ttffi&;
^)
The Boston Public hihrary
PURCHASED
FROM THE FUND
ESTABLISHED
BY
James
Jjyman
Whitney
"Bihliocjrapher & S(miefime Lihrariaru
/ESOP'S FABLES
IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE
BY
MARY GODOLPHIN
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK AKRON, O. CHICAGO
THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY
MADE BY
WERNER COMPANY
AKRON, OHIO
^SOP'S FABLES.
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
One hot day a wolf came to quench his thirst at a clear
brook that ran down the side of a hill By chance a young-
lamb stood there. The wolf had a // ish to eat her, but felt
some qualms,
so for a plea
he made out
that the lamb
was his foe.
"Stand off
from the
banks, sir,"
said he, "for
as you tread
them you stir
mud in the =
stream, and
all I can get
to drink is
thick and
foul." The young lamb said, in a mild tone, that she
did not see how that could be the case, as the brook ran
down hill to her from the spot where he stood. "But,"
said the wolf, "how dare you drink of it at all, till I
have had my fill ? " Then the poor lamb told him that as
(vii)
8 ^sofs Fables.
yet her dam's milk was both food and drink to her. " Be
that as it may," said the wolf, " you are a bad lamb ; for
last year I heard that you spoke ill of me and all my race."
"Last year! dread sir," quoth the lamb, ''why, I have not
yet been shorn, and at the time you name I was not born."
The wolf, who found it was of no use to tell lies, fell in a
great rage, and as he came up to the lamb, he said, '' All you
sheep have the same dull kind of face, and how is one to
know which is which ? If it was not you, it was your dam,
and that's all the same thing, so I shall not let you go from
here." He then flew at the poor meek lamb, and made a
meal of her.
Might beats Right.
BOYS AND FEOGS.
Some boys were at play at the edge of a pond, and, as
their game was '' ducks and drakes," they had to throw
stones with as much force as they could, to the great harm of
some poor frogs in the pool. At length one of them, who
was more brave than the rest, put his head out of the pond
and said, " Oh, dear young sirs, stop, I pray you, for what
is sport to you is death to us ! "
THE BOY AND THE WOLF.
A BOY, who kept watch on a flock of sheep, was heard
from time to time to call out, "The Wolf! The Wolf!"
in mere sport. Scores of times, in this way, had he drawn
^sop's Fables. 9
the men in the fields from their work. But when they
found it was a joke, they made up their minds that, should
the boy call " Wolf " once more, they would not stir to help
him. The wolf, at last, did come. " The Wolf ! The
Wolf ! " shrieks out the boy, in great fear, but none will
now heed his cries, and the wolf kills the boy, that he may
feast on the sheep.
One knows not how to trust those who speak lies, though
thej may tell one the truth.
THE CHILD AND THE BROOK.
An old man who saw a child stand for a long time by the
side of a stream, said, " My boy, why do you gaze so long
on this brook ? " " Sir," said the child, " I stay here to wait
till the stream has run off, for then I shall pass with dry
feet." "Nay," quoth the old man, "you might stay out
your life, and yet not do that, for this brook will run on as
long as time. And as you wend your way through life,
you will find this out. If you go with the stream, you will
get to the sea ; but if you do not go with the stream, you
will have to wade."
THE FLY AND THE MOTH.
A FLY, one night, stood on the rim of a pot of jam, and
as he could not turn from so rare a feast, he went down the
jar that he might reach the fruit ; but found to his cost that
he stuck fast like a bird caught with lime. A moth that
10 ^sop^s Fables.
flew by, chid him thus : '^ It serves thee right ! How
couldst thou think that such legs and wings as thine would
be safe in a pot of jam ? " By and by the moth saw a lamp
in the same room, and flew in the light of it ; but at last
his sight grew dim, he sprang up to the flame, and was
burnt to death. " What ! " says the fly, who saw him,
" How is this ? You love to play with fire ! You who
took me to task for so small a crime as a taste for jam!"
We tax our friends with faults, but see not our own.
THE LYNX AND THE MOLE.
A LYNX by chance met a mole at the foot of a mound.
" Ah, poor wretch ! " said the lynx, '' what a life is yours !
Shut up in the cold, damp ground, you see no light, nor
feel the warmth of the sun, for you do but move from mine
to mine. If you could but see me as I vault by your dark
mound with limbs so free, and my sight — ah ! my sight
— so keen, you would die of grief at your dull life. Would
that I could change it for you, my friend ! " "I thank you
for your kind wish," said the mole ; " but I need not your
help, nor do I feel so dull as you think, for I was bred and born
in the ground, and all my days have been spent here. I have
my dear young ones round me, and more than all, I am safe.
My eyes are small, it is true, but that has made my ears
sharp, and if they serve me well now, I hear a sound which
seems to come from where you stand, and it tells of a foe."
Just then up rode some men from the hunt, who thrust a
spear through the heart of the poor lynx, and he fell dead ;
jEsop^s Fables.
11
but the mole went safe back to her hole in the bank, and
said, when she got there, " Home is home for all that."
What the eye sees not, the heart rues not.
Though the fox runs, the chick has wings.
THE DOG AND THE SHADOW.
•A DOG ran along the road with a large piece of meat in
his mouth. At last he came to a bridge ; and as he paused
near one side to take a peep at the brook, he saw his
sha-dow, and took it for a live dog. " Ha ! " said he
THE DOG AND THE SHADOW.
"that dog has a piece of meat twice as large as mine, and
I must have it ! " But as he snatched at the meat he saw
in the stream, he dropped that which he held in his own
12
u^sop's Fables.
mouth and it sank out of reach. He thus lost both ; that
which he thought he saw in the brook, and his own ; which
the stream swept far out of sight.
THE OXEN AND THE BUTCHERS.
The butch-ers, by their trade, were foes to the whole race
of oxen ; most of whom at last made up their minds to kill
these men who did them so much harm. They met one
day and talked, while they made their horns sharp for the
fray. One of them an old bull, large and strong, who had
plowed up great fields with his horns, thus spoke : ''These
THE OXEN AND THE BUTCHERS.
butch-ers kill us, it is true ; but they do it with hands well
skilled in their craft, and cause but small pain. If we get
JEsop's Fables. 13
rid of them, we shall fall into the hands of men who know
not how to kill, and thus we shall have to bear both pain
and death ; for you may be sure, that though all the
butch-ers die, yet will men not want for beef."
THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL.
Once on a time some mice were in such great dread of a
cat, that they did not dare to stir day or night lest she
should kill them. At this rate they thought they should
starve, so they all met to talk of the best thing for them to
do. While they thus sat in great doubt, a pert young mouse
rose and said, '' I have thought of a good plan, and that is
to tie a bell to the cat's neck, which would ring at each step
she takes, and let us know when she comes near." This
bright speech brought hope with it, and made the mice
jump for joy. Then a grave old mouse, who till now had
been quite mute, rose and said, " I have heard that you
*hold a wolf by the ears' and that you 'put salt on the
bird's tail,' but what shall we do to bell the cat ? "
Safe bind, safe find.
THE OLD FOX AND HER YOUNG ONE.
An- old fox and her young one found their way to a yard
where hens were kept, and one by one they put them all to
death. It was the wish of the young fox to eat them all
then and there, but his dam said, '' We have had great luck,
yet we must not spend all our stock at once, but put some
by, and come for it when we want it." " Don't preach to
me," said the pert young fox, '' the fowls will not keep sweet
14 ^sop's Fables.
a day, so I shall eat as much as I can now, for when the
men on the farm see what we have done, they will, of course,
look out for us." The young fox then eat such a meal that
it was as much as he could do to crawl to his hole, and in
less than an hour he was dead. The old fox came back to
the hoard and was caught by the men, who had lain in
wait to kill her. "Ah!" said she, with her last breath
" each age hath its fault ; each bean its black ; each day its
night; each weal its woe!"
THE MAN AND HIS LIVE STOCK.
A MAN who had a farm in a cold part of the world, was
shut up in it by a deep fall of snow, and could not get out
to buy food, so he ate all his sheep, one by one ; and as
the frost did not break up, he then ate his pigs, then his
goats, and, at last, the ox that was kept for the plough.
When the dogs on the farm found this out, they said, "Let
us be off! for since the man thinks it no harm to kill his
sheep, his pigs, his goats, and his ox, how can we hope
that he will spare us?"
When the house next door is on fire, it is high time to
look to our own.
THE GNAT AND THE BULL.
Once on a time a poor gnat sat on the horn of a bull, and
said, " I have made free to rest on the tip of your horn ;
but if my weight is at all too much for you, pray say so,
and I will move off." "I think you are more nice than
j^sop^s Fables.
15
wise," said the bull. " To tell you the truth, I did not
know when you sat down, so I shall not miss you when
you think fit to rise up." At this the bull gave his head a
toss, and put the gnat to death with his tongue.
It is a dull bird that points out her own nest.
THE COCK AND THE GEM.
A COCK came down from his roost at break of day, and
set up a loud, shrill crow ; he then went to work to scratch
the ground in search of food for the hens. By and by,
what should he turn up but a bright gem. He gave it a
kick and said, "Ha! you are a fine thing, no doubt; but,
to my mind, one good grain of wheat is worth all the gems
in the world."
Do not cast pearls to swine.
16
JEsop^s Fables.
THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS.
A FINE horse broke loose from his stall, and as he ran
down the road with a loud shrill neigh, he met an ass
with a load on his back, to whom he said, in a proud tone,
that if he did not make way for him he would kick him
with his heels and tread him in the dust. The poor ass
held his peace and made room for him as fast as he could.
THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS.
In course of time the horse went to the wars, and was
shot in the eye, which so spoilt his good looks, that he was
sent to work on the farm. Stript of all his pomp, he
was met by the ass, who said to him, '^ Ha ! is it you ?
Your state is now as low as mine. I thought your pride
would have a fall some day ! "
jEsop^s Fables.
17
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.
The hare one day made great fun of the short legs and
slow pace of the tor-toise, who said, " Though you be swift
as the wind, I will beat you in the race." The hare knew, of
course, that she could not do this ; but since she made so
g-^F*?i
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.
great a boast, told her with much scorn that she might
try it if she liked. Then they called a fox who chanced
to be near, and asked him to choose the course and fix the
goal. On the next day the race came off. The tor-toise
2
18 jEsofs Fables.
did not stop, but went with a slow pace straight to the
end of the course ; while the hare ran fast for a time,
and then lay down by the way to wait for his companion
to come in sight. It was a nice cool spot where he lay,
and ere he knew it he went to sleep. How long he slept
he did not known ; but when he woke, he saw by the sun
that the day was well nigh spent, and no tor-toise was in
sight. " Could she have passed me while I slept ? "
thought the hare, as he jumped up from his bed, and ran
with all his might to the goal. There, to his grief, he
found that the tor-toise, whom he had made fun of as
" slow," had won the race.
THE SQUEAK OF A PIG.
