26 ftbe imi&ow anD tbe tben friend ; the water is so good that I cannot drink enough of it, and so abundant that it cannot be exhausted." Upon this the Goat without any more ado leaped in ; when the Fox, taking ad- vantage of his friend's horns, as nimbly leaped out ; and coolly remarked to the poor deluded Goat : "If you had half as much brains as you have beard, you would have looked before you leaped." FABLE VI. THE WIDOW AND THE HEN. A Widow woman kept a Hen that laid an egg every morning. Thought the woman to herself, " If I double my Hen's allowance of barley, she will lay twice a-day." So she tried her plan, and the Hen became so fat and sleek that she left off laying at all. Figures are not always facts. Dain VII. THE VAIN JACKDAW. A Jackdaw, as vain and conceited as Jackdaw could be, picked up the feathers which some Peacocks had shed, stuck them amongsthis own, and despising his old companions, introduced himself with the greatest assurance into a flock of those beautiful birds. They, instantly de- tecting the intruder, stripped him of his bor- rowed plumes, and falling upon him with their beaks, sent him about his business. The un- lucky Jackdaw, sorely punished and deeply sor- 28 Sbe ido an& tbc Wolf rowing, betook himself to his former compan- ions, and would have flocked with them again as if nothing had happened. But they, recol- lecting what airs he had given himself, drummed him out of their society, while one of those whom he had so lately despised, read him this lecture : " Had you been contented with what nature made you, you would have escaped the chastisement of your betters and also the contempt of your equals." vin. THE KID AND THE WOLF. A Kid being mounted on the roof of a lofty house, and seeing a Wolf pass below, began to revile him. The Wolf merely stopped to reply : " Coward ! it is not you who revile me, but the place on which you are standing." be vfllbountain in labor FABI.E rx. THE MOUNTAIN IN LABOR. In days of yore, a mighty rumbling was heard in a Mountain. It was said to be in labor, and multitudes flocked together, from far and near, to see what it would produce. After long expectation and many wise conject- ures from the bystanders out popped a Mouse ! The story applies to those whose magnificent promises end in a paltry performance. 30 Gbe "Kite an5 tbe fMgeons THE KITE) AND THE PIGEONS. Some Pigeons had long lived in fear of a Kite, but, by being always on tbe alert and keeping near their dove-cote, they had con- trived hitherto to escape the attacks of the enemy. Finding his sallies unsuccessful, the Kite betook himself to craft : " Why," said he, " do you prefer this life of continual anxiety when, if you would only make me your king, I would secure you from every attack that could be made upon you?" The Pigeons, trusting to his professions, called him to the throne ; but no sooner was he established there than he exercised his prerogative by devouring a Pigeon a-day. Whereupon, one that yet awaited his turn said no more than " It serves us right." They who voluntarily put power into the hand of a tyrant or an enemy must not wonder if it be at last turned against themselves. Tbounfc FABI,E XI. THE OLD HOUND. A Hound, who had been an excellent one in his time, and had done good service to his master in the field, at length became worn out with the weight of years and trouble. One day, when hunting the wild boar, he seized the creature by the ear, but his teeth giving way, he was forced to let go his hold, and the boat- escaped. Upon this the huntsman, coming up, 32 Gbe But anD tbe Grassbopper severely rated him. But the feeble Dog replied : " Spare your old servant ! it was the power not the will that failed me. Remember rather what I was, than abuse me for what I am." FABLE xrr. THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER. On a cold, frosty day an Ant was dragging out some of the corn which he had laid up in the summer time, to dry it. A Grasshopper, half-perished with hunger, besought the Ant to give him a morsel of it to preserve his life. "What were you doing," said the Ant, "this last summer? " " Oh," said the Grasshopper, "I was not idle. I kept singing all the sum- mer long. ' ' Said the Ant, laughing and shut- ting up his granary : " Since you could sing all u miner, you may dance all winter." Winter finds out what Summer lays by. Cock anO tbe Jewel 33 FABLE XIII. THE COCK AND THE JEWEL. As a Cock was scratching up the straw in a farm-yard, in search of food for the hens, he hit upon a Jewel that by some chance had found it" way there. "Ho!" said he, "you are a ^ y fine thing, no doubt, to those who prize you ; but give me a barley-corn before all the pearls in the world." The Cock was a sensible Cock ; but there are many silly people who despise what is precious only because they cannot understand it. 34 be ffawn anD ber dfcotber XIV. THE FAWN AND HER MOTHER. A Fawn one day said to her Mother : " Moth- er, you are bigger than a dog, and swifter and better winded, and you have horns to defend yourself ; how is it that you are so afraid of the hounds? " She smiled and said: "All this, my child, I know full well ; but no sooner do I hear a dog bark, than, somehow or other, my heels take me off as fast as they can carry me." There is no arguing a coward into courage. FABLE xv. THE TWO WALLETS. Every man carries Two Wallets, one before and one behind, and both full of faults. But the one before is full of his neighbor's faults ; the one behind, of his own. Thus it happens that men are blind to their own faults, but never lose sight of their neighbor's. tlbe Eagle anfc tbe FABI,E xvi. THE EAGLE AND THE FOX. An Eagle and a Fox had long lived together as good neigh- bors ; the Eagle at the summit of a high tree, the Fox in a hole at the foot of it. One day, how- ever, while the Fox was abroad, the Eagle made a swoop at the Fox's cub, and carried it off to her nest, thinking that her lofty 3f> tTbc "fcorse ano tbe Groom dwelling would secure her from the Fox's re- venge. The Fox, on her return home, up- braided the Eagle for this breach of friendship, and begged earnestly to have her young one again ; but finding that her entreaties were of no avail, she snatched a torch from an altar-fire that had been lighted hard by, and involving the whole tree in flame and smoke, soon made the Eagle restore, through fear for herself and her own young ones, the cub which she had just now denied to her most earnest prayers. The tyrant, though he may despise the tears of the oppressed, is never safe from their ven- geance. FABLE XVII. THE HORSE AND THE GROOM. : i Groom who used to steal and sell a Horse's corn, was yet very busy in grooming and wisp- ing him all the day long. "If you really wish me," said the Horse, "to look well, give me less of your currying, and more of your corn." Cbc Countryman and the Snake 37 FABLE XVIII. THE COUNTRYMAN AND THE SNAKE. A Countryman returning home one winter's day found a Snake by the hedge-side, half dead with cold. Taking compassion on the creature, he laid it in his bosom and brought it home to his fireside to revive it. No sooner had the warmth restored it than it began to attack the children of the cottage. Upon this the Coun- 38 Gbe fftsberman tryman, whose compassion had saved its life, took up a mattock and laid the Snake dead al his feet. Those who return evil for good may expect their neighbor's pity to be worn out at last. FABLE XIX. THE FISHERMAN PIPING. A Man who cared more for his notes than his nets, seeing some fish in the sea, began playing on his pipe, thinking that they would jump out on shore. But finding himself disappointed, he took a casting-net, and enclosing a great multitude of fish, drew them to land. When he saw the fish dancing and flapping about, he smiled, and said : " Since you would not dance when I piped, I will have none of your dancing It is a great art to do the right thing at the right season. /toan anD tbe Satgr 39 FABI.E -XX. THE MAN AND THE SATYR. A Man and a Satyr having struck up an ac- quaintance, sat down together to eat. The day being wintry and cold, the Man put his fingers to his mouth and blew upon them. " What 's that for, my friend ? " asked the Satyr. " My hands are so cold," said the Man, " T do it to warm them." In a little while some hot food 40 abe jflies anO tbe 1foone\?=pot was placed before them, and the Man, raising the dish to his mouth, again blew upon it. "And what 's the meaning of that, now? " said the Satyr. "Oh," replied the Man, "my por- ridge is so hot I do it to cool it." "Nay, then," said the Satyr, " from this moment I renounce your friendship, for I will have nothing to do with one who blows hot and cold with the same mouth." xxi. THE FLIES AND THE HONEY-POT. A Pot of Honey having been upset in a gro- cer's shop, the Flies came around it in swarms to eat it up, nor would they move from the spot while there was a drop left. At length their feet became so clogged that they could not fly away, and stifled in the luscious sweets they exclaimed : " Miserable creatures that we are, who for the sake of an hour's pleasure have thrown away our lives ! " tlbc 3figbtin0=Coch6 an& tbe 41 FABI,E XXII. THE FIGHTING-COCKS AND THE EAGLE. Two young Cocks were fighting as fiercely as if they had been men. At last the one that was beaten crept into a corner of the hen-house cov- ered with wounds. But the conqueror, straight- way flying up to the top of the house, began clapping his wings and crowing, to announce his victory. At this moment an Eagle, sailing by, seized him in his talons and bore him away ; c.__ while the defeated rival came out from his hiding-place, and took possession of the dunghill for which they had contended. 42 be /Ifcouse ai^ the XXIII- THE MOUSE AND THE FROG. A Mouse in an evil day made acquaintance with a Frog, and they set off on their travels to- gether. The Frog, on pretence of great affec- tion, and of keeping his companion outof harm's way, tied the Mouse's fore-foot to his own hind- leg, and thus they proceeded for some distance by land. Presently they came to some water, and the Frog, bidding the Mouse have good cour- age, began to swim across. They had scarcely, however, arrived midway, when the Frog took a sudden plunge to the bottom, dragging the unfortunate Mouse after him. But the strug- gling and floundering of the Mouse made so great commotion in the water that it attracted the attention of a Kite, who, pouncing down, and bearing off the Mouse, carried away the Frog at the same time in his train. Inconsiderate and ill-matched alliances gen- erally end in ruin ; and the man who compasses the destruction of his neighbor is often caught in his own snare. Gbe Doc? anD tbc SbaOovv 43 THE DOG AND THE SHADOW. A Dog had stolen a piece of meat out of a batcher's shop, and was crossing a river on his way home, when he saw his own shadow re- flected in the stream below. Thinking that it was another dog with another piece of meat, he resolved to make himself master of that also ; but in snapping at the supposed treasure, he dropped the bit he was carrying, and so lost all. Grasp at the shadow and lose the substance 44 Gbe Greafetng "CQbeels the common fate of those who hazard a real blessing for some visionary good. < FABLE XXV. THE FOX AND THE LION. A Fox who had never seen a Lion, when by chance he met him for the first time, was so terrified that he almost died of fright. When he met him the second time he was still afraid, but managed to disguise his fear. When he saw him the third time he was so much embold- ened that he went up and asked him how he did. Familiarity breeds contempt. FABLE xxvi. THE CREAKING WHEELS. As some Oxen were dragging a Wagon along a heavy road, the Wheels set up a tremendous creaking. "Brute!" cried the Driver to the Wagon ; ' ' why do you groan when they who are drawing all the weight are silent? " Those who cry loudest are not always tlie most hurt. TIClolf and tbe ULamb 45 FABI.E XXVII. THE WOLF AND THE LAMB. As a Wolf was lapping at the head of a run- ning brook, he spied a stray Lamb paddling, at some distance down the stream. Having made up his mind to seize her, he bethought himself how he might justify his violence. " Villain ! " said he, running up to her, "how dare you muddle the water that I am drinking? " " In- deed," said the Lamb humbly, "I do not see how I can disturb the water, since it runs from 46 be JSear anD tbe you to me, not from me to you." " Be that as it may," replied the Wolf, "it was but a year ago that you called me many ill names." " Oh, sir ! " said the Lamb, trembling, " a year ago I was not born." " Well," replied the Wolf, " if it was not you, it was your father, and that is all the same ; but it is no use trying to argue me out of my supper" ; and without another word he fell upon the poor helpless Lamb and tore her to pieces. A tyrant never wants a plea. And they have little chance of resisting the injustice of the powerful whose only weapons are innocence and reason. FABLE XXVIII. THE BEAR AND THE FOX. A Bear used to boast of his excessive love for Man, saying that he never worried or mauled him when dead. The Fox observed, with a smile: "I should have thought more of your profession, if you never ate him alive." Better save a man from dying than salve him when dead. Country jfl&ouse anfc ttown jflBouse 47 FABLE XXIX. THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE TOWN MOUSE. Once upon a time a Country Mouse who had a friend in town invited him, for old acquaint- ance' sake, to pay him a visit in the country. The invitation being accepted in due form, the Country Mouse, though plain and rough and somewhat frugal in his nature, opened his heart 43 Country /Iftcuse anfc Gown and store, in honor of hospitality and an old friend. There was not a carefully stored up mor- sel that he did not bring forth out of his larder, peas and barley, cheese-parings and nuts, hoping by quantity to make up what he feared was want- ing in quality, to suit the palate of his dainty guest. The Town Mouse, condescending to pick a bit here and a bit there, while the host sat nibbling a blade of barley-straw, at length exclaimed: "How is it, my good friend, that you can endure the dulness of this unpolished life? You are living like a toad in a hole. You can't really prefer these solitary rocks and woods to streets teeming with carriages and men. On my honor, you are wasting your time miserably here. We must make the most of life while it lasts. A mouse, you know, does not live for ever. So come with me and I '11 show you life and the town." Overpowered with such fine words and so polished a manner, the Country Mouse assented, and they set out together on their journey to town. It was late in vlie evening when they crept stealthily into the city, and midnight ere they reached the Country dfeouse anfc tTown /BSouse 49 great house, where the Town Mouse took up his quarters. Here were couches of crimson velvet, carvings in ivory, every thing in short that denoted wealth and luxury. On the table were the remains of a splendid banquet, to pro- cure which all the choicest shops in the town had been ransacked the day before. It was now the turn of the courtier to play the host ; he places his country friend on purple, runs to and fro to supply all his wants, presses dish upon dish and dainty upon dainty, and as though he were waiting on a king, tastes every course ere he ventures to place it before his rustic cousin. The Country^ Mo.use, for his part, affects to make himself quite at home, and blesses the good fortune that had wrought such a change in his way of life ; when, in the midst of his enjoyment, as he is thinking with contempt of the poor fare he has forsaken, on a sudden the door flies open, and a party of revellers, return- ing from a late entertainment, bursts into the room. The affrighted friends jump from the table in the greatest consternation and hide themselves in the first corner they can reach. 