The Woodman and the Serpent

One wintry day a Woodman was tramping home from his work when
he saw something black lying on the snow.  When he came closer he
saw it was a Serpent to all appearance dead.  But he took it up
and put it in his bosom to warm while he hurried home.  As soon as
he got indoors he put the Serpent down on the hearth before the
fire.  The children watched it and saw it slowly come to life
again.  Then one of them stooped down to stroke it, but the
Serpent raised its head and put out its fangs and was about to
sting the child to death.  So the Woodman seized his axe, and with
one stroke cut the Serpent in two.  "Ah," said he,

"No gratitude from the wicked."

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The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to
the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs.  But one day it found
the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so it
put it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep.
The Lamb that belonged to the sheep, whose skin the Wolf was
wearing, began to follow the Wolf in the Sheep's clothing; so,
leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and
for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying
hearty meals.

Appearances are deceptive.

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The Wolf and the Lamb

Once upon a time a Wolf was lapping at a spring on a hillside,
when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to
drink a little lower down.  "There's my supper," thought he, "if
only I can find some excuse to seize it."  Then he called out to
the Lamb, "How dare you muddle the water from which I am
drinking?"

"Nay, master, nay," said Lambikin; "if the water be muddy up
there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to
me."

"Well, then," said the Wolf, "why did you call me bad names
this time last year?"

"That cannot be," said the Lamb; "I am only six months old."

"I don't care," snarled the Wolf; "if it was not you it was
your father;" and with that he rushed upon the poor little Lamb
and

WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA
ate her all up.  But before she died she gasped out
"Any excuse will serve a tyrant."

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The Wolf and the Kid

A Kid was perched up on the top of a house, and looking down
saw a Wolf passing under him.  Immediately he began to revile and
attack his enemy.  "Murderer and thief," he cried, "what do you
here near honest folks' houses?  How dare you make an appearance
where your vile deeds are known?"

"Curse away, my young friend," said the Wolf.

"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance."

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The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, when
suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he could
not swallow it.  He soon felt terrible pain in his throat, and ran
up and down groaning and groaning and seeking for something to
relieve the pain.  He tried to induce every one he met to remove
the bone.  "I would give anything," said he, "if you would take it
out."  At last the Crane agreed to try, and told the Wolf to lie
on his side and open his jaws as wide as he could.  Then the Crane
put its long neck down the Wolf's throat, and with its beak
loosened the bone, till at last it got it out.

"Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?" said the
Crane.

The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: "Be content.
You have put your head inside a Wolf's mouth and taken it out
again in safety; that ought to be reward enough for you."

Gratitude and greed go not together.

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The Wind and the Sun

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger.
Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun
said: "I see a way to decide our dispute.  Whichever of us can
cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as
the stronger.  You begin."  So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and
the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller.
But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his
cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair.
Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the
traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.

Kindness effects more than severity.

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The Two Pots

Two Pots had been left on the bank of a river, one of brass,
and one of earthenware.  When the tide rose they both floated off
down the stream.  Now the earthenware pot tried its best to keep
aloof from the brass one, which cried out: "Fear nothing, friend,
I will not strike you."

"But I may come in contact with you," said the other, "if I
come too close; and whether I hit you, or you hit me, I shall
suffer for it."

The strong and the weak cannot keep company.

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The Two Fellows and the Bear

Two Fellows were travelling together through a wood, when a
Bear rushed out upon them.  One of the travellers happened to be
in front, and he seized hold of the branch of a tree, and hid
himself among the leaves.  The other, seeing no help for it, threw
himself flat down upon the ground, with his face in the dust.  The
Bear, coming up to him, put his muzzle close to his ear, and
sniffed and sniffed.  But at last with a growl he shook his head
and slouched off, for bears will not touch dead meat.  Then the
fellow in the tree came down to his comrade, and, laughing, said
"What was it that Master Bruin whispered to you?"

"He told me," said the other,

"Never trust a friend who deserts you at a pinch."

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The Two Crabs

One fine day two Crabs came out from their home to take a
stroll on the sand.  "Child," said the mother, "you are walking
very ungracefully.  You should accustom yourself, to walking
straight forward without twisting from side to side."

"Pray, mother," said the young one, "do but set the example
yourself, and I will follow you."

Example is the best precept.

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The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner

A Trumpeter during a battle ventured too near the enemy and
was captured by them.  They were about to proceed to put him to
death when he begged them to hear his plea for mercy.  "I do not
fight," said he, "and indeed carry no weapon; I only blow this
trumpet, and surely that cannot harm you; then why should you kill
me?"

"You may not fight yourself," said the others, "but you
encourage and guide your men to the fight."

Words may be deeds.

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The Tree and the Reed

"Well, little one," said a Tree to a Reed that was growing at
its foot, "why do you not plant your feet deeply in the ground,
and raise your head boldly in the air as I do?"

"I am contented with my lot," said the Reed.  "I may not be so
grand, but I think I am safer."

"Safe!" sneered the Tree.  "Who shall pluck me up by the roots
or bow my head to the ground?"  But it soon had to repent of its
boasting, for a hurricane arose which tore it up from its roots,
and cast it a useless log on the ground, while the little Reed,
bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when
the storm had passed over.

