The Crow and the Serpent

A Crow in great want of food saw a Serpent asleep in a sunny nook, and flying down,
greedily seized him. The Serpent, turning about, bit the Crow with a mortal wound. In
the agony of death, the bird exclaimed: "O unhappy me! who have found in that
which I deemed a happy windfall the source of my destruction."
The Hunter and the Horseman
A certain Hunter, having snared a hare, placed it upon his shoulders and set out
homewards. On his way he met a man on horseback who begged the hare of him,
under the pretense of purchasing it. However, when the Horseman got the hare, he
rode off as fast as he could. The Hunter ran after him, as if he was sure of overtaking
him, but the Horseman increased more and more the distance between them. The
Hunter, sorely against his will, called out to him and said, "Get along with you! for I
will now make you a present of the hare."
The King's Son and the Painted Lion
A King, whose only son was fond of martial exercises, had a dream in which he was
warned that his son would be killed by a lion. Afraid the dream should prove true, he
built for his son a pleasant palace and adorned its walls for his amusement with all
kinds of life-sized animals, among which was the picture of a lion. When the young
Prince saw this, his grief at being thus confined burst out afresh, and, standing near
the lion, he said: "O you most detestable of animals! through a lying dream of my
father's, which he saw in his sleep, I am shut up on your account in this palace as if I
had been a girl: what shall I now do to you?' With these words he stretched out his
hands toward a thorn-tree, meaning to cut a stick from its branches so that he might
beat the lion. But one of the tree's prickles pierced his finger and caused great pain
and inflammation, so that the young Prince fell down in a fainting fit. A violent fever
suddenly set in, from which he died not many days later.
We had better bear our troubles bravely than try to escape them.
The Cat and Venus
A Cat fell in love with a handsome young man, and entreated Venus to change her
into the form of a woman. Venus consented to her request and transformed her into a
beautiful damsel, so that the youth saw her and loved her, and took her home as his
bride. While the two were reclining in their chamber, Venus wishing to discover if the
Cat in her change of shape had also altered her habits of life, let down a mouse in the
middle of the room. The Cat, quite forgetting her present condition, started up from
the couch and pursued the mouse, wishing to eat it. Venus was much disappointed and
again caused her to return to her former shape.
Nature exceeds nurture.
The She-Goats and Their Beards
The She-Goats having obtained a beard by request to Jupiter, the He-Goats were

sorely displeased and made complaint that the females equaled them in dignity.
"Allow them," said Jupiter, "to enjoy an empty honor and to assume the badge of your
nobler sex, so long as they are not your equals in strength or courage."
It matters little if those who are inferior to us in merit should be like us in outside
appearances.
The Camel and the Arab
An Arab camel-driver, after completing the loading of his Camel, asked him which he
would like best, to go up hill or down. The poor beast replied, not without a touch of
reason: "Why do you ask me? Is it that the level way through the desert is closed?"
The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
A Miller and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had
not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and
laughing. "Look there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be
trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?' The old man hearing this,
quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily by his side.
Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. "There," said one of
them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days?
Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young
scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the old man 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 immediately
took up his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. "Pray, honest
friend," said a citizen, "is that Ass your own?' "Yes," replied the old man. "O, 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 legs of the
Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders
over a bridge near the entrance to the town. This entertaining sight brought the people
in crowds to laugh at it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that
he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into
the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home
again, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and
lost his Ass in the bargain.
The Crow and the Sheep
A troublesome Crow seated herself on the back of a Sheep. The Sheep, much against
his will, carried her backward and forward for a long time, and at last said, "If you
had treated a dog in this way, you would have had your deserts from his sharp teeth."
To this the Crow replied, "I despise the weak and yield to the strong. I know whom I
may bully and whom I must flatter; and I thus prolong my life to a good old age."
The Fox and the Bramble

