Aesop's Fables (Penguin Classics) - Aesop [6]
Familiarity breeds contempt.
XXIV
The Creaking Wheels
As some oxen were pulling a wagon along a bumpy road, the wheels began to creak and make a tremendous noise, whereupon the driver cried to the wagon, “Brute! Why do you groan when those creatures who are doing all the work are silent?”
Those who cry the loudest are not always the ones who are hurt the most.
XXV
The Frog and the Ox
An ox was grazing in a swampy meadow when he accidentally set his foot down on top of a bunch of young frogs and crushed nearly all of them to death. One that managed to escape ran off to tell his mother the dreadful news.
“Mother,” he said, “it was a beast, a big four-footed beast, that did it!”
The mother, who was a vain old thing, thought she could easily make herself as large. “How big? Was it as big as this?” she asked and puffed herself as much as she could.
“Oh,” said the little one, “a great deal bigger than that!”
“Well, was it this big?” she cried, puffing and blowing again with all her might.
“It certainly was, Mother,” he replied, “and I’m afraid you’d probably burst before you could reach even half its size.”
Provoked by such a disparagement of her powers, the silly old frog made one more try before she did indeed succeed in bursting herself into thin air.
Not all creatures can become as great as they think.
XXVI
The Farmer and the Snake
Returning home one winter’s day, a farmer found a snake lying under a hedge, half dead with cold. Taking pity on the creature, he placed it in his bosom and brought it home, where he laid it upon the hearth near the fire. No sooner was the snake restored by the warmth of the cottage than it began to attack the farmer’s wife and children. Hearing their cries, the farmer, whose compassion had saved the snake’s life, rushed into the room, grabbed an ax, and smashed the serpent until it was dead.
Kindness to ungrateful and vicious creatures is thrown away.
XXVII
The Lion and the Fox
A fox agreed to work for a lion as a servant, and for a while, each carried out his respective duties according to his own nature and powers. The fox used to point out the prey, and the lion would attack and seize it. The fox, however, soon became jealous of the lion for carrying off the lion’s share. Thinking that he was just as good as his master, the fox declared that he would no longer simply discover the prey but capture it on his own. The next day, just as he was about to snatch a lamb from the fold, the hunter and his hounds appeared and made him their prize for the day.
Keep your place in life, and your place will keep you.
XXVIII
The Fisherman and His Music
A man who cared more for music than his nets saw some fish in the sea and began playing on his flute. He thought they would jump out on shore and hop into his net, but he was disappointed when he found that the fish would not comply. So he decided to cast his net and snared a great number of them. After he pulled them to shore, the fish began to dance and flap, but he said, “Since you wouldn’t dance when I piped, I’ll have none of your dancing now.”
It takes great skill to do the right thing at the right time.
XXIX
The Domesticated Dog and the Wolf
A lean, hungry wolf happened to meet a plump, well-fed dog one bright moonlit night. After the first compliments were exchanged, the wolf asked, “How is it, my friend, that you look so sleek? Your food certainly agrees with you while I must struggle for my living day and night and can hardly keep myself from starving!”
“Well,” replied the dog, “if you want to live as well as I do, you only have to act the way I do.”
“And how is that?” countered the wolf.
“You only have to guard the master’s house,” said the dog, “and keep the thieves away at night.”
“It will be my pleasure,” the wolf responded. “I’ve been going through a bad time. Life in the woods is hard work for me because of the frost