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The Eagle and the Arrow
An Eagle sat on a lofty rock, watching
the movements of a Hare whom he sought to make his prey. An archer, who saw the Eagle from a place of concealment, took an
accurate aim and wounded him mortally. The Eagle gave one look at the arrow that had entered his heart and saw in that single
glance that its feathers had been furnished by himself. "It is a double grief to me," he exclaimed, "that I should perish
by an arrow feathered from my own wings."
The Eagle and the Jackdaw
AN Eagle, flying down from his perch on a
lofty rock, seized upon a lamb and carried him aloft in his talons. A Jackdaw, who witnessed the capture of the lamb, was
stirred with envy and determined to emulate the strength and flight of the Eagle. He flew around with a great whir of his
wings and settled upon a large ram, with the intention of carrying him off, but his claws became entangled in the ram's fleece
and he was not able to release himself, although he fluttered with his feathers as much as he could. The shepherd, seeing
what had happened, ran up and caught him. He at once clipped the Jackdaw's wings, and taking him home at night, gave him
to his children. On their saying, "Father, what kind of bird is it?' he replied, "To my certain knowledge he is a Daw; but
he would like you to think an Eagle."
The Eagle and the Kite
An Eagle, overwhelmed with sorrow, sat upon the branches
of a tree in company with a Kite. "Why," said the Kite, "do I see you with such a rueful look?' "I seek," she replied, "a
mate suitable for me, and am not able to find one." "Take me," returned the Kite, "I am much stronger than you are." "Why,
are you able to secure the means of living by your plunder?' "Well, I have often caught and carried away an ostrich in my
talons." The Eagle, persuaded by these words, accepted him as her mate. Shortly after the nuptials, the Eagle said, "Fly off
and bring me back the ostrich you promised me." The Kite, soaring aloft into the air, brought back the shabbiest possible
mouse, stinking from the length of time it had lain about the fields. "Is this," said the Eagle, "the faithful fulfillment
of your promise to me?' The Kite replied,"That I might attain your royal hand, there is nothing that I would not have promised,
however much I knew that I must fail in the performance."
The Eagle and the Fox
An Eagle and a Fox formed an intimate
friendship and decided to live near each other. The Eagle built her nest in the branches of a tall tree, while the Fox crept
into the underwood and there produced her young. Not long after they had agreed upon this plan, the Eagle, being in want
of provision for her young ones, swooped down while the Fox was out, seized upon one of the little cubs, and feasted herself
and her brood. The Fox on her return, discovered what had happened, but was less grieved for the death of her young than for
her inability to avenge them. A just retribution, however, quickly fell upon the Eagle. While hovering near an altar, on
which some villagers were sacrificing a goat, she suddenly seized a piece of the flesh, and carried it, along with a burning
cinder, to her nest. A strong breeze soon fanned the spark into a flame, and the eaglets, as yet unfledged and helpless, were
roasted in their nest and dropped down dead at the bottom of the tree. There, in the sight of the Eagle, the Fox gobbled them
up.
The Eagle the Cat and the Wild Sow
An Eagle made her nest at the top of a lofty oak; a Cat, having found a
convenient hole, moved into the middle of the trunk; and a Wild Sow, with her young, took shelter in a hollow at its foot.
The Cat cunningly resolved to destroy this chance-made colony. To carry out her design, she climbed to the nest of the Eagle,
and said, "Destruction is preparing for you, and for me too, unfortunately. The Wild Sow, whom you see daily digging up the
earth, wishes to uproot the oak, so she may on its fall seize our families as food for her young." Having thus frightened
the Eagle out of her senses, she crept down to the cave of the Sow, and said, "Your children are in great danger; for as soon
as you go out with your litter to find food, the Eagle is prepared to pounce upon one of your little pigs." Having instilled
these fears into the Sow, she went and pretended to hide herself in the hollow of the tree. When night came she went forth
with silent foot and obtained food for herself and her kittens, but feigning to be afraid, she kept a lookout all through
the day. Meanwhile, the Eagle, full of fear of the Sow, sat still on the branches, and the Sow, terrified by the Eagle, did
not dare to go out from her cave. And thus they both, along with their families, perished from hunger, and afforded ample
provision for the Cat and her kittens.