A Fox was mounting a hedge when he lost his footing and caught hold of a Bramble
to save himself. Having pricked and grievously tom the soles of his feet, he accused
the Bramble because, when he had fled to her for assistance, she had used him worse
than the hedge itself. The Bramble, interrupting him, said, "But you really must have
been out of your senses to fasten yourself on me, who am myself always accustomed
to fasten upon others."
The Wolf and the Lion
A Wolf, having stolen a lamb from a fold, was carrying him off to his lair. A Lion met
him in the path, and seizing the lamb, took it from him. Standing at a safe distance,
the Wolf exclaimed, "You have unrighteously taken that which was mine from me!"
To which the Lion jeeringly replied, "It was righteously yours, eh? The gift of a
friend?'
The Dog and the Oyster
A Dog, used to eating eggs, saw an Oyster and, opening his mouth to its widest
extent, swallowed it down with the utmost relish, supposing it to be an egg. Soon
afterwards suffering great pain in his stomach, he said, "I deserve all this torment, for
my folly in thinking that everything round must be an egg."
They who act without sufficient thought, will often fall into unsuspected danger.
The Ant and the Dove
An Ant went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the
rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning. A Dove sitting on a tree
overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her. The
Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher
came and stood under the tree, and laid his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the
branches. The Ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot. In pain the
birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove take wing.
The Partridge and the Fowler
A Fowler caught a Partridge and was about to kill it. The Partridge earnestly begged
him to spare his life, saying, "Pray, master, permit me to live and I will entice many
Partridges to you in recompense for your mercy to me." The Fowler replied, "I shall
now with less scruple take your life, because you are willing to save it at the cost of
betraying your friends and relations."
The Flea and the Man
A Man, very much annoyed with a Flea, caught him at last, and said, "Who are you
who dare to feed on my limbs, and to cost me so much trouble in catching you?' The
Flea replied, "O my dear sir, pray spare my life, and destroy me not, for I cannot
possibly do you much harm." The Man, laughing, replied, "Now you shall certainly
die by mine own hands, for no evil, whether it be small or large, ought to be

tolerated."
The Thieves and the Cock
Some Thieves broke into a house and found nothing but a Cock, whom they stole, and
got off as fast as they could. Upon arriving at home they prepared to kill the Cock,
who thus pleaded for his life: "Pray spare me; I am very serviceable to men. I wake
them up in the night to their work." "That is the very reason why we must the more
kill you," they replied; "for when you wake your neighbors, you entirely put an end to
our business."
The safeguards of virtue are hateful to those with evil intentions.
The Dog and the Cook
A rich man gave a great feast, to which he invited many friends and acquaintances.
His Dog availed himself of the occasion to invite a stranger Dog, a friend of his,
saying, "My master gives a feast, and there is always much food remaining; come and
sup with me tonight." The Dog thus invited went at the hour appointed, and seeing the
preparations for so grand an entertainment, said in the joy of his heart, "How glad I
am that I came! I do not often get such a chance as this. I will take care and eat
enough to last me both today and tomorrow." While he was congratulating himself
and wagging his tail to convey his pleasure to his friend, the Cook saw him moving
about among his dishes and, seizing him by his fore and hind paws, bundled him
without ceremony out of the window. He fell with force upon the ground and limped
away, howling dreadfully. His yelling soon attracted other street dogs, who came up
to him and inquired how he had enjoyed his supper. He replied, "Why, to tell you the
truth, I drank so much wine that I remember nothing. I do not know how I got out of
the house."
The Travelers and the Plane-Tree
Two Travelers, worn out by the heat of the summer's sun, laid themselves down at
noon under the widespreading branches of a Plane-Tree. As they rested under its
shade, one of the Travelers said to the other, "What a singularly useless tree is the
Plane! It bears no fruit, and is not of the least service to man." The Plane-Tree,
interrupting him, said, "You ungrateful fellows! Do you, while receiving benefits
from me and resting under my shade, dare to describe me as useless, and
unprofitable?'
Some men underrate their best blessings.
The Hares and the Frogs
The Hares, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of the perpetual
alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to
themselves and their troubles by jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake
below. As they scampered off in large numbers to carry out their resolve, the Frogs
lying on the banks of the lake heard the noise of their feet and rushed helter-skelter to
the deep water for safety. On seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs, one of the