Obscurity often brings safety.

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The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

Now you must know that a Town Mouse once upon a time went on a
visit to his cousin in the country.  He was rough and ready, this
cousin, but he loved his town friend and made him heartily
welcome.  Beans and bacon, cheese and bread, were all he had to
offer, but he offered them freely.  The Town Mouse rather turned
up his long nose at this country fare, and said: "I cannot
understand, Cousin, how you can put up with such poor food as
this, but of course you cannot expect anything better in the
country; come you with me and I will show you how to live.  When
you have been in town a week you will wonder how you could ever
have stood a country life."  No sooner said than done: the two
mice set off for the town and arrived at the Town Mouse's
residence late at night.  "You will want some refreshment after
our long journey," said the polite Town Mouse, and took his friend
into the grand dining-room.  There they found the remains of a
fine feast, and soon the two mice were eating up jellies and cakes
and all that was nice.  Suddenly they heard growling and barking.
"What is that?" said the Country Mouse.  "It is only the dogs of
the house," answered the other.  "Only!" said the Country Mouse.
"I do not like that music at my dinner."  Just at that moment the
door flew open, in came two huge mastiffs, and the two mice had to
scamper down and run off.  "Good-bye, Cousin," said the Country
Mouse, "What! going so soon?" said the other.  "Yes," he replied;

"Better beans and bacon in peace
than cakes and ale in fear."

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The Tortoise and the Birds

A Tortoise desired to change its place of residence, so he
asked an Eagle to carry him to his new home, promising her a rich
reward for her trouble.  The Eagle agreed and seizing the Tortoise
by the shell with her talons soared aloft.  On their way they met
a Crow, who said to the Eagle: "Tortoise is good eating."  "The
shell is too hard," said the Eagle in reply.  "The rocks will soon
crack the shell," was the Crow's answer; and the Eagle, taking the
hint, let fall the Tortoise on a sharp rock, and the two birds
made a hearty meal of the Tortoise.

Never soar aloft on an enemy's pinions.

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The Swallow and the Other Birds

It happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seeds in a
field where a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about
picking up their food.  "Beware of that man," quoth the Swallow.
"Why, what is he doing?" said the others.  "That is hemp seed he
is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of the seeds, or else
you will repent it."  The birds paid no heed to the Swallow's
words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was made into cord, and
of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that had despised the
Swallow's advice was caught in nets made out of that very hemp.
"What did I tell you?" said the Swallow.

Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.

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The Sick Lion

A Lion had come to the end of his days and lay sick unto death
at the mouth of his cave, gasping for breath.  The animals, his
subjects, came round him and drew nearer as he grew more and more
helpless.  When they saw him on the point of death they thought to
themselves: "Now is the time to pay off old grudges."  So the Boar
came up and drove at him with his tusks; then a Bull gored him
with his horns; still the Lion lay helpless before them: so the
Ass, feeling quite safe from danger, came up, and turning his tail
to the Lion kicked up his heels into his face.  "This is a double
death," growled the Lion.

Only cowards insult dying majesty.

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The Shepherd's Boy

There was once a young Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at
the foot of a mountain near a dark forest.  It was rather lonely
for him all day, so he thought upon a plan by which he could get a
little company and some excitement.  He rushed down towards the
village calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and the villagers came out to
meet him, and some of them stopped with him for a considerable
time.  This pleased the boy so much that a few days afterwards he
tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help.
But shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the
forest, and began to worry the sheep, and the boy of course cried
out "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than before.  But this time the
villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was
again deceiving them, and nobody stirred to come to his help.  So
the Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock, and when the boy
complained, the wise man of the village said:

"A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth."

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The Serpent and the File

A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came into an
armourer's shop.  As he glided over the floor he felt his skin
pricked by a file lying there.  In a rage he turned round upon it
and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he could do no harm to
heavy iron and had soon to give over his wrath.

It is useless attacking the insensible.

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The Peacock and Juno

A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno desiring to have
the voice of a nightingale in addition to his other attractions;
but Juno refused his request.  When he persisted, and pointed out
that he was her favourite bird, she said:

"Be content with your lot;
one cannot be first in everything."

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The One-Eyed Doe

A Doe had had the misfortune to lose one of her eyes, and
could not see any one approaching her on that side.  So to avoid
any danger she always used to feed on a high cliff near the sea,
with her sound eye looking towards the land.  By this means she
could see whenever the hunters approached her on land, and often
escaped by this means.  But the hunters found out that she was
blind of one eye, and hiring a boat rowed under the cliff where
she used to feed and shot her from the sea.  "Ah," cried she with
her dying voice,

"You cannot escape your fate."

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The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar

You must know that sometimes old women like a glass of wine.
One of this sort once found a Wine-jar lying in the road, and
eagerly went up to it hoping to find it full.  But when she took
it up she found that all the wine had been drunk out of it.  Still
she took a long sniff at the mouth of the Jar.  "Ah," she cried,

"What memories cling 'round the instruments of our pleasure."

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