50 tTbe S>og, tbe Gocfc, anb tbc 3foj No sooner do they venture to creep out again than the barking of dogs drives them back in still greater terror than before. At length, when things seemed quiet, the Country Mouse stole out from his hiding-place, and bidding his friend good-bye, whispered in his ear : " Oh, my good sir, this fine mode of living may do for those who like it ; but give me my barley bread in peace and security before the dainti- est feast where Fear and Care are in waiting." xxx. THE DOG, THE COCK, AND THE FOX. A Dog and a Cock having struck up an ac- quaintance, went out on their travels together. Nightfall found them in a forest ; so the Cock, flying up on a tree, perched among the branches, while the Dog dozed below at the foot. As the night passed away and the day dawned, the Cock, according to his custom, set up a shrill crowing. A Fox hearing him, and thinking to make a meal of him, came aud tlbe Dog, tbe Cocfc, an& tbe ffoj 51 stood under the tree, and thus addressed him : ' ' Thou art a good little bird, and most useful to thy fellow-creatures. Come down, then, that we may sing our matins and rejoice to- gether." The Cock replied: "Go, my good friend to the foot of the tree, and call the sac- ristan to toll the bell." But as the Fox went to call him, the Dog jumped out in a moment, and seized the Fox and made an end of him. They who lay traps for others are often caught by their own bait. 52 Cbe lion anfc tbc dfcouse THE LION AND THE MOUSE. A Lion was sleeping in his lair, when a Mouse, not knowing where he was going, ran over the mighty beast's nose and awakened him. The Lion clapped his paw upon the frightened little creature, and was about to make an end of him in . a moment, when the Mouse, in pitiable tone, besought him to spare one who had so unconsciously offended, and not stain his honorable paw with so insignifi- cant a prey. The Lion, smiling at bis little (Bull anD tbc 1?ite 53 prisoner's fright, generously let him go. Now it happened no long time after, that the Lion, while ranging the woods for his prey, fell into the toils of the hunters ; and finding himself entangled without hope of escape, set up a roar that filled the whole forest with its echo. The Mouse, recognizing the voice of his former pre- server, ran to the spot, and without more ado, set to work to nibble the kqpt in the cord that bound the Lion, and in a short time set the no- ble beast at liberty ; thus convincing him that kindness is seldom thrown away, and that there is no creature so much below another but that he may have it in his power to return a good office. xxxil. THE GULL AND THE KITE. A Gull had pounced upon a fish, and in en- deavoring to swallow it got choked, and lay upon; the deck for dead. A Kite who was pass- ing by and saw him, gave him no other comfort than " It serves you right ; for what business have the fowls of the air to meddle with the fish of the sea." FABLE XXXIII. THE HOUSE-DOG AND THE WOLF. A lean, hungry Wolf chanced one moonshiny night to fall in with a plump, well-fed House- Dog. After the first compliments were passed between them, " How is it, my friend," said the Wolf, " that you look so sleek ? How well your food agrees with you ! and here am I striv- ing for my living night and day, and can hardly save myself from starving." "Well," 55 says the Dog, " if you would fare like me you have only to do as I do." " Indeed," says he, "and what is that?" "Why," replies the Dog, "just to guard the master's house and keep off the thieves at night. " " With all my heart, for at present I have but a sorry time of it. This woodland life, with its frosts and rains, is sharp work for me. To have a warm roof over my head and a bellyful of victuals always at hand will, methinks, be no bad exchange." "True," says the Dog; "therefore you have nothing to do but to follow me." Now, as they were jogging on together, the Wolf spied a mark in the Dog's neck, and having a strange curiosity, could not forbear asking what it meant. " Pooh ! nothing at all," says the Dog. "Nay, but pray" says the Wolf. "Oh! a mere trifle ; perhaps the collar to which my chain is fastened " " Chain ! " cries the Wolf in surprise ; "you don't mean to say that you cannot rove when and where you please ? '' " Why, not exactly, perhaps ; you see I ^D\ looked upon as rather fierce, so they sometimes tie me up in the day time, but I assure vou I 56 ttbe 1bouse*2>og an> tbe IHflott have perfect liberty at night ; and the master feeds me off his own plate, and the servants give me their tit-bits, and I am such a favorite, and but what is tbe matter? where are you going?" "Oh, good-night to you," says the Wolf; " you are welcome to your dainties ; but for me, a dry crust with liberty, against a king's luxury with a chain." tbe 59 FABLE XXXVI. THE TORTOISE AND THE EAGLE. A Tortoise, dissatisfied with his lowly life, when he beheld so many of the birds, his neigh- bors, disporting themselves in the clouds,. and thinking that, if he could but once get up into the air, he could soar with the best of them, called one day upon an Eagle, and offered him all the treasures of Ocean if he could only teach him to fly. The Eagle would have de- clined the task, assuring him that the thing 60 was not only absurd but impossible, but being further pressed by the entreaties and promises of the Tortoise, he at length consented to do for him the best he could. So taking him up to a great height in the air and loosing his hold upon him, "Now ; then !" cried the Eagle ; but the Tortoise, before he could answer him a word, fell plump upon a rock, and was dashed to pieces. Pride shall have a fall. FABLE XXXVII. THE MULE. A Mule that had grown fat and wanton on too great an allowance of corn, was one day jumping and kicking about, and at length, cocking up her tail, exclaimed : ' ' My dam was a Racer, and I am quite as good as ever she was." But, being soon knocked up with her galloping and frisking, she remembered all at once that her sire was but an Ass. Every truth has two sides ; it is well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either t>are an& tbe tTortoise 61 FABLE XXXVIII. THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE. A Hare jeered at a Tortoise for the slowness of his pace. But he laughed and said, that he would run against her and beat her any day she would name. " Come on," said the Hare, "you shall soon see what my feet are made of." So it was agreed that they should start at once. The Tortoise went off jogging along, without a moment's stopping, at his usual steady pace. The Hare, treating the whole matter very lightly, said she would first take a little nap, and that she should soon overtake the Tortoise. Meanwhile the Tortoise plodded on, and the Hare, oversleeping herself, arrived at the goal, 62 Cbe -jbeh and tbc Cat only to see that the Tortoise had got in before her. Slow and steady wins the race. FABI.E XXXIX. THE HEN AND THE CAT. A Cat hearing that a Hen was laid up sick in her nest, paid her a visit of condolence ; and creeping up to her, said : " How are you, my dear friend ? what can I do for you ? what are you in want of? only tell me, if there is any thing in the world that I can bring you ; but keep up your spirits, and don't be alarmed." "Thank you," said the Hen ; "do you be good enough to leave me, and I have no fear but I shall soon be well." Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone. Gbe SbepbcrJ>=S3oB anfc tbe iffilolf 63 PABI.E XI,. THE SHEPHERD-BOY AND THE WOLF. A Shepherd-Boy, who tended his flock not far from a village, used to amuse himself at times 04 be Sfcfc Stas in crying out "Wolf ! Wolf!" Twice or thrice his trick succeeded. The whole village came running out to his assistance ; when all the re- turn they got was to be laughed at for their pains. At last one day the Wolf came indeed. The Boy cried out iu earnest. But his neigh- bors, supposing him to be at his old sport, paid no heed to his cries, and the Wolf devoured the Sheep. So the Boy learned, when it was too late, that liars are not believed even when they tell the truth. FABLE XI tbe Wine*;jar 65 FABLE THE OLD WOMAN AND THE WINE-JAR. An Old Woman saw an empty Wine-jar lyin^ on the ground. Though not a drop of the noble Falernian, with which it ^ had been filled, remained, it still yielded a grateful fragrance to the passers- by. The Old Woman, applying her nose as close as she could, and snuffing with all her might and main, ex- claimed : " Sweet crea- ture ! how charming must your contents once have been, when the very dregs are so delicious ! " XUII. THE MOON AND HER MOTHER. The Moon once asked her Mother to make her a little cloak that would fit her well. 66 Gbe Sss and tbe Grasshopper "How," replied she, "can I make you a cloak to fit you, who are now a New Moon, and then a Full Moon, and then again neither one nor the other?" FABI/E XLIV. . THE ASS AND THE GRASSHOPPER. An Ass hearing some Grasshoppers chirping, was delighted with the music, and determining, if he could, to rival them, asked them what it was that they fed upon to make them sing so sweetly? When they told him that they supped upon nothing but dew, the Ass betook himself to the same diet, and soon died of hunger. One man's meat is another man's poison. tfoj anb tbe IKaoofcrnan 67 FABI.K THE FOX AND THE WOODMAN. A Fox hard pressed by the Hounds after a long run, came up to a Man who was cutting wood, and begged him to afford him some place where he might hide himself, The Man showed him his own hut, and the Fox, creeping in, hid himself in a corner. The Hunters presently came up, and asking the Man whether he had 68 Ebe Xamb an& tbc Udolf seen the Fox, " No," said he, but pointed with his finger to the corner. They, however, not understanding the hint, were off again immedi- ately. When the Fox perceived that they were out of sight, he was stealing off without saying a word. But the Man upbraided him, saying : ' ' Is this the way you take leave of your host, without a word of thanks for your safety? " " A pretty host ! " said the Fox, turning round upon him. "If you had been as honest with your fingers as you were with your tongue, I should not have left your roof without bidding you farewell." There is as much malice in a wink as in a word. FABI,:E THE LAMB AND THE WOLF. A I/amb pursued by a Wolf took refuge in a temple. Upon this the Wolf called out to him, and said that the priest would slay him if he caught him. "Be it so," said the I/amb ; "it is better to be sacrificed to God than to be de- voured by you." oe FABLE L. THE ONE-EYED DOE. A Doe that had but one eye used to graze near the sea, and that she might be the more secure from attack, kept her eye towards the land against the approach of the hunters, and her blind side towards the sea, whence she feared no danger. But some sailors rowing by in a boat and seeing her, aimed at her from the water and shot her. When at her last gasp she 72 be %ion an& tbe sighed to herself: "Ill-fated creature that I am ! I was safe on the land-side whence I ex- pected to be attacked, but find an enemy in the sea to which I most looked for protection." Our troubles often come from the quarter whence we least expect them. FABI,E U. THE LION AND THE FOX. A Fox agreed to wait upon a Lion in the capacity of a servant. Each for a time per- formed the part belonging to his station ; the Fox used to point out the prey, and the Lion fell upon it and seized it. But the Fox,, begin- ning to think himself as good a beast as his master, begged to be allowed to hunt the game instead of finding it. His request was granted, but as he was in the act of making a descent upon a herd, the huntsmen came out upon him and he was himself made the prize. Keep to your place, and your place will keep you. travellers an& tbe JBear 73 I THE TRAVELLERS AND THE BEAR. Two friends were travelling on the same road together, when they met with a Bear. The one, in great fear, without a thought of his companion, climbed up into a tree, and hid himself. The 74 other seeing that lie had no chance, single- handed, against the Bear, had nothing left but- to throw himself on the ground and feign to be dead ; for he had heard that the Bear will never touch a dead body. As he thus lay, the Bear came up to his head, muzzling and snuffing at his nose, and ears, and heart, but the man im- movably held his breath, and the beast, suppos- ing him to be dead, walked away. When the Bear was fairly out of sight, his companion came down out of the tree, and asked what it was that the Bear whispered to him, "for," says he, "I observed he put his mouth very close to your ear." "Why," replies the other, "it was no great secret; he only bade me have a care how I kept company with those who, when they get into a difficulty, leave their friends in a lurch." Sta0 in tbe j*Stall 75 FABLE Wn. THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL. A hunted Stag, driven out of covert and dis- tracted by fear, made for the first farm-house he saw, and hid himself in an Ox-stall which happened to be open. As he was trying to con- ceal himself tinder the straw, "What can you mean," said an Ox, " by running into such cer- tain destruction as to trust yourself to the haunts of man ? " " Only do you not betray me," said the Stag, ' ' and I shall be off again on the first opportunity." Evening came on ; the her..:,- 76 be Stag in tbe j=Stall man foddered the cattle, but observed nothing. The other farm-servants came in and out. The Stag was still safe. Presently the bailiff passed through ; all seemed right. The Stag now feel- ing himself quite secure began to thank the Oxen for their hospitality. "Wait awhile," said one of them, "we indeed wish you well, but there is yet another person, one with a hun- dred eyes ; if he should happen to come this way, I fear your life will be still in jeopardy. " While he was speaking, the Master, having finished his supper, came round to see that all was safe for the night, for he thought that his cattle had not of late looked as well as they ought. Going up to the rack ' ' Why so little fodder here?" said he. " Why is there not more straw?" And "How long, I wonder, would it take to sweep down these cobwebs ! " Prying and observing, here and there and everywhere, the Stag's antlers, jutting from out the straw, caught his eye, and calling in his servants he instantly made prize of him. No eye like the Master's eye. Collier anD tbc fuller uv. THE COLLIER AND THE FULLER. you," offer; goods A Collier, who had more room in his house than he wanted for himself, proposed to a Fuller to come and take up his quarters with him. "Thank said the Fuller, "but I must decline your for I fear that as fast as I whiten my you will blacken them again." 