Aesop

THE SWALLOW AND THE OTHER BIRDS

It happened that a farmer 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 everyone 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."

THE LION AND THE STATUE

A man and a lion were discussing the relative strength of men and lions in general. The man contended that he and his fellows were stronger than lions by reason of their greater intelligence.

"Come now with me," he cried, "and I will soon prove that I am right."

So he took him into the public gardens and showed him a statue of Hercules overcoming the Lion and tearing his mouth in two.

"That is all very well," said the Lion, "but proves nothing, for it was a man who made the statue."

"WE CAN EASILY REPRESENT THINGS AS WE WISH THEM TO BE."

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."

BELLING THE CAT

The mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their enemy, the Cat.

Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case.

"You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighborhood."

This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?"

The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:

"IT IS EASY TO PROPOSE IMPOSSIBLE REMEDIES."

THE BUFFOON AND THE COUNTRYMAN

At a country fair there was a Buffoon who made all the humans laugh by imitating the cries of various animals. He finished off by squeaking so like a pig that the spectators thought that he had a porker concealed about him.

But a farmer who stood by said: "Call that a pig's squeak. Nothing like it. You give me till tomorrow and I will show you what it's like."

The audience laughed, but next day, sure enough, the farmer appeared on the stage, and putting his head down squealed so hideously that the spectators, hissed and threw stones at him to make him stop.

"You fools" he cried, "see what you have been hissing," and held up a little pig whose ear he had been pinching to make him utter the squeals.

"MEN OFTEN APPLAUD AN IMITATION AND HISS THE REAL THING."

THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER

In a field, one summer's day, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping, singing and munching to his heart's content.

An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil a kernel of corn.

"Why not eat the corn then come and dance and sing with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same.

"Why worry about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "there is plenty of food."

The Ant went on its way and continued its toil.

When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer.

"IT IS BEST TO PREPARE FOR THE DAYS OF NECESSITY."

- Attributed to Aesop, Greek storyteller and moralist

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