Chapter 182 A schoolboy stole a hornbook from one of his schoolmates and brought it home to his mother. Instead of punishing him, she encouraged him and was proud of his deed. In the course of time, the boy, now a grown man, began to steal things of greater value until he was finally caught […]
Chapter 181 Once upon a time during a very warm summer, word was spread among the animals that the sun was going to be married. All the birds and beasts were delighted at the thought, and above all, the frogs were determined to celebrate the event. But an old toad put a stop to their
Chapter 180 Some boys were playing at the edge of a pond when they noticed a number of frogs in the water and began pelting them with stones. They had already killed many of the poor creatures when one of the frogs, more courageous than the rest, lifted his head out of the water and
Chapter 179 Once there was a widow who owned just one sheep. Wishing to make the most of his wool, she sheared him so closely that she cut his skin as well as his fleece. Suffering from such painful treatment, the sheep cried out, “Why are you torturing me like this? What will my blood
Chapter 178 A man who had been bitten by a dog went searching for someone who could cure him. At one point he met a stranger who said, “Sir, if you want to be cured, take a piece of bread and dip it into the blood of the wound. Then give it to the dog
Chapter 177 “Mother, I can see,” said a young mole to her mother. In response, the mother put a lump of frankincense* before her and asked her what it was.“A stone,” the young one said.“Oh, my child,” said the mother, “not only can’t you see, but you can’t even smell!”Brag about one defect and you’ll
Chapter 176 A farmer, who was on the verge of death, wanted to make sure that his sons would overcome their personal quarrels and maintain the farm in a successful way. So, he called them together and said, “My sons, I’m about to depart from this life, and you will find all that I have
Chapter 175 A pigeon was desperate with thirst, and when she saw a glass of water painted on a sign, she thought it was real. So she swept down upon it with all her might and crashed into the board, breaking her wing. As a result, she fell helpless to the ground where a bystander
Chapter 174 After being attacked by some dogs, a wolf was maimed and could not move. Therefore, when a sheep passed by, he asked her to fetch him some water from a nearby stream. “If you bring me something to drink,” he said, “I’ll soon be able to find meat for myself.”“Yes,” said the sheep.
Chapter 173 A fox had stolen into the house of an actor, and when he was rummaging among the various possessions, he came upon a remarkable mask that was a fine imitation of a human head.“What a fine looking head!” he cried. “Pity that it lacks brains!”Handsome looks are of little worth without sense.
Chapter 172 A one-eyed doe used to graze near the sea, and in order to protect herself from attack, she kept her eye focused on the land in case hunters might approach, while her blind side was turned toward the sea because she did not expect a threat from that direction. But some sailors came
Chapter 171 A lion was sleeping in his lair when a mouse mistakenly ran over the mighty beast’s nose and awakened him. The lion grabbed the frightened little creature with his paw and was just about to crush him when the mouse began pleading for mercy and declared that he had not consciously intended to
Chapter 170 A crow, on the verge of dying with thirst, spied a pitcher in the distance and flew to it with joy. But when he arrived, he discovered to his grief it the narrow-necked pitcher contained so little water that he could not possibly get at it, despite all his efforts. At one point
Chapter 169 The swallow and the crow had an argument as to which was the finer bird. The crow ended the dispute by saying, “Your feathers may be beautiful and fine during the summer, but mine will protect me and last for many winters.”Fine-weather friends are not worth much.
Chapter 168 A hound scared a hare from a bush and chased him for some distance, but the hare was faster and got away. A goatherd, who happened to pass by at the time, mocked the hound for letting a scrawny hare outrun him.“You forget,” replied the hound, adding that:“It’s one thing to run for