73 tlbe Xion, tbc Bes, anfc tbe jfoi There can be little liking where there is no likeness. FABLE LV. THE LION, THE ASS, AND THE FOX HUNTING. The Lion, the Ass, and the Fox formed a party to go out hunting. They took a large booty, and when the sport was ended bethought themselves of having a hearty meal. The Lion bade the Ass allot the spoil. So dividing it into three equal parts, the Ass begged his friends to make their choice ; at which the Lion, in great indignation, fell upon the Ass, and tore him to pieces. He then bade the Fox make a division ; who, gathering the whole into one great heap, reserved but the smallest mite for himself. " Ah ! friend," says the Lion, "who taught you to make so equitable a division ? " "I wanted no other lesson," replied the Fox, " than the Ass's fate." Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own. tTbe Bss and tbe OLap*I)og FABLE LVI. THE ASS AND THE LAP-DOG. There was an Ass and a I,ap-dog that be- longed to the same master. The Ass was tied up in the stable, and had plenty of corn and hay to eat, and was as well off as Ass could be. The little Dog was always sporting and gambol- ling about, caressing and fawning upon his master in a thousand amusing ways, so that he be- came a great favorite, and was permitted to lie in his master's lap. The Ass, indeed, had enough 8o be BSS anD tbc to do ; he was drawing wood all day, and had to take his turn at the mill at night. But while he grieved over his own lot, it galled him more to see the Lap-dog living in such ease and lux- ury ; so thinking that if he acted a like part to his master, he should fare the same, he broke one day from his halter, and rushing into the hall began to kick and prance about in the strangest fashion ; then swishing his tail and mimicking the frolics of the favorite, he upset the table where his master was at dinner, break- ing it in two and smashing all the crockery ; nor would he leave off till he jumped upon his master, and pawed him with his rough-shod feet. The servants, seeing their master in no little danger, thought it was now high time to interfere, and having released him from the Ass's caresses, they so belabored the silly crea- ture with sticks and staves, that he never got up again ; and as he breathed his last, exclaimed : "Why could not I have been satisfied with my natural position, without attempting by tricks and grimaces, to imitate one who was but a puppy after all ! " {Ebe WinJ) and tbe Sun 81 FABLE I/VII. THE WIND AND THE SUN. A dispute once arose between the Wind and the Sun, which was the stronger of the two, land they agreed to put the 'point upon this issue, that whichever soonest made a traveller take off his cloak, should be account- ed the more powerful. The Wind began, and blew with all his might and main a blast, cold and fierce as a Thracian storm ; but the stronger he blew, the closer the traveller wrapped his cloak around him, and the tighter he grasped it with his hands. Then broke out the Sun : with his welcome beams he dispersed the va- por and the cold ; the traveller felt the genial warmth, and as the Sun shone brighter and brighter, he sat down, overcome with the heat, and cast his cloak on the ground. Thus the Sun was declared the conqueror ; and it has ever been deemed that persuasion is better than force ; and that the sunshine of a kind and gentle manner will sooner lay open a poor man's heart than all the threatenings and force of blustering authority. Gbe Erees anfc tbe Bjc FABLE; i/vm. THE TREES AND THE AXE. A Woodman came into a forest to ask the Trees to give him a handle for his Axe. It seemed so modest a request that the principal Trees at once agreed to it, and it was settled among them that the plain homely Ash should furnish what was wanted. No sooner had the Woodman fitted the staff to his purpose, than he began laying about him on all sides, felling 84 Gbe tmre an& tbe t>ounD the noblest Trees in the wood. The Oak, now seeing the whole matter too late, whispered to the Cedar : " The first concession has lost all , if we had not sacrificed our humble neighbor, we might have yet stood for ages ourselves." When the rich surrender the rights of the poor, they give a handle to be used against their own privileges. WX. THE HARE AND THE HOUND. A Hound having put up a Hare from a bush chased her for some distance, but the Hare had the best of it, and got off. A Goatherd who was coming by jeered at the Hound, saying that Puss was the better runner of the two. " You forget," replied the Hound, "that it is one thing to be running for your dinner, and an- other for your life." Xion in Xove FABLE; ix. THE LION IN LOVE. It happened in days of old that a Lion fell in love with a Woodman's daughter ; and had the folly to ask her of her father in marriage. The Woodman was not much pleased with the offer, and declined the honor of so dangerous an alliance. But upon the Lion threatening him with his royal displeasure, the poor Man, seeing that so formidable a creature was not to be denied, hit at length upon this expedient : 86 Cbe 2>olpbin0 anfc tbe Sprat "I feel/greatly flattered," said he, " with your proposal ; but, noble sir, what great teeth you have got ! and what great claws you have got ! where is the damsel that would not be fright- ened at such weapons as these? You must have your teeth drawn and your claws pared before you can be a suitable bridegroom for my daughter." The Lion straightway submitted (for what will not a body do for love?) and then called upon the father to accept him as a son-in-law. But the Woodman, no longer afraid of the tamed and disarmed bully, seized a stout cudgel and drove the unreasonable suitor from his door. THE DOLPHINS AND THE SPRAT. , The Dolphins and the Whales were at war with one another, and while the battle was at its height, the Sprat stepped in and endeavored to separate them. But one of the Dolphins cried out: "Let us alone, friend! We had rather perish in the contest than be reconciled by you." Cbe "Molvcs anb tbc Sbeep THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP. Once on a time, the Wolves sent an embassy to the Sheep, desiring that there might be peace between them for the i time to come. "Why, "said they, "should we be forever i waging this deadly strife? Cbe JBltnfc /Ifcan an& tbe Those wicked Dogs are the cause of all ; they are incessantly barking at us, and provoking us. Send them away, and there will be no longer any obstacle to our eternal friendship and peace." The silly Sheep listened, the Dogs were dismissed, and the flock, thus deprived of their best protectors, became an easy prey to their treacherous enemy. FABLE THE BLIND MAN AND THE WHELP. A Blind Man was wont, on any animal being put into his hands, to say what it was. Once they brought to him a Wolf's Whelp. He felt it all over, and being in doubt, said: "I know not whether thy father was a Dog or a Wolf ; but this I know, that I would not trust thee among a flock of sheep. Evil dispositions are early shown. JScll^ anD tbc Members THE BELLY AND THE MEMBERS. In former days, when all .a man's limbs did not work together as amicably as they do now, but each had a will and way of its own, the Members generally began to find fault with the Belly for spending an idle, luxurious life, while they were wholly occupied in laboring for its support, and ministering to its wants and pleas- ures ; so they entered into a conspiracy to cut off its supplies for the future. The Hands were no longer to carry food to the Mouth, nor the go Gbe Bov>e anD tbe Crow Mouth to receive the food, nor the Teeth to chew it. They had not long persisted in this course of starving the Belly into subjection, ere they all began, one by one, to fail and flag, and the whole body to pine away. Then the Mem- bers were convinced that the Belly also, cum- bersome and useless as it seemed, had an im- portant function of its own ; that they could no more do without it than it could do without them ; and that if they would have the consti- tution of the body in a healthy state, they must work together, each in his proper sphere, for the common good of all. FABI,E LXV. THE DOVE AND THE CROW. A Dove that was kept shut up in a cage was congratulating herself upon the number of her family. " Cease, good soul," said a Crow, "to boast on that subject ; for the more young ones you have, so many more slaves will you have to groan over." What are blessings in freedom are curses in slavery. HERCULES AND THE WAGONER. As a Countryman was carelessly driving his wagon along a miry lane, his wheels stuck so deep in the clay that the horses came to a standstill. Upon this theMan, without making the least effort of his own, be- gan to call upon Hercules 92 Cbe fl&onfcee and tbe Camel to come and help him out of his trouble. But Hercules bade him lay his shoulder to the wheel, assuring him that Heaven only aided those who endeavored to help themselves. It is in vain to expect our prayers to be heard, if we do not strive as well as pray. THE MONKEY AND THE CAMEL. At a great meeting of the Beasts, the Monkey stood up to dance. Having greatly distinguished himself, and being applauded by all present, it moved the spleen of the Camel, who came for- ward and began to dance also ; but he made himself so utterly absurd, that all the Beasts in indignation set upon him with clubs and drove him out of the ring. Stretch your arm no farther than your sleeve will reach. ffos witbout a trail 93 FABI.E IvXVIII. THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL. A Fox being caught in a trap, was glad to com- pound for his neck by leaving his tail behind him ; but upon coming abroad into the world, he began to be so sensible of the disgrace such a defect would bring upon him, that he almost wished he had died rather than come away with- out it. Howaver, resolving to make the best of a bad matter, he called a meeting of the rest of the Foxes, and proposed that all should follow his example. " You have no notion," said he, " of the ease and comfort with which I now move about ; I could never have believed it if I had 94 fTbe tfartbiiiQ Iflusbligbt not tried it myself; but really, wheu one comes to reason upon it, a tail is such an ugly, incon- venient, unnecessary appendage, that the only wonder is that, as Foxes, we could have put up with it so long. I propose, therefore, my worthy brethren, that you all profit by the ex- perience that I am most willing to afford you, and that all Foxes from this day forward cut off their tails." Upon this one of the oldest step- ped forward, and said: "I rather think, my friend, that you would not have advised us to part with our tails, if there were any chance of recovering your own." lyXIX. THE FARTHING RUSHLIGHT. A Rushlight that had grown fat and saucy with too much grease, boasted one evening be- fore a large company, that it shone brighter than the sun, the moon, and all the stars. At that moment, a puff of wind came and blew it out. One who lighted it again said: "Shine on, friend Rushlight, and hold your tongue : the lights of heaven are never blown out." 1>ares and tbe 95 LXX. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. Once upon a time, the Hares, driven des- perate by the many enemies that compassed them about on every side, came to the sad resolution that there was nothing left for them but to make away with themselves, one and all. Off they scudded to a lake hard by, determined to drown themselves as the most miserable of creatures. A shoal of Frogs seated upon the g6 abe Xioness bank, frightened at the approach of the Hares, leaped in the greatest alarm and. confusion into the water. "Nay, then, my friends," said a Hare that was foremost, " our case is not so des- perate yet ; for here are other poor creatures more faint-hearted than ourselves." Take not comfort, but courage, from another's distress ; and be sure, whatever your misery, that there are some whose lot you would not exchange with your own. Z,XXT. THE LIONESS. There was a great stir made among all the Beasts, which could boast of the largest family. So they came to the Lioness. "And how many," said they, " do you have at a birth?" "One," said she, grimly; "but that one is a Lion." Quality comes before quantity. Cbe Bn^ler anO tbe "Little fftsb 97 FABLE LXXII. THE ANGLER AND THE LITTLE FISH. An Angler, who gained his livelihood by fish- ing, after a long day's toil caught nothing but one little fish. "Spare me," said the little creature, ' ' I beseech you ; so small as I am, I shall make you but a sorry meal. I am not come to my full size yet ; throw me back into the river for the present, and then, when I am grown bigger and worth eating, you may come here and catch me again." " No,. no," said the Man ; "I have got you now, but if you once gS be ^farmer an> hie Sons get back into the water, your tune will be, ' Catch me if you can.' " A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. FABLE LXXIII. THE FARMER AND HIS SONS. A Farmer being on the point of death, and wishing to show his Sons the way to success in farming, called them to him, and said:-'*My children, I am now departing from this life, but all that I have to leave you, you will find in the vineyard." The Sons, supposing that he referred to some hidden treasure, as soon as the old man was dead, set to work with their spades and ploughs and every implement that was at hand, and turned up the soil over and over again. They found indeed no treasure ; but the vines, strengthened and improved by this thorough tillage, yielded