A MAN, well known for his wit, said he could show a
trick which had not yet been seen. So he took his stand
on a stage, and, with his head thrust down, he gave out a
sound like the squeak of a pig. This he did so well, that
all thought he had brought a young pig in his cloak ; but
though a search was made, they did not find one. A rough
man from a farm, who had come to look on, said, "Faith,
I can do this as well as he." So the next night they were
both to try their skill. A great crowd came to see them,
and the men went on the stage. The first man gave his
squeak, which brought a roar of praise, as it had done the
first night. The boor's turn then came, and he had a real
JEsop^s Fables.
19
young pig in his cloak ; but though he made it squeak by
a hard pinch on the ear, all gave the palm to the first man,
THE SQUEAK OF A PIG.
and sent the boor off the stage with a loud hiss.
Give a man luck, and you may throve him in the sea.
STONE BROTH.
A POOR man, in a storm of wind and rain, came to a great
house to beg for alms, and was sent off with cross words. But
he went back, and said, " May I but ask to dry my clothes at
your fire, for I am wet with rain ? " This the maids thought
would not cost them much, so they let him come in. He then
told the cook that if she would but give him a pan, and let
20 ^sofs Fables.
him fill it from the pump, he would make some stone broth.
This kind of dish was so new to the cook, that she let him make
it. The man then got a stone from the road, and put it in the
pan. The cook gave him some salt, peas, mint, thyme, and all
the scraps of meat that she could spare, to throw in. Thus the
poor man made a rich mess, and the cook said, " Well done ! you
have made a silk purse out of a sow's ear ; and it just shows
that 'they who crave for food will break through stone walls.' "
Where there's a will there's a way.
THE DOVES AND THE MOUSE.
A MAN who sold doves in the East threw down some
grains of rice in a wood, and flung a net on the top of them
in such a way that it could not be seen in the grass, and
then hid close by to watch. Soon the king of the wild
doves, '' Smooth Neck " by name, flew up to the spot with
his train, and said, '' Whence can all these grains of rice
come ? Let it be seen to. Eat them not yet." But the
doves, drawn by greed, set to work to pick them up, and
they were all caught in the net. " Ha ! " said Smooth
Neck, "I thought this might be the work of a foe. You
would not wait, as I told you to do, and this has come of it.
Hark to the plan which I have in hand. We know that small
things may work out great ends, and that huge beasts may
be bound with straws made firm in a thick rope. Now, all
put out your strength at once, take up the net, and fly
off." This they did, and the man who had set the snare
was much struck to see his net borne off in the air by the
birds. " This is well," said one of the doves, " but what
jEsofs Fables. 21
are we to do now, with these toils on our feet ?" Smooth
Neck said, " \Ye are in an ill plight, but Gold Fur, the wise
king of the mice, may help us." So he went in search of
Gold Fur's hole, which had scores of small doors that led
to it, deep down in the ground. The good mouse came
out to meet them, and when he had heard their tale, he
said, " As long as my teeth do not break, I will gnaw the
nets for you." So with his sharp teeth he cut the snare,
and set them all free. Then, with great joy, the king of
the doves bent low his smooth neck to him, and said,
" How much we owe to you ! Think of us as your slaves
for life ; for a friend in need is the best friend of all."
THE BAG OF GOLD.
Two men set off to walk from Bath to York, and said
they would each share the same fate, come what might.
All went well till they got half way, when one of them saw
a bag of gold in the path, which he took up. " Ha!" said
he, " I am in luck's way. See, I have found a bag of gold !
I will buy a horse and ride the rest of my way." " My
friend," said the man who went with him, " when we sat out
you told me we were to share the same luck, be it good or
bad ; so you ought to say ' we ' have found a bag of gold,
not 'I.'" ''You may think as you please," said the man,
'' but as it was I who found the gold, I shall keep it, and do
with it as I said, and wish you good day." Just then they
heard a hue and cry of " Stop thief ! " ''Come, I pray you,"
said the man (who held the bag), in a great fright ; " come,
let us hide in this wood, for if the men find us with the gold,
they will take us for thieves, and we shall get hung for it."
22 JEsop's Fables.
" How now ! " said his friend ; " you swore it should be ' I '
when you found the bag, so pray let it be ' I ' as long as
there is fear of theft."
A just man's word is as good as a bond.
One gets the prize, and both bear the blame.
THE MAN AND THE APE.
A MAN in the East kept a tame ape, who was of great
use to him, for he could scare the birds from the fruit and
peas. One day the man took his sleep at noon, and the
ape sat by his side to brush the flies from his face. One
fly came and stood on the tip of his nose, so the ape, with
a grin, sent it off, then it flew to his chin, and this put the
ape in such a rage that he flung a stone at it, which
smote the fly ; but, sad to tell, the force with which the
stone was thrown broke the man's jaw.
A rash friend is worse than a foe.
THE FKOGS AND THE BULLS.
Some frogs that were in a damp marsh saw two bulls
which fought in a field some way off. " Look ! " said one
of them, "there's a sight ! Dear sirs, what must we do ? "
" I pray thee," said a young frog, " do not take fright at that.
How can the feuds of two bulls hurt us ? They are not of
the same tribe as we are, far less in the same rank of life ;
and as to size, why we are too small for such large beasts
as those to take note of us. They do but fight to see
^sofs Fables, 23
which shall be head of the herd." " That is true," said an
old frog, '' but as one will win the day, one must, of course,
yield, and the bull that is sent out of the field will come to
the marsh for rush and reed, and will crush us to death at
each step. Know you not that when great folk fall out,
small folk smart for it ? "
THE BLUE WOLF.
A WOLF once fell in a vat of blue dve which is made in
the East. A man came by and thought he was dead, so
he took him out and laid him on the bank and went his
way; and then the wolf, glad to be safe, ran off to the
woods. One by one, all the beasts came to gaze on liim,
and knew not what to make of him. So then the sly wolf
said, " My fur is of a fine blue ! You see in me a new kind
of beast, and so I must, of course, be_^king of all the rest!"
Then the bears, the boars, the apes, the wolves, as well as
the ounce, the lynx, the bull, the fox, and all the rest of
them, drew near to bow their heads to him as the lord of
the wood. But soon the wolves thought they saw in the
king some trace of kin, and one of them said, " Be it for me
to find him out, and let it be done as I say. At night you
must all set up a loud yell near him, and if he be one of us —
as I thinks he is — he will send forth a loud howl too." So
all at once the wolves put up their heads to howl, »and they
soon heard the new king join in the cry, for he could not
help it. At this, a loud laugh rang through the wood
from all the beasts of the plain.
What is bred in the bone will not out of the flesh.
24
jEsop^s Fables.
THE BEAR IN THE WOOD.
Two men had to pass through a thick wood, and one of
them said, '' Should we fall in with wild beasts, I will come
to your help, if you will do the same
by me." ^^ So be it," said his friend,
and off they set. They had not
gone far when a bear made a rush
out of the wood. The man who
had made the good rule for them to
act on, got up a tree to hide, and his poor
friend was put to his wits' end to save his
life, so he fell flat on the ground, held his
breath, and lay quite still, that the bear might
think he was dead. The huge beast came close
up to him, and felt him with his snout, but
as he took him for a dead man, did him no
harm. When the bear was gone, and all was
safe, the man came down from
tree, and with a smile,
"What did the bear tell
you when he put his
snout so close up to
your ear?" "Well,"
said his friend, "what
he told me was this —
' Have a care of that
rogue up the tree, and
for the time to come
put no trust in him ! ' "
uiiiyj li/t'
'/^/,ciJ^:,^ , 'ill, ' A/t^, '!!,<'
Prove thy friend ere thou have need of him.
jEsop^s Fables. 25
THE OLD HEN AND HER YOUNG ONES.
A HEN led her train of young chicks through a yard, to
rake the chaff and to show the grain, when one of them flew
on the edge of a well to try her wings, and by chance dropt
down it, to the great grief of the old bird. The next day,
when the hen met one of her chicks from an old brood,
she said, " My dear son, I know you are strong and bold,
but, for your life, do not go near that well; if you do,
some great harm will come to you." " Why should she
give me this charge ? " said he. "Does she think I am not
brave, or does she store some good thing down the well,
which she keeps for her last brood ? I will go and see."
So he stood at the brink of the well, and, far down in the
dark, he saw a spruce young cock, whose plumes rose, and
whose wings spread, as if he had a wish to fight. Down
flew the young bird — to rise no more.
If a fool is bid not to do a thing, he is sure to do it.
The best shield is to keep out of the reach of shot.
THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS.
A MAN and his son drove their ass to a fair to sell him.
They had not gone far, when one of a group of girls, who
stood round a well, said, with a laugh, '^ Look at those two
fools — they let their ass walk at his ease, while they trudge
on foot by his side." The man heard this, and set his son
on the beast. They had not gone more than half a mile,
when they came up to some old men who sat in grave talk.
" There," said one of them, " that just proves what I say :
now a days the young take no care of the old ; see, that
26 jEsop's Fables.
young rogue rides, while the old man has to walk by his
side. Get down and let your sire rest his limbs." At this
the man made his son jump off the ass, that he might ride
him. Thus they went on for a space, when they met three
kind dames, each with a child on her arm. " Why, you old
sloth," said one of them, "what a shame to sit at ease
while that poor slight lad can scarce keep pace by the side
of you ! " The man then took his son on the croup of the
ass by his side, and so they rode till they got near the town.
''Pray, good friend," said a young man who met them,
" is that ass your own ? " " Yes," said he. " One would
not have thought so by the way you load him. Why, it
seems to me more fit that you two should take him to the
fair, than that he should take you." ''Well, be it so,"
said the old man ; "we can but try." So they got off, and
made fast the legs of the ass to a pole, which each took hold
of at one end, and so went on their way, till they came to
a bridge. This was a rare sight, and so the boys and girls
thought, for they ran in crowds to laugh at the farce, till
the ass — which took fright at the noise — gave a kick which
broke the cords that bound him ; so he fell in the stream,
and sank. The old man then made the best of his way
home, and said, "If we try to please all, we please none."
THE FOX AND THE CKANE.
A FOX that had been out to poach, had got hurt in a trap,
and lay at the point of death. For a long time he sought
in vain for aid, but at last he saw a crane, and said to her,
" I beg of you to bring me some drink to quench my thirst,
for I might then gain strength to go in search of food."
JEsop^s Fables.
27
THE FOX AND THE CROW.
28 ^sop's Fables.
THE FOX AND THE CKOW.
A CROW sat on a bough of a tree with a piece of cheese in
her beak. A sly old fox which saw her, said, '' What a
fine bird thou art ! How bright is thine eye, how sleek are
thy wings, what grace is there in the turn of thy whole
form ! Oh, that such a bird should lack a voice ! " The
poor crow was much struck with this speech, saw not its
guile, and would fain prove how sweet her note was ; so
she gave a loud caw, and down fell the cheese to the ground.