The Farmer and His Sons
A Father, being on the point of death, wished to
be sure that his sons would give the same attention to his farm as he himself had given it. He called them to his bedside
and said, "My sons,there is a great treasure hid in one of my vineyards." The sons, after his death, took their spades and
mattocks and carefully dug over every portion of their land. They found no treasure, but the vines repaid their labor by an
extraordinary and superabundant crop.
The Farmer and the Cranes
Some Cranes made their feeding grounds on some
plowlands newly sown with wheat. For a long time the Farmer, brandishing an empty sling, chased them away by the terror he
inspired; but when the birds found that the sling was only swung in the air, they ceased to take any notice of it and would
not move. The Farmer, on seeing this, charged his sling with stones, and killed a great number. The remaining birds at once
forsook his fields, crying to each other, "It is time for us to be off to Liliput: for this man is no longer content to scare
us, but begins to show us in earnest what he can do."
"If words suffice not, blows must follow."
The Farmer and
the Fox
A Farmer, who bore a grudge against a Fox for robbing his poultry yard, caught him at last, and being determined
to take an ample revenge, tied some rope well soaked in oil to his tail, and set it on fire. The Fox by a strange fatality
rushed to the fields of the Farmer who had captured him. It was the time of the wheat harvest; but the Farmer reaped nothing
that year and returned home grieving sorely.
The Farmer and the Snake
One Winter a Farmer found a Snake stiff and
frozen with cold. He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was quickly revived by the
warmth, and resuming its natural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound. "Oh," cried the Farmer with
his last breath, "I am rightly served for pitying a scoundrel."
"The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful"
The
Farmer and the Stork
A Farmer placed nets on his newly-sown plowlands and caught a number of Cranes, which came to pick
up his seed. With them he trapped a Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was earnestly beseeching the Farmer to
spare his life. "Pray save me, Master," he said, "and let me go free this once. My broken limb should excite your pity. Besides,
I am no Crane, I am a Stork, a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for my father and mother. Look too,
at my feathers-- they are not the least like those of a Crane." The Farmer laughed aloud and said, "It may be all as you
say, I only know this: I have taken you with these robbers, the Cranes, and you must die in their company."
"Birds
of a feather flock together"
The Father and His Two Daughters
A Man had two daughters, the one married to a gardener,
and the other to a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who had married the gardener, and inquired how she was
and how all things went with her. She said, "All things are prospering with me, and I have only one wish, that there may
be a heavy fall of rain, in order that the plants may be well watered." Not long after, he went to the daughter who had married
the tilemaker, and
likewise inquired of her how she fared; she replied, "I want for nothing, and have only one wish, that
the dry weather may continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so that the bricks might be dried." He said to her, "If your
sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?'
The Father and His
Sons
A Father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes
by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he
one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them
in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He
next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke
them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you
will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be
broken as easily as these sticks."
The Fawn and His Mother
A Young Fawn once said to his Mother, "You are larger
than a dog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as a defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds
frighten you so?" She smiled, and said: "I know full well, my son, that all you say is true. I have the advantages you mention,
but when I hear even the bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as fast as I can."
"No arguments will
give courage to the coward"
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
Two Game Cocks were fiercely fighting for the mastery
of the farmyard. One at last put the other to flight. The vanquished Cock skulked away and hid himself in a quiet corner,
while the conqueror, flying up to a high wall, flapped his wings and crowed exultingly with all his might. An Eagle sailing
through the air pounced upon him and carried him off in his talons. The vanquished Cock immediately came out of his corner,
and ruled
henceforth with undisputed mastery. "Pride goes before destruction."
The Fir Tree and the Bramble
A
FIR-TREE said boastingly to the Bramble, "You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses."
The Bramble answered: 'You poor creature, if you would only call to mind the axes and saws which are about to hew you down,
you would have reason to wish that you had grown up a Bramble, not a Fir-Tree."
"Better poverty without care, than riches
with."
The Fisher
A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river, and played upon them with the hope of
making the fish rise; but never a one put his nose out of the water. So he cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth
filled with fish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played, the fish leapt up in the net. "Ah, you dance now when
I play," said he.
"Yes," said an old Fish:
"When you are in a man's power you must do as he bids you."