a finer vintage than they had ever yielded before, and more than repaid the young husbandmen for all their trouble. So truly is industry in itself a treasure. fw0ban&man an& tbc Stork 99 i,xxiv. THE HUSBANDMAN AND THE STORK. A Husbandman fixed a net in his field to catch the Cranes that came to feed on his new- sown corn. When he went to examine the net, and see what Cranes he had taken, a Stork was found among the number. "Spare me," cried the Stork, " and let me go ; I am no Crane. I have eaten none of your corn. I am a poor in- ioo ftbe dfcole an& ber flfcotber nocent Stork, as you may see the most pious and dutiful of birds. I honor and succor my father and mother. I - " But the Husband- man cut him short. "All this may be true enough, I dare say, but this I know that I have caught you with those who were destroying my crops, and you must suffer with the company in which you are taken." Ill company proves more than fair profes- sions. i,xxv. THE MOLE AND HER MOTHER. Said a young Mole to her Mother : " Mother, I can see." So in order to try her, her mother put a lump of frankincense before her and asked her what it was. "A stone," said the young one. " Oh, rny child," said the Mother, "not only do you not see, but you cannot even smell." Brag upon one defect, and betray another. ID Woman anfc tbe ftbgsician 101 I,XXVI. THE OLD WOMAN AND THE PHYSICIAN. An Old Woman, who had become blind, called in a Physician, and promised him, before wit- nesses, that if he would restore her eyesight she would give him a most handsome reward, but that if he did not cure her, and her malady remained, he should receive nothing. The agreement being concluded, the Physician tam- pered from time to time with the Old Lady's eyes, and meanwhile, bit by bit, carried off her goods. At length after a time he set about the task in earnest and cured her, and thereupon asked for the stipulated fee. But the Old Wo- man, on recovering her sight, saw none of her goods left in the house. When, therefore, the Physician importuned her in vain for payment, and she continually put him off with excuses, he summoned her at last before the judges. Being now called upon for her defence, she said : " What this man says is true enough ; I promised to give him his fee if my sight were restored, and nothing if my eyes contin- 102 dbe Swallow anb the ued bad. Now, then, he says that I am cured, but I say just the contrary ; for when my mal- ady first came on I could see all sorts of furni- ture and goods in niy house ; but' now, when he says he has restored my sight, I cannot see one jot of either." He who plays a trick must be prepared to take a joke. LXXVII. THE SWALLOW AND THE RAVEN. The .Swallow and the Raven contended which was the finer bird. The Raven ended by saying : " Your beauty is but for the summer, but mine will stand many winters." Durability is better than show. Ifturse and tbe Wolf FABLE; LXXVIII. THE NURSE AND THE WOLF. A Wolf, roving about in search of food, passed by a door where a child was crying and its Nurse chiding it. As he stood listen- -' J * n ing he heard the Nurse say : " Now leave off crying this instant, or I'll throw you to the Wolf." So. thinking that 104 Gbe 2>oa anfc bis faster the old woman would be as good as her word, he waited quietly about the house in expectation of a capital supper. But as it grew dark and the child became quiet, he again heard the Nurse, who was now fondling the child, say : " There 's a good dear, then ; if the naughty Wolf comes for my child we '11 beat him to death, we will." The Wolf, disap- pointed and mortified, thought it was now high time to be going home, and, hungry as a Wolf indeed, muttered as he went along : " This comes of heeding people who say one thing and mean another ! " FABLE LXXIX. THE DOG AND HIS MASTER. A certain Man was setting out on a journey, when, seeing his Dog standing at the door, he cried out to him : " What are you gaping about ? Get ready to come with me." The Dog, wag- ging his tail, said : " I am all right, Master ; it is you who have to pack up." dfoonheg and tbe SDolpbin 105 FABI.E lyXXX. THE MONKEY AND THE DOLPHIN. It was an old custom among sailors to carry about with them little Maltese Lap-dogs, or Monkeys, to amuse them on the voyage ; so it happened once upon a time that a man took with him a Monkey as a companion on board ship. While they were off Sunium, the famous promontory of Attica, the ship was caught in a violent storm, and being capsized, all on board were thrown in the water, and had to swim for land as best they could. And among them was the Monkey. A Dolphin saw him struggling, and, taking him for a man, went to his assist- ance and bore him on his back straight for shore. When they had just got opposite Piraeus, the harbor of Athens, the Dolphin asked the Monkey if he were an Athenian. "Yes," answered the Monkey, "assuredly, and of one of the first families in the place." "Then, of course, you know Piraeus," said the Dolphin. "Oh, yes," said the Monkey, who thought it was the name of some distinguished citizen, toe trbe Motf anb tbe Sbeep "he is one of my most intimate friends." Indignant at so gross a deceit and falsehood, the Dolphin dived to the bottom, and left the lying Monkey to his fate. LXXXI. THE WOLF AND THE SHEEP. A Wolf that had been bitten by a Dog, and was in a very sad case, being unable to move, called to a Sheep, that was passing by, and begged her to fetch him some water from the neighboring stream. "For if you," said he, " will bring me drink, I will find meat myself." "Yes," said the Sheep, " I make no doubt of it ; for, if I come near enough to give you the drink, you will soon make mince-meat of me." JBunDle of Sticks 107 FABI45 LXXXII. THE BUNDLE OF STICKS. A Husbandman who had a quarrelsome fami- ly, after having tried in vain to reconcile them by words, thought he might more readily pre- vail by an example. So he called his sons and bade them lay a Bundle of Sticks before him. Then having tied them into a faggot, he told the lads, one after the other, to take it up and break it. They all tried, but tried in vain. Thenun- io8 Ebe THHi&ow an> tbc Sbecp tying the faggot, he gave them the Sticks to break one by one. This they did with the great- est ease. Then said the father : " Thus you, m\ sons, as long as you remain united, are a match for all your enemies ; but differ and separate, and you are undone." Union is strength. FABLE LXXXIII. THE WIDOW AND THE SHEEP. There was a certain Widow who had an only Sheep ; and, wishing to make the most of his wool, she sheared him so closely that she cut his skin as well as his fleece. The Sheep, smarting under this treatment, cried out : " Why do you torture me thus ? Wliat will my blood add to the weight of the wool ? If you want my flesh, Dame, send for the Butcher, who will put me out of my misery at once ; but if you want my fleece, send for the Shearer, who will clip my wool without drawing my blood." Middle measures are often but middling measures. (Tbe /Bban an> tbe TLion log i/xxxrv. THE MAN AND THE) LION. Once upon a time, a Man and a Lion were journeying together, and came at length to high words which was the braver and stronger creature of the two. As the dispute waxed warmer they happened to pass by, on the road- side, a statue of a Man strangling a Lion. ' ' See there !" said the Man ; " what more undeniable proof can you have of bur superiority than /Ran bitten bB a 2>og that?" "That," said the Lion, "is your ver- sion of the story ; let us be the sculptors, and for one Lion under the feet of a Man, you shall have twenty Men under the paw of a Lion." Men are but sorry witnesses in their own cause. FABLE LXXXV. THE MAN BITTEN BY A DOG. A Man who had been bitten by a Dog was go- ing about asking who could cure him. One that met him said: "Sir, if you would be cured, take a bit of bread and dip it in the blood of the wound, and give it to the Dog that bit you. " The Man smiled, and said : "If I were to follow your advice, I should be bitten by all the dogs in the city." He who proclaims himself ready to buy up his enemies will never want a supply of them. tlbe Iborse anfc tbe Stag THE HORSE AND THE STAG. A Horse had the whole range of a meadow to himself; but a Stag coming and damaging the pasture, the Horse, anxious to have his re- venge, asked a Man if he could not assist him in punishing the Stag. "Yes," said the Man, " only let me put a bit in your mouth, and get ii2 tEbe JBir&catcber anb tbe Xarh upon your back, and I will find the weapons." The Horse agreed, and the Man mounted ac- cordingly but instead of getting his revenge, the Horse has been from that time forward the slave of Man. Revenge is too dearly purchased at the price of liberty. FABLE LXXXVII. THE BIRDCATCHER AND THE LARK. A Birdcatcher was setting springes upon a common, when a Lark, who saw him at work, asked him from a distance what he was doing. "I am establishing a colony," said he, "and laying the foundations of my first city." Upon that, the Man retired to a little distance and hid himself. The Lark, believing his assertion, soon flew down to the place, and. swallowing the bait, found himself entangled in the noose ; whereupon the Birdcatcher, straightway corning up to him, made him his prisoner. "A pretty fellow are you ! " said the Lark ; "if these are the colonies you found, you will not find many emigrants." tlbe .flMscbtevous H>O(} 113 LXXXVIII. THE MISCHIEVOUS DOG. There was a Dog so wild and mischievous that his master was obliged to fasten a heavy clog around his neck, to prevent him biting and worrying his neighbors. The Dog, priding himself upon his badge, paraded in the market- place, shaking his clog to attract attention. But a sly friend whispered to him : " The less noise you make, the better ; your mark of dis- ii4 ftbe ^Travellers anb tbe flMane=ree tinction is no reward of merit, but a badge of disgrace ! " Men often mistake notoriety for fame, and would rather be remarked for their vices or fol- lies than not be noticed at all. FABLE LXXXIX. THE TRAVELLERS AND THE PLANE- TREE. Some Travellers, on a hot day in summer, op- pressed with the noontide sun, perceiving a Plane-Tree near at hand, made straight for it, and throwing themselves on the ground, rested under its shade. Looking up, as they lay, towards the Tree, they said one to another : "What a useless Tree to a man is this barren. Plane ! " But the Plane-Tree answered them : " Ungrateful creatures ! at the very moment that you are enjoying benefit from me you rail at me as being good for nothing." Ingratitude is as blind as it is base. tberDsman anD tbe Xost J3uII XC. THE HERDSMAN AND THE LOST BULL. A Herdsman, who had lost a Bull, went roam- ing through the forest in search of it. Being unable to find it, he began to vow to all the Nymphs of the forest and the mountain, to Mercury and to Pan, that he would offer up a ii6 Cbe IDipcr an> tbe tfilc lamb to them if he could only discover the thief. At that moment, gaining a high ridge of ground, he sees a Lion standing over the car- case of his beautiful Bull. And now tbe un happy man vows the Bull into the barg in, if he may only escape from the thief's clutc aes. Were our ill-judged prayers to be ilways granted, how many would be ruined a i their own request ! I FABI.E XCI. THE VIPER AND THE FILE. A Viper entering into a smith's shop began looking about for something to eat. At length, seeing a File, he went up to it and com- menced biting at it ; but the File bade him leave him alone, saying : "You are likely to get little from me, whose business it is to bite others. " tlbe tbe oats FABLE XCVIII. THE GOATHERD AND THE GOATS. It was a stormy day, and the snow was falling fast, when a Goatherd drove his Goats, all white with snow, into a desert cave for shelter. There he found that a herd of Wild Goats, more numerous and larger than his own, had already taken possession. So, thinking to secure them all, he left his own Goats to take care of them- selves, and threw the branches which he had brought for them to the Wild Goats to browse on. But when the weather cleared up, he found his own Goats had perished from hunger, while the Wild Goats were off and away to the hills and woods. So the Goatherd returned a laugh- ing-stock to his neighbors, having failed to gain the Wild Goats, and having lost his own. They who neglect their old friends for the sake of new, are rightly served if they lose both. Cbe Countrg 125 V THE COUNTRY MAID AND HER MILK- CAN. A Country Maid was walking along with a Can of Milk upon her head, when she fell into the following train of reflections : " The money for which I shall sell this Milk will en- able me to increase my stock of eggs to three hundred. These eggs, allowing for what may prove addle and what may be destroyed by vermin, will produce, at least two hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will be fit to carry to market just at the time when poultry is always dear ; so that by the new-year I cannot 126 tTbc Country fail of having money enough to purchase a new gown. Green let me consider yes, green be- comes my complexion best, and green it shall be. In this dress I will go to the fair, where all the young fellows will strive to have me for a part- ner ; but no, I shall refuse every one of them, and with a disdainful toss turn from them." Transported with this idea, she could not forbear acting with her head the thought that thus passed in her mind ; when, down came the Can of Milk! and all her imaginary happiness vanished in a moment. JBeeves anD tbe JSutcbers 127 FABLE C. THE BEEVES AND THE BUTCHERS. The Beeves, once on a time, determined to make an end of the Butchers, whose whole art, they said was conceived for their destruction. So they assembled together, and had already whetted their horns for the contest, when a very old Ox, who had Ion;; worked at the plough, thus addressed them : " Have a care, my friends, what you do. These men at least kill us with decency and skill, but if we fall into the hands of Botchers instead of Butchers, we shall suffer a double death ; for be well as- sured, men will not go without beef, even though they were without Butchers." Better to bear the ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of. 128 Gbe Cbief an& bis /Ifcotber FABI/R CI. THE THIEF AND HIS MOTHER. A Schoolboy stole a horn-book from one of his schoolfellows, and brought it home to his Mother. Instead of chastising him, she rather encouraged him in the deed. In course of time tlbe Sbief and bis /iBotbcr 120 the Boy, now grown into a man, began to steal things of greater value, till at length, being caught in the very act, he was bound and led to execution. Perceiving his Mother following among the crowd, wailing and beating her breast, he begged the officers to be allowed, to speak one word in her ear. When she quickly drew near and applied her ear to her son's mouth, he seized the lobe of it tightly between his teeth and bit it off. Upon this she cried out lustily, and the crowd joined her in upbraiding the unnatural son, as if his former evil ways had not been enough, but that his last act must be a deed of impiety against his Mother. But he replied : " It is she who is the cause of my ruin ; for if when I stole my schoolfellow's horn-book and brought it to her, she had given me a sound flogging, I should never have so grown in wickedness as to come to this un- timely end." Nip evil in the bud. Spare the rod and spoil the child. 