The fox ran off with it, and said, as he went, "I spoke
loud of her charms ; but fair words do not cost much, nor
does the heart feel all that the false tongue speaks. Yet I
said not a word of her brains ; for a wise head makes a
close mouth and a close mouth will catch no flies."
THE BOY AND THE HORN BOOK.
A BOY stole a horn book from school, and brought it
home to his aunt, who did not take him to task for what
he had done, but gave him some plums for his pains. In
course of time the child grew up to be a man, and — need
we say ? — a thief. He stole more and more, and at last
was caught in a great theft, and was hung. A crowd
came to look on at the sad scene, and with them the aunt
of the thief, who, with sobs and tears, tore her hair and
beat her breast. The thief saw her, and said to those who
were in charge of him, "Give me leave to say a word to
my aunt." When she came up, he put his face to hers, as
if he would speak, and bit off her ear ! At this the aunt
uEsofs Fables. 29
gave a loud cry, and all who stood near were struck with
awe at so base a deed. '^ Good sirs," said the young man,
" it is she who is the cause of my guilt ; for if, when I stole
the horn book from school, she had had the sense to point
out to me that I had done wrong, I should not have come
to this sad end."
Spare the rod, and spoil the child.
He that will steal an ounce, will steal a pound.
THE BOOR AND THE STAG.
A STAG that had left the hounds a long way off, came
up to a man who was at work on a farm, to ask if he would
show him some safe place to hide in. So the man bade
him hide in his own hut, which was close by. The stag lay
quite still in the hut, and in a short time up came the squire
and his train with the hounds. The squire caught sight
of the boor, and drew back to ask him if he had seen the
stag pass that way. " No," said the boor, in a loud tone,
"I have not." At the same time — as he had a wish to
keep on good terms with the squire — he held out his hand,
with a sly look, to point to the hut where the stag lay hid ;
but as luck would have it, the squire took no heed of this sign,
nor did he so much as see it. So on he went to join the rest ;
but though they rode through the field where the hut was,
they did not see the stag. As soon as they were well out of
sight, the stag stole from the hut, but said not a word to
the boor, who now gave a loud call to him. " You wretch ! "
said he, " you owe your life to me, yet when you leave my
hut, where I sent you to screen you from your foes, you say
30
Msop^s Fables.
not one word of thanks." "Nay," quoth the stag, "you
may make sure I should fill your ears full of praise and
thanks as my heart is of joy, if your deeds had been true
to your words ; in short, if I had not, through the door of
the hut, seen your hand play false to your tongue."
THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.
A LARK had a nest of young birds in a field of corn,
and one day two men came to look at the state of the crop.
THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.
" Well," savs one of them to his son, " I think this wheat
is ripe, so now go and ask our friends to help us reap it."
jEsofs Fables, 31
When the old lark came back to her nest, the young brood told
her, in a great fright, what they had heard. " So they look to
their friends," said she ; "well, I think we have no cause to fear."
The next day the man of the farm came, and saw no friends in
the corn field, so he bade his son fetch his kith and kin to help
him. This the young birds heard, and told the old one when
she came home to her nest. Quoth she, " I do not see that men
go much out of their way to help those that are of the same
kith and kin." In the course of a day or two as the man
found that no one came, he said to his son, " Hark you, John ;
we will trust to none, but you and I will reap the corn at dawn
^ of day." " Now," said the old lark, "we must be gone ; for when
a man takes his work in his own hands, it is sure to be done."
No eye so good as one's own ; no work so well done.
THE DOG, THE COCK, AND THE FOX.
A DOG once asked his friend, the cock, to take a long trip
with him. When night came, they had to sleep in a thick
wood. The cock flew up and perched on a branch, while the
dog found a bed near the ground, in a hole in the trunk of
the same tree. At dawn the cock roused up and crowed.
A fox near by heard the sound, and as he had not yet dined,
at once thought that here was a chance to get a fine meal ; so
he walked up to the tree where the friends were, and asked
the cock to fly down, that he might tell him how much pleased
he had been with the grand voice he had just heard, and how
glad he would be to make friends with the one who owned
it. The cock saw at once why the fox wished so much to
know him, and thus spoke : " Sir, I wish you would please
go round to the hole in the trunk of this tree, and wake up
32
JEsop^s Fables.
^V..«'
THE DOG, THE FOX, AND THE COCK.
my friend, that he may let you in." As the fox came to the
place, the dog sprang out and caught him, and tore him to bits.
jEsop^s Fables.
THE FOX AND THE GOAT.
33
Once upon a time a fox fell down a deep well, and could
not get out. A goat came to the same well to drink ; and
as he saw the fox asked if it was sweet and clear. Here
was the help which the fox had long wished, so he hid his
THE FOX AND THE GOAT.
own sad plight and urged the goat to
it. His thirst was so great, that at this
drank his fill. When it was quenched
hard it would be for him to get out ; "
think I see a plan by which we may both
said he, '^ you will place your fore-feet
your head, I will run up your back and
3
come down and try
he jumped down, and
he first learned how
but," said the fox, ^'I
reach the top." "If,"
on the wall, and bend
thus get out ; then I
34
JEsop^s Fables.
will help you to do the same." So the goat did as the fox
wished and the sly beast soon made his way out ; but
when he got to the edge he leaped to the ground and ran
off as fast as he could to the woods. As the goat called to
him, he turned and said : '' If you had as many brains in
your head as you have hairs in your beard you would not
have gone down in the well, till you saw the way out."
Look before you leap.
THE MAN AND THE PERCH.
A MAN went to fish in a fresh stream, and caught a small
/'A.J
THE MAN AND THE PERCH.
perch, who said, "I pray of you to save my life, and put me
j^sop^s Fables.
35
in the stream once more, for as I am but young and small
now, it is not so well worth your while to take me now as
it will be some time hence, when I am grown a large fish."
"So you think," said the man ; "but I am not one of
those who give up that which is at hand for that which is
far off ; nor do I make sure of fish, flesh, or fowl till I have
got it, for one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG.
A POOR lean wolf, that was but skin and bone, fell in
with a plump house dog, and said, "How comes it, my
THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG.
friend, that you look so fat and sleek, while I who am in
the woods night and day in search of food, do but starve at
36 JEsop's Fables.
the best ? " " Well," said the dog, " you may be as well off
as I am, if you will do the same for it. I have but to guard
the house from thieves ; so come home with me and see how
you like the life." '^ With all my heart ! " cries the wolf.
As they went down the road side by side, the wolf saw
a mark on the dog's neck, and would know what it was.
So they had a talk.
Dog. — Well, it may be a slight mark from the chain.
Wolf. — Chain ? Do you mean to say that you may not
roam when and where you please ?
Dog. — Why, not quite. For, you see, they do look on
me as the least in the world fierce, so they tie me up by
day, but I am let loose at night. And all in the house pet
me, and feed me with scraps from their own plates, and
Come on. What ails you ?
Wolf. — Oh, good night to you. I wish you joy of your
fine life ; but, for my part, though I may not be fat, I will
at least be free.
No one loves chains, though they be made of gold.
THE MAN, THE FOX AND THE BEAR.
A MAN once saw a fox which had so sleek a coat that he
felt a wish to kill him for the sake of it, and he thought of
a plan by which he might save the skin whole. He dug a
deep trench just in front of his hole, on which he spread
leaves, sticks, and straw, and then hid in the thick trees
out of sight, to wait till the fox came home. But he went
to sleep ; and while he slept, the fox came up, saw the piece
of meat, and had a great wish to taste it ; yet when he
stole a look round him, he had his doubts that all was
jEsop's Fables. 37
right, so he did not touch it. Soon a bear came up, and
sprang on the bait. The sticks gave way as he lit on
them, and down he fell in the pit. The noise woke up the
man, who, as he thought of course it was his friend the fox,
went down the pit, where the bear gave him a hug which
took all the breath out of his lungs, and then ate him up.
So the man was caught in his own trap.
He must rise in good time who would cheat the fox.
THE BOY AND THE NUTS.
A YOUNG child put his hands in a jar where nuts and
figs were kept. He took all that his fist could hold, but
when he came to pull it out, the neck of the jar was too
small for him to do so. At this the tears came in his eyes,
and a friend, who stood by, said, " Grasp at but half, my
boy, and you will have it ; but grasp at all, and loose all."
THE ASS AVITH A LOAD OF SALT.
A MAN drove his ass down to the coast to buy a load of
salt, and on his wav home the ass fell in the midst of a
stream. The salt, of course, did not take long to melt, and
so the ass lost his load, and came home fresh and gay. The
next day the man set off to the coast for some more salt, and
put the load on his ass once more. As they went through
the stream, the ass took care to fall down just at the same
spot, and thus got rid of his load this time too. But the man
who now saw the trick, made a plan to cure the ass of it. He
bought a large load of sponge, and put it on the back of the
38 uEsop^s Fables.
beast, and drove him, for the third time, to the coast. By
and by they came to the stream, when the ass thought to play
his old pranks. But the sponge got wet through, and the ass
found to his cost that so far from a light load, he had now
on his back one which was ten times the weight of the first.
If a man cheats me once, shame on him. If he cheats
me twice, shame on me.
THE CAT, THE MOUSE AND THE COCK.
A YOUNG mouse, which had not seen much of the world,
came home one day and said, '^Oh, I have had such a
fright ! I have seen a thing with such a fierce look, that
struts now here, now there, on two legs ; on his head he
wears a small red flag, and one round his throat, his arms
flap up and down on his sides as if he meant to rise in the
air. But you should have seen him stretch out his head
and roar at me with his sharp mouth, till I thought he
would eat me up. It made me shake from head to foot
with fear, and I was glad to run home as fast as my feet
would take me. But for this I should have made friends
with as sweet a soul as could be. She had soft fur like
ours, which was black and gray in streaks. Her look was
so bland and meek that I fell quite in love with her. Then
she had a fine long tail, which you might see wave to and
fro, first on this side, then on that ; and when I saw her fix
her bright eyes on me I thought she had a wish to speak ;
when that fierce wretch set up his scream, which drove me
in this haste, quite out of breath with fear." " Ah my !
dear child," said the old mouse, ''in good truth, you have
j^sojfs Fables.
39
run for your life ; but the fierce thing you speak of was not
your foe, for it was but a bird, that would not have done
you the least harm in the world ; while that sweet thing, of
which you seem so fond, was a cat, and cats eat all us mice
when they have a chance — in short, they live on mice."
Judge not by looks.
THE HARES AND THE FROGS.
The hares, who lived in a pack, were at one time put in
such a fright by a great storm of wind that blew through
THE HARES AND THE FROGS.
the grass and trees, that they made up their minds to die.
