A bull, being pursued by a lion, fled into a cave where a wild goat had taken up his abode.
The goat upon this began molesting him and butting at him with his horns. “Don’t suppose,” said the bull, “if I suffer this now, that it is you I am afraid of. Let the lion be once out of sight and I will soon show you the difference between a bull and a goat.”
A man who kept a horse and an ass was wont in his journeys to spare the horse and put the entire burden upon the ass’ back. The ass, who had been ailing for some time, besought the horse one day to relieve him of part of his load. “For if,” said he, “you would take a fair portion, I shall soon get well again; but if you refuse to help me, this weight will kill me.”
The horse, however, bade the ass get on and not trouble him with his complaints. The ass jogged on in silence, but presently, overcome with the weight of his burden, dropped down dead, as he had foretold. Upon this, the master unloosed the load from the dead ass and, putting it upon the horse’s back, made him carry the ass’ carcass in addition.
“Alas, for my ill nature!” said the horse. “By refusing to bear my just portion of the load, I have now to carry the whole of it, with a dead weight in the bargain.”
A dog and a cock having struck up an acquaintance went out on their travels together. Nightfall found them in a forest, so the cock, flying up on a tree, perched among the branches, while the dog dozed below at the foot. As the night passed away and the day dawned, the cock, according to his custom, set up a shrill crowing.
A fox, hearing him and thinking to make a meal of him, came and stood under the tree and thus addressed him: “Thou art a good little bird and most useful to thy fellow creatures. Come down, then, that we may sing and rejoice together.”
The cock replied; “Go, my good friend, to the foot of the tree, and call the church elders to toll the bell.” But as the Fox went to call them, the dog jumped out in a moment, seized the fox, and made an end of him.
They who lay traps for others are often caught by their own bait.
One afternoon a fox was walking through the forest and spotted a bunch of grapes hanging from over a lofty branch. “Just the thing to quench my thirst,” said he.
Taking a few steps back, the fox jumped and just missed the hanging grapes. Again the fox took a few steps back, ran, jumped, and tried to reach them but still failed.
Finally giving up, the fox turned up his nose and said, “They’re probably sour anyway,” and proceeded to walk away.
Once upon a time there was a fierce war waged between the birds and the beasts. For a long while the issue of the battle was uncertain, and the bat, taking advantage of his ambiguous nature, kept aloof and remained neutral.
At length when the beasts seemed to prevail, the bat joined their forces and appeared active in the fight. After a successful rally made by the birds, he was found among the ranks of the winning party.
A peace being speedily concluded, the bat’s conduct was condemned alike by both parties. Being acknowledged by neither, he was excluded from the terms of the truce. He was obliged to skulk off as best he could and has ever since lived in holes and corners, never daring to show his face except in the duskiness of twilight.
A miller and his son were driving their ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of girls returning from the town, talking and laughing. “Look there!” cried one of them, “did you ever see such fools, to be trudging along the road on foot, when they might be riding!”
The old man, hearing this, quietly bade his son get on the ass, and walked along merrily by the side of him. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. “There!” said one of them, “it proves what I was saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle young rogue riding, while his old father has to walk? Get down, you scapegrace! And let the old man rest his weary limbs.”
Upon this the father made his son dismount and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children. “Why, you lazy old fellow!” cried several tongues at once, “how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?”
The good-natured miller stood corrected and immediately took up his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. “Pray, honest friend,” said a townsman, “is that ass your own?” “Yes,” said the old Man. “Oh! One would not have thought so,” said the other, “by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you!” “Anything to please you,” said the old man; “we can but try.”
So, alighting with his son, they tied the ass’ legs together and by the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge that led to the town. This was so entertaining a sight that the people ran out in crowds to laugh at it, till the ass, not liking the noise or his situation, kicked asunder the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river.
Upon this the old man, vexed and ashamed, made his way home, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody and lost his ass in the bargain.
A lion was sleeping in his lair when a mouse, not knowing where he was going, ran over the mighty beast’s nose and awakened him. The lion clapped his paw upon the frightened little creature and was about to make an end of him in a moment, when the mouse, in pitiable tone, besought him to spare one who had so unconsciously offended, and not stain his honorable paws with so insignificant a prey. The Lion, smiling at his little prisoner’s fright, generously let him go.
Now it happened that a short time later the Lion, while ranging the woods for his prey, fell into the toils of the hunters. Finding himself entangled without hope of escape, he set up a roar that filled the whole forest with its echo.
The mouse, recognizing the voice of his former benefactor, ran to the spot and, without more ado, set to work to nibble the knot in the cord that bound the lion. In a short time the mouse set the noble beast at liberty, thus convincing him that kindness is seldom thrown away and that there is no creature so much below another but that he may have it in his power to return a good favor.
A wolf had long hung about a flock of sheep and had done them no harm. The shepherd, however, had his suspicions, and for a while was always on the lookout against him as an avowed enemy. But when the wolf continued for a long time following in the train of his flock without the least attempt to annoy them, he began to look upon him more as a friend than a foe. Having occasion to go into the city one day, he entrusted the sheep to his care.
The wolf no sooner saw his opportunity than he immediately fell upon the sheep and worried them. The shepherd, on his return, seeing his flock destroyed, exclaimed, “Fool that I am! Yet I deserved no less for trusting my sheep with a wolf!”
There is more danger from a pretended friend than from an open enemy.
A stag one summer’s day came to a pool to quench his thirst, and as he stood drinking he saw his form reflected in the water. “What beauty and strength,” said he, “are in these horns of mine; but how unseemly are these weak and slender feet!”
While he was thus criticizing, after his own fancies, the form which Nature had given him, the huntsmen and hounds drew that way. The feet, with which he had found so much fault, soon carried him out of reach of his pursuers; but the horns, of which he was so vain, becoming entangled in a thicket, held him till the hunters again came up to him, and proved the cause of his death.
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