130 Cat anD tbc dfcice FABLE CII. THE CAT AND THE MICE. A Cat, grown feeble with age, and no longei able to hunt the Mice as she was wont to do, bethought h e r s e 1 1 how she might en- tice them within reach of her paw. Thinking that she might pass herself off for a bag, or for a dead cat at least, she suspended her- self by the hind legs from a peg, in the hope that the Mice would no longer be afraid to come near her. An old Mouse, who was wise enough to keep his distance, whispered to a friend: "Many a "bag have I seen in my day, but never one with a cat's ttbc Marriage of tbe Sun 131 head." "Hang there, good Madam," said the other, " as long as you please, but I would not trust myself within reach of ypu though you were stuffed with straw." Old birds are not to be caught with chaff. FABIE cm. THE MARRIAGE OP THE SUN. Once upon a time, in a very warm summer, il was currently reported that the Sun was going to be married. All the birds and the beasts were delighted at the thought ; and the Frogs, above all others, were determined to have a good holiday. But an old Toad put a stop to their festivities by observing that it was an oc- casion for sorrow rather than for joy. "For if," said he, "the Sun of himself now parches tip the marshes so that we can hardly bear it, what will become of us if he should have half a dozen little Suns in addition? " 132 Gbe fiagle anfc tbe Brrow crv. THE GNAT AND THE BULL. A Gnat that had been buzzing about the head of a Bull, at length settling himself down upon his horn, begged his pardon for incommoding him ; " but if," says he, " my weight at all in- conveniences you, pray say so, and I will be off in a moment." "Oh, never trouble your head about that," says the Bull, " for 't is all one to me whether you go or stay ; and, to say the truth, I did not know you were there." The smaller the mind the greater the conceit. CV. THE EAGLE AND THE ARROW. A Bowman took aim at an Eagle and hit him in the heart. As the Eagle turned his head in the agonies of death, he saw that the Arrow was winged with his own feathers. " How much sharper," said he, " are the wounds made by weapons which we ourselves have supplied ! " Bog in tbe flbanger 133 CVT. THE DOG IN THE MANGER. A Dog made Ms bed in a Manger, and lay snarling and growling to keep the horses from their provender. ' ' See, ' ' said one of them, ' ' what a miserable cur ! who neither can eat corn himself, nor will allow those to eat it who can." 134 tTbe tfoice in Council FABLE cvrr. THE MICE IN COUNCIL. Once upon a time the Mice being sadly dis- tressed by the persecution of the Cat, resolved to call a meeting, to decide upon the best means of getting rid of this continual annoyance. Many plans were discussed and rejected ; at last a young Mouse got up and proposed that a Bell should be hung round the Cat's neck, that they might for the future always have notice of her coming, and so be able to escape. This proposition was hailed with the greatest ap- plause, and was agreed to at once unanimously. Upon which an old Mouse, who had sat silent all the while, got up and said that he considered the contrivance most ingenious, and that it would, no doubt, be quite successful ; but he had only one short question to put, namely, which of them it was who would Bell the Cat ? It is one thing to propose, another to execute. ILion, tbe JBear, anD tbc jfoj 135 cvrri. THE LION, THE BEAR, AND THE FOX. A Lion and a Bear found the carcase of a Fawn, and had a long fight for it. The contest was so hard and even, that, at last, both of them, half-blinded and half-dead, lay panting on the ground, without strength to touch the prize that was stretched between them. A Fox coming by at the time, and seeing their helpless condition, stepped in between the combatants and carried off the booty. "Poor creatures that we are," cried they, "who have been ex- 136 be ffor an) tbe hausting all our strength and injuring one an- other, merely to give a rogue a dinner ! " cix. THE FOX AND THE HEDGEHOG. A Fox, while crossing over a river, was driven by the stream into a narrow gorge, and lay there for a long time unable to get out, covered with myriads of horse-flies that had fastened themselves upon him. A Hedgehog, who was wandering in that direction, saw him, and, tak- ing compassion on him, asked him if he should drive away the flies that were so tormenting him. But the Fox begged him to do nothing of the sort. " Why not ? " asked the Hedgehog. "Because," replied the Fox, "these flies that are upon me now, are already full, and draw but little blood, but should you remove them, a swarm of fresh and hungry ones will come, who will not leave a drop of blood in my body." When we throw off rulers or dependants, who have already made the most of us, we do but, for the most part, lay ourselves open to others who will make us bleed yet more freely. Sbe (Boose witb tbe (Boloen JEgcjs 137 FABLE CX. THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLDEN EGGS. A certain man had the good fortune to pos- sess a Goose that laid him a Golden Egg every day. But dissatisfied with so slow an income, and thinking to seize the whole treasure at once, he killed the Goose ; and cutting her open, found her just what any other goose would be ! Much wants more and loses all. FABI,E CXI. THB LION AND THE DOLPHIN. A Lion was roaming on the sea-shore when, seeing a Dolphin basking on the surface of the water, he invited him to form an alliance with him, "for," said he, "as I am the king of beasts, and you are the king of the fishes, we ought to be the greatest friends and allies pos- sible." The Dolphin gladly assented ; and the Lion, not long after, having a fight with a wild bull, called upon the Dolphin for his promised support. But when he, though ready to assist him, found himself unable to come out of the sea for the purpose, the Lion accused him of having betrayed him. "Do not blame me," said the Dolphin in reply, "but blame my na- ture which, however powerful at sea, is alto- gether helpless on land." In choosing allies we must look to their power as well as their will to aid us. Cbe (Trumpeter taken prisoner 139 FABI.E; cxn. THE TRUMPETER TAKEN PRISONER. A Trumpeter being taken prisoner in a battle, begged hard for quarter. ' ' Spare me, good sirs, llbeseech you," said he, "and put me not to death without cause, for I have killed no one myself, nor have I any arms but this trumpet only." "For that very reason," said they who had seized him, ' ' shall you the sooner die, for without the spirit to fight yourself, you stir up others to warfare and bloodshed," 140 ftbe /Ifoountebanfc an> tbc Countryman He who incites to strife is worse than he who takes part in it. FABI,E CXIII. THE MOUNTEBANK AND THE COUNTRY- MAN. A certain wealthy patrician, intending to treat the Roman people with some theatrical enter- tainment, publicly offered a reward to any one who would produce a novel spectacle. Incited by emulation, artists arrived from all parts to contest the prize, among whom a well-known witty Mountebank gave out that he had a new kind of entertainment that had never yet been produced on any stage. This report being spread abroad, brought the whole city together. The theatre could hardly contain the numtJfer of spectators. And when the artist appeared alone upon the stage, without any apparatus or any assistants, curiosity and suspense kept the spectators in profound silence. On a sudden he thrust down his head into his bosom, and mimicked the squeaking of a young pig so nat- dfcountebanfc anD tbe Countryman urally that the audience insisted upon it that he had one under his cloak, and ordered him to be searched, which, being done and nothing ap- pearing, they loaded him with the most extrav- agant applause. A Countryman among the audience observ- ing what passed " Oh ! " says he, "I can do better than this" ; and immediately gave out that he would perform the next day. Accord- ingly, on the morrow, a yet greater crowd was collected. Prepossessed, however, in favor of the Mountebank, they came rather to laugh at the Countryman than to pass a fair judgment on him. They both came out upon the stage. The Mountebank grunts away at first, and calls forth the greatest clapping and applause. Then the Countryman, pretending that he concealed a little pig under his garments (and he had, in fact, really got one) pinched its ear till he made it squeak. The people cried out that the Mountebank had imitated the pig much more naturally, and hooted to the Countryman to quit the stage ; but he, to convict them to their face, produced the real pig from his bosom. 142 Gbe Ibunter and tbe ffisberman "And now, gentlemen, you may see," said he, "what a pretty sort of judges you are ! " I It is easier to convince a man against his senses than against his will. FABLE CXIV. THE HUNTER AND THE FISHERMAN. A Hunter was returning from the mountains loaded with game, and a Fisherman was at the same time coming home with his creel full of fish, when they chanced to meet by the way. The Hunter took a fancy to a dish of fish : the Fisher preferred a supper of game. So each gave to the other the contents of his own bas- ket. And thus they continued daily to ex- change provisions, till one who had observed them said: "Now, by this invariable inter- change, will they destroy the zest of their meal ; and each will soon wish to return to his own store again." Gbe S>oa invited to Supper FABLE CXV. THE DQG INVITED TO SUPPER. 143 A Gentleman, having pre- Sw pared a great feast, invited a r : ; ; Friend to supper ; and the i. Gentleman's Dog, meeting the Friend's Dog, "Come," said he, "my good fellow, and sup with us to-night." The Dog \vas delighted with the invitation, and as he M4 be S>og invited to Supper stood by and saw the preparations for the feast, said to himself, " Capital fare indeed ! this is, in truth, good luck. I shall revel in dainties, and I will take good care to lay in an ample stock to-night, for I may have nothing to eat to-morrow." As he said this to himself, he wagged his tail, and gave a sly look at his friend who had invited him. But his tail wagging to and fro caught the cook's eye, who seeing a stranger, straightway seized him by the legs, and threw him out of the window. When he reached the ground, he set off yelping down the street ; upon which the neighbors' Dogs ran up to him, and asked him how he liked his supper. "I" faith," said he, with a sorry smile, " I hardly know, for we drank so deep that I can't even tell you which way I got out of the house." They who enter by the back stairs may ex- pect to be shown out at the window. Cbe tfcosa asking for a 1kin0 145 Y FABLE CXVI. THE FROGS ASKING FOR A KING. N 'j In the days of old, when the Frogs were all at liberty in the lakes, and had grown weary of following svery one his own devices, they assembled one day together, and with no little clamor petitioned Jupiter to let them have a King to keep them in better order, and make them lead honester lives. Jupiter, knowing the vanity of their hearts, smiled at their request and threw down a L,og into the lake, which by the splash and commotion it made, set the whole commonwealth into the greatest terror and amazement. They rushed under the water and into the mud, and dared not come within ten leaps 1 length of the spot where it lay. At length one Frog bolder than the rest ventured to pop his head above the water, and take a survey of their new King at a respectful dis- tance. Presently, when they perceived the Log lie stock-still, others began to swim up to it and around it, till by degrees, growing bolder and bolder, they at last leaped upon it, and treated it with the greatest contempt. Dissat- isfied with so tame a ruler, they forthwith pe- titioned Jupiter a second time for another and more active King ; upon which he sent them a Stork, who no sooner arrived among them than he began laying hold of them and devouring them one by one as fast as lie could, and it was in vain that they endeavored to escape him. Then they sent Mercury with a private message to Jupiter, beseeching him that he would take pity on them once more ; but Jupiter replied, that they were only suffering the punishment due to their folly, and that another time they would learn to let well alone, and not be dis- satisfied with their natural condition. cxvu. THE FIR-TREE AND THE BRAMBLE. A Fir-tree was one day boasting itself to a Bramble. ' ' You are of no use at all ; but how could barns and houses be built without me ? " ''Good sir," said the Bramble, "when the woodmen come here with their axes and saws, what would you give to be a Bramble, and not a Fir?" A humble lot in security is better than the dangers that encompass the high and haughty. us Cbe Xarfc an> ber Doling nes FABLE CXVIII. THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES. There was a brood of Young Larks in a field of corn which was just ripe, and the mother, looking every day for the reapers, left word whenever she went out in search of food that her Young Ones should report to her all the news they heard. One day, while she was ab- sent, the master came to look at the state of the crop. " It is full time," said he, " to call iu all Gbe Xarfc an> ber. HJoung Ones 149 my neighbors and get my corn reaped." When the Old Lark came home the Young Ones told their mother what they had heard, and begged her to remove them forthwith. " Time enough," said she ; " if he trusts to his neigh- bors, he will have to wait awhile yet for his harvest." Next day, however, the owner came again, and finding the sun still hotter and the corn more ripe, and nothing done, " There is not a moment to be lost," said he ; " we cannot depend upon our neighbors ; we must call in our relations" ; and turning to his son, "Go, call your uncles and cousins, and see that they begin to-morrow." In still greater fear, the Young Ones repeated to their mother the farm- er's words. "If that be all," says she, "do not be frightened, for the relations have got harvest work