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The Mole and His Mother `
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A MOLE, a creature blind from birth, once said to his Mother: "I `
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am sure than I can see, Mother!" In the desire to prove to him `
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his mistake, his Mother placed before him a few grains of `
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frankincense, and asked, "What is it?' The young Mole said, "It `
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is a pebble." His Mother exclaimed: "My son, I am afraid that you `
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are not only blind, but that you have lost your sense of smell. `
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The Herdsman and the Lost Bull `
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A HERDSMAN tending his flock in a forest lost a Bull-calf from `
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the fold. After a long and fruitless search, he made a vow that, `
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if he could only discover the thief who had stolen the Calf, he `
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would offer a lamb in sacrifice to Hermes, Pan, and the Guardian `
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Deities of the forest. Not long afterwards, as he ascended a `
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small hillock, he saw at its foot a Lion feeding on the Calf. `
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Terrified at the sight, he lifted his eyes and his hands to `
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heaven, and said: "Just now I vowed to offer a lamb to the `
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Guardian Deities of the forest if I could only find out who had `
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robbed me; but now that I have discovered the thief, I would `
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willingly add a full-grown Bull to the Calf I have lost, if I may `
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only secure my own escape from him in safety." `
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The Hare and the Tortoise `
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A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the `
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Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the `
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wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing her `
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assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and `
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they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the `
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goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started `
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together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on `
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with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. `
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The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last `
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waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise `
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had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her `
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fatigue. `
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Slow but steady wins the race. `
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The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble `
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THE POMEGRANATE and Apple-Tree disputed as to which was the most `
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beautiful. When their strife was at its height, a Bramble from `
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the neighboring hedge lifted up its voice, and said in a boastful `
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tone: "Pray, my dear friends, in my presence at least cease from `
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such vain disputings." `
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The Farmer and the Stork `
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A FARMER placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught a `
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number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he `
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trapped a Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was `
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earnestly beseeching the Farmer to spare his life. "Pray save `
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me, Master," he said, "and let me go free this once. My broken `
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limb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I am a `
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Stork, a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and `
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slave for my father and mother. Look too, at my feathers-- `
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they are not the least like those of a Crane." The Farmer `
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laughed aloud and said, "It may be all as you say, I only know `
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this: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you `
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must die in their company." `
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Birds of a feather flock together. `
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The Farmer and the Snake `
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ONE WINTER a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He `
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had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. `
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The Snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its `
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natural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal `
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wound. "Oh," cried the Farmer with his last breath, "I am `
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rightly served for pitying a scoundrel." `
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The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful. `
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The Fawn and His Mother `
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A YOUNG FAWN once said to his Mother, "You are larger than a dog, `
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and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as `
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a defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frighten you so?" `
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She smiled, and said: "I know full well, my son, that all you say `
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is true. I have the advantages you mention, but when I hear even `
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the bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as `
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fast as I can." `
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No arguments will give courage to the coward. `
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The Bear and the Fox `
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A BEAR boasted very much of his philanthropy, saying that of all `
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animals he was the most tender in his regard for man, for he had `
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such respect for him that he would not even touch his dead body. `
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A Fox hearing these words said with a smile to the Bear, "Oh! `
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that you would eat the dead and not the living." `
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The Swallow and the Crow `
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THE SWALLOW and the Crow had a contention about their plumage. `
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The Crow put an end to the dispute by saying, "Your feathers are `
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all very well in the spring, but mine protect me against the `
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winter." `
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Fair weather friends are not worth much. `
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The Mountain in Labor `
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A MOUNTAIN was once greatly agitated. Loud groans and noises `
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were heard, and crowds of people came from all parts to see what `
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was the matter. While they were assembled in anxious expectation `
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of some terrible calamity, out came a Mouse. `
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Don't make much ado about nothing. `
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The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion `
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THE ASS and the Fox, having entered into partnership together for `
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their mutual protection, went out into the forest to hunt. They `
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had not proceeded far when they met a Lion. The Fox, seeing `
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imminent danger, approached the Lion and promised to contrive for `
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him the capture of the Ass if the Lion would pledge his word not `
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to harm the Fox. Then, upon assuring the Ass that he would not `
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be injured, the Fox led him to a deep pit and arranged that he `
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should fall into it. The Lion, seeing that the Ass was secured, `
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immediately clutched the Fox, and attacked the Ass at his `
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leisure. `
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The Tortoise and the Eagle `
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A TORTOISE, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the `
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sea-birds of her hard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. `
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An Eagle, hovering near, heard her lamentation and demanded what `
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reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float `
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her in the air. "I will give you," she said, "all the riches of `
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the Red Sea." "I will teach you to fly then," said the Eagle; and `
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taking her up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds `
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suddenly he let her go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing `
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her shell to pieces. The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of `
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death: "I have deserved my present fate; for what had I to do `
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with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty move about on the `
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earth?' `
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If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined. `
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The Flies and the Honey-Pot `
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A NUMBER of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been `
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overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in it, `
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ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the `
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honey that they could not use their wings, nor release `
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themselves, and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, `
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they exclaimed, "O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of `
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a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves." `
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Pleasure bought with pains, hurts. `
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The Man and the Lion `
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A MAN and a Lion traveled together through the forest. They soon `
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began to boast of their respective superiority to each other in `
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strength and prowess. As they were disputing, they passed a `
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statue carved in stone, which represented "a Lion strangled by a `
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Man." The traveler pointed to it and said: "See there! How strong `
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we are, and how we prevail over even the king of beasts." The `
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Lion replied: "This statue was made by one of you men. If we `
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Lions knew how to erect statues, you would see the Man placed `
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under the paw of the Lion." `
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One story is good, till another is told. `
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The Farmer and the Cranes `
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SOME CRANES made their feeding grounds on some plowlands newly `
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sown with wheat. For a long time the Farmer, brandishing an `
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empty sling, chased them away by the terror he inspired; but when `
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the birds found that the sling was only swung in the air, they `
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ceased to take any notice of it and would not move. The Farmer, `
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on seeing this, charged his sling with stones, and killed a great `
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number. The remaining birds at once forsook his fields, crying `
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to each other, "It is time for us to be off to Liliput: for this `
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man is no longer content to scare us, but begins to show us in `
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earnest what he can do." `
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If words suffice not, blows must follow. `
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