For wicked people who love to tell lies and to make trouble, attacking honesty and truth.
Fable 109 (Babrius 53 = Perry 159)
The Wolf, the Fox, and Three True Things
A wretched fox had fallen into the clutches of a wolf. She begged the wolf to spare her life and not to kill her, old as she was. The wolf said, ‘By Pan, I will let you live if you tell me three true things.’ The fox said, ‘First, I wish that we had never met! Second, I wish you had been blind when we did meet! Third, and last of all, I hope that you do not live out this year, so that we will never meet again!’
NOTE: The wolf swears by Pan, a Greek god of the forests and hills. Other versions of this story (e.g. Chambry 230) are about a wolf and a sheep, not a fox.
FABLES ABOUT FALSE PROMISES AND LIES
Fable 110 (John of Sheppey 13 = Perry 645)
The Lion and the Unicorn
One day the lion pretended to be sick and went limping up to the unicorn, his chief enemy. He greeted the unicorn and said to him, ‘Let us put aside all that we have done in the past, because I am no longer able to harm anyone at all. As you can see, I am old and suffering from various ailments. But before I die, I would very much like to speak with my wife who is out in the desert. So, kind sir, if I might be so bold, I would like to borrow your horn to use as a walking stick on my journey since it is just the right length and very sturdy. I promise to return it to you as soon as I reach my wife; I give you my word.’ The unicorn believed the lion and pitied his feigned distress, so he loaned the lion his horn and was thus left defenceless. The lion then inflicted a serious wound on the unicorn and laid him low. The unicorn said, ‘You are guilty not so much of cruelty as of treachery, since you repaid my favour with wickedness and betrayed the promise you made me.’ The lion said, ‘You fool, don’t you know the saying:
The man who prolongs his enemy’s life
Takes something from his own; clemency does not entail
Showing mercy to one’s enemies.’
The unicorn replied, ‘You traitor, don’t you know that in the same book it is written:
Let the victory which we contrive by the sword
Be an honourable victory or no victory at all;
Let not posterity read that I won by guile; no perfidy
Should obscure my triumph.’
Therefore, as we read in Ecclesiasticus 12: Do not ever trust your enemy. Always protect yourself from him, even if he comes to you humble and supplicating. The truth of this is plain to see.
NOTE: The lion and unicorn are quoting from the twelfth-century Latin poet Walter of Chatillon, Alexandreis 2.471–3 and 4.361–6. John of Sheppey was the Bishop of Rochester (d. 1360).
Fable 111 (Phaedrus 2.6 = Perry 490)
The Eagle and the Crow
No one is sufficiently well armed against the high and the mighty, and if there is a malicious advisor involved as well, then whoever falls victim to their criminal forces will be destroyed.
An eagle carried a tortoise high up into the air but the tortoise’s flesh was hidden inside a home of horn, tucked away safely inside so no harm could come to it. A crow then arrived on the scene, and as she winged her way past the eagle she said, ‘Well now, you have grasped an excellent prize in your talons, but unless I show you what to do with it, its weight will exhaust you to no avail.’ When the eagle promised to share with the crow, the crow advised her to drop the hard shell from the starry heights down onto the rocks. After the shell had been shattered, the tortoise’s meat would be easily consumed. The eagle was persuaded by the crow’s clever counsel and carried out the plan, generously sharing the feast with her teacher. Thus even something protected by a gift of nature was no match for these two, and the tortoise died a pitiful death.
NOTE: This mutual co-operation between the crow and the eagle seems to be Phaedrus’ own particular interpretation on the traditional tale; for the treachery which is more typical of Aesop’s fables, see Fable 112 (following).
Fable 112 (Romulus Ang. cunctis 13 = Perry 490)
The Eagle and the Crow
The eagle was strolling beside the sea one day, intending to go fishing. She didn’t catch any fish, but she did come across a shell, and inside the shell was a tortoise. She snatched the tortoise up in her talons and flew to a beach, where she planned to feast on her catch, turning the tortoise to good use by dint of her own efforts. But when the eagle went to eat the tortoise, the shell protected the tortoise from her talons and beak. Although the eagle struggled with the shell for some time, her efforts were in vain: she couldn’t get at the tortoise no matter how hard she tried. A crow then happened along and saw the eagle hopelessly trying to open the shell. The eagle was on the verge of giving up when the crow approached her and said, ‘That is food fit for a king. By no means should it be tossed away!’ ‘Alas,’ said the eagle, ‘the container which holds it cannot be breached, as you see; the sides are all smooth, and my efforts are going to waste.’ The crow then said to the eagle, ‘If you will agree to divide the spoils with me, I will show you the way to open it up.’ ‘Tell me how!’ said the eagle, ‘then you and I will enjoy this feast together.’ The tricky crow said, ‘What you must do is fly up high in the sky. Then, when you find yourself far above some rocky shore, release the container from the grip of your talons so that it falls through the air and strikes against the rocks. The shell will be forced open, no longer protecting the tortoise inside, and you will be able to satisfy all your desires.’ The eagle agreed and, following the crow’s instructions, she flew up in the air and let the tortoise drop from her talons. Below, the crow was there waiting for the tortoise to fall. As soon as the tortoise reached the ground, the crow snatched it for herself and thus deceived the hungry eagle.