So they sought out some spot where they might end their
40 ^soj)'s Fables.
days by force. They ran through the fence and down the
long hill, but were stopped in their mad flight by a small
brook which flowed past in front of them. When they
saw this, they cried, one and all, ''We will jump in the
brook and drown ! " But when they came to the brink,
the tribe of frogs which sat near by in the damp weeds,
rushed in great fear to the edge, and jumped far out in the
stream. When one old " puss " saw this, she called to the
rest, and said, '' Hold ! have a care what you do ; here are
the frogs, which, I see, have their fears as well as we ; do
not let us think that we have more ills than our share, but
let us live, and learn to bear them as we should."
If we care to look, we shall find out that we are no
worse off than most of our friends.
THE EAGLE AND THE FOX.
An ea-gle and a fox were firm friends and lived in the
same woods. The ea-gle built her nest in the crotch of a tall
tree, while the fox lived in the low shrubs near by and there
had her young. For a time all went well ; then, as the
fox was out in search of food for her young, the ea-gle flew
down and caught one of the young cubs, as food for her
own brood. When the fox came back she felt very sore,
not so much at the loss of her young, it is true, as at the
poor chance she had to pay the ea-gle for her bad faith.
A time did come at last for which the fox had long watched.
The ea-gle one day in search of food, saw a goat which
some men had just placed on a fire ; as they left it to get
more wood, she caught a piece of the flesh, and took it to
JEsop^s Fables.
41
The young eagles fell
from the nest one by one
to the ground, where the
fox in great glee ate them
up in sight of the eagle.
THE EAGLE AND THE FOX,
42 jEsofs Fables.
her nest. With the meat she took a bit of the fire, and a
strong wind soon fanned the spark to a flame. The young
ea-gles did not yet know how to fly, so were burnt in their
nest and fell one by one to the ground, where the fox in
great glee ate them up in sight of the ea-gle.
THE PLANE TREE.
One hot day in June, two men lay down in the shade of
a plane tree, to get out of the rays of the sun, and as they
lay there, they cast their eyes up to the boughs. ^' A plane
tree bears no fruit," said one of them. ''In good sooth,"
quoth his friend, '' that seems but a poor tree that is of no
use to man ! " The plane chid them, and said, " Sirs, you
must be as blind as you are base, to come here and lie in
the shade I give, and yet rail at me as a thing that is of no
use to man."
THE DOG WHO WAS HUNG.
Once on a time two sheep met, and one of them said to
her friend, " Last night our dog Spring ate a lamb, and
then bit the old one to death, as well as the man of the
farm." '' Nay," quoth the friend, '' if that be true, in
whom can we put our trust ? " Thus spread the news,
and such was the crime of Spring, who now lay bound,
while a group of men sat to judge his case. Spring then
said, with a firm voice, " For more than ten years I have
done my work as a sheep dog should. Last night, as I
^sop's Fables. 43
lay on the ground, a wolf leapt forth from the wood, sprang
at a lamb, and drank its blood, then let fall his prize, and
stood at bay. We fought and I slew the wolf. But now,
when I saw the lamb, as it lay dead on the grass, I could
in no way curb my wish to eat it. While I was at my feast,
the ewe came up to seek for her young one ; so, lest she
should charge its death on me, I thought it best to kill her.
Just then, up came the man of the farm, who of course thought
that I had put both to death. His eye met mine ; he held up
his staff ; I could not pause ; dead men tell no tales, thought
I, and so flew at his throat. You know, too well, the rest."
If we do not crush sin in the bud, it will grow strong,
and crush us.
Do what you ought, come what may.
THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT.
The birds and the beasts once went to w^ar. The bat —
which could not be said to be bird or beast — at first kept
out of the way of both, but when he thought the beasts
would win the day, he was found in their ranks, and to
prove his right to be there, he said, " Can you find a bird
that has two rows of teeth in his head, as I have ? " At
last the birds had the best of the fight, so then the bat
was seen to join their ranks. " Look," said he, " I have
wings, so what else can I be but a bird ? " " To grind
with all winds " was thought base in the bat by both sides
of the fight, and he could not get bird or beast to own him,
and to this day he hides and skulks in caves and stems of
trees, and does not come out till dark, w^hen all the birds
44
^sofs Fables.
of the air have gone to roost, and the beasts of the field are
wrapt in sleep.
One must not blow hot and cold.
THE OX AND THE FROG.
An ox, as he drank at a pool, trod on a brood of young frogs,
and crushed one of them to death. The moth-er, as she came
up, missed one of her sons, and asked where he had gone.
THE OX AND THE FROG.
" He is dead, dear moth-er ; for just now a huge beast with four
great feet came to the pond, and crushed him to death with
his heel." Then the frog puffed out as large as she could.
jTJsop's Fables.
45
and asked if the size of the beast was so great as that.
'^ Cease, moth-er, to puff out," said her son, '' and try
no more ; for you would burst ere you could swell half
as large as that beast."
THE DOG IN THE STALL.
A DOG one day lay down to sleep in the fresh, sweet hay
placed in the stall for the kine, and would not move when
an ox came for his food. The ox in vain tried to get at the
THE DOG IX THE STALL.
hay, but the cur growled and snapped at him, and would
not let him taste it. " A curse rest on thee, thou mean
cur ! " said the ox in wrath, '' thou canst not eat hay, yet
wilt thou not let those eat it who can ! "
46
j^sojfs Fables.
THE STAG IN THE LAKE.
One hot day, a stag came to quench his thirst at a lake,
and stood there to scan his shade from head to foot, as it
shone in a clear pool. '^ What strength is there," said he,
"in this fine pair of horns which branch out with so much
grace from each side of my head ! If the rest of my form
were but of a piece with my horns, I would give place to none.
But, ah me ! how slight are these poor legs of mine ! I would
THE STAG IN THE LAKE.
as lief have none at all." Just then some men, and a pack
of hounds that had been on the scent, made to the spot where
the stag stood. Off he went, at full speed ; and those legs,
with which he found so much fault, soon took him out of
the reach of hounds and men. But the horns which he was
so vain of, by ill luck caught in the boughs of a tree, and
held him there till the hounds came to pull him down.
JEsop's Fables. 47
THE KITE, THE SOW, AND THE CAT.
A KITE had built her nest at the top of an old oak, and
in a hole half way up the tree, a wild cat had found a home ;
while the foot of the tree made a stye for a sow and her
youn^ pigs. For some time they all went on in peace,
and might have done so to this day, but for the spite of the
cat. For, first of all, she crept up to the kite, and said,
" Good friend, I have news to tell you, which will plunge us
both in grief. The old sow does naught else than grub at
the foot of the tree, and we all know what that will come
to. It is clear that she means to root it up, that she may
kill your young ones. For my part, I will take care of my
own, and you can do as you please ; but you may be sure I
shall watch her well, though I were to stay at home for a
month for it." When she had said this to the kite, she
went down and made a call on the sow at the foot of the
tree. She put on a grave face, and said, '^ I hope you do
not mean to go out ? " " Why not ? " said the sow.
'' Nay," said she, " you may do as you please ; but I heard
the kite say to her brood that she would treat them with a
pig the first time she saw you go out ; and I do not feel
sure that she may not take one of my young ones at the same
time. So good-day to you, for I must look at home you
see." With these words she went back to her hole.
The scheme that puss had in her head was to steal out
at night for her prey, and peep all day at her hole, that the
sow and the kite might think she was in great dread. This
plan put them both in such a fright, that the kite did not
dare to stir out in search of food, for fear of the sow, nor,
the sow for fear of the kite ; and the end of it all was that
48 jEsop^s Fables.
they and their young ones were all kept in their homes to
starve, and so were made a prey of by the cat.
THE APE AND HER YOUNG ONES.
An ape, who had two young ones, felt a great love for her
fine child, but did not care at all for the plain one. One day,
when by chance the old dam was put to flight, she caught
up the fine young ape in her arms, but left the plain one to
get on as it could, so it leapt on the dam's back, and off they
set. The old ape ran so fast to save her pet, that in her
haste its head was caught by the branch of a tree, and it fell
down dead from the blow ; but the plain one clung on tight
to the dam's rough back, and so came off safe and sound.
The pet child may die from too much care.
THE HORSE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX.
A FOX one night had been out some hours in the snow
in search of food, and yet had found none. At last he met
a wolf in the same case, to whom he said, "Do you see
the horse in that field ? Well, I think if you lend me
your help, I could kill him." When they came up to the
horse, the fox was much struck to find how small his size
was by the side of him. " May I ask your name, and that of
the man who owns you ? " " My name is Squire," said the
horse ; '^ I have not yet heard the man's name, but I think
if you wish to know it you can see the stamp on my shoe."
The sly fox, who made a shrewd guess at what this meant,
said, " Nay, I do not know how to read, but " — here he
^sop's Fables. 49
gave a low bow to the wolf — ''my friend has a gift that
way." The wolf, who was made quite vain by this soft
speech, came up to read, but as he bent down his head to
do so. Squire gave a kick, which clave his skull in two.
Take the nuts out of the fire with the cat's paw.
THE OX AND THE CALF.
In days of old, a calf that ran wild in some fields near
Rome, and had not yet felt the yoke, said to an old ox,
" Dull slave ! How can you drudge on in this way from
day to day with a plough at your tail ? Look at me, see
how I skip and play ! " The ox said not a word, but went
on with his work. The next day there was a great feast
held at Rome, so the ox did not go to the plough ; but his
friend the calf was led off in great pomp to be slain, with a
wreath round his neck. " If this is the last scene of your
gay life," said the ox, " let me drudge on at the plough, for
the yoke is more to my mind than the axe."
Of two ills, choose the least.
THE WOLYES AND THE SHEEP.
The wolves and the sheep had been for a long time at
war. At last the wolves said, '' It is the dogs that are the
cause of it all ; they bark if we do but come near you.
Now, if you will but send them off from your heels, we, on
our part, will give up our young ones to you." The poor
sheep thought it a fair thing ; but as soon as the change
was made, the young cubs set up a howl for want of their
4
50 ^sofs Fables.
dams. On this the old wolves gave out that the peace was
at an end ; so they fell on the sheep, who, as they had lost
their best friends, the dogs, had none now to help them,
and were torn to death by the wolves.
THE ROSE AND THE CLAY.
A MAN in the East by chance took up a piece of clay
which lay in his path, and was struck to find it smell so sweet.
" It is but a poor piece of clay," said he, " a mean clod of
earth, yet how sweet is it ! How fresh ! But whence has
it this scent ? " The clay said, " I have dwelt with the
rose."
Make friends with the good if you wish to be like them.
THE COCK, THE FOX, AND THE SPRINGE.
A FOX, who came to a farm at break of day, was caught
in a springe, which had been put there for that end. A
cock, who sat on the bough of a tree, did not at first dare to
go near so dire a foe ; but when he saw that the fox could
not stir from the spot, he came down from the tree to greet
him. The fox said, ''Dear bird, you see what has come to
me, and all for your sake ; for as I crept through the hedge,
on my way home, I felt I must come to ask how you are.
