Aesop's Fables (Penguin Classics) - Aesop [31]
“Well,” he said, “if you were to ask him, he would tell you that he’s an eagle. But if you will take my word for it, I know him to be nothing but a poor crow.”
Sometimes ambition can lead us beyond the limits of our power.
CLXIII
The Lion and His Three Councillors
The lion called the sheep to him to ask her if his breath smelled. She said yes, and he bit off her head for being a fool. He called the wolf and asked him as well. The wolf said no, and the lion tore him to pieces for being a flatterer. Finally he called the fox and asked him the same question. However, the fox apologized profusely and told the lion that he had somehow caught a cold and could not smell.
Wise men say nothing in dangerous times.
CLXIV
The Great and Little Fish
As a fisherman was drawing in his net that he had cast into the sea, he noticed that it was full of all sorts of fish. However, little fish escaped through the meshes of the net and swam back into the deep water, while the big fish remained trapped and were hauled into the boat.
It is not always smart or safe to be a big fish in a small pond.
CLXV
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion
An ass and a cock lived together in a farmyard. One day a hungry lion passed by and saw the ass in such good condition that he decided to make a meal out of him. Now, they say that nothing irritates a lion so much as the crowing of a cock, and at that moment the cock happened to crow. So, the lion ran away as fast as he could. Greatly amused to think that a lion would be frightened by a mere bird, the ass plucked up courage, galloped after him, and felt proud that he was driving the king of beasts out of the farmyard. He had not gone very far, however, when the lion turned around sharply and made mincemeat out of him within seconds.
Presumption begins in ignorance and ends in ruin.
CLXVI
The Wolf and the Goat
A wolf saw a goat grazing on the top of a high cliff where he could not get at her. Pretending to be concerned for her safety, the wolf advised her to move down. “You might lose your footing at that dizzy height,” he said. “Besides, the grass is much sweeter and more plentiful here below.”
“I’m sorry I can’t oblige you,” answered the goat, “but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the hill, especially when you intend to make a meal out of me there.”
CLXVII
The Fox and the Stork
One day a fox invited a stork to dinner, and since he wanted to amuse himself at the expense of his guest, he provided a meal that consisted only of some thin soup in a large flat dish. The fox was able to lap this soup up very easily, while the stork, unable to take a mouthful with her long narrow bill, was as hungry at the end of dinner as when she began. Meanwhile, the fox pretended to regret seeing her eat so sparingly and feared, so he said, that the dish might not be tasty enough for her. The stork said little but requested the honor of allowing her to invite him to her place in the near future. He was delighted with the invitation, and a week later, he showed up punctually at the stork’s home, where the dinner was served right away. To the fox’s dismay, however, he found that the meal was contained in a narrow-necked vessel down which the stork easily thrust her long neck and bill, while he was obliged to content himself with licking the neck of the jar. Unable to satisfy his hunger, he left as graciously as possible, observing that he could hardly find fault with his host, who had only paid him back in his own coin.
Those who mistreat others with their cunning must expect to suffer from it in return.
CLXVIII
The Leopard and the Fox
One day a leopard and a fox had a contest to decide who was the handsomer of the two. The leopard boasted about the beauty of its innumerable spots. But the fox replied, “You may have beautiful spots, but it’s better to have a versatile mind than a variegated body.”
CLXIX