The moral: In this may, tricksters can deceive people who are unsuspecting, and by means of these tricks they are able to accomplish what brute force cannot do.
NOTE: L’Estrange provides a pointed epimythium: ‘Charity begins at home, they say; and most People are kind to their Neighbours for their own sakes.’
Fable 113 (Phaedrus 4.9 = Perry 9)
The Fox and the Goat in the Well
As soon as someone clever gets into trouble, he tries to find a way out at someone else’s expense.
A fox had unwittingly fallen down a well and found herself trapped inside its high walls. Meanwhile, a thirsty goat had made his way to that same place and asked the fox whether the water was fresh and plentiful. The fox set about laying her trap. ‘Come down, my friend,’ said the fox. ‘The water is so good that I cannot get enough of it myself!’ The bearded billy-goat lowered himself into the well, whereupon that little vixen leaped up on his lofty horns and emerged from the hole, leaving the goat stuck inside the watery prison.
NOTE: Caxton (6.3) provides a delightful rebuke of the goat by the fox: ‘And thenne the foxe beganne to lawhe and to scorne. hym | and sayd to hym | O mayster goote | yf thow haddest be wel wyse with thy fayre berde | or euer thow haddest entryd in to the welle | thow sholdest fyrst haue taken hede | how thow sholdest haue comen oute of hit ageyne.’
Fable 114 (Ademar 58 = Perry 571)
The Donkey, the Horse, and the Barley
A donkey asked a horse to give him a nibble of barley. The horse replied, ‘If only I could, I would do so gladly! Indeed, I would give you a great deal of barley, since I am a noble and generous character. When we return to the stable together this evening, I promise to give you an entire sack of grain.’ The donkey then said to the horse, ‘If you refuse to do me even this small favour now, why should I expect a still bigger favour in the future?’
For people who make big promises while refusing even small requests: they are quick to promise but reluctant to give.
Fable 115 (Chambry 149* = Perry 84)
The Two Dung Beetles
There was a bull who was pastured on a little island. Two dung beetles lived there too, feeding on the bull’s manure. Winter was approaching, so one of the dung beetles s
aid to the other, ‘I want to go to the mainland and I will live there by myself during the winter. If I happen to find a good feeding ground over there, I will bring back something for you too.’ The beetle then moved to the mainland and found a lot of manure that was all moist and fresh. He settled in and had plenty to eat. When winter was over, he flew back to the little island where he had left the first beetle. When the first beetle saw that the second beetle was coming back looking so plump and fat, he asked him why he had not done what he had promised. The second beetle replied, ‘Don’t blame me! It’s the nature of the place: there is plenty to eat there, but the food cannot be taken away.’
This story fits those people who make displays of friendship at the height of the party, but who are otherwise useless to their friends.
Fable 116 (Phaedrus 1.19 = Perry 480)
The Mother Dog and Her Puppies
There is danger lurking in the words of a wicked person, which the following story warns us to avoid.
A dog who was about to give birth to puppies asked another dog if she could deliver the litter in her kennel. The owner of the kennel agreed. Later on, when the owner asked for her house back, the mother dog begged her to let her stay just a little while longer, until her puppies were strong enough to follow her. When this new deadline had passed, the owner of the kennel began to assert her claim more forcefully, but the mother dog retorted, ‘If you think you are a match for me and all my brood, then come and get it!’
Fable 117 (Chambry 184* = Perry 134)
The Wolf and the Sleeping Dog
A dog was sleeping in front of the barn when a wolf noticed him lying there. The wolf was ready to devour the dog, but the dog begged the wolf to let him go for the time being. ‘At the moment I am thin and scrawny,’ said the dog, ‘but my owners are about to celebrate a wedding, so if you let me go now, I’ll get fattened up and you can make a meal of me later on.’ The wolf trusted the dog and let him go. When he came back a few days later, he saw the dog sleeping on the roof. The wolf shouted to the dog, reminding him of their agreement, but the dog simply said, ‘Wolf, if you ever catch me sleeping in front of the barn again, don’t wait for a wedding!’
The same is true of intelligent people: when they escape from some threatening situation, they are on guard in the future.
Fable 118 (Odo 56 = Perry 615)
The Cat, the Mouse, and the Oath
Against people who do not keep their promises.
There was once a mouse who had fallen into the foam of some fermenting wine or ale. A cat was passing by and heard the mouse squeaking because he couldn’t get out. The cat said, ‘Why are you making such a ruckus?’ The mouse answered, ‘Because I cannot get out of here.’ The cat said, ‘What will you give me if I get you out of there?’ The mouse said, ‘Whatever you want!’ The cat said, ‘If I set you free this time, will you come when I call you?’ The mouse replied, ‘You have my solemn promise.’ The cat said, ‘Swear an oath!’ So the mouse swore an oath. The cat then rescued the mouse and let him go. Then one day the cat was hungry. He went to the mouse’s hole and told him to come out. The mouse said, ‘I refuse.’ The cat said, ‘Didn’t you swear to me that you would come when I called you?’ The mouse said, ‘Brother, I was drunk when I swore that oath!’
