The Swan and the Goose
A CERTAIN rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan. He

fed the one for his table and kept the other for the sake of its
song. When the time came for killing the Goose, the cook went to

get him at night, when it was dark, and he was not able to
distinguish one bird from the other. By mistake he caught the

Swan instead of the Goose. The Swan, threatened with death,
burst forth into song and thus made himself known by his voice,

and preserved his life by his melody.
The Swollen Fox

A VERY HUNGRY FOX, seeing some bread and meat left by shepherds
in the hollow of an oak, crept into the hole and made a hearty

meal. When he finished, he was so full that he was not able to
get out, and began to groan and lament his fate. Another Fox

passing by heard his cries, and coming up, inquired the cause of
his complaining. On learning what had happened, he said to him,

"Ah, you will have to remain there, my friend, until you become
such as you were when you crept in, and then you will easily get

out."
The Fox and the Woodcutter

A FOX, running before the hounds, came across a Woodcutter
felling an oak and begged him to show him a safe hiding-place.

The Woodcutter advised him to take shelter in his own hut, so the
Fox crept in and hid himself in a corner. The huntsman soon came

up with his hounds and inquired of the Woodcutter if he had seen
the Fox. He declared that he had not seen him, and yet pointed,

all the time he was speaking, to the hut where the Fox lay
hidden. The huntsman took no notice of the signs, but believing

his word, hastened forward in the chase. As soon as they were
well away, the Fox departed without taking any notice of the

Woodcutter: whereon he called to him and reproached him, saying,
"You ungrateful fellow, you owe your life to me, and yet you

leave me without a word of thanks." The Fox replied, "Indeed, I
should have thanked you fervently if your deeds had been as good

as your words, and if your hands had not been traitors to your
speech."

The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock
A BIRDCATCHER was about to sit down to a dinner of herbs when a

friend unexpectedly came in. The bird-trap was quite empty, as
he had caught nothing, and he had to kill a pied Partridge, which

he had tamed for a decoy. The bird entreated earnestly for his
life: "What would you do without me when next you spread your

nets? Who would chirp you to sleep, or call for you the covey of
answering birds?' The Birdcatcher spared his life, and determined

to pick out a fine young Cock just attaining to his comb. But
the Cock expostulated in piteous tones from his perch: "If you

kill me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?
Who will wake you to your daily tasks or tell you when it is time

to visit the bird-trap in the morning?' He replied, "What you say
is true. You are a capital bird at telling the time of day. But

my friend and I must have our dinners."
Necessity knows no law.

The Monkey and the Fishermen
A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting

their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings.
The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on going home to

dinner left their nets upon the bank. The Monkey, who is the
most imitative of animals, descended from the treetop and

endeavored to do as they had done. Having handled the net, he
threw it into the river, but became tangled in the meshes and

drowned. With his last breath he said to himself, "I am rightly
served; for what business had I who had never handled a net to

try and catch fish?'
The Flea and the Wrestler

A FLEA settled upon the bare foot of a Wrestler and bit him,
causing the man to call loudly upon Hercules for help. When the

Flea a second time hopped upon his foot, he groaned and said, "O
Hercules! if you will not help me against a Flea, how can I hope

for your assistance against greater antagonists?'
The Two Frogs

TