Chapter 116 A shepherd boy, who tended his flock not far from a village, used to amuse himself at times by crying out “Wolf! Wolf!” His trick succeeded two or three times, and the whole village came running to his rescue. However, the villagers were simply rewarded with mocking laughter for their pains.One day the […]
Chapter 115 On an ill-fated day a mouse made the acquaintance of a frog, and they set off on their travels together. The frog pretended to be very fond of the mouse and invited him to visit the pond in which he lived. To keep his companion out of harm’s way, the frog tied the
Chapter 114 Hundreds of years ago, a camel asked Jupiter to grant him horns because he felt deprived and defenseless when he regarded other animals.“The bull,” said he, “has horns, the boar, tusks, and the lion and tiger, sharp claws and fangs that make them feared and respected everywhere. On the other hand, I have
Chapter 113 While lapping water at the head of a running brook, a wolf noticed a stray lamb some distance down the stream. Once he made up his mind to attack her, he began thinking of a plausible excuse for making her his prey.“Scoundrel!” he cried, running up to her. “How dare you muddle the
Chapter 112 A crow, as vain and conceited as only a crow can be, picked up the feathers that some peacocks had shed and stuck them among his own. Then he scoffed at his old companions and joined a flock of beautiful peacocks. After introducing himself with great self-confidence, the crow was immediately recognized for
Chapter 111 After discovering a hare in some bushes, a dog pursued her for a long time, biting her with his teeth as if he would take her life and also licking her as if he were playing with another dog. Not knowing what to make of this, the hare stopped running and said, “I
Chapter 110 After a jar of honey was knocked over in a kitchen, the flies were attracted by its sweet smell and began eating the honey. Indeed, they swarmed all over it and did not budge from the spot until they had devoured every drop. However, their feet had become so clogged that they could
Chapter 109 A shepherd moved his flock down near the seashore so that the sheep could graze there, and as he looked at the sea lying in a smooth and breathless calm, he was overcome by a strong desire to sail over it. So he sold all his sheep and bought a cargo of dates.
Chapter 108 There was once a time when a man was allowed more wives than one, and a middle-aged bachelor, who could be called neither young nor old, and whose hair was just beginning to turn gray, fell in love with two women at the same time and married them both. One was young and
Chapter 107 A seagull having bolted down too large a fish, burst its deep gullet-bag and lay down on the shore to die. A Kite saw him and exclaimed: “You richly deserve your fate; for a bird of the air has no business to seek its food from the sea.”It’s the greed that prompts indiscreet
Chapter 106 A man who had travelled widely in foreign countries returned home and was always bragging and boasting about the great feats he had performed in different places. Among other things he said that, when he was in Rhodes, he had made such an extraordinary leap that no man could come close to it,
Chapter 105 Some cranes invited geese, and began feeding together in the same field one day, when a bird-catcher suddenly came upon them. Since the cranes were slim and light, they could fly off right away and escape the bird-catcher’s nets. The geese, however, weighed down by their fat, could not take off so easily
Chapter 104 Thinking that it would be easier to earn a living if he disguised himself, a wolf put on a sheep’s skin. Soon afterward he managed to slip into a flock of sheep and grazed among them so that even the shepherd was fooled by his disguise. When night came and the fold was
Chapter 103 One summer’s day a stag came to a pool to quench his thirst, and as he stood drinking, he saw his form reflected in the mirror. “How beautiful and strong my horns are!” he remarked. “But how weak and unseemly these feet of mine are!”While he was examining and criticizing the features that
Chapter 102 A candlelight that had grown fat and saucy with too much grease boasted one evening before a large gathering that it shone brighter than the sun, the moon, and all the stars put together. Right at that moment, a puff of wind came and blew it out. Someone lit it again and said,