Aesop's Fables (Penguin Classics) - Aesop [16]
“Look at that!” exclaimed the man. “What more undeniable proof of our superiority can you have than this?”
“That’s your version of the story,” responded the lion. “If we were the sculptors, there would be twenty men under the paw of a single lion.”
History is written by the victors.
LXXVIX
The Monkey and the Dolphin
It was an old custom among sailors to carry Maltese lap dogs or monkeys to amuse themselves on voyages. So, once while a man had a monkey with him as a companion during a voyage, the ship became caught in a violent storm off the coast of Sunium, the famous peninsula of Attica. After it was capsized, all on board were thrown into the water and had to swim for land as best they could. A dolphin saw the monkey struggling, and thinking that he was a man, whom dolphins are said to befriend, he went to help him and carried him on his back straight for shore. When they were just opposite Piraeus, the harbor of Athens, the dolphin asked the monkey if he were an Athenian.
“Yes,” answered the monkey. “Certainly. I’m from one of the first families in the place.”
“Then, of course, you know Piraeus,” said the dolphin.
“Oh, yes,” replied the monkey, who thought it was the name of some distinguished citizen. “He is one of my most intimate friends.”
Infuriated by such a gross lie, the dolphin dived to the bottom of the water and left the lying monkey to his fate.
One lie will lead to another and ultimately seal one’s doom.
LXXX
The Dog and His Master
A man was about to set out on a journey when he saw his dog standing at the door. “What are you gaping at?” asked the man. “Get ready to come with me.”
Wagging his tail, the dog replied, “I’m all set, master. It’s you who has to pack up.”
LXXXI
The Viper and the File
A viper entered a smith’s shop and began looking around for something to eat. At last, he saw a file, and after approaching it, he began nibbling. But the file warned him to stop.
“You’re unlikely to get very much from me,” he said, “especially since it’s my business to bite others.”
LXXXII
The Bundle of Sticks
A farmer, whose sons were always quarreling with one another, had tried a long time in vain to reconcile them with words. Finally, he decided that he might have more success by setting some sort of an example. So, he called his sons to him and told them to place a bundle of sticks in front of him. Then, after tying them tightly into a bundle, he told them, one after the other, to pick up the bundle of sticks and break it. They all tried, but nothing came of their efforts. Then, the father untied the bundle and gave them the sticks to break one by one, which they did with great ease.
“So it is with you, my sons,” said the farmer. “As long as you remain united, you’re a match for all your enemies. But if you are divided among yourselves, you’ll be broken as easily as these sticks.”
In unity there is strength.
LXXXIII
Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, and Momus
Jupiter, Neptune, and Minerva (so the story goes) once had a contest to determine which one could make the most perfect thing in the world. Jupiter made a man; Minerva made a house; Neptune made a bull. And Momus—for he had not been banished from Olympus yet—was chosen to judge which of the creations had the greatest merit. He began by finding fault with the bull because its horns were not below his eyes and thus would not be able to see when he butted with them. Next he found fault with the man because there was no window in his breast that would allow his inward thoughts and feelings to be seen. And finally, he found fault with the house because it did not have wheels to enable its inhabitants to move away from bad neighbors. After Momus pronounced all his judgments, Jupiter drove the critic out of heaven and told him that a fault-finder could never be pleased and that he should stop criticizing the works of others until he had created something worthwhile