A viper entered a blacksmith’s workshop and bit the file, testing it to see if this was something she could eat. The file protested fiercely, ‘You fool! Why are you trying to wound me with your teeth, when I am able to gnaw through every sort of iron?’
NOTE: In Caxton 3.12), the file pronounces a whole series of proverbs: ‘And Therefore thow arte a foole to gnawe me | For I telle the | that none euyll may hurte ne adommage another as euylle as he | Ne none wycked may hurte another wycked | ne also the hard ageynst the hard shalle not breke eche other | ne two enuyous men shal not both ryde vpon an asse | wherfor the myghty and stronge must loue hym whiche is as myghty and as stronge as hym self is.’
Fable 306 (Chambry 31* = Perry 19)
The Fox and the Bramble
A fox climbing up over a fence was about to slip and fall, so she reached out and grabbed hold of a bramble bush but the brambles scratched the soft padding of the fox’s paws. Stung by the sharp pain, the fox asked the bramble bush why she had acted so cruelly, when the fox had simply grabbed onto her for help. The bramble replied, ‘My dear, you must be out of your mind to grab hold of someone like me, since I am the one who always grabs everyone else!’
The same is true about people: it is foolish to expect help from someone who is naturally unkind.
NOTE: In Caxton (6.5), the bramble bush makes a further criticism of the fox’s behaviour: ‘For thow supposest to haue taken me as thow arte custommed to take chekyns and hennes.’ For an explanation of why the bramble bush grabs every passer-by, see Fable 500.
Fable 307 (Chambry 263 = Perry 237)
The Man and the New Donkey
There was a man who wanted to buy a donkey. He selected one donkey for further examination and led him to where his own donkeys were, leaving him by the feeding trough. The new donkey went and stood next to the donkey who was the laziest and greediest of them all, ignoring the others. As the new donkey showed no signs of any better behaviour, the man led him away again, returning him to his former master. When asked whether he had given the donkey a fair chance, the man explained, ‘I don’t even need to put him to the test: I know what kind of donkey he is because of the company he keeps.’
The story shows that a person is considered similar to the people whose companionship he enjoys.
FABLES ABOUT FAKE DOCTORS
Fable 308 (Aphthonius 24 = Perry 289)
The Fox and the Frog
A story about a frog, urging us not to trust someone’s promises before they are fulfilled.
There was a frog who claimed to be trained in the physician’s art, acquainted with all the medicinal plants of the earth, the only creature who could cure the animals’ ailments. The fox listened to the frog’s announcement and exposed his lies by the colour of his skin. ‘How can it be,’ said the fox, ‘that you are able to cure others of their illnesses, but the signs of sickness can still be seen in your own face?’
Boastful claims end up exposing themselves.
NOTE: The biblical proverb ‘physician, heal thyself!’ (Luke 4: 23) is found in the epimythium to this fable in Caxton (7.5): ‘For the leche whiche wylle hele somme other | ought fyrste to hele hym self.’
Fable 309 (Romulus 4.15 = Perry 392)
The Wolf and the Donkey
The word of a wicked man can never be trusted. Listen to this fable, for example.
The wolf paid a visit to the ailing donkey. He began to touch the donkey’s body and to ask him in what part of his body he felt the greatest pain. The donkey answered, ‘Wherever you touch me!’
The same is true of wicked people: even if they pretend to be helpful and speak nicely, they are actually in a hurry to harm you.
Fable 310 (Babrius 121 = Perry 7)
The Cat and the Hen
There was a hen who was not feeling well. The cat bent over her and said, ‘How are you? Is there anything you need? I will bring you whatever you want; please just take care of yourself.’ ‘I’ll live,’ said the hen, ‘if you will just go away!’
NOTE: This story is also found in Plutarch, On Brotherly Love 12.
