Part 5
The wind and the sun once came to high words as to which had the most strength. Just then by chance a man came by, so they let the point rest on this, that he who got this man’s cloak off first, should win the day. The wind was the first to try, and he blew with all his might and main a fierce blast; but the man wrapt his cloak all the more close round him. Next came the sun, who broke out with his warm beams, and cast his bright rays on the man, till at length he grew faint with the heat, and was glad to part with his cloak, which he flung to the ground.
Kind means are best.
[Illustration]
THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS.
Once on a time a horse and an ass went on the high road, side by side, and the man who kept them went on foot. The poor ass had told the horse that if he would share the load with him he should soon get well; but that if he did not lend him some help, the weight of it would kill him. But the horse took no heed of this, and bade him go on, till from the weight of the load he fell down dead. When the man found the poor ass was dead, he put the load on the back of the horse, and the dead ass too.
One may bear till his back break.
THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN.
Once on a time, as a blind man went on his way, he came to a bad part of the road, and knew not how to get on. By chance a lame man sat on a bank near, so the blind man said to him, “Hark you to what I say. I have thought of a plan which will help us both on our way--my feet shall be thy feet, and thine eyes shall be mine.” “With all my heart,” said the lame man; and off they set. “Stop,” said he, “I see a purse that lies on the road, and if you go straight on, and then turn to the left, you will come to it.” This the blind man did, and at last he took it up. “Give it to me,” said the lame man, who was on the blind man’s back. “Not so,” said his friend; “but for my feet you would not have come so far, so now I shall keep it.” “Nay,” said the lame man; “but for my sight you would not have known it was there.”
All keys hang not on one bunch.
[Illustration: THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN.]
THE HOG, OX, COW, DOG, AND SHEEP.
One day a hog, an ox, a cow, a dog, and a sheep all met in a straw yard. The hog told the rest that he thought that beast stood first in rank who was kept most for his own sake, and not for the sake of the work that he did. “Now, which of you,” said he, “can boast of this so well as I can?” To the horse he spoke first. “As for you, though you are well fed, and have grooms to wait on you, and make you sleek and clean, yet all this is for the sake of your work. Do not I see the man on the farm take you out at break of day, put you in chains, or bind you fast to the shafts of a cart with a load in it, and keep you out till noon? Then, in the space of an hour does he not take you to work once more till dusk? I may say just the same of the ox, save that he does not work for such good fare.” To the cow he spoke next: “You, who are so fond of your straw and grains, you are thought worth your cost for your milk, which they drain from you twice a day; and your young ones, who should by right have the milk, are torn from you to go no one knows where.” Then thus spoke he to the sheep: “They turn you out to shift as well as you can on the bare hills. You pay dear for your keep, for you have to part with your warm coats once a year, and at night starve with the cold. As for the dog, he has to keep watch all the live long night, while the rest of us are wrapt in soft sleep. In short, you are all slaves, kept for use; while I, on my part, have a warm sty, with food close to my snout, all day and free of cost. All they want from me is to see me eat my food from the trough, bask in the sun, and live at my ease.” Thus spoke the hog. But in a short time the frost set in, and, as it was a bad time for all kinds of food, the man was in great straits to keep his live stock till the spring. “How can I feed them all?” thought he. “I must part with those I can best spare. As for my horse and ox, I shall have _work_ for them--they must be kept, cost what it will. My cows will not give much milk in the frost, it may be, but they will calve in the spring, and will thrive in the new grass; the sheep will do as long as there is a blade on the hills; and if a deep fall of snow should come, I must give them hay, for I count on their wool to make out my rent with. But my hog will eat me out of house and home; so, as he _yields_ naught, I must kill him at once.”
THE DRUM AND THE VASE.
A drum was heard to boast, in these words, to a vase of sweet herbs, “Hark at my loud, strong tone which rends the sky. When men hear my voice they march to arms, and join the fight with joy!” “Be not too proud,” said the vase; “as for me, I grant you there is a chain on my lips. I speak not, but I am full of good things, while thou hast naught in thee but noise, and must be struck to give it out.”
THE FROGS AND THEIR KING.
In the days of yore the frogs met to beg of Jove to send them a king. So he threw them a log, and said, “There’s a king for you--a good, mild one!” Well, King Log came on the pond with such a splash, that the frogs took fright at him. Some sought the mud, and some the reeds; and, for a long time, there was not one that would dare to take a peep. By and by, when they saw that King Log lay quite still, they said, “See, he sleeps!” Some came round him, and up to him, till, one by one they leapt on his back, and at last held him quite in scorn. So, with harsh croaks, they beg of Jove to change him for one with more life; in short, a king that would move. Jove then sent them an eel, and he, too, was too tame for them; and, a third time, they ask of Jove to choose for them a king with more strength of will. This time, he sent them a stork, who, day by day, made the frogs his prey, till there were none left to croak on the lake, save one, and he shook his head, and said, “If we had had the sense to keep well, there would have been no need to mend our state. Now we have found to our loss what we did not seek.”