Hares cried out to his companions: "Stay, my friends, do not do as you intended; for
you now see that there are creatures who are still more timid than ourselves."
The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant
The Lion wearied Jupiter with his frequent complaints. "It is true, O Jupiter!" he said,
"that I am gigantic in strength, handsome in shape, and powerful in attack. I have jaws
well provided with teeth, and feet furnished with claws, and I lord it over all the
beasts of the forest, and what a disgrace it is, that being such as I am, I should be
frightened by the crowing of a cock." Jupiter replied, "Why do you blame me without
a cause? I have given you all the attributes which I possess myself, and your courage
never fails you except in this one instance." On hearing this the Lion groaned and
lamented very much and, reproaching himself with his cowardice, wished that he
might die. As these thoughts passed through his mind, he met an Elephant and came
close to hold a conversation with him. After a time he observed that the Elephant
shook his ears very often, and he inquired what was the matter and why his ears
moved with such a tremor every now and then. Just at that moment a Gnat settled on
the head of the Elephant, and he replied, "Do you see that little buzzing insect? If it
enters my ear, my fate is sealed. I should die presently." The Lion said, "Well, since
so huge a beast is afraid of a tiny gnat, I will no more complain, nor wish myself
dead. I find myself, even as I am, better off than the Elephant."
The Lamb and the Wolf
A Wolf pursued a Lamb, which fled for refuge to a certain Temple. The Wolf called
out to him and said, "The Priest will slay you in sacrifice, if he should catch you." On
which the Lamb replied, "It would be better for me to be sacrificed in the Temple than
to be eaten by you."
The Rich Man and the Tanner
A rich man lived near a Tanner, and not being able to bear the unpleasant smell of the
tan-yard, he pressed his neighbor to go away. The Tanner put off his departure from
time to time, saying that he would leave soon. But as he still continued to stay, as time
went on, the rich man became accustomed to the smell, and feeling no manner of
inconvenience, made no further complaints.
The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea
A shipwrecked man, having been cast upon a certain shore, slept after his buffetings
with the deep. After a while he awoke, and looking upon the Sea, loaded it with
reproaches. He argued that it enticed men with the calmness of its looks, but when it
had induced them to plow its waters, it grew rough and destroyed them. The Sea,
assuming the form of a woman, replied to him: "Blame not me, my good sir, but the
winds, for I am by my own nature as calm and firm even as this earth; but the winds
suddenly falling on me create these waves, and lash me into fury."
The Mules and the Robbers
Two Mules well-laden with packs were trudging along. One carried panniers filled

with money, the other sacks weighted with grain. The Mule carrying the treasure
walked with head erect, as if conscious of the value of his burden, and tossed up and
down the clear-toned bells fastened to his neck. His companion followed with quiet
and easy step. All of a sudden Robbers rushed upon them from their hiding-places,
and in the scuffle with their owners, wounded with a sword the Mule carrying the
treasure, which they greedily seized while taking no notice of the grain. The Mule
which had been robbed and wounded bewailed his misfortunes. The other replied, "I
am indeed glad that I was thought so little of, for I have lost nothing, nor am I hurt
with any wound."
The Viper and the File
A Lion, entering the workshop of a smith, sought from the tools the means of
satisfying his hunger. He more particularly addressed himself to a File, and asked of
him the favor of a meal. The File replied, "You must indeed be a simple-minded
fellow if you expect to get anything from me, who am accustomed to take from
everyone, and never to give anything in return."
The Lion and the Shepherd
A Lion, roaming through a forest, trod upon a thorn. Soon afterward he came up to a
Shepherd and fawned upon him, wagging his tail as if to say, "I am a suppliant, and
seek your aid." The Shepherd boldly examined the beast, discovered the thorn, and
placing his paw upon his lap, pulled it out; thus relieved of his pain, the Lion returned
into the forest. Some time after, the Shepherd, being imprisoned on a false accusation,
was condemned "to be cast to the Lions" as the punishment for his imputed crime. But
when the Lion was released from his cage, he recognized the Shepherd as the man
who healed him, and instead of attacking him, approached and placed his foot upon
his lap. The King, as soon as he heard the tale, ordered the Lion to be set free again in
the forest, and the Shepherd to be pardoned and restored to his friends.
The Camel and Jupiter
The Camel, when he saw the Bull adorned with horns, envied him and wished that he
himself could obtain the same honors. He went to Jupiter, and besought him to give
him horns. Jupiter, vexed at his request because he was not satisfied with his size and
strength of body, and desired yet more, not only refused to give him horns, but even
deprived him of a portion of his ears.
The Panther and the Shepherds
A Panther, by some mischance, fell into a pit. The Shepherds discovered him, and
some threw sticks at him and pelted him with stones, while others, moved with
compassion towards one about to die even though no one should hurt him, threw in
some food to prolong his life. At night they returned home, not dreaming of any
danger, but supposing that on the morrow they would find him dead. The Panther,
however, when he had recruited his feeble strength, freed himself with a sudden
bound from the pit, and hastened to his den with rapid steps. After a few days he came
forth and slaughtered the cattle, and, killing the Shepherds who had attacked him,
raged with angry fury. Then they who had spared his life, fearing for their safety,

surrendered to him their flocks and begged only for their lives. To them the Panther
made this reply: "I remember alike those who sought my life with stones, and those
who gave me food aside, therefore, your fears. I return as an enemy only to those who
injured me."