And now I will beg of you to fetch me a knife to cut this
wire." The cock spoke not, but flew off as fast as he could
to tell the news to the men on the farm, who soon came
up with a knife with which to cut the wire, and kill the fox.
The cock said that he thought those who spoke doves'
j^sofs Fables. 51
words should lead doves' lives. " Ha ! " cries the fox, " he
gives twice who gives in a trice."
THE FLY AND THE ANT.
A FLY and an ant came to words as to which stood first
in rank. The fly said, ''How can you place your mean
state by the side of mine ? Look how I soar up in the air,
skip round the head of a king, and kiss the lips of a queen !
I toil not nor stoop to work, but live a life of ease. What
is there you can have to say to this ? " " Why," quoth the
ant, in a sharp tone, " to be made much of by kings and
queens is a great thing I grant, if they send for you, but
not if they deem you a pest. In good sooth, I think it is
but your small size that screens you from their wrath ;
and as to work, you will learn the use of it when the frost
and snow pinch, and the cold winds blow, while I shall reap
the fruits of my toil. To be free with you, I think you
will find no pains, no gains."
One tale is good, till the next is told.
THE TWO GOATS ON THE BRIDGE.
Two goats that had been brought up in the same glen,
left it, and by chance met on a bridge, which was a mere
plank, and would not hold then both side by side. One
of the fair ones set her foot on it, and her friend was not
slow to do the same. They came up, step by step, till
they met half way, and as they could not pass, and were
52 jEso'p's Fables.
both too proud to give in, each did her best to push by
with a skip and jump, till at last the plank broke, and
they both fell in, and were borne off by the stream.
It is not so bad to clear the way as to fall in the ditch.
THE NUKSE AND THE SNAKE.
A CHILD that was at play in a field, by chance trod on a
snake which stung him to death. The nurse, in a great
rage, hit the snake a blow which struck off his tail. The
next day she came to the snake's hole to coax him with
some salt and meal, that she might kill him. " I pray thee
come forth," said the nurse, " and let us make it up on both
sides " ; but she could in no way get the snake to leave his
hole. All he would do was to give a hiss, and tell her that
as long as she thought of the dead child, and he thought of
the tail, they could not be friends.
He who does you a wrong is sure not to love you.
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
A YOUNG kid that would stray from the herd saw a
wolf, and did her best to get out of his reach ; but when
she found that all hope was lost, she said, '^ Sir Wolf, I
know that I am to die at your hands, so, as my life will
now be but short, I pray of you to let it be a gay one.
Now do you pipe while I dance." So the wolf pipes, and
the kid jumps and springs to please him. A pack of hounds
^soj^s Fables.
53
who heard the sounds, ran up to see who was there, and
then the wolf set off as fast as his legs would take him, and
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
the kid came home safe. Quoth she, with a hop and a skip
" He that sticks to chance,
When fools pipe he may dance."
But the wolf gave a deep sigh, and said —
" He who will not when he may,
When he wills, he shall have nay."
THE WAR HORSE.
There was a man who in time of war took great pains
with his horse, and fed him on as much corn and hay as
he could eat. But when the war was at an end all he
54
^sop^s Fables.
gave him was chaff, and he put him to draw great loads
of wood ; in short made a slave and a drudge of him.
When the war broke out once more, and there was a call
to arms, the man, clad in his coat of mail, sprang on the
back of his steed, and went off to join the fight. But soon
JEsop^s Fables.
55
the horse fell down with all his weight of steel. " You
must now go to the war on foot," said he ; " for if you turn
me from a horse to an ass, how can you think that I can
all at once turn from an ass to a horse ? "
THE DOG AND THE THIEF.
One dark night a thief came to a man's house to rob it,
and when the dog heard him he gave a loud bark. At
this the man sprang from his bed to look out, but saw no
one, nor did he hear the least sound, so he bade the dog
be still, and then went back to sleep. The thief in the
mean time had hid in the shed in a state of great fear ;
but when he found that the dog was bound by a chain,
and did not now bark, he crept to the door of the house,
and took out his bunch of false keys to try the lock. The
dog saw him, and set up his loud bark ; so the man of the
house put his head out once more to look round him, but
as he saw no one, and found that all was now quite still, in
a great rage he cries out, '' Down, you brute ! Down, I
tell you ! you will not let me have a wink of sleep ! " So the
56
jEsop^s Fables,
dog left off, and in the mean time the thief made his way
to the house, and took all that he could find. The next
THE DOG AND THE TUIEP.
day, when the man saw what had been done, he said,
" This will teach me to give ear to the voice of a warm and
true friend when he warns me."
THE ASS AND THE LAMB.
An ass once lay down in a shed that he might shirk his
work, and make known to those who were near what toil
was put on him. All the beasts, great and small, came to
lend him help. At the same time a poor meek lamb lay at
the point of death from want, but none came to give her their
aid. " How is it," said she, " that I lie here in so much need
jEsoj^s Fables. 57
of care, whilst the ass gets all this help ? " A fox, who heard
her, said, " The ass knows well that the loud bray which he
gives by way of thanks, makes the kind acts of his friends
well known, and so it swells their pride to help him."
A good deed may spring from a bad source.
THE AXE AND THE TREES.
Once on a time a man came to a wood to ask the trees
if they would give him a stick for his axe. This was so
small a boon to ask, that the chief trees said at once, " By
all means, give him what he wants from a good tough ash."
But as soon as the man had made the stick fit in the axe, he
fell to work with it to hack and hew down all the best trees
in the wood. The oak was heard to say in sad tones to the
beech, ''The first step has lost us all. We gave up our
poor friend the ash to the foe. But for this we might all
have stood for an age to come ; now we must take our sad
fate for our pains."
THE BEES AND THE SNAIL.
A SNAIL, one day, made his way through the hole of a
bee hive, where, in a great rage, the bees flew round him,
and stung him to death. But soon they found that the
snail, when dead, was all the more a foe than when he had
life, for the air in the hive was not fit to breathe. What
was to be done ! He was of too great bulk for the bees to
turn him out, so they had to leave the hive ; and they
found to their cost, that they ought to have let the poor
58 jEsofs Fables.
snail just crawl out as he had come in. The bees made a
long search for a new home, but in vain, so they went
back to their old hive to see what could be done with the
dead snail. And, in the end, they all set to work to build
a case of wax round the shell of their guest, so as to close
him in a sort of tomb ; and thus they made the hive as
sweet as the stores that were laid up in the combs.
When things come to the worst, they must mend.
THE FOX AND THE STOEK.
One day the fox had a mind to play the wag with the stork,
and said, '' You must come and dine with me to-day, for I
have had luck, and the soup will be rich." When the time
came for them to dine, the stork found to her grief that the
dish in which the soup was put was so flat that she could
but dip in the point of her bill, while the fox could lap it up
with his tongue. " It grieves me," said he, " to see you make
so poor a meal ; I fear it is not to your mind." The stork
did not say much, but told her guest that it was now his turn
to come and dine with her. So he came, true to the hour.
" Good day," quoth the stork. " Now I hope you will feel that
you are quite at home." The smell of the stew was fine, but
it was put in a jar with a thin neck, down which the stork
thrust her long bill with ease, but all the fox could do was
to lick the brim of it ; and when the time came for him to
take his leave, he made his bow with a bad grace. The stork
•told him that she had but paid him off in his own coin.
Tit for tat.
Good cat, good rat.
j^soiJ^s Fables.
59
THE FOX ANP THE STORK.
60 JEsofs Fables.
THE DAW AND THE JAY.
Once on a time there was a daw, wlio was so vain, that
he must needs leave his old friends (the jacks), and go quite
out of his sphere to pass for a jay. So he stuck the bright
plumes that fell from those gay birds on his own back, that
he might look like them. But they soon found him out, took
off his plumes, fell on him with their sharp bills, and made him
smart for his pride. Full of shame, he hung down his head,
and once more went to flock with those of his own tribe, but
they knew his vain ways too well, and told him they did not
now choose to own him ; and one of them said, " If you had
been true to your own friends, you would not have had such
hard cuts from those you have just left, nor would you have
had to bear the slights which we now feel we must put on you,"
THE LEAP AT RHODES.
A MAN who had been in all parts of the world told his old
friends when he came home of the great feats he had done.
These tales they at first heard with great glee ; but in time
they found out that he shot with a long bow, nay, more
than this, that he told lies ; and when once he did that, he
set less guard on his tongue, till he made those who heard
him stare. "How comes it," said they, "that this man,
who when at home could boast of no great feats, should
when he goes to strange lands, do such great things ?"
One day he told them that there was no place in the
world where men leapt like the men at Rhodes ; " but I
beat them all," said he, " for I took a leap there of two score
yards." A grave old man, who sat near him, said with a
yEsop^s Fables. 61
sneer, " Sir, if your tale be true, think this place to be
Rhodes, and, to prove your words, take the leap once
more." The man kept his seat, and had no more to say.
THE CAT AND THE MICE.
An old dame dwelt in a house that had such swarms of
mice in it that she got a cat, who caught and ate them one
by one. But in course of time all the mice kept on the
top shelves to be out of the cat's reach, and puss saw that
at this rate she should starve. So she hit on a plan, which
was to hang in a bag, by her hind legs, from a peg in the
shelf, that she might pass for dead. The young mice took
no heed of her, but the old ones gave a peep round the edge
of the shelf, and said, " Ah, you sly thing ! We see you !
Hang there as long as you please, but we would not trust a
child of ours to go near you, though you were full of straw."
Old birds are not caught with chaff.
THE OWLS AND THE WREN.
Two owls sat on a branch of a tree. " How strange is
it," said one of them, '^ that in the old days of Greece, men
best knew our worth, for owls were then thought to be the
type of all that is wise." '^ Not so," said the wren, who
heard them, " and if you were less vain, you would know
well that in those days men wore owls on their shields to
show that they should not judge by mere looks. If they
did, they would take an owl to be a wise bird ; for, though
he has but a small wit, he has a large head."
62
JEsoj^s Fables.
THE MAN AND THE BULL.
JEsop's Fables, 63
THE MAN AND THE BULL.
A MAN who took care of kine in a great tract of
woods, lost one day a young bull from the fold. He
searched for a long time but -^ould find no trace of it ;
then he made a vow that if he could find the thief who
stole the calf, he would kill and burn a lamb to the
gods who ruled in those woods. At last as he reached
the top of a small hill, he saw a short way from him
at its foot, the lost calf, but at its side was a huge lion.
The poor calf was dead, as the lion ate part of it while
the man looked down at them ; and so great was his
fright at the scene, that he lifted his eyes and hands on
high, and said, " Just now I vowed to give a lamb to
the gods of the woods if I could but find out who robbed
me ; now that I have seen the thief, I will add a full
grown bull to the calf I have lost, if I may but get out
of his reach and not be hurt."
THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL.