The
Fisher and the Little Fish
It happened that a Fisher, after fishing all day, caught only a little fish. "Pray, let me go,
master," said the Fish. "I am much too small for your eating just now. If you put me back into the river I shall soon grow,
then you can make a fine meal off me." "Nay, nay, my little Fish," said the Fisher, "I have you now. I may not catch you hereafter."
"A
little thing in hand is worth more than a great thing in prospect"
The Fisherman Piping
A Fisherman skilled in music
took his flute and his nets to the seashore. Standing on a projecting rock, he played several tunes in the hope that the
fish, attracted by his melody, would of their own accord dance into his net, which he had placed below. At last, having long
waited in vain, he laid aside his flute, and casting his net into the sea, made an excellent haul of fish.
When he saw
them leaping about in the net upon the rock he said: "O you most perverse creatures, when I piped you would not dance, but
now that I have ceased you do so merrily."
The Fisherman and His Nets
A Fisherman, engaged in his calling, made
a very successful cast and captured a great haul of fish. He managed by a skillful handling of his net to retain all the
large fish and to draw them to the shore; but he could not prevent the smaller fish from falling back through the meshes of
the net into the sea.
The Fisherman and the Little Fish
A Fisherman who lived on the produce of his nets, one day
caught a single small Fish as the result of his day's labor. The Fish, panting convulsively, thus entreated for his life:
"O Sir, what good can I be to you, and how little am I worth? I am not yet come to my full size. Pray spare my life, and
put me back into the sea. I shall soon become a large fish fit for the tables of
the rich, and then you can catch me again,
and make a handsome profit of me." The Fisherman replied, "I should indeed be a very simple fellow if, for the chance of
a greater uncertain profit, I were to forego my present certain gain."
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 Flea and the Ox
A FLEA thus questioned an Ox: "What ails you, that being so huge and strong,
you submit to the wrongs you receive from men and slave for them day by day, while I, being so small a creature, mercilessly
feed on their flesh and drink their blood without stint?' The Ox replied: "I do not wish to be ungrateful, for I am loved
and well cared for by men, and they often pat my head and shoulders." "Woe's me!" said the flea; "this very patting which
you
like, whenever it happens to me, brings with it my inevitable destruction."
The Fishermen
Some Fishermen were out
trawling their nets. Perceiving them to be very heavy, they danced about for joy and supposed that they had taken a large
catch. When they had dragged the nets to the shore they found but few fish: the nets were full of sand and stones, and the
men were beyond measure cast downso much at the disappointment which had befallen them, but because they had formed such very
different expectations. One of their company, an old man, said, "Let us cease lamenting, my mates, for, as it
seems to
me, sorrow is always the twin sister of joy; and it was only to be looked for that we, who just now were over-rejoiced, should
next have something to make us sad."
The Flea and the Wrestler
A Flea settled upon the bare foot of a Wrestler and
bit him, causing the man to call loudly upon Hercules for help. When the Flea a second time hopped upon his foot, he groaned
and said, "O Hercules! if you will not help me against a Flea, how can I hope for your assistance against greater antagonists?'
The Flies and the Honey Pot
A Number of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been overturned in a housekeeper's
room, and placing their feet in it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not
use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, "O foolish creatures
that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves."
"Pleasure bought with pains, hurts."
The
Fly and the Draught Mule
A Fly sat on the axle-tree of a chariot, and addressing the Draught-Mule said, "How slow you are!
Why do you not go faster? See if I do not prick your neck with my sting." The Draught-Mule replied, "I do not heed your threats;
I only care for him who sits above you, and who quickens my pace with his whip, or holds me back with the reins. Away, therefore,
with your insolence,
for I know well when to go fast, and when to go slow."
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The Four Oxen and the Lion
The Fowler and the Viper
The
Fox and the Bramble
The Fox and the Cat
The Fox the Cock and the Dog
The Fox and the Crane
The Fox and the
Crow
The Fox Who Had Lost His Tail
The Fox and the Goat
The Fox and the Grapes
The Fox and the Hedgehog
The
Fox and the Leopard
The Fox and the Lion
The Fox and the Mask
The Fox and the Monkey
The Fox and the Mosquitoes
The
Fox and the Stork
The Fox Without a Tail
The Fox and the Woodcutter
The Frog and the Ox
The Frogs and the
Well
The Frogs Complaint Against the Sun
The Frogs Asking for King
The Frogs Desiring a King
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