Fable 311 (Phaedrus App. 19 = Perry 547)
The Sow and the Wolf
A pregnant sow lay on the ground, groaning with the pangs of labour. A wolf came running up and offered his assistance, saying that he could play the role of midwife. The sow, however, recognized the deception lurking in the wicked wolf’s conniving mind and she rejected his suspicious offer. ‘It’s enough for me,’ said the sow, ‘if you will just keep your distance!’ If that sow had entrusted herself to the treacherous wolf, she would have wept with the pain of childbirth while bewailing her own demise.
NOTE: There is a promythium appended to the fable in Perotti’s Appendix: ‘A man should be put to the test before you put your trust in him.’
Fable 312 (Babrius 122 = Perry 187)
The Wolf and the Lame Donkey
A donkey had gone lame after stepping on a sharp thorn. Then he noticed a wolf nearby. Plainly afraid that the wolf might kill him, the donkey said, ‘O wolf, I am dying; I’m about to draw my last breath. But I am glad to have run into you; I would prefer to have you feast on my flesh rather than a vulture or a raven. So please do me a little favour, a trifle really, and remove this prickly thorn from my hoof so that my spirit can go down to Hades free from pain.’ The wolf said, ‘That is a favour I can’t begrudge you.’ So he pulled out the burning thorn with the sharp edge of his teeth. Freed from all his pain and suffering, the donkey ran away, kicking with his heels at the tawny wolf who stood with his mouth hanging open. As the donkey’s hooves crushed the wolf’s head and nose and jaws, the wolf exclaimed, ‘Alas, it serves me right! Why did I take up the doctor’s trade, healing the lame at a moment like this, when the only profession I ever learned was how to be a butcher!’
NOTE: For the proverbial ‘wolf with his mouth hanging open’, see Fable 283. This same story was also told about a lion and a horse; see Fable 313 (following).
Fable 313 (Romulus 3.2 = Perry 187)
The Lion and the Horse
Those who are ignorant of their craft will give themselves away, as the following fable shows.
A mighty lion saw a horse grazing in a field. In order to sneakily deceive the horse, the lion approached him in a friendly fashion and said he was a doctor. The horse suspected a trick, but he did not reject the lion’s claims. When the lion drew closer, the horse quickly thought up an escape. He pretended that he had a splinter in his hoof, so he lifted up his foot and said, ‘Help me, brother; I am so glad you are here! Save me from the splinter that I have stepped on.’ The lion approached with feigned deference, concealing his true intentions, whereupon the horse suddenly kicked the lion in the face. Down fell the deadly foe! The lion lay there on the ground for quite a while, and when he came to he saw that the horse was gone and he realized that his head and face and whole body had been wounded. ‘It serves me right for approaching the horse in a gentle and friendly way’, said the lion. ‘I came to him in the guise of a doctor but I should have approached him like an enemy, as I always did before!’
Let the audience pay close attention: be yourself and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.
FABLES ABOUT FALSE PROPHETS
Fable 314 (Plato, Theaetetus 174a = Perry 40)
The Astronomer and the Thracian Woman
When Thales the astronomer was gazing up at the sky, he fell into a pit. A Thracian slave woman, who was both wise and witty, is said to have made fun of him for being eager to know what was happening over his head while failing to notice what was right there at his feet.
NOTE: There are many versions of this anecdote about the philosopher or astronomer who falls into a ditch (for Roman examples, see Cicero, On The Republic 1.30 and On Divination 2.13.30). Thales was one of the legendary ‘seven sages’ of ancient Greece. Thrace (modern Balkans) was reportedly the home both of Aesop, at least according to some sources, and also of the Roman poet Phaedrus, as he himself declares in the pro
logue to Book 3 of his fables.
Fable 315 (Chambry 91* = Perry 56)
The Witch on Trial
There was a witch who claimed to be able to perform magic ceremonies to avert divine wrath. She was often employed for such purposes and earned a considerable profit in this line of work. Certain people then accused her of sacrilege. The woman was arrested and condemned to death. As they were leading her away, someone saw her and said, ‘You claimed to be able to turn aside the anger of the gods, so why weren’t you able to ward off the plans of mere mortals?’