A FOX who went to steal some young chicks was caught
in a trap, from which he got free, but with the loss of his
tail ; and when he came to mix with the world, he saw how
high a price he had paid for it, for none of the beasts who
stole a look at him could hide a laugh, and the fox thought
64
y^sop^s Fables.
it would have been well for him if his life had gone with
the " brush." But, to make the best of things, he sent to
all the rest of his race to beg of them to meet him on a heath,
and there the fox held forth and said, " I would have you
\y^V'
THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL.
all cut off your tails. You know not the ease with which
I can now move. Of what use is the tail to us ? If
we creep through a hole in the hedge, as we fly from
the hounds, it stops us in the way. It is the 'brush,'
you know, that man strives for in the hunt ; and then,
too, in spite of all we can do, it is apt to be caught in
the trap." A sly old fox who heard him, said, with a
leer, " It strikes me that you would not so much care to
see us part with our tails, if you had a chance to get your
own back ! "
Bought wit is the best.
uEsop^s Fables. 65
THE OLD DAME AND HER MAIDS.
In the good old times, when there were no clocks, an old
dame kept a cock in her yard, which at dawn of day gave
a loud crow, and then she got up to rouse her maids, that
they might go to their work. But they thought it hard
to be woke out of their sweet sleep at such an hour, so, one
day, they wrung the cock's neck. The next night the old
dame slept till late, as she had not heard the cock crow ;
but when she found that he was dead, and that there was
now ho means by which to tell the time, she went at all
hours of the night to wake up her maids, for fear they
should sleep too long.
Strive to mend, and you will oft times mar what's well.
THE HART AND THE VINE.
Some men sought out a hart for the chase, when one
made a rush out of the wood, and hid from them in the
shade of a thick vine, so that they quite lost sight of him.
It was the best hide and seek that could be, so thought the
stag, but he hid not for the sport, but for dear life. There
he lay, still as a mouse. In a short time he took heart to
browse on the leaves of the vine, which hung so green and
fresh just at his nose. He saw no harm in one more crop,
and then one more, till he quite lost sight of what he had
come there for. More than this, he so shook the tree when
he took a bite, that he drew the eyes of the men to the spot,
and as the vine was now too thin of leaves to hide him,
they shot at him, and he fell down dead.
Where the hedge is thin, men will see through it.
5
66
j^sop^s Fables.
He fell with force upon
the ground and limped
away with a wild howl.
When the other curs asked
how he enjoyed the feast,
he said: "To tell the
truth, I drank so
much wine that I
do not know how
I got out of the
house."
THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP.
JSsofs Fables, . 67
THE WOLF IN A SHEEP'S SKIN.
Once on a time a wolf put on a sheep's skin, by which
means he got shut in the fold at night. By and by the man
of the farm came in to kill one of his flock for food, and as
luck would have it, he chose out the wolf. But when he saw
how it was, he put a rope round his neck, and hung him to
the branch of a tree. Some folks who came by said, '' What !
do you hang sheep ?" "No," said the man, "but I hang a
wolf when I catch him, though in the garb of a sheep."
You may find more than one face in a hood.
THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP.
A MAN made a great feast, and his dog Tray said to Gyp, who
was a great friend of his, " Come and sup with us to-night.
Eight o'clock is the time ; but if you are there an hour too soon,
you will find there is much to be done." Gyp lay in the sun a
while, to wink and wait. He thought of fish, flesh and fowl,
tripe and toast, and made a feast in his heart that might grace
a bill of fare for a king. At length the time came, and he
set off to the cook's room, where he found all hands hard
at work. Gyp went with a skulk, now here, now there ;
gave a peep at this dish, and smelt at that, and with a wag
of his tail, as much as to say, " rare ! What a feast have
I in store!" This wag of the tail brought the eyes of the
cook on him, and he said, " How now ? what's this I spy ?
A cur ! who let him in ? A nice sort of guest, to be sure.
I shall soon pack you off." The cook then brought poor
Gyp to view, and threw him out at the back door.
There's oft a slip 'twixt cup and lip.
68 jEsop's Fables.
THE JUDGE AND THE POOR MAN.
A MAN who kept a small farm came to t-he house of
a judge. '^ Well, my man," said the judge, '' what do you
come to me for ? " ^' If you please, my lord, I have a sad tale
to tell ! " '' Ha, the old tale ! You folk with your small
farms fall out, and then you come to plague me." "Nay,
my lord, this time it is with you and me. I have a bull
that breaks out of his bounds, and he has got to your best
field of corn, and has spoiled half of it ; now I want to
know what you would have me do in this case ? " " Well I
must say you are a stanch old man to come and tell me of
it, and I shall send my man John to look at the waste, and
what he says it comes to you must pay. As to your bull,
as you say he breaks out of his bounds, you must kill him,
and that at once." '' Bless my heart ! " said the man,
'' what was it I told you ? I have but two small cows in
the world. No, it was that red bull of yours, my lord, which
locks and bars will not keep in ; it is he that breaks
through the fence of my corn field, and fine work he has
made of it ; but as you say you will send your man to make
things right, I thank you, and take my leave." " No,"
said the judge, " you must not play me such a trick as
this. I would not part with that red bull for all the world ;
and as to the field of corn, of course you must take your
chance."
The law will catch small flies, but the wasps will break
through.
We weigh not in the small scale the ills we do and the
ills we feel.
jEsop's Fables. 69
THE APE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX.
A WOLF one day brought a fox up to the Bench for theft.
The ape, who was the judge, knew well that both were
knaves ; so he said, '' I know you well of old, my friends ;
and as I wish to be just, I shall lay the fine on both of you :
on you, Sir Wolf, for you have no right to bring the charge ;
and on you. Sir Fox, for there can be no doubt that the
charge is a true one."
Set a thief to catch a thief.
THE FROG, THE MOUSE, AND THE HAWK.
By chance a mouse made friends with a frog, who spent
his life for the most part in a pool. The frog one day, by
way of sport, bound the foot of the mouse to his own, and
step by step led him to the pool in which he spent most
of his time, till at last he got to the brink, when he gave
a leap which took them both in the midst of the pond.
The frog, who was fond of a swim, went now here, now
there, with a croak which would seem to say that all was
right, and then he thought he had done a great feat. But
the poor mouse could not stand it long, and as the dry
ground was his home, and he was soon seen to float on the
pool quite dead, but still bound fast to the frog. By and
by a hawk stuck his claws in the mouse, and flew off with
him ; but the frog who could not get loose from the mouse,
had to share the same fate, and the hawk made a meal of
both.
Harm hatch, harm catch.
70 vEsop's Fables.
THE WIND AND THE SUN.
The wind and the sun once came to high words as to
which had the most strength. Just then by chance a man
came by, so they let the point rest on this, that he who got
the man's cloak off first, should win the day. The wind was
the first to try, and he blew with all his might and main
a fierce blast ; but the man wrapt his cloak all the more
close round him. Next came the sun, who broke out with
his warm beams, and cast his rays on the man, till at last
he grew faint with the heat, and was glad to part with his
cloak, which he flung to the ground.
Kind means are the best.
THE FOX AND THE CAT.
A FOX and a cat once met on a heath, and had a long
chat on things of state. The fox said, " Let the war turn
out as bad as it may, it is all one to me, for I have lots of
plans by which to save my life. But now, pray tell me,
puss, if the foe should come, what course do you mean to
take ? " " Nay," says the cat, " I have but one shift, and
if that will not do, I am lost." Just then a pack of hounds
came on them in full cry. Puss, by the help of her one
trick, ran up a tree, from the top branch of which she saw
that the fox, who had not the skill to get out of sight, was
torn to death by the hounds. " Great boast, small roast,"
quoth the cat, " but he plays well that wins."
^sop's Fables.
71
THE GOAT AND THE FOX IN THE WELL.
A FOX, who was a great rogue, fell down a deep well.
Just then, a goat came up who had a great mind to slake his
thirst, so he said to the fox, " Is the w^ell a sweet one ? "
" Sweet ! " says the fox ; '^ it is the best well I have drunk
from for a long time. Come and try it." At this the goat
leapt in ; and the fox — who put his feet on the goat's horns
THE GOAT AND THE FOX IN THE WELL.
— sprang out, and said, " If you had as much brains as you
have beard, you would ' Look ere you leap,' for
"'Those who trust ere thej^ try,
They will grieve ere they die.' "
The poor goat put his head up, and said, " True, I see too
late that I have lent you a stick to break my owm head with."
72
j^sop^s Fables,
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
A YOUNG kid who stood on the roof of a house, out of
harm's way, saw a wolf pass by, and set to work to taunt
j^as- -"^^'O
^0 ^ " ^
^
1
THE KID AND THE WOLF.
and tease his foe. But the wolf said, " I hear you. Yet it is
not you who mock me, but the roof on which you stand."
jEsojfs Fables. 73
THE WOLF AND THE FOX IN THE WELL.
A FOX fell down a deep well, in the sides of which he
stuck his claws, and so, for a while, kept his head up. A
wolf came to take a peep down the well, and when the fox
saw him, he said, ^^ Oh, I beg of you to run for a rope, or
some such thing, to pull me out, for I am at the point of
death ! " " Poor friend ! you are in a sad strait," said the
wolf ; " I grieve for you, with all my heart ! How long-
have you been here ? " " Nay," said the fox, " if you wish
me well, don't stand there to say soft words to me, but get
me some help, and that soon, or I must die." The wolf
then gave one more sigh, and went home, and the poor fox
sank, to rise no more.
A long tongue hath a short hand.
THE DOYE AND THE ANT.
A HOT day in June drove a poor ant to take a sip from
a clear brook, when she fell in, and went down with the
stream. A dove that sat in a tree close by saw the ant fall,
so she threw a leaf down to her in the brook, which the
ant clunsi: to, and so was brouo'ht safe to land. In a few
days from this time, the ant saw a man take aim with his
bow to shoot the dove, and just in the nick of time, she
stung him on the heel. This made him give a start, and
spoilt his aim, so that the dove flew off safe and sound.
Live, and let live.
74 ^sofs Fables.
THE HOG, OX, COW, DOG, AND SHEEP.
One day a hog, an ox, a cow, a dog, and a sheep all met in
a straw-yard. The hog told the rest that he thought that beast
stood first in rank who was kept most for his own sake, and
not for the sake of the work that he did. " Now, which of
you," said he, " can boast of this so well as I can ? " To the
horse he spoke first : " As for you, though you are well fed,
and have grooms to wait on you, and make you sleek and
clean, yet all this is for the sake of your work. Do not I see
the man on the farm take you out at break of day, put you in
chains, or bind you fast to the shafts of a cart with a load in it,
and keep you out till noon ? Then, in the space of an hour
does he not take you to work once more till dusk ? I may say
just the same of the ox, save that he does not work for such
good fare." To the cow he spoke next : " You, who are so
fond of your straw and grains, you are thought worth your
cost for your milk, which they drain from you twice a day ;
and your young ones, who should by right have the milk, are
torn from you to go no one knows where." Then thus spoke
he to the sheep : " They turn you out to shift as well as you
can on the bare hills. You pay dear for your keep, for you
have to part with your warm coats once a year, and at night
starve with the cold. As for the dog, he has to keep watch
all the live long night, while the rest of us are wrapt in soft
sleep. In short, you are all poor slaves, kept for use ; while
I, on my part, have a warm stye, with food close to my snout,
all day and free of cost. All they want of me is to see me eat
my food from the trough, bask in the sun, and live at my ease."
