Complete Aesop’s Fables

Chapter 42 A wolf looked into a hut and saw some shepherds enjoying a joint of mutton in great comfort.“If they had caught me enjoying such a supper,” he remarked, “there’d certainly be hell to pay.”Men often tend to condemn others for the very things that they themselves practice.

Chapter 41 A lion, worn out with age, lay stretched out on the ground, utterly helpless and gasping its last breath. A boar, who wanted to satisfy an old grudge, approached him and attacked him with his tusks. Next a bull decided to seek his revenge and gored him with his horns. Realizing that the

Chapter 40 An ant went to a fountain to quench his thirst, but he tumbled in and began to drown. Fortunately, a dove happened to be sitting on a nearby tree and saw the ant’s predicament. So she plucked a leaf off the tree and let it drop into the water. The ant climbed on

Chapter 39 A crow watched an eagle swoop down with majestic air from a nearby cliff, descend upon a flock of sheep, and then carry off a lamb in his talons. The whole thing looked so graceful and easy that the crow was eager to imitate it. So, he swept down upon a large, fat

Chapter 38 During a severe winter, a farmer was trapped in his snowed farmhouse. When he found that he could not procure any food from outside, he began consuming his own sheep. As the hard weather continued, he began to eat his goats. And finally – for there was no break in the weather –

Chapter 37 Many years ago, a mighty rumbling was heard from a mountain, which was said to be in labour. Thousands of people flocked from far and near to see what it would produce. After a long time of waiting in anxious expectation – out popped a mouse!A loud and flashy beginning often ends in

Chapter 36 One day, after a wolf had killed a sheep and was carrying it home to his den, he met a lion, who immediately grabbed the sheep from the wolf and dragged it away. Standing at a safe distance from the lion, the wolf howled at the lion and told him that he should

Chapter 35 There was once a man who owned a horse and an ass. Whenever he took trips, he tended to spare the horse and put all the burden on the ass’s back. Since the ass had been ailing for some time, he asked the horse one day to relieve him of part of his

Chapter 34 One day a lion entered a farmyard, and the farmer shut the gate, intent on catching him. When the lion discovered that he could not get out, he began at once to attack the sheep and then the oxen. So the farmer, now scared about his own life, opened the gate, and the

Chapter 33 A lion and an ass agreed to go out hunting together and after some time had passed, they came to a cave where wild goats were dwelling. The lion took his position at the mouth of the cave while the ass entered and began to kick, bray, and make a great fuss to

Chapter 32 While crossing a river, a fox was driven by the current into a narrow gorge and lay there exhausted for a long time, unable to get out. To add to his misfortune, a swarm of horseflies settled all over his body and began bothering and stinging him. A hedgehog, who came wandering in

Chapter 31 A dove, locked up in a cage, was congratulating herself on how many children she had hatched, when a crow came by and said, “Stop boasting, my friend! The more young ones you have, the more slaves there will be for you to groan over.”We must have freedom to enjoy our blessings.

Chapter 30 A heifer that ran wild in the fields and had never felt the yoke derided an ox at plow for submitting himself to such labour and drudgery. The ox said nothing but went on with his work. Not long after this incident, there was a great festival. The ox was granted a holiday,

Chapter 29 A man who had two daughters married one to a gardener and the other to a potter. After a while he paid a visit to the daughter who had married the gardener, and asked her how she was and how everything was going.“Excellent,” she replied. “We have everything we want. Our only need

Chapter 28 A cat, who had grown feeble with age, was no longer able to hunt mice as she used to do. So, she tried to think of new ways to entice them within reach of her paws. Finally, it occurred to her that she might be able to pass herself off for a bag