The fable shows that people often make extravagant promises which they are completely unable to carry out.
Fable 316 (Chambry 233* = Perry 161)
The Soothsayer and the Theft
There was a soothsayer who used to sit in the market-place and predict the future. Someone suddenly appeared and told the soothsayer that the doors of his house had been forced open and that everything inside had been stolen. The soothsayer groaned and sprang to his feet, rushing off to his house. Someone saw him running and said, ‘Hey you! You claim to be able to tell what is going to happen to other people in advance, so why were you not able to predict your own future?’
This is a fable for people who do a poor job of managing their own lives but who nevertheless make pronouncements about things that are none of their business.
Fable 317 (Phaedrus 3.3 = Perry 495)
Aesop and the Soothsayers
People consider someone with real life experience to be more reliable than a soothsayer, but they cannot say why: my little fable will be the first to provide an explanation.
There was a farmer who had a flock of sheep, and those sheep gave birth to lambs with human heads. Alarmed by this omen the farmer hurried off, deeply upset, to consult the soothsayers. One soothsayer told him that the birth of lambs with human heads indicated a matter of life and death for him as the ‘head’ of the household, and a sacrifice would be required to ward off the danger. Another soothsayer insisted that this was instead a sign that the man’s wife had been unfaithful to him, and that she had passed off other men’s sons as his own; this evil omen could only be averted by an even greater sacrifice. To make a long story short, the soothsayers argued about their interpretations with one another, heightening the man’s anxiety with more and more causes for alarm. Aesop also happened to be there, that old man who was nobody’s fool: there was no way that nature could play tricks on him! ‘If you want to expiate this omen,’ said Aesop, ‘I suggest you supply your shepherds with wives!’
NOTE: This same anecdote is told about the legendary wise man Thales in Plutarch’s Banquet of the Seven Sages.
Fable 318 (Chambry 255 = Perry 236)
The Merchants and the Raven
Some merchants were making a journey when they happened to meet a raven who was blind in one eye. The travellers halted and one of them said that the sign given to them by the raven meant that they should turn back home. Another member of the company protested, ‘But how can such a bird predict what is going to happen to us, when he couldn’t even predict the loss of his own eye in time to take preventive measures?’
The same is true of people: someone who cannot manage his own affairs is not qualified to give advice to his neighbours.
Fable 319 (Chambry 170* = Perry 125)
The Travellers and the Crow
The crow was jealous of the raven’s power to reveal signs to mankind by means of omens, since the raven was always being consulted to find out what was going to happen. When the crow saw some travellers passing by, she flew up into a tree and perched there, squawking loudly. The men turned towards the sound in alarm, but then one of them said, ‘Hey, let’s go! It’s just a crow, whose squawking doesn’t mean a thing.’
The story shows that people do the same thing: when someone tries to imitate his superiors, he will both fail in his attempt and become the butt of jokes.
Fable 320 (Chambry 171* = Perry 127)
The Crow and Athena
The crow was making a sacrifice to Athena and invited a dog to the feast. The dog said to her, ‘Why do you foolishly squander these sacrifices? The goddess clearly hates you so much that she has taken away all credibility from your omens.’ The crow answered, ‘That is all the more reason for me to sacrifice to her: I hope she will change her attitude towards me!’
The fable shows that people are often eager to treat their enemies well in the hopes of gaining something by it.
FABLES ABOUT DISGUISES AND PRETENCE
Fable 321 (Nikephoros Basilakis, in Walz, Rhetores Graeci = Perry 451)
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
You can get into trouble by wearing a disguise.