NOTE: Like many of Odo’s fables, this story has a monastic setting, and the mouse addresses the cat as ‘brother’, as if they were both monks; for another one of Odo’s monastic stories, see Fable 119 (following).
Fable 119 (Odo 56a = Perry 696)
The Abbot and the Flea
Against people who do not keep their promises.
This is the story of the flea that was caught by the abbot. The abbot said, ‘Now I’ve got you! You have bitten me many times, making it impossible for me to get a good night’s sleep. I will never let you go; in fact, I am going to kill you right now!’ The flea said, ‘Holy Father, since you intend to kill me, please hold me in the palm of your hand so that I will be able to freely confess my sins to you. Let me make my confession, and then you can kill me.’ The abbot was moved by the flea’s piety so he placed the insect in the middle of his palm. The flea immediately leaped up into the air and flew away. The abbot yelled loudly at the flea, but he refused to come back.
FABLES WITHOUT MERCY
Fable 120 (Chambry 357 = Perry 272)
The Man and the Flea
A man finally caught a flea that had been bothering him terribly. He shouted at the flea, ‘Just who do you think you are, feeding on all the limbs of my body here and there, eating me up as you please?’ The flea responded, ‘That is how we live! Please don’t kill me; I cannot be causing you too much harm.’ The man laughed at the flea and said, ‘I’m going to kill you here and now with my very own hands: any kind of evil, whether it is big or small, should not be allowed to exist under any circumstances whatsoever!’
The fable shows that no mercy should be granted to someone who is wicked, regardless of whether his wickedness is great or small.
Fable 121 (Avianus 39 = Perry 370)
The Soldier and the Trumpet
There was once a soldier, a weary veteran of many battles who had vowed to kindle a bonfire and consign his weapons to the flames, including all those weapons which many a dying man had surrendered to him in victory along with anything that he had been able to seize from the enemy forces as they fled the field. Since Fortune had favoured his wishes, the soldier was now about to carry out his vow, so he began casting the weapons one by one onto the burning pyre. The trumpet, however, protested loudly, denying his guilt and insisting that he was being sent undeservedly to the flames of the fire. ‘You cannot claim that my powers were used to launch any missiles directed at your mighty arms’, said the trumpet. ‘All I did was to urge the weapons onward with my blast and my blare. Indeed, I swear by all the stars in heaven that I actually tried to blow as quietly as possible!’ The soldier nevertheless added the trumpet to the rest of the weapons. As the trumpet tossed and turned in the crackling flames, the soldier remarked, ‘All the more reason for you to suffer this pain and punishment! Although you did not actually accomplish anything on your own, you are all the more vicious on that account, since you urged others to do wicked deeds.’
Fable 122 (Chambry 158* = Perry 122)
The Rooster and the Thieves
Thieves broke into a certain house and didn’t find anything inside except a rooster. The thieves grabbed the rooster and made their escape. Later, when they were ready to kill him, the rooster begged the thieves to let him go, claiming that he was useful to people because he woke them to go about their tasks in the dark. The thieves said, ‘All the more reason to kill you: when you wake them up, you prevent us from robbing their houses!’
The story shows it is precisely the things that frustrate wicked people which are beneficial to honest folk,
NOTE: L’Estrange’s epimythium cites the English proverb: ‘One Body’s Meat, is Another Body’s Poison.’
Fable 123 (Babrius 124 = Perry 361)
The Bird-catcher, the Partridge, and the Rooster
A bird-catcher received an unexpected visit from a friend just as he was about to dine on a simple meal of herbs and parsley. Since he hadn’t actually caught anything lately, the bird-cage was empty, so the man decided to slaughter a speckled partridge that he had tamed to use as a decoy. The partridge begged the bird-catcher not to kill him, ‘My dear man, how will you hunt with your net in the future? Who will assemble that flock of gregarious, keen-eyed birds on your behalf? And who will serenade you with singing as you drift off to sleep?’ The bird-catcher let go of the partridge, and decided to kill the bearded rooster instead. The rooster, however, let out a squawk from his perch and said, ‘If you kill me, how will you know how much longer it is until dawn, since I am the one who tells you the time? How will you know that Orion with his golden bow is on watch during the night? Who will remind you of the morning’s work, announcing the dew on the birds’ outstretched wings?’ The man sa
id, ‘It is useful indeed to know what time it is, but all the same, my friend has got to have something to eat!’
NOTE: The constellation Orion, one of the brightest stars in the night sky, was imagined by the Greeks to be a hunter armed with weapons, engaged in a perpetual battle with the constellation of Scorpio.
Fable 124 (Chambry 330* = Perry 215)
The Farmer, the Wasps, and the Partridges
There were once some wasps and some partridges who were terribly thirsty, so they went to a farmer to ask him for a drink. In return for the water, the partridges promised that they would dig around his vines so that they would produce excellent grapes, while the wasps would stand guard over the vines, driving away thieves by stinging them. The farmer said to them, ‘But look, I have these two oxen, who do everything for me without making bargains. It is better for me to give the water to them, not to you.’
Aesop's Fables Page 11