of their own ; but take particular notice what you hear the next time, and be sure you let me know." She went abroad the next day, and the owner coming as before, and finding the grain falling to the ground from overripeness, and still no one at work, called to his son. " We must wait for our neighbors tfisberman and friends no longer; do you go and hire some reapers to-night, and we will set to work ourselves to-morrow." When the Young Ones told their mother this, " Then," said she, "it is time to be off, indeed ; for when a man takes up his business himself, instead of leaving it to others, you may be sure that he means to set to work in earnest." CXIX. THE FISHERMAN. A Fisherman went to a river to fish ; and when he had laid his nets across the stream, he tied a stone to a long cord, and beat the water on either side of the net, to drive the fish into the meshes. One of the neighbors that lived thereabout seeing him thus employed, went up to him and blamed him exceedingly for disturb- ing the water, and making it so muddy as to be unfit to drink. " I am sorry," said the Fisher- man, " that this does not please you, but it is by thus troubling the waters that I gain my living." tbe Camel 159 FABLE CXXVII. THE ARAB AND THE CAMEL. An Arab having loaded his Camel, asked him whether he preferred to go up hill or down hill. l< Pray, Master," said the Camel, dryly, " is the straight way across the plain shut up? " 160 Cbe Wolf anD tbe SbepberD FABLE CXXVIII. THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERD. A Wolf had long hung about a flock of sheep, and had done them no harm. The Shepherd, however, had his suspicions, and for a while was always on the lookout against him as an avowed enemy. But when the Wolf continued for a long time following in the train of his flock without the least attempt to annoy them, he began to look upon him more as a friend than a foe ; and having one day occasion to go into the city, he entrusted the sheep to his care. The Wolf no sooner saw his opportunity than he forthwith fell upon the sheep and wor- ried them ; and the Shepherd, on his return, seeing his flock destroyed, exclaimed : " Fool that 1 am ! yet I deserved no less for trusting my Sheep with a Wolf! " There is more danger from a pretended friend than from an open enemy. cxxix. . THE TRAVELLERS AND THE HATCHET. Two Men were travelling along the same road, when one of them, picking up a Hatchet, cries: "See what I have found!" "Do not say /," says the other, "but WE have found." After a while, up came the men who had lost the Hatchet, and charged the man who had it with the theft. " Alas," says he to his compan- ion, "we are undone!" "Do not say WE," replies the other, "but / am undone; for he 162 Cbe ass, tbc ffoj, an& tbe Xfon that will not allow his friend to share the prize must not expect him to share the danger." FABLE cxxx. THE ASS, THE FOX, AND THE LION. An Ass and a Fox having made a compact al- liance, went out into the fields to hunt. They met a Lion on the way. The Fox seeing the impending danger, made up to the Lion, and whispered that he would betray the Ass into his power, if he would promise to bear him harm- less. The Lion having agreed to do so, the Fox contrived to lead the Ass into a suare. The Lion no sooner saw the Ass secured tLtm he fell at once upon the Fox, reserving the other for his next meal. JBees, tbe Drones. an> tbe Idasp 163 FABLE CXXXI. THE BEES, THE DRONES, AND THE WASP. Some Bees had built their comb in the hollow trunk of an oak. The Drones asserted that it was their doing, and belonged to them. The cause was brought into court before Judge Wasp. Knowing something of the parties, he thus addressed them: "The plaintiffs and de- fendants are so much alike in shape and color as to render the ownership a doubtful matter, and the case has very properly been brought before me. The ends of justice, and the object of the court, will best be furthered by the plan which I propose. Let each party take a hive to itself, and build up a new comb, that from the shape of the cells and the taste of the honey the lawful proprietors of the property in dispute may appear." The Bees readily assented to the Wasp's plan. The Drones declined it. Where- upon the Wasp gave judgment : "It is clear now who made the comb, and who cannot make it ; the Court adjudges the honey to the Bees," 164 Gbe Xiou an> Sss f>untin0 CXXXH. THE LION AND ASS HUNTING. A Lion and an Ass made an agreement to go out hunting together. By and bye they came to a cave, where many wild goats abode. The Lion took up his station at the mouth of the 'cave, and the Ass, going within, kicked and brayed and made a mighty fuss to frighten them out. When the Lion had caught very many of them, the Ass came out and asked him if he had not made a noble fight, and routed the goats properly. " Yes, indeed, " said the Lion ; "and I assure you you would have frightened me too, if I had not known you to be an Ass." When braggarts are admitted into the com- pany of their betters, it is only to be made use of and be laughed at, Bss and bis Driver 165 cxxxui. THE ASS AND HIS DRIVER. An Ass that was being driven along the road by his Mas- ter, started on ahead and leaving the beaten track, made as fast as he could for the edge of a precipice. When he was just on the point of falling over, his Master ran up, and, seizing him by the tail, endeavored to pull him back ; but the Ass resisting and pulling the contrary way, the man let go hiS hold, saying : "Well, Jack, if you will be master, I cannot help it. A wilful beast must go his own way." 166 tlbe tfoicc an> tbe IJGleasels FABLE CXXXIV. THE MICE AND THE WEASELS. The Mice and the Weasels had long been at war with each other, and the Mice being always worsted in battle, at length agreed at a meeting, solemnly called for the occasion, that their de- feat was attributable to nothing but their want of discipline, and they determined accordingly to elect regular Commanders for the time to come. So they chose those whose valor and prowess most recommended them to the im- portant post. The new Commanders, proud of their position, and desirous of being as con- spicuous as possible, bound horns upon their foreheads as a sort of crest and mark of distinc- tion. Not long after a battle ensued. The Mice, as before, were soon put to flight ; the common herd escaped into their holes ; but the Commanders, not being able to get in from the length of their horns, were every one caught and devoured. There is no distinction without its accom- panying danger. tbe dfcasfc 169 FABLE CXXXV1I. THE FOX AND THE MASK. A Fox had stolen into the house of an actor, and in rummaging among his various properties, laid hold of a highly-finished Mask. " A fine- looking head, indeed ! " cried he ; " what a pity it is that it wants brains ! " A fair outside is but a poor substitute for in- ward worth. t7o Gbc dfatber and bis C\vo Baugbtcrs FABI,:E CXXXVIII. THE FATHER AND HIS TWO DAUGHTERS. A Man who had Two Daughters married one to a Gardener, the other to a Potter. After awhile he paid a visit to the Gardener's, and asked his Daughter how she was, and how it fared with her. " Excellently well," said she ; "we have every thing that we want ; I have but one prayer, that we may have a heavy storm of rain to water our plants." Off he set to the Potter's, and asked his other Daughter how matters went with her. " There is not a thing we want," she replied; "and I only hope this fine weather and hot sun may continue, to bake our tiles." "Alack," said the Father, "if you wish for fine weather, and your sister for rain, which am I to pray for myself ? " Cbe Iborse an& tbe Xoafcefc Bss 171 FABI,E CXXXIX. THE HORSE AND THE LOADED ASS. A Man who kept a Horse and an Ass was wont in his journeys to spare the Horse, and put all the burden upon .the Ass's back. The Ass ; who had been some while ailing, besought the Horse one day to relieve him of part of his load ; "Foi if,"saidhe, "you would take a fair portion, I shall soon get well again ; but if you refuse to help me, this weight will kill me." The Horse, Dorse anD tbe Hoafcefc however, bade the Ass get on, and not trouble him with his complaints. The Ass jogged on in silence, but presently, overcome with the weight of his burden, dropped down dead, as he had foretold. Upon this, the master coming up, unloosed the load from the dead Ass, and put- ting it upon the Horse's back, made him carry the Ass's carcase in addition. " Alas, for my ill nature ! " said the Horse ; "by refusing to bear my just portion of the load, I have now to carry the whole of it, with a dead weight into the bargain." A disobliging temper carries its own punish ment along with it. Cbe Sicfc Xion 173 CXI,. THE SICK LION. A Lion, no longer able, from the weakness of old age, to hunt for his prey, laid himself up in his den, and, breathing with great difficulty, and speaking with a low voice, gave out that he was very ill indeed. The report soon spread among the beasts, and there was great lamen- tation for the Sick Lion. One after the othei came to see him ; but, catching them thus alone, and in his own den, the Lion made an easy prey of them, and grew fat upon his diet. The Fox, suspecting the truth of the matter, came at length to make his visit of inquiry, and stand- ing at some distance, asked his Majesty how he did? "Ah, my dearest friend," said the Lion, " is it you ? Why do you stand so far from me ? Come, sweet friend, and pour a word of conso- lation in the poor Lion's ear, who has but a short time to live." " Bless you! " said the Fox, " but excuse me if I cannot stay ; for, to tell the truth, I feel quite uneasy at the mark of the footsteps that I see here, all pointing 174 be ^farmer anD tbe Cranes towards your den, and none returning out- wards." Affairs are easier of entrance than of exit ; and it is but common prudence to see our way out before we venture in. FABLE CXU. THE FARMER AND THE CRANES. Some Cranes settled down in a Farmer's field that was newly sown. For some time the Far- mer frightened them away by brandishing an empty sling a.t them. But when the Cranes found that he was only slinging to the winds, they no longer minded him, nor flew away. Upon this the Farmer slung at them with stones, and killed a great part of them. " Let us be off," said the rest, " to the land of the Pygmies, for this man means to threaten us no longer^ but is determined to get rid of us in earnest." FABI.E CXUI. THE EAGLE AND THE JACKDAW. An Eagle made a swoop from a high rock, and carried off a lamb. A Jackdaw, who saw the exploit, thinking that he could do the like, bore down with all the force he could muster upon a ram, intending to bear him off as a prize. But his claws becoming entangled in the wool, he made such a fluttering in his efforts to escape, that the Shepherd, seeing through the whole matter, came up and caught 176 tTbe GbirstE pigeon him, and having clipped his wings, carried him home to his children at nightfall. " What bird is this, father, that you have brought us ? " ex- claimed the children. " Why," said he, " if you ask himself, he will tell you that he is an Eagle ; but if you will take my word for it, I know him to be but a Jackdaw." FABi,E cxun. THE THIRSTY PIGEON. A Pigeon severely pressed by thirst, seeing a glass of water painted upon a sign, supposed it to be real ; so dashing down at it with all her might, she struck against the board, and, break- ing her wing, fell helpless to the ground, where she was quickly captured by one of the passers- by. Great haste is not always good speed. tlbe Ibcifer and tbe 177 CXIJV. THE HEIFER AND THE OX. A Heifer that ran wild in the fields, and had never felt the yoke, upbraided an Ox at plough for submitting to such labor and drudgery. Ifcmgbt The Ox said nothing, but went on with his work. Not long after, there was a great festival. The Ox got his holiday ; but the Heifer was led off to be sacrificed at the altar. " If this be the end of your idleness," said the Ox, " I think that ray work is better than your play. I had rather my neck felt the'yoke than the axe." FABI.E CXLV. THE BALD KNIGHT. A certain Knight growing old, his hair fell off, and he became bald ; to hide which imper- fection, he wore a periwig. But as he was riding out with some others a-huntiug, a sudden gust of wind blew off the periwig, and exposed'his bald pate. The company could not forbear laughing at the accident ; and he himself laughed as loud as anybody, saying: "How was it to be expected that I should keep strange hair upon my head, when my own would not stay there ? " ffoj an> tbe Stock 179 FABLE CXLVI. THE FOX AND THE STORK. A Fox one day invited a Stork to dinner, and being disposed to divert himself at the expense of his guest, provided nothing for the enter- tainment but some thin soup in a shallow dish. This the Fox lapped up very readily, while the Stork, unable to gain a mouthful with her long narrow bill, was as hungry at the end of dinner as when she began. The Fox mean- while professed his regret at seeing her eat so sparingly, and feared that the dish was not seasoned to her mind. The Stork said little, but begged that the Fox would do her the i8o tlbe falconer an> tbe partrt&qe honor of returning her visit ; and accordingly he agreed to dine with her on the following day. He arrived true to his appointment, and the dinner was ordered forthwith ; but when it was served up, he found to his dismay that it was contained in a narrow-necked vessel, down which the Stork readily thrust her long neck and bill, while he was obliged to content him- self with licking the neck of the jar. Unable to satisfy his hunger, he retired with as good a grace as he could, observing that he could hardly find fault with his entertainer, who had only paid him back in his own coin. CXI,VII. THE FALCONER AND THE PARTRIDGE. A Falconer having taken a Partridge in his net, the bird cried out sorrowfully : "Let me go good Master Falconer, and I promise you I will decoy other Partridges into your net." "No," said the man, "whatever I might have done, I am determined now not to spare you ; for there is no death too bad for him who is ready to betray his friends." JBull anD tbe Goat 181 THE BULL AND THE GOAT. A Bull being pursued by a Lion, fled into a cave where a Wild Goat had taken up its abode. The Goat upon this began molesting him and butting him with his horns. " Don't suppose," said the Bull, " If I suffer this now, that it is you I am afraid of. Let the Lion be once out of sight, and I will soon show you the difference between a Bull and a Goat." 1)U6ban>man an& tbe Sea Mean people take advantage of their neigh- bors' difficulties to annoy them ; but the time will come when they will repent them