A wolf once decided to change his nature by changing his appearance, and thus get plenty to eat. He put on a sheepskin and accompanied the flock to the pasture. The shepherd was fooled by the disguise. When night fell, the shepherd shut up the wolf in the fold with the rest of the sheep, and as the fence was placed across the entrance, the sheepfold was securely closed off. But when the shepherd wanted a sheep for his supper, he took his knife and killed … the wolf.
Someone who wears a disguise often loses his life and finds that his performance occasions a major catastrophe.
NOTE: Compare the biblical ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ (Matthew 7: 15).
Fable 322 (Chambry 267 = Perry 188)
The Fox, the Donkey, and the Lion Skin
A donkey put on the skin of a lion and went around frightening all the animals. The donkey saw a fox and tried to frighten her too, but she had heard his voice first, so she said to the donkey, ‘You can be sure that I too would have been afraid, if I had not already heard the sound of your bray.’
Likewise, there are certain ignorant people whose outward affectations give them an air of importance, but their true identity comes out as soon as they open their big mouths.
NOTE: There are striking parallels between the motif of the ‘donkey in the lion’s skin’ and the Buddhist Sihacama-jataka (compare also the donkey in the leopard’s skin in the opening story of Book 3 of the Panchatantra).
Fable 323 (Aphthonius 10 = Perry 358)
The Farmers, the Donkey, and the Lion Skin
A story about a donkey, urging us not to yearn for more than we deserve.
A donkey wanted to appear to be a lion. Since he could not change his nature, he tried to realize his dreams by a change of costume, and like a lion he wreaked havoc on the fruits of the farmers’ labour. But when a gust of wind blew up, it stripped the lion bare of his disguise. As soon as the farmers whose crops he had eaten saw that he was just a donkey, they came and clubbed him to death.
Adornments that do not belong to you can be dangerous.
NOTE: In one version of this story, the event was supposed to have taken place at Cyme, an Aeolian settlement in Asia Minor. The people of Cyme (who were proverbially stupid) had never seen a lion and were foolishly convinced by the donkey in the lion’s skin, even though the donkey’s ears were clearly visible. This anecdote gave rise to the expression, ‘Like the donkey among the people of Cyme’ (see Erasmus, Adages 1.7.12 and especially 1.3.66, citing the story from Lucian’s Fisherman).
Fable 324 (Chambry 305* = Perry 73)
The Monkey and the Dolphin
It is common to take Maltese dogs and pet monkeys on long sea voyages in order to relieve the boredom of the passage. A man who was planning to make such a voyage had brought his monkey along with him, but when the ship had reached Cape Sounion (which is a sea promontory near Athens), they were met by a fierce winter storm. The ship was capsized and everyone was thrown into the water. The monkey also started swimming and was spotted by a dolphin, who thought the monkey was a man. The dolphin swam up under the monkey and carried him through the water. When they were approaching Piraeus, the Athenian harbour, the dolphin asked the monkey if he was originally from Athens. The monkey said that he was, and that he happened to be from an illustrious family. The dolphin then as
ked if he knew Piraeus. The monkey thought that Piraeus must be a person’s name, so he said that, yes, Piraeus was a near and dear friend of his. The dolphin was infuriated by the monkey’s lying words, so he plunged the creature into the water and killed him.
This fable is suitable for a man who tells lies.
Fable 325 (Chambry 163* = Perry 129)
The Jackdaw and the Doves
A jackdaw saw that the doves in a dovecote were very well fed, so he dyed himself white and went to join them, expecting to share in their food. So long as the jackdaw kept quiet, the doves thought he was another dove and accepted him, but when he forgot to keep quiet and let out a squawk, the pigeons then recognized who he was and they pecked at him until he went away. Unable to feed with the doves, he then went back again to the jackdaws. But because they did not recognize his colour, they kept him away from their food and the jackdaw ended up with nothing to eat at all.
The story shows that we too must be contented with our lot in life, since being greedy for more is pointless and can even deprive us of the things that are ours.
Fable 326 (Phaedrus 1.3 = Perry 472)
Aesop's Fables Page 21