Thus spoke the hog. But in a short time the frost set in, and,
as it was a bad time for all kinds of food, the man was in great
jEsofs Fables. 75
straits to keep his live stock till the spring. " How can I feed
them all?" thought he. '' I must part with those I can best
spare. As for my horse and ox, I shall have ivork for them —
they must be kept, cost what it will. My cows will not give
much milk in the frost, it may be, but they will calve in the
spring, and will thrive in the new grass ; the sheep will do as
long as there is a blade on the hills ; and if a deep fall of snow
should come, I must give them hay, for I count on their wool to
make out my rent with. But my hog will eat me out of house
and home ; so, as he yields naught, I must kill him at once."
THE DRUM AND THE VASE.
A DRUM was heard to boast, in these words, to a vase of
sweet herbs : " Hark at my loud, strong tone which rends
the sky. AVhen men hear my voice they march to arms, and
join the fight with joy ! " " Be not too proud," said the vase ;
"" as for me, I grant you there is a chain on my lips. I speak
not, but I am full of good things, while thou hast naught in
thee but noise, and must be struck to give it out."
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
One hot day a fox saw some grapes which hung on a wall,
and he took a spring to seize them, but made too short a
bound ; so then he leapt with all his might, but could not
quite reach them ; and each jump he took was still too short.
There hung the fine ripe grapes, but not for him. Then,
as he found he could not get at them, he said, " It is not
worth my while to try, for the grapes are sour."
They who can not as they will, must will as they can.
76
jEsop^s Fables,
'^The grapes are sour
and not as ripe as I
thought they were."
-_- «". -*>
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
jEsop^s Fables.
11
THE STAG IN THE OX'S STALL.
A PACK of hounds drove a poor stag out of a wood,
and in a great fright he made off to a farm that was near,
and hid in a heap of straw in an ox's stall. " AVhat can
have brought you to such a place as this, where you are
sure to meet with your doom ? " said the ox. " Oh," cries
1^
THE STAG IN THE OX S STALL.
the stag, "if you will but help to hide me for awhile, I
shall do well, and by and by I will move off. It grew
dusk, and the men on the farm came in and out, but did
not see the stag, so he now thought it time to leave.
" Nay," quoth the ox, " wait awhile ; there is the man
78 ^sofs Fables,
who owns the farm to come yet, and should he pass this
way, I would not give the straw you hide in for your life."
While the ox spoke, the man came up and cast his eyes on
the stag, and made a prize of him. " That is a bad game,"
said he, " where none wins."
THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS.
Once on a time a horse and an ass went on the high road,
side by side, and the man who kept them went on foot.
The poor ass had told the horse that if he would share the
load with him he should soon get well ; but if he did not
lend him some help, the weight of it would kill him. But
the horse took no heed of this, and bade him go on, till
from the weight of the load he fell down dead. When the
man found the poor ass dead, he put the load on the back
of the horse, and the dead ass too.
One may bear till his back break.
THE MULES AND THE THIEVES.
Two mules were on the road, one of which had bags of
gold on his back, and rang his bells with a proud toss of the
neck, as if he felt vain of his load ; and one took but sacks
of grain, and hung down his head as he trod the way.
They had not gone far, when three thieves, who lay in wait
^sop's Fables. 79
for them in a wood close by, ran out, took the bags of gold
from off the back of the mule, and put him to death, as well
as the men w4th him. But the mule who was the drudge
stood quite safe, and said he should count the scorn in which
he was held as so much gain, for he was best off in the end.
THE BALD KNIGHT.
In the good old times there was a brave knight who had
lost all his hair, and wore a wig. As he rode in the hunt a
gust of wind blew his wig off, and a loud laugh rang forth
from those who saw his bald pate. When the knight found
his wig was in the air, he, of course, felt much put out, for it
was his false hair that made him look young ; but he thought
the best way to pass it off would be to take the laugh in his
own hands ; so he said, " How could I hope to keep strange
hair on my head, when my own would not stay there ! "
He must stoop who has a low door.
THE FIELD OF CORN.
An old man had a field, and when he fell ill, he sent for his
three sons, that he might take leave of them, and give them
his last charge. "My sons," said he, "there is one thing
which, with my last breath, I charge you to do, and that
is, to seek out a rich gift which I have left you, and which
you will find in my field " Here the poor old man's
voice grew faint, and his head sank down on his breast in
death. The sons were in too much grief for their loss to
put in force that which the old man had bade them do, till
80 jEsop^s Fables,
want drove them to seek for what they thought must be a
hoard of gold in the field ; so they made a search from end
to end of it, till there was not a clod they did not turn, in
the hunt. At last they gave it up. " It is strange that the
old man should have set us on this long search for a thing
that is not here," said Jack. '' Come," said Dick, " since we
have gone through so much toil on the field, we may as well
sow it with corn, and so make the most of it." At this bright
thought they set to work to sow the grain, and in due time
a crop sprang up, five times as large as those crops which
grew there in the old man's time. The thought now struck
the youths that this was the wealth the old man meant,
and that it was his wish that they should earn their bread
by the sweat of their brow.
Seek till you find, and you will not lose by the toil.
THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN.
Once on a time, as a blind man went on his way, he
came to a bad part of the road, and knew not how to get on.
By chance a lame man sat on a bank near, so the blind
man said to him, '^ Hark you to what I say. I have
thought of a plan which will help us both on our way — my
feet shall be thy feet, and thine eyes shall be mine." " With
all my heart," said the lame man ; and off they set. " Stop,"
said he, " I see a purse that lies on the road, and if you go
straight on, and then turn to the left, you will come to it."
This the blind man did, and at last he took it up. " Give
it to me," said the lame man, who was on the blind man's
back. " Not so," said his friend ; " but for my feet you
jEsop's Fables.
81
'* HABK YOU."
82 ^sofs Fables.
would not have come so far, so now I shall keep it." " Nay,"
said the lame man ; " but for my sight you would not have
known it was there,"
All keys hang not on one bunch.
THE JAY AND THE OWL.
One day an old owl, who sat in a dark barn, had a call
from a jay. The owl sat quite still in his nook, save when
he saw a mouse, and did not speak a word, so that the jay
had all the talk. When he had thus spent an hour or so,
he took his leave, full of glee, with a heart as gay as plumes,
and said as he went that he must love that dear old owl,
and that he did not know when he had a chat to cheer him
up so much.
If you wish to please your friend, sit still, and let him talk.
THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF.
A WOLF saw a plump stag, and thought, How can I feast
on his flesh ? Then he drew near, and said, " All hail be
to thee ! " and made friends with the stag. " Hey day !
whom have you there ? " quoth a crow that flew by. The
stag told him that he was a good wolf. '^ Have a care ! "
said the crow ; " Trust him not." Yet the stag took no heed
of his words, but let the wolf lead him at night to feed in a
field that had a crop of ripe wheat in it. Now, there was a
trap in the field, and the poor stag was caught by the feet.
'^ This is well," thought the wolf ; " for when his flesh is cut
up, the bones, and what is left, will be for me." The crow
^S02)'s Fables. 83
flew to the spot, but could give his friend no aid. The
next day the man who had set the snare came with a knife
in his hand to kill the stag. " If you care for your life,"
quoth the crow, '' lie quite still, and seem to be dead ; but
when I give a caw, start up at once, and take to your heels
as fast as you can." So the stag lay quite stiff, held his
breath, and shut his eyes. When the man came up, he
thought the stag was dead, and took him from the toils,
went a few steps off to fold up the net, when the crow's
voice was heard, and the stag ran off at full speed. In the
mean time the wolf came up to seek for his feast, and was
slain by the man.
Bad faith is like to fall back on the head of those who
make use of it.
THE FROGS AND THEIR KING.
In the days of yore the frogs met to beg of Jove to send
them a king. So he threw them a log, and said, " There's
a king for you — a good, mild one!" Well, King Log
came on the pond with such a splash, that the frogs took
fright at him. Some sought the mud, and some the reeds ;
and, for a long time, there was not one that would dare to
take a peep. By and by, when they saw that King Log
lay quite still, they said, " See, he sleeps ! " Some came
round him, and up to him, till, one by one, they leapt on
his back, and at last held him quite in scorn. So, with harsh
croaks, they beg of Jove to change him for one with more
life ; in short, a king that would move. Jove then sent
them an eel, and he, too, was too tame for them ; and, a third
time, they ask of Jove to choose for them a king with more
84 u^sop^s Fables.
strength of will. This time he sent them a stork, who, day
by day, made the frogs his prey, till there were none left to
croak on the lake save one, and he shook his head and said,
" If we had had the sense to keep well, there would have
been no need to mend our state, we have found to our loss
what we did not seek."
Set not the Fox to keep the Geese.
THE HAWK, THE KOOKS, AND THE CAT.
In the trunk of an old elm tree, dwelt a large bird of prey,
with claws blunt, and eyes blind with age. The rooks fed
him from their own store, while he, on his part, took charge
of their young ones when the old birds went in search of
food. One day, a cat — " Long Ear " by name — came to
prey on the young rooks, who, when they saw her, gave a
loud scream. The old hawk heard it and said, " Who is
that ? " " I am a cat," said '' Long Ear." " Ha ! " quoth the
hawk, "Cats love flesh, and the young rooks dwell here —
that's all I know. Get you gone at once, or I will put you
to death ! " " Not so," said the cat. " I eat no meat now ;
and all the beasts of the field and the birds of the air love
me — for I am good. I pray you to let me stay, for you
are old and wise, and can teach me much." By this praise
sly puss made the old hawk put his trust in her, so he let
her stay in the trunk of the tree. Day by day she ate
some of the young birds, and took all the bones that were
left from the feast to a hole in the stem of the old elm tree,
that the death of the young rooks might be laid to the
charge of the hawk. The old birds were in great grief
^sop's Fables.
85
THE FROGS AND THEIR KING.
86 ^sofs Fables.
for the loss of their young ones ; and when they saw the
bones in the hole of the tree, they of course laid the blame
on the hawk, and they all flew at the poor old bird and put
him to death. He said with his last breath, '' Ah me ! How
much worse than a foe is a false friend !"
THE WOLF AND THE STORK.
A WOLF had a bone that stuck in his throat, and gave
him so much pain that he ran with a howl, up and down,
to ask all whom he met to lend him a kind hand, and said
he would give a large sum to bird or beast who would take
it out. At last a crane, who heard of the bribe, came up,
put her long bill down the wolf's throat, and drew out the
bone. The crane then said, ''Now, where is the fee that
you spoke of ? " " Wretch that you are ! " said the wolf,
" to ask for more than this — that you should put your head
in a wolf's mouth, and bring it safe out!"