of their insolence. FABLE THE HUSBANDMAN AND THE SEA. A Husbandman seeing a ship full of sailors tossed about up and down upon the billows, cried out : " O Sea ! deceitful and pitiless ele- ment, that destroyest all who venture upon thee ! " The Sea heard him, and assuming a woman's voice replied : " Do not reproach me ; I am not the cause of this disturbance, but the Winds, that when they fall upon ine will give no repose. But should you sail over me when they are away, you will say that I am milder and more tractable than your own mother earth," 3ackass in tftce 183 ci,. THE JACKASS IN OFFICE- An Ass carrying an Image in a religious procession, was driv- en through, a town, and all the people who passed by made a low reverence. Upon this the Ass, supposing that they intend- ed this worship for himself, was mightily puffed up, and would not budge another step. But the 1 84 tTbe Bother and tbe Sbeep driver soon laid the stick across his back, saying at the same time : "You silly dolt ! it is not you that they reverence, but the Image which you carry." Fools take to themselves the respect that is given to their office. FABI/E CLI. THE PORKER AND THE SHEEP. A young Porker took up his quarters in a fold of Sheep. One day the Shepherd laid hold on him, when he squeaked and struggled with all his might and main. The Sheep reproached him for crying out, and said: "The master often lays hold of us, and we do not cry." "Yes," replied he, "but our case is not the same ; for he catches you for the sake of your wool, but me for my fry." anD tbe jftlberts 185 FABLE CLH. THE HOUND AND THE HARE. A Hound after long chasing a Hare at length came up to her, and kept first biting and then licking her. The Hare, not knowing what to make of him, said : " If you are a friend, why do you bite me ? but if a foe, why caress me ? A doubtful friend is worse than a certain ene- my; let a man be one thing or the other, and we then know how to meet him. FABLE CLIII. THE BOY AND THE FILBERTS. A certain Boy put his hand into a pitcher where great plenty of Figs and Filberts were deposited ; he grasped as many as his fist could possibly hold, but when he endeavored to pull it out, the narrowness of the neck prevented him. Unwilling to lose any of them, but un- iS6 tTbe IRiD an& tbe able to draw out his hand, he burst into. tears, and bitterly bemoaned his hard fortune. An honest fellow who stood by, gave him this wise and reasonable advice: "Grasp only half the quantity, my boy, and you will easily succeed." FABI.E ci,rv. THE KID AND THE WOLF. A Kid that had strayed from the herd was pursued by a Wolf. When she saw all other hope of escape cut off, she turned round to the Wolf, and said : "I must allow indeed that I am your victim, but as my life is now but short, let it be a merry one. Do you pipe for awhile, and I will dance." While the Wolf was piping and the Kid was dancing, the Dogs hearing the music ran up to see what was going on, and the Wolf was glad to take himself off as fast as his legs would carry him. He who steps out of his way to play the fool, must not wonder if he misses the prize. tlbe 187 FABI.E; ci tbe Xion you will never come out till you reduce your- self to the same condition as when you en- tered." ci/xn. THE FARMER AND THE LION. A Lion entered one day into a farm-yard, and the Farmer, wishing to catch him, shut the gate. When the Lion found that he could not get out, he began at once to attack the sheep, and then betook himself to the oxen. So the Farmer, afraid for himself, now opened the gate, and the Lion made off as fast as he could. His wife, who had observed it all, when she saw her husband in great trouble at the loss of his cattle, cried out : "You are rightly served ; for what could have made you so mad as to wish to detain a creature, whom, if you saw at a dis- tance, you would wish further off." Better scare a thief than snare him. ftbe Cbarger anb tbe 195 GI.XIII. THE CHARGER AND THE ASS. A Charger adorned with his fine trappings came thundering along the road, exciting the envy of a poor Ass who was trudging along the same way with a heavy load upon his back. " Get out of my road ! " said the proud Horse, " or I shall trample you under my feet." The Ass said nothing, but quietly moved on one side to let the Horse pass. Not long afterwards the Charger was engaged in the wars, and being badly wounded in battle was rendered unfit for igfi Gbe JDrasier an& bis Bog military service, and sent to work upon a farm. When the Ass saw him dragging with great labor a heavy wagon, he understood how little reason he had had to envy one who, by his overbearing spirit in the time of his prosperity, had lost those friends who might have suc- cored him in time of need. FABLE ci,xiv. THE BRAZIER AND HIS DOG. There was a certain Brazier who had a little Dog. While he hammered away at his metal, the Dog slept ; but whenever he sat down to his dinner the dog woke up. "Sluggard cur!" said the Brazier, throwing him a bone; "you sleep through the noise of the anvil, but wake up at the first clatter of my teeth." Men are awake enough to their own interests, who turn a deaf ear to their friends' distress. Denus anO tbe Cat 197 ci,xv. VENUS AND THB CAT. A Cat having fallen in love with a young man, besought Venus to change her into a girl, in the hope of gaining his affections. The Goddess, taking compassion on her weakness, metamorphosed her into a fair damsel ; and the young man, enamoured of her beauty, led her home as his bride. As they were sitting in IgS their chamber, Venus, wishing to know whether in changing her form she had also changed her nature, set down a Mouse before her. The Girl, forgetful of her new condition, started from her seat, and pounced upon the Mouse as if she would have eaten it on the spot ; where- upon the Goddess, provoked at her frivolity, straightway turned her into a Cat again. What is bred in the bone, will never out of the flesh. FABLE CLXVL THE WOLF AND THE LION. One day a Wolf had seized a sheep from a fold, and was carrying it home to its own den, when he met a Lion, who straightway laid hold of the sheep and bore it away. The Wolf, standing at a distance, cried out that it was a great shame, and that the Lion had robbed him of his own. The Lion laughed, and said : "I suppose, then, that it was your good friend the shepherd who gave it to you." reat an> tbe Xittlc jftsbes 199 FABI/E CI,XVri. THE GREAT AND THE LITTLE FISHES. A Fisherman was drawing up a net which he had cast into the sea, full of all sorts of fish. The Little Fish escaped through the meshes of the net, and got back into the deep, but the Great Fish were all caught and hauled into the ship. Our insignificance is often the cause of our safety. Idolf anD tbe (Boat FABI,E CLXVIII. THE BOYS AND THE FROGS. A troop of Boys were playing at the edge of a pond, when perceiving a number of Frogs in the water, they began to pelt them with stones. They had already killed many of the poor crea- tures, when one more hardy than the rest put- ting his head above the water, cried out to them : "Stop your cruel sport, my lads ; consider, what is Play to you is Death to us." CI,XIX. THE WOLF AND THE GOAT. A Wolf seeing a Goat feeding on the brow of a high precipice where he could not come at her, besought her to come down lower, for fear she should miss her footing at that dizzy height ; "and moreover," said he, "the grass is far sweeter and more abundant here below." But the Goat replied : " Excuse me ; it is not for my dinner that you invite me, but for your own." Bss, tbe Coch, an> tbe Xlon 201 CLXX. THE ASS, THE COCK, AND THE WON. An Ass and a Cock lived in a farm-yard to- gether. One day a hungry Lion passing by and seeing the Ass in good condition, resolved to make a meal of him. Now, they say that there is nothing a Lion hates so much as the crowing of a Cock ; and at that moment the Cock hap- pening to crow, the Lion straightway made off with all haste from the spot. The Ass, mightily amused to think that a Lion should be frightened at a bird, plucked up courage and galloped after 202 him, delighted with the notion of driving the king of beasts before him. He had, however, gone no great distance, when the Lion turned sharply round upon him, and made an end of him in a trice. Presumption begins in ignorance and ends in ruin. CLXXI. THE RIVERS AND THE SEA. Once upon a time the Rivers combined against the Sea, and going in a body, accused her, saying : " Why is it that when we Rivers pour our waters into you so fresh and sweet, you straightway render them salt and unpalat- able ? " The Sea, observingthe temper in which they came, merely answered : "If you do not wish to become salt, please to keep away from me altogether." Those who are most benefited are often the first to complain. Bs0 Carrying Salt 203 FABLE c^xxn. THE ASS CARRYING SALT. A certain Huckster who kept an Ass, hearing that Salt was to be had cheap at the sea-side, drove down his Ass thither to buy some. Hav- ing loaded the beast as much as he could bear, he was driving him home, when, as they were passing a slippery ledge of rock, the Ass fell into the stream below, and the Salt being melted, the Ass was relieved of his burden, and having gained the bank with ease, pursued his journey onward, light in body and in spirit. The Huckster soon afterwards set off for the sea-shore for some more Salt, and loaded the Ass, if possible, yet more heavily than before. On their return, as they crossed the stream into which he had formerly fallen, the Ass fell down on purpose, and by the dissolving of the Salt, was again released from his load. The Master, provoked at the loss, and thinking how he might cure him of this trick, on his next jour- ney to the coast freighted the beast with a load of sponges. When they arrived at the same 204 be lion ano bis ttbree Councillors stream as before, the Ass was at his old tricks again, and rolled himself into the water ; but the sponges becoming thoroughly wet, he found to his cost, as he proceeded homewards, that instead of lightening his burden, he had more than doubled its weight. The same measures will not suit all circum- stances ; and we may play the same trick once too often. FABLE THE LION AND HIS THREE COUNCIL- LORS. The Lion called the Sheep to ask her if his breath smelt : she said, Ay ; he bit off her head for a fool. He called the Wolf, and asked him : he said, No ; he tore him in pieces for a flatter- er. At last he called the Fox, and asked him. Truly he had got a cold, and could not smell. Wise men say nothing in dangerous times. JBlacfcamoor 205 THE BLACKAMOOR. A certain Man bought a Blackamoor, and thinking that the color of his skin arose from the neglect of his former master, he no sooner brought him home than he procured all manner of scouring apparatus, scrubbing-brushes, soaps, and sand-paper, and set to -work with his ser- vants to wash him white again. They drenched and rubbed him for many an hour, but all in vain ; his skin remained as black as ever ; 206 abe Sea=Stfce travellers while the poor wretch all but died from the cold he caught under the operation. No human means avail of themselves to change a nature originally evil. CI,XXV. THE SEA-SIDE TRAVELLERS. As some Travellers were making their way along the sea-shore, they came to a high cliff, and looking out upon the sea saw a Fagot floating at a distance, which they thought at first must be a large Ship ; so they waited, expecting to see it come into harbor. As the Fagot drifted nearer to the shore, they thought it no longer to be a Ship, but a Boat. But when it was at length thrown on the beach, they saw that it was nothing but a Fagot after all. Dangers seem greatest at a distance ; and coming events are magnified according to the interest or inclination of the beholder. ftbe XeoparD anb the jfoj 207 ci,xxvi. THE LEOPARD AND THE FOX. A Leopard and a Fox had a contest which was the finer creature of the two. The Leopard put forward the beauty of its numberless spots ; but the Fox replied : " It is better to have a versatile mind than a variegated body." soS be /ifconhefi anD tbe tfisbermen FABLE CLXXVII. THE MONKEY AND THE FISHERMEN. A Monkey was sitting up in a high tree, when, seeing some Fishermen laying their nets in a river, he watched what they were doing. The Men had no sooner set their nets, and retired a short distance to their dinner, than the Monkey came down from the tree, thinking that he would try his hand at the same sport. But in attempting to lay the nets he got so entangled in them that, being well-nigh choked, he was forced to exclaim : "This serves me right ; for what business had I, who know nothing of fish- ing, to meddle with such tackle as this?" Baste ant) tbe JSeetle 209 CI tbc <3oat 213 CI.XXX. THE VINE AND THE GOAT. There was a Vine teaming with ripe fruit and tender shoots, when a wanton Goat came up and gnawed the bark, and browsed upon the young leaves. " I will revenge myself on you," said the Vine, "for this insult; for when in a few days you are brought as a victim to the altar, the juice of my grapes shall be the dew of death upon thy forehead." Retribution though late comes at last 214 Gbe JBOE anO tbe IRettle FABLE CLXXXI. THE SICK KITE. A Kite, who had been long very ill, said to his mother, " Don't cry, mother ; but go and pray to the gods that I may recover from this dread- ful disease and pain." "Alas ! child," said the mother, "which of the gods can I entreat for one who has robbed all their altars ? " A death-bed repentance is poor amends for the errors of a life-time. FABLE CLXXXTI. THE BOY AND THE NETTLE. A Boy playing in the fields got stung by a Nettle. He ran home to his mother, telling her that he had but touched that nasty weed, and it had stung him. "It was your just touching it, my boy," said the mother, "that caused it to sting you ; the next time you meddle with a Nettle, grasp it tightly, and it will do you no hurt" Do boldly what you do at all. ftbe ffoj and tbe Crow CI,XXXIII. THE FOX AND THE CROW. A Crow had snatched a goodly piece of cheese out of a window, and flew with it into a high tree, intent on enjoying her prize. A Fox spied the dainty morsel, and thus he planned his approaches. "O Crow," said he, "how beau- tiful are thy wings, how bright thine eye ! how graceful thy neck ! thy breast is the breast of an eagle ! thy claws I beg pardon thy talons, are a match for 216 XTbe Gbree all the beasts of the field. O ! that such a bird should be dumb, and want only a voice ! " The Crow, pleased with the flattery, and chuckling to think how she would surprise the Fox with her caw, opened her mouth : down dropped the cheese ! which the Fox snapping up, observed, as he walked away, " that whatever he had re- marked of