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
Chapter 27 A boy was hunting locusts on a wall and had already caught a great number of them when he spied a scorpion and mistook it for another locust. Just as he was cupping his hand to catch it, the scorpion lifted up its sting and said, “Just you try, and you’ll not only
Chapter 26 A thief who had come to rob a house during the night sought to stop the barking of a dog by throwing pieces of meat to him.“Get out of here!” said the dog. “I had my suspicions about you before, but this excess of kindness and generosity only confirms my opinion that you
Chapter 25 There was once a huckster* who kept an ass, and when he heard that some cheap salt was being sold at the seaside, he drove his ass there to buy some. After having loaded the ass with as much salt as it could carry, the huckster drove him home alongside a slippery ledge
Chapter 24 A rich gentleman invited a nobleman to dine with him, and extraordinary preparations were made for the repast. At the same time the gentleman’s dog met the nobleman’s dog, and he, too, said, “Come, my good fellow, and sup with us tonight.”The nobleman’s dog was delighted with the invitation and arrived early to
Chapter 23 A wealthy patrician once treated the people of Rome to great theatrical acts and publicly offered a prize to anyone who could perform something unique. Stimulated by this offer, numerous actors arrived from all over the country to compete for the prize, and among them was a well-known, witty comedian, who spread the
Chapter 22 While roaming along the seashore, a lion saw a dolphin basking on the surface of the water, and he suggested to him that they form an alliance.“Since I am king of the beasts,” the lion said, “and you are the sovereign ruler of all the inhabitants of the ocean, we ought to be
Chapter 21 A farmer, whose sons were always quarreling with one another, had tried a long time in vain to reconcile them with words. Finally, he decided that he might have more success by setting some sort of an example. So, he called his sons to him and told them to place a bundle of