Set not the Fox to keep the Geese.
[Illustration: The Frogs and their King--Page 76. _Æsop._]
THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF.
A wolf saw a plump stag, and thought, How can I feast on his flesh? Then he drew near, and said, “All hail be to thee!” and made friends with the stag. “Hey day! whom have you here?” quoth a crow that flew by. The stag told him that he was a good wolf. “Have a care!” said the crow; “trust him not.” Yet the stag took no heed of his words, but let the wolf lead him at night to feed in a field that had a crop of ripe wheat in it. Now, there was a trap in the field, and the poor stag was caught by the feet. “This is well,” thought the wolf; “for when his flesh is cut up, the bones, and what is left, will be for me.” The crow flew to the spot, but could give his friend no aid. The next day the man who set the snare came with a knife in his hand to kill the stag. “If you care for your life,” quoth the crow, “lie quite still, and seem to be dead; but when I give a caw, start up at once, and take to your heels as fast as you can.” So the stag lay down quite stiff, held his breath, and shut his eyes. When the man came up, he thought the stag was dead, and took him from the toils, and went a few steps off to fold up the net, when the crow’s voice was heard, and the stag ran off at full speed. In the mean time the wolf came up to seek for his feast, and was slain by the man.
Bad faith is like to fall back on the head of those who make use of it.
THE FIELD OF CORN.
An old man had a field, and when he fell ill, he sent for his three sons, that he might take leave of them, and give them his last charge. “My sons,” said he, “there is one thing which, with my last breath, I charge you to do, and that is, to seek out a rich gift which I have left you, and which you will find in my field--” Here the poor old man’s voice grew faint, and his head sank down on his breast in death. The sons were in too much grief for their loss to put in force that which the old man had bade them do, till want drove them to seek for what they thought must be a hoard of gold in the field; so they made a search from end to end of it, till there was not a clod they did not turn, in the hunt. At last they gave it up. “It is strange that the old man should have set us on this long search for a thing that is not here,” said Jack. “Come,” said Dick, “since we have gone through so much toil on the field, we may as well sow it with corn, and so make the most of it.” At this bright thought they set to work to sow the grain, and in due time a crop sprang up, five times as large as those crops which grew there in the old man’s time. The thought now struck the youths that this was the wealth the old man meant, and that it was his wish that they should earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
Seek till you find, and you will not lose by the toil.
[Illustration]
THE HAWK, THE ROOKS, AND THE CAT.
In the trunk of an old elm tree dwelt a large bird of prey, with claws blunt, and eyes blind with age. The rooks fed him from their own store, while he, on his part, took charge of their young ones when the old birds went in search of food. One day, a cat--“Long Ear” by name--came to prey on the young rooks, who, when they saw her, gave a loud scream. The old hawk heard it, and said, “Who is that?” “I am a cat,” said “Long Ear.” “Ha!” quoth the hawk, “Cats love flesh, and the young rooks dwell here--that’s all I know. Get you gone at once, or I will put you to death!” “Not so,” said the cat. “I eat no meat now; and all the beasts of the field and the birds of the air love me--for I am good. I pray of you to let me stay, for you are old and wise, and can teach me much.” By this praise sly puss made the old hawk put his trust in her, so he let her stay in the trunk of the tree. Day by day she ate some of the young birds, and took all the bones that were left from the feast to a hole in the stem of the old elm tree, that the death of the young rooks might be laid to the charge of the hawk. The old birds were in great grief for the loss of their young ones; and when they saw the bones in the hole of the tree, they of course laid the blame on the hawk, and they all flew at the poor old bird and put him to death. He said with his last breath, “Ah me! How much worse than a foe is a false friend!”
THE COCK AND THE FOX.
A cock stood on the top of a rick, and gave a loud crow. A fox, who saw him, thought he would just do for a meal; but though the cock could fly down to him, he could not climb up to the cock; so he said, “Have you heard the news?”
_Cock._--What news?
_Fox._--Peace has been sworn by bird and beast.
_Cock._--Do you say so? Let me hear how it came to pass.
_Fox._--Well, the birds and the beasts have met, and have sworn a truce. We are now quite safe by night and day. The wolf will no more tear the lamb, nor the fox kill the kid; the cat will not catch the mice, nor the dog bark at the sheep; and from this time all will live in peace: so come down, that I may wish you joy on this new state of things.
The cock did not say much, but gave his neck a stretch, and made a feint that he saw some foe at hand.
_Fox._--What is it you see?
_Cock._--Why, I think I see a pack of hounds. No doubt they come this way to tell the good news.
_Fox._--Oh, then, I must be gone!
_Cock._--No; pray, sir, do not go; I am just on the point of a flight down to you. You can have no fear of dogs in this time of peace.
_Fox._--Why, no--no--but--ten to one they have not heard the news.
_Cock._--If the sky falls, we shall catch larks. You might as well try to make me think the moon is made of green cheese!
THE WOLF AND THE STORK.
