The Wolf and the Goat

A wolf saw a Goat feeding at the summit of a steep precipice,

where he had no chance of reaching her.  He called to her and

earnestly begged her to come lower down, lest she fall by some

mishap; and he added that the meadows lay where he was standing,

and that the herbage was most tender.  She replied, "No, my

friend, it is not for the pasture that you invite me, but for

yourself, who are in want of food."

The Laborer and the Snake

A Snake, having made his hole close to the porch of a cottage,

inflicted a mortal bite on the Cottager's infant son.  Grieving

over his loss, the Father resolved to kill the Snake.  The next

day, when it came out of its hole for food, he took up his axe,

but by swinging too hastily, missed its head and cut off only the

end of its tail.  After some time the Cottager, afraid that the

Snake would bite him also, endeavored to make peace, and placed

some bread and salt in the hole.  The Snake, slightly hissing,

said:  "There can henceforth be no peace between us; for whenever

I see you I shall remember the loss of my tail, and whenever you

see me you will be thinking of the death of your son."

          No one truly forgets injuries in the presence of him

                who caused the injury.

The Swallow and the Other Birds

It happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seeds in a

field where a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about

picking up their food.  "Beware of that man," quoth the Swallow.

"Why, what is he doing?" said the others.  "That is hemp seed he

is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of the seeds, or else

you will repent it."  The birds paid no heed to the Swallow's

words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was made into cord, and

of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that had despised the

Swallow's advice was caught in nets made out of that very hemp.

"What did I tell you?" said the Swallow.

            Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.

The Wolf and the Kid

A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down

saw a Wolf passing under him.  Immediately he began to revile and

attack his enemy.  "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do you

here near honest folks' houses?  How dare you make an appearance

where your vile deeds are known?"

  "Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf...

                "It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass

The Lion, the Fox and the Ass entered into an agreement to assist

each other in the chase.  Having secured a large booty, the Lion

on their return from the forest asked the Ass to allot his due

portion to each of the three partners in the treaty.  The Ass

carefully divided the spoil into three equal shares and modestly

requested the two others to make the first choice.  The Lion,

bursting out into a great rage, devoured the Ass.  Then he

requested the Fox to do him the favor to make a division.  The

Fox accumulated all that they had killed into one large heap and

left to himself the smallest possible morsel.  The Lion said,

"Who has taught you, my very excellent fellow, the art of

division? You are perfect to a fraction."  He replied, "I learned

it from the Ass, by witnessing his fate."

                Happy is the man who learns from the misfortunes of others. 

The Lion and the Statue

A Man and a Lion were discussing the relative strength of men

and lions in general.  The Man contended that he and his fellows

were stronger than lions by reason of their greater intelligence.

"Come now with me," he cried, "and I will soon prove that I am

right."  So he took him into the public gardens and showed him a

statue of Hercules overcoming the Lion and tearing his mouth in

two.

  "That is all very well," said the Lion, "but proves nothing,

for it was a man who made the statue."

                We can easily represent things as we wish them to be.

The Thief and the Innkeeper

A Thief hired a room in a tavern and stayed a while in the hope

of stealing something which should enable him to pay his

reckoning.  When he had waited some days in vain, he saw the

Innkeeper dressed in a new and handsome coat and sitting before

his door.  The Thief sat down beside him and talked with him.  As

the conversation began to flag, the Thief yawned terribly and at

the same time howled like a wolf.  The Innkeeper said, "Why do

you howl so fearfully?'  "I will tell you," said the Thief, "but

first let me ask you to hold my clothes, or I shall tear them to

pieces.  I know not, sir, when I got this habit of yawning, nor

whether these attacks of howling were inflicted on me as a

judgment for my crimes, or for any other cause; but this I do

know, that when I yawn for the third time, I actually turn into a

wolf and attack men."  With this speech he commenced a second fit

of yawning and again howled like a wolf, as he had at first.  The

Innkeeper.  hearing his tale and believing what he said, became

greatly alarmed and, rising from his seat, attempted to run away.

The Thief laid hold of his coat and entreated him to stop,

saying, "Pray wait, sir, and hold my clothes, or I shall tear

them to pieces in my fury, when I turn into a wolf."  At the same

moment he yawned the third time and set up a terrible howl.  The

Innkeeper, frightened lest he should be attacked, left his new

coat in the Thief's hand and ran as fast as he could into the inn

for safety.  The Thief made off with the coat and did not return

again to the inn.

          Every tale is not to be believed. 

The Scorpion and the Frog

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the

scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The

frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion

says, "Because if I do, I will die too."

The frog is satisfied, and they set out, but in midstream,

the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of

paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown,

but has just enough time to gasp "Why?"

                    Replies the scorpion: "Its my nature..."

The One-Eyed Doe

A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and

could not see any one approaching her on that side.  So to avoid

any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff near the sea,

with her sound eye looking towards the land.  By this means she

could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often

escaped by this means.  But the hunters found out that she was

blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where

she used to feed and shot her from the sea.  "Ah," cried she with

her dying voice,

          "You cannot escape your fate."

The Serpent and the File

A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came into an

armourer's shop.  As he glided over the floor he felt his skin

pricked by a file lying there.  In a rage he turned round upon it

and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he could do no harm to

heavy iron and had soon to give over his wrath.

          It is useless attacking the insensible.

The Hart in the Ox-Stall

A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for refuge into an

ox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay, leaving nothing to

be seen but the tips of his horns.  Soon after the Hunters came up

and asked if anyone had seen the Hart.  The stable boys, who had

been resting after their dinner, looked round, but could see

nothing, and the Hunters went away.  Shortly afterwards the master

came in, and looking round, saw that something unusual had taken

place.  He pointed to the truss of hay and said: "What are those

two curious things sticking out of the hay?"  And when the stable

boys came to look they discovered the Hart, and soon made an end

of him.  He thus learnt that

         

          Nothing escapes the master's eye.