Aesop

“ THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL.
A Fox had had his tail docked off in a trap, and in his disgrace began to think his life not worth living. It therefore occurred to him that the best thing he could do was to bring the other Foxes into the same condition, and so conceal his own deficiency in the general distress. Having assembled them all together he recommended them to cut off their tails, declaring that a tail was an ungraceful thing ”

“ You sleepy little wretch of a Puppy, what shall I do with you, you inveterate sluggard? When I am thumping on my anvil you can go to sleep on the mat; but when I come to work my teeth immediately you are wide awake and wagging your tail at me. ”

“ A hungry Lion caught sight of the Ass, and was on the point of entering the shed to devour him. But he took fright at the sound of the Cock crowing (for people say that Lions are afraid at the voice of a Cock) , and turned away and ran. The Ass, roused to a lofty contempt of him for being afraid of a Cock, went out to pursue him; but when they were some distance away the Lion ate him up. [Pg 55]
[Pg 56]
[Pg 57]
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB [Pg 58]
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
A Wolf seeing a Lamb drinking at a brook, took it into his head that he would find some plausible excuse for eating him. ”

“ So the Wolf, having done no good by that accusation, said: "Well, but last year you insulted my Father." The Lamb replying that at that time he was not born, the Wolf wound up by saying: "However ready you may be with your answers, I shall none the less make a meal of you."
[Pg 60]
[Pg 61]
THE MAN AND HIS TWO WIVES [Pg 62]
THE MAN AND HIS TWO WIVES.
A Man whose hair was turning gray had two Wives, one young and the other old. The elderly woman felt ashamed at being married to a man younger than herself, and made it a practice whenever he was with her to pick out all his black hairs ”

“ In return for this, when the Stork invited the Fox, he brought the dinner on the table in a jug with a long narrow neck, so that while he himself easily inserted his beak and took his fill, the Fox was unable to do the same, and so was properly paid off. [Pg 43]
[Pg 44]
[Pg 45]
THE HORSE AND THE STAG [Pg 46]
THE HORSE AND THE STAG.
There was a Horse who had a meadow all to himself until a Stag came and began to injure the pasture. The Horse, eager to punish the Stag, asked a man whether there was any way of combining to do this. ”