her beauty, he had said nothing yet of her brains." Men seldom flatter without some private end in view ; and they who listen to such music may expect to have to pay the piper. FABLE CLXXXIV. THE THREE TRADESMEN. There was a city in expectation of being be- sieged, and a council was called accordingly to discuss the best means of fortifying it. A Bricklayer gave his opinion that no material was so good as brick for the purpose. A Car- penter begged leave to suggest that timber would be far more preferable. Upon which a Currier started up, and said : " Sirs, when you have said all that can be said, there is nothing in the world like leather." Bss's SbaDow 217 ci,xxxv. THE ASS'S SHADOW. A Youth, one hot summer's day, hired an Ass to carry him from Athens to Megara. At mid-day the heat of the sun was so scorching, that he dismounted, and would have sat down to repose himself under the shadow of the Ass. But the driver of the Ass disputed the place with him, declaring that he had an equal right to it with the other. " What ! " said the Youth, " did I not hire the Ass for the whole journey ? " ''Yes," said the other, "you hired the Ass, but 2iS be Dogs and tbe "bides not the Ass's Shadow." While they were thus wrangling and righting for the place, the Ass took to his heels and ran away. CI,XXXVI. THE DOGS AND THE HIDES. Some hungry Dogs, seeing some raw Hides which a skinner had left in the bottom of a stream, and not being able to reach them, agreed among themselves to drink up the river to get at the prize. So they set to work, but they- all burst themselves with drinking before ever they came near the Hides. They who aim at an object by unreasonable means, are apt to ruin themselves in the at- tempt. Xion an& tbe JSulls 219 ci/xxxvn. THE LION AND THE BULLS. Three Bulls fed in a field together in the greatest peace and amity. A Lion had long watched them in the hope of making prize of them, but found that there was little chance for him so long as they kept all together. He therefore began secretly to spread evil and slan- derous reports of one against the other, till he 220 ftbe iRaven and tbc Swan had fomented a jealousy and distrust amongst them. No sooner did the I/ion see that they avoided one another, and fed each by himself apart, then he fell upon them singly, and so made an easy prey of them all. The quarrels of friends are the opportunities of foes. FABI,E CLXXXVIII. THE RAVEN AND THE SWAN. A Raven envied a Swan the whiteness of her plumage ; and, thinking that its beauty was owing to the water in which she lived, he de- serted the altars where he used to find his live- lihood, and betook himself to the pools and streams. There he plumed and dressed himself and washed his coat, but all to no purpose, for his plumage remained as black as ever, and lie himself soon perished for want of his usual food Change of scene is not change of nature. tlbe SbepberJ> an& tbc Sea 221 THE SHEPHERD AND THE SEA. A Shepherd moved down his flock to feed near the shore, and beholding the Sea lying in a smooth and breathless calm, he was seized with a strong desire to sail over it. So he sold all his sheep and bought a cargo of Dates, and loaded a vessel, and set sail. He had not gone fai when a storm arose ; his ship was wrecked, 222 tEbe Swallow in Cbancerg and his Dates and every thing lost, and he hint self with difficulty escaped to laud. Not long after, when the Sea was again calm, and one of his friends came up to him and was admiring its repose, he said, " Have a care, my good fellow, of that smooth surface, it is only looking out for your Dates." FABLE cxc. THE SWALLOW IN CHANCERY. A Swallow had built her nest under the eaves of a Court of Justice. Before her young ones could fly, a Serpent gliding out of his hole ate them all up. When the poor bird returned to her nest and found it empty, she began a pitia- ble vailing ; but a neighbor suggesting, by way of comfort, that she was not the first bird who had lost her young, " True," she replied, "but it is not only my little ones that I mourn, but that I should have been wronged in that very place where the injured fly for justice." ID Woman anD ber FABI/E CXCI. THE OLD WOMAN AND HER MAIDS. A thrifty Old Widow kept two Servant-Maids, whom she used to call up to their work at cock-crow. The Maids dis- liked exceedingly this early rising, and determined be- tween themselves to ring off the Cock's neck, as he was the cause of all their trouble by waking their mistress so 224 Cbc ID Xtloman anfc bcr early. They had no sooner done this, than the Old Lady missing her usual alarm, and afraid of oversleeping herself, continually mistook the time of da} T , and roused them up at midnight Too much cunning overreaches itself 225 FASL& cxcrr. THE MISER. A Miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that lie had and converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground, and went continually to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his work- men, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master's back was turned went to the 226 spot and stole it away. When the Miser re- turned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair. But a neighbor who saw him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said : ' ' Fret thyself no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is your lump of gold; for, as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as much good as the other." The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use. TffililC) Boar and tbe jfoj 227 FABLE cxcm. A Wild Boar was -whetting his tusks against a tree, when a Fox coming by asked why he did so; "For," said he, "I see no reason for it ; there is neither hunter nor hound in sight, nor any other danger that I can see, at hand." " True," replied the Boar ; "but when the dan- ger does arise, I shall have something else to do than to sharpen my weapons.' 1 It is too late to whet the sword when the trumpet sounds to draw it. FABI,E CXCIV. THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING. A Wolf, once upon a time, resolved to dis- guise himself, thinking that he should thus gain an easier livelihood. Having, therefore, clothed himself in a Sheep's skin, he contrived to get among a flock of Sheep, and feed along with them, so that even the Shepherd was deceived by the imposture. When night came on and the fold was closed, the Wolf was shut up with the Sheep, and the door made fast. But the Shepherd, wanting something for his supper, and going in to fetch out a Sheep, mistook the Wolf for one of them, and killed him on the spot. tlbe Coasting traveller 229 FABI/E CXCV. THE BOASTING TRAVELLER. A Man who had been travelling in foreign parts, on his return home was always bragging and boasting of the great feats he had accom- plished in different places. In Rhodes, for in- stance, he said he had taken such an extraordi- nary leap, that no man could come near him ; 230 Gbe Wolf anfc tbe and he had witnesses there to prove it " Pos- sibly," said one of his hearers ; "but if this be true, just suppose this to be Rhodes, and then try the leap again." FABLE CXCVI. THE WOLF AND THE HORSE. As a Wolf was roaming over a farm, he came to a field of oats, but not being able to eat them, he left them and went his way. Presently meet- ing with a Horse, he bade him come with him into the field; "For," says he, " I have found some capital oats ; and I have not tasted one, but have kept them all for you, for the very sound of your teeth is music to my ear." But, the Horse replied : " A pretty fellow ! if Wolves were able to eat oats, I suspect you would not have preferred your ears to your appetite." Little thanks are due to him who only gives away what is of no use to himself. Stag at tbe pool 231 CXCVII. THE vSTAG AT THE POOL. A Stag one summer's day came to a pool to quench his thirst, and as he stood drink- ing he saw his form reflected in the water. "What beau- 232 Gbe Stag at tbe jpool ty and strength," said he, "are in these horns of mine ; but how unseemly are these weak and slender feet!" While he was thus criti- cising, after his own fancies, the form -which Nature had given him, the huntsmen antl hounds drew that way. The feet, with which he had found so much fault, soon carried him out of the reach of his pursuers ; but the horns, of which he was so vain, becoming entangled in a thicket, held him till the hunters again came up to him, and proved the cause of his death. IrfOok to use before ornament. tlbe ID 3Lion 233 cxcvin. THE OLD LION. A I/ion worn out with years lay stretched upotJ the ground, utterly helpless, and drawing his last breath. A Boar came up, and to satisfy an ancient grudge, drove at him with his tusks. Next a Bull, determined to be revenged on an old enemy, gored him with his horns. Upon thi an Ass, seeing that the old Lion could thus be treated with impunity, thought that he would show his spite also, and came and threw t)unter anfc tbc his heels in the Lion's face. Whereupon the dying beast exclaimed: "The insults of the powerful were bad enough, but those I could have managed to bear ; but to be spurned by so base a creature as thou the disgrace of nature is to die a double death." cxcix. THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN. A Man went out Lion-hunting into a forest, where meeting with a Woodman, he asked him if he had seen any tracks of a Lion, and if he knew where his lair was. "Yes," says the Man, "and if you will come with me I will show you the Lion himself." At this the Hunter, turning ghastly pale, and his teeth chattering, he said : " Oh ! thank you ; it was the Lion's track, not himself, that I was hunt- ing." A coward can be a hero at a distance ; it is presence of danger that tests presence of mind. anfc tbc Sculptor 235 FABLE CC. MERCURY AND THE SCULPTOR. Mercury having a mind to know in what estimation he was held among men, disguised himself as a traveller, and going into a Sculptor's work -shop, began asking the price of the different statues he saw there. Pointing to an image of Jupiter, he asked how much he wanted 236 flbercurg an> tbe Sculptor for that. " A drachma," said the image-maker. Mercury laughed in his sleeve, and asked . "How much for this of Juno?" The man wanted a higher price for that. Mercury's eye now caught his own image. "Now, will this fellow," thought he, "ask me ten times as much for this, for I am the messenger of heav- en, and the source of all his gain." So he put the question to him, what he valued that Mer- cury at. "Well," says the Sculptor, " if you will give me my price for the other two, I will throw you that into the bargain." They who are over anxious to know how the world values them, will seldom be set down at their own price. Idolf an& tbe Sbepber&s 237 CCI. THE WOLF AND THE SHEPHERDS. A Wolf looking into a hut and seeing some Shepherds comfortably regaling themselves on a joint of mutton "A pretty row," said he, " would these men have made if they had caught me at such a supper ! " Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things that they practise themselves. 238 Sstrcmomer FABLE CCH. THE ASTRONOMER. An Astronomer used to walk out every night to gaze upon the stars. It happened one night that, as he was wander- ing iu the outskirts of the city, with his whole thoughts rapt up in the skies, he fell into a well. On his halloaing and calling out, one who heard his cries ran up to him, and when he had listened to his story, said : " My good man, while you are trying to pry into the mysteries of heaven, you overlook the common objects that are under your feet" flMHer, bis Son, anfc tbeic Bss 239 FABI/E CCIII. THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR ASS. A Miller and his Son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of girls returning from the town talking and laughing. "Look there!" cried one of them, "did you ever see such fools, to be trudging along the road on foot, when they might be riding!" The old Man, hearing this, quietly bade his Son 240 be filler, bis Soiu an& tbeir Bss get on the Ass, and walked along merrily by the side of him. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. " There ! ; " said one of them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle young rogue riding, while his old father has to walk ? Get down, you scapegrace ! and let the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the Father made his Son dismount, and got up himself. In this mannei they had not proceeded far when they met a com- pany of women and children. "Why, you lazy old fellow ! " cried several tongues at once, "how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor Cbe dlMller, bis Son, an& tbefr Bss 241 little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you." The good-natured Miller stood cor- rected, and immediately took up his Son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. ''Pray, honest friend," said a townsman, "is 242 Cbe /Bbiller, bis Son, and tbeir Hss that Ass your own ? " " Yes," says the old Man. " Oh ! One would not have thought so," said the other, ' ' by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you ! " " Any thing to please you," said the old Man ; "we can but try." So, alighting with his Son, they tied the Ass's legs together, and by the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge that led to the town. This was so entertaining a sight that the people ran out in crowds to laugh at it ; till the Ass, not liking the noise nor his situation, kicked asunder the cords that bound him, and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this the old Man, vexed and ashamed, made the /HMUer, bis Son, an> tbeir Bss 243 best of his way home again convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass into the bargain. INDEX. FABLK PACK Angler and the Little Fish . . . Ixxii .. 97 Ant and the Dove clvi . 188 Ant and the Grasshopper . . . xii . 32 Arab and the Camel . . . cxxvii . 159 Ass, the Cock, and the Lion . . . clxx . 201 Ass and his Driver cxxxiii . 165 Ass, the Fox, and the Lion . . . cxxx . 162 Ass and the Grasshopper ... xliv . 66 Ass and the Lap-Dog .... Ivi . 79 Ass in the Lion's Skin .... clvii . 189 Ass and his Masters .... cxxi . 152 Ass Carrying Salt clxxii . 203 Ass's Shadow clxxxv . 217 Astronomer ccii . 238 B. Bald Knight cxlv . 178 Bear and the Fox . ... . . xxviii . 46 Bees, the Drones, and the Wasp . . cxxxi . 163 Beeves and the Butchers ... c . 127 Belly and the Members .... bdv . 89 Birdcatcher and the Lark . . . Ixxxvii . 112 Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat . , cxxiv . 155 Blackamoor clxxiv . 205 246 TFtlDCJ FABLE PAGE Blind Man and the Whelp . . . Ixiii . 88 Boasting Traveller cxcv . 22 9 Bowman and the I