A wolf had a bone that stuck in his throat, and gave him so much pain, that he ran with a howl, up and down, to ask all whom he met to lend him a kind hand, and said he would give a large sum to bird or beast who would take it out. At last a crane, who heard of the bribe, came up, put her long bill down the wolf’s throat, and drew out the bone. The crane then said, “Now, where is the fee which you spoke of?” “Wretch that you are!” said the wolf, “to ask for more than this--that you should put your head in a wolf’s mouth, and bring it safe out!”
A bribe walks in, and gives no knock.
[Illustration: The Wolf and the Stork.--Page 82. _Æsop._]
THE JAY AND THE OWL.
One day an old owl, who sat in a dark barn, had a call from a jay. The owl sat quite still in his nook, save when he saw a mouse, and did not speak a word, so that the jay had all the talk. When he had thus spent an hour or so, he took his leave, full of glee, with a heart as gay as his plumes, and said as he went that he must love that dear old owl, and that he did not know when he had had a chat to cheer him up so much.
If you wish to please your friend, sit still, and let him talk.
THE NURSE AND THE SNAKE.
A child that was at play in a field, by chance trod on a snake which stung him to death. The nurse, in a great rage, hit the snake a blow which struck off his tail. The next day she came to the snake’s hole to coax him with some salt and meal, that she might kill him. “I pray thee come forth,” said the nurse, “and let us make it up on both sides”; but she could in no way get the snake to leave his hole. All he would do was to give a hiss, and tell her that as long as she thought of the dead child, and he thought of the tail, they could not be friends.
He who does you a wrong is sure not to love you.
THE LARK AND THE FINCH.
A poor lark was kept in a cage that hung on a wall, in a town that was full of dust and dirt. One day, as he stood on his piece of dead turf, to trill out his sweet song, a finch, who by chance flew that way, said, “How canst thou sing so blithe a strain, shut up in that vile cage?” “Finch, finch,” rang out the lark, in his clear tones, “know you not that if I did not sing while I am shut up here, I should fail to call to mind my song, when the time came for me to mount up to the sky?”
It is meet for us to sing hymns of praise while we are on earth, to fit us for our flight to realms of bliss.
THE DOVE AND THE ANT.
A hot day in June drove a poor ant to take a sip from a clear brook, when she fell in, and went down with the stream. A dove that sat in a tree close by saw the ant fall, so she threw a leaf down to her in the brook, which the ant clung to, and so was brought safe to land. In a few days from this time, the ant saw a man take aim with his bow to shoot the dove, and, just in the nick of time, she stung him on the heel. This made him give a start, and spoilt his aim, so that the dove flew off safe and sound.
Live, and let live.
THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL.
One day, as a young maid went down the road with her pail of milk on her head, she was heard to say, “This pail of milk will fetch me so much, which sum I will lay out in eggs; these eggs will bring a score of chicks, and they will be fit to sell just at the time when fowls bear a good price; so that on May day I shall have a new gown. Let me see,--yes, green will suit me best, and green it shall be. In this dress I will go to the fair, and all who are there will pay their court to me; but with a proud look I shall turn from them.”
[Illustration]
Wrapt in this dream of joy, she gave a toss of the head to suit the words, when down came the pail of milk, and with it the eggs, the chicks, the green gown, and all the bright thoughts of what she would do at the fair.
Count not your chicks till they are out of the shell. Each “may be” hath a “may not be.”
THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS.
A hare that was known to be good and kind was a friend to all the beasts of the field. One day the hounds caught sight of her, and gave her such a hard chase that at last she lay quite faint by the side of the road. To her great joy a horse came by. “Let me mount you,” said she, “and the hounds will then be thrown off the scent.” “Poor Puss,” said the horse, with a sigh, “it makes me sad to see you thus; but look up--all your friends are near.” She next sought aid from the bull. “I would lend you help, and be sure I wish you well,” said he; “but I am the head of the herd, and I must now join it.” The goat, who came next, said, “I fear my coat is too rough for you; there’s the sheep with his soft wool.” But the sheep told her that she was too weak to bear her weight, and that hounds eat sheep as well as hares. A young calf was the poor hare’s last chance, and he said, “If those who have gone by, who are grown up, did not help you, what good can I do, who am but young and weak?” Just then the hounds came in sight, and the calf ran off, and left the poor hare to her fate. “Ah!” said she, “friends are like bees: on bright days they swarm, but when clouds shut out the sun they are not to be found, though sought.”
When your friend is in want, lose no time, but help him.
THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.
Once on a time there was a man who had a pet dog, of which he was so fond that he let him eat from his own plate, and sit on his knee. The same man kept an ass that drew wood all day, and had to take his turn at the mill at night. “What a hard fate is mine!” said he; “I work night and day, while the lap dog leads a life of ease. No doubt my lord would get as fond of his ass as he is of his dog, if I could but win him by the same tricks.”
At this thought he broke from the stall, set off to the room where the man was, sprang to his face to lick it, and gave a loud bray in his ear. But now the ass had gone too far with his rough play; for the men of the farm came in with clubs, sticks, and staves to beat him.
THE END.
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