A bribe walks in, and gives no knock.
THE LARK AND THE FINCH.
A POOR lark was kept in a cage that hung on a wall, in a
town that was full of dust and dirt. One dav, as he stood
on his piece of dead turf, to trill out his sweet song^ a finch,
who by chance flew that way, said, ''H ow canst thou sing
so blithe a strain, shut up in that vile cage?" "Finch,
finch," rang out the lark, in his clear tones, "know you
not that if I did not sing while I am shut up here, I should
jEsop's Fables. 87
fail to call to mind my song when the time came to mount
up to the sky ? "
It is meet for us to sing hymns of praise while we are on
earth, to fit us for our flight to realms of bliss.
THE COCK AND THE FOX.
A COCK stood on the top of a rick, and gave a loud crow.
A fox, who saw him, thought he would just do for a meal ;
but though the cock could fly down to him, he could not climb
up to the cock ; so he said, "Have you heard the news ?"
Cock. — What news ?
Fox. — Peace has been sworn bv bird and beast.
Cock. — Do you say so ? Let me hear how it came to pass.
Fox. — Well, the birds and the beasts have met, and have
sworn a truce. AVe are now quite safe by night and day.
The wolf will no more tear the lamb, nor the fox kill the
kid ; the cat will not catch the mice, nor the dog bark at
the sheep ; and from this time all will live in peace : so
come down, that I may wish you joy on this new state of
things.
The cock did not say much, but gave his neck a stretch,
and made a feint that he saw some foe at hand.
Fox. — What is it you see ?
Cock. — Why, I think I see a pack of hounds. Xo doubt
they come this way to tell the good news.
Fox. — Oh, then, I must be gone !
Cock. — No ; pray sir, do not go ; I am just on the point
of a flight down to you. You can have no fear of dogs in
this time of peace.
88
j^sop^s Fables.
'what news?"
JEsofs Fables. 89
Fox. — Why, no — no — but — ten to one they have not
heard the news.
Cock. — If the sky falls we shall catch larks. You might as
well try to make me think the moon is made of green cheese !
THE OAK AND THE REED.
An oak which stood on the side of a brook was torn up
by the roots in a storm, and as the wind took it down the
stream its boughs caught on some reeds which grew on the
bank. " How
strange it is,"
said the oak,
"that such a
slight and frail
thing as a
reed should
face the blast,
while my
proud front,
which till now
has stood like
an Alp, is torn
down,rootand
branch ! " A
reed, which caught the sound of these words, said, in soft tones,
" If I may be free with you, I think the cause of it lies in your
pride of heart. You are stiff and hard, and trust in your
own strength, while we yield and bow to the rough blast."
It is worse to break than to bend.
90 u^sofs Fables.
THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL.
One day, as a young maid went down the road with her
pail of milk on her head, she was heard to say, '' This pail
of milk will fetch me so much, which sum I will lay out in
eggs ; these eggs will bring a score of chicks, and they will
be fit to sell just at the time when fowls bear a good price ;
so that on May-day I shall have a new gown. Let me see,
— yes, green will suit me best, and green it shall be. In
this dress I will go to the fair, and all who are there will
pay their court to me ; but with a proud look I shall turn
from them."
Wrapt in this dream of joy, she gave a toss of the head
to suit the words, when down came the pail of milk, and
with it the eggs, the chicks, the green gown, and all the
bright thoughts of what she should do at the fair.
Count not your chicks till they are out of the shell.
Each " may be " hath a '^ may not be."
THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS.
A HARE that was known to be good and kind was a friend
to all the beasts of the field. One day the hounds caught
sight of her, and gave her such a hard chase that at last
she lay quite faint by the side of the road. To her great
joy a horse came by. "Let me mount you," said she, "and
the hounds will then be thrown off the scent." "Poor
Puss," said the horse, with a sigh, "it makes me sad to see
you thus ; but look up — all your friends are near." She
jEsop's Fables. 91
next sought aid from the bull. '^ I would lend you help, and
be sure I wish you well," said he ; " but I am the head of the
herd, and I must now join it." The goat, who came next,
said, " I fear my coat is too rough for you ; there's the sheep
with his soft wool." But the sheep told her that she was too
weak to bear her weight, and that hounds eat sheep as well
as hares. A young calf was the poor hare's last chance, and
he said, '^ If those who have gone by, who are grown up, did not
help you, what good can I do, who am but young and weak?"
Just then the hounds came in sight, and the calf ran off, and
left the poor hare to her fate. " Ah! " said she, " friends are
like bees ; on bright days they swarm, but when clouds shut
out the sun they are not to be found, though sought."
When your friend is in want, lose no time but help him.
THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.
Once on a time there was a man who had a pet dog, of
which he was so fond that he let him eat from his own plate,
and sit on his knee. The same man kept an ass that drew
wood all day and had to take his turn at the mill at night.
" What a hard fare is mine ! " said he ; "I work night and
day while the lap dog leads a life of ease. No doubt my
lord would get as fond of his ass as he is of his dog, if I
could but win him by the same tricks."
At this he broke from his stall, set off to the room where
the man was, sprang to his face to lick it, and gave a loud
bray in his ear. But now the ass had gone too far with his
rough play ; for the men of the farm came in with clubs,
sticks, and staves to beat him.
92
j^sop's Fables.
FRIENDS ARE LIKE BEES.
JEsop's Fables. 93
THE NURSE AND THE WOLF.
A WOLF that was in search of food, was seen to prowl
near a house where he heard a child cry, and its nurse chid-ed
it in these words — ^^ Now leave off at once, or I will throw
you out of doors to the wolf!" So the wolf sat near the
house for a long time, in the hopes that he should see her
words made good. At last the child, worn out by its cries,
fell off to sleep. In a short time the wolf heard the nurse say,
'' if the fierce old wolf comes for my babe, we will beat him
to death, we will." The wolf now thought it high time to
be off, and said as he went, " If folk say that which they
do not mean at one hour, and mean that which they do not
say the next, what can a child or a wolf think of it ? "
THE DOG IN THE OX'S STALL.
A Doa once made his bed on some hay in a stall, and an
ox, who was much in want of food came near to eat some of
it. Up sprang the fierce cur, with a growl and a snarl, and
would not let him touch it. At this the ox said, " Fie on
thee, thou cur ! Thou dost not feed on hay, yet, in thy
spite, thou must needs stand in the way of those who do."
With this, a man on the farm took the dog up by the neck,
and laid his whip on his back till he ran off in shame.
THE COCK, THE DOG, AND THE FOX.
A DOG and a cock had been in a wood, and as night came
on, they went to rest. The cock flew on the bough of a
tree to roost, while the dog slept in a hole in the trunk of
it. At break of day the cock set up a loud shrill crow, which
94 JEsofs Fables.
was heard by a fox, who soon ran to the place whence the
sound came, and said, " Let me beg of you to fly down, that
I may greet you, and praise you for so sweet a song." " I
would first ask you," said the cock, " to wake up my friend,
who lies in the trunk of this tree." ^' By all means," quoth
the fox, who thought he should find a nest with the hen
and her young chicks in it ; so he thrust his head in the
hole, and was torn to death by the dog, who said, with a
loud bark, " Paid in his own coin."
THE OLD BLIND DAME.
Once on a time an old dame that was blind sent for Dr.
Dash to cure her. She told him that if he broug-ht back her
CD
sight he should have a large fee, but that if he did not cure her,
he was to have no fee at all. Well, day by day Dr. Dash
made his call on the dame, and one by one he took off all
her goods. At last, when he had swept the house clear of
them, he set to work on the case, and made a cure of it ; so
once more, to her great joy, the old dame could see. " I must
ask you for my fee," said Dr. Dash ; but the dame put him
off from time to time, and did not pay him. At last he went
to law ; and she came to the court, and spoke thus to the judge :
"What Dr. Dash tells you is quite true, in so far as I said I
would give him a large fee if he brought my sight. Now,
then, he tells me my eyes are well, but I say they are not ;
for till my bad sight had come on, I could see all sorts of
goods in my house, while now, when he tells me he has made
a cure of my eyes, I can see none there ; and I think, my
lord, that he who plays tricks ought to take a joke ! "
jEsofs Fables. 95
THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS.
A FINE horse broke loose from his stall, and as he ran down
the road with a loud, shrill neigh, he met an ass with a load
on his back, to whom he said, in a proud tone, that if he
did not make way for him, he would kick him with his heels,
and tread him in the dust. The poor ass held his peace, and
made room for him as fast as he could. In course of time
the horse went to the wars, and was shot in the eye, which
so spoilt his good looks, that he was sent to work on the
farm. Stript of all his pomp, he was met by the ass, who
said to him, '^Ha ! is it you ? Your state is now as low as
mine. I thought your pride would have a fall some day!"
THE APE MADE KING.
The beasts once chose an ape for their king. From morn
till night he would play all his droll tricks to please them,
and they could not rest till they had put him on a throne,
with a king's crown on his head. They did all they could to
swell his pomp, and the beasts took him to be as wise as he
was great — all but the fox, who knew what a bad choice they
had made. One day, as the fox was on his way to the court,
he saw a trap in the ditch with nuts, figs, and dates for a bait.
He told the ape of all these good things, and said that as
they were found on a piece of waste land, they were the king's
by right. The ape who did not dream of fraud, went to claim
them ; but as soon as he had laid his paw on the bait, he
was caught in the trap. Stung with rage and pain, he gave
the fox all the hard names he could think of ; but all the
fox said was, " Are you a king, and not up to trap ? "
96 j^sofs Fables.
THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLD EGG.
In the good old times, a man and his wife had a goose
that each day of her life laid a gold egg ; but they thought
that one egg from the time that the sun rose till he set was
slow work, and in the hopes that they should seize all the
eggs at once they put the goose to death. But to their
great grief they found that their goose was just the same
as all geese. '' Ah, my dear," quoth the old man, " he who
has much would have more." '' True," said his wife, with
a sigh, "and so comes to lose all."
THE BOAR AND THE HORSE.
In days of old a horse came to drink at a pond, when
he saw that a boar lay in the mud at the edge, which made
the pool thick and foul. Fierce neighs and grunts were
soon heard, and but for the fear the horse had of the boar's
huge tusks, they would have fought. At last the horse
found a man to help him, who soon made a bit and a rein,
took his bow, got on his back, and off they both set. The
boar, struck with awe at so strange a sight, ran off as fast
as he could, but the horse soon came up to him, and the
man shot him dead. Now that there was no cause for fear,
the horse would fain be once more free, so he said, " I pray
thee take off this rein." "Nay, that I will not do, my
friend," quoth the man ; " for now that I have found out
thy use, I will keep thee to ride on."
A man may beat the bush, and his friend catch the bird.
