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By Root 192 0

she said, “What this man says is true enough. I promised to reward him if he restored my sight and to give him nothing if he did not heal my eyes. He now maintains that I am cured, but I say just the opposite. When I was first struck by my disease, I could still see all sorts of furniture and goods in my house. But now, even though he asserts that he has restored my eyesight, I cannot see even a tiny trace of my furniture or my possessions.”

He who plays a trick must be prepared to pay the consequences.

LXXI

The Charcoal-Burner and the Cloth-Fuller

A charcoal-burner, who had more room in his house than he needed for himself, proposed to a cloth-fuller to come and share his quarters with him.

“Thank you,” said the fuller, “but I must decline your offer, for I fear that as fast as I fill and whiten my goods, you will blacken them again.”

Like will draw like.

LXXII

The Wolf and the Sheep

After being attacked by some dogs, a wolf was maimed and could not move. Therefore, when a sheep passed by, he asked her to fetch him some water from a nearby stream. “If you bring me something to drink,” he said, “I’ll soon be able to find meat for myself.”

“Yes,” said the sheep. “I have no doubt that you will, for if I come close enough with the water, you’d certainly make me provide you with the meat as well.”

Hypocrisy is close to mendacity.

LXXIII

The Farmer and His Sons

A farmer, who was on the verge of death, wanted to make sure that his sons would overcome their personal quarrels and maintain the farm in a successful way. So, he called them together and said, “My sons, I’m about to depart from this life, and you will find all that I have to leave you in the vineyard.”

Some time later, after the old man had died, the sons set to work with their spades and plows, thinking that their father had buried a treasure in the ground. They turned the soil over and over again, but found no treasure. However, the vines, strengthened and improved by this thorough tillage, yielded a finer vintage than they had ever produced before and more than repaid the young farmers for all their trouble. In the end, industry is truly a treasure in itself.

LXXIV

The Wolves and the Sheep

Once the wolves sent an embassy to the sheep to make a peace treaty between them for the future.

“Why should we continue such deadly strife?” the wolves asked. “The dogs are the cause of it all. They’re constantly barking at us and provoking us. Send them away, and there will no longer be any obstacle to our eternal friendship and peace.”

The silly sheep listened, and the dogs were dismissed. As a result, the flock was deprived of their best protectors, and the sheep became an easy prey for their treacherous enemies.

Change not friends for foes.

LXXV

The Mole and Her Mother

“Mother, I can see,” said a young mole to her mother.

In response, the mother put a lump of frankincense before her and asked her what it was.

“A stone,” the young one said.

“Oh, my child,” said the mother, “not only can’t you see, but you can’t even smell!”

Brag about one defect and you’ll reveal another.

LXXVI

The Swallow and the Crow

The swallow and the crow had an argument as to which was the finer bird. The crow ended the dispute by saying, “Your feathers may be beautiful and fine during the summer, but mine will protect me and last for many winters.”

Fine-weather friends are not worth much.

LXXVII

The Man Bitten by a Dog

A man who had been bitten by a dog went searching for someone who could cure him. At one point he met a stranger who said, “Sir, if you want to be cured, take a piece of bread and dip it into the blood of the wound. Then give it to the dog who bit you.”

The man smiled and replied, “If I were to follow your advice, I would be bitten by all the dogs in the city.”

Whoever proclaims that he is ready to buy up his enemies will never want a supply of them.

LXXVIII

The Man and the Lion

Once while a man and a lion were traveling together, they began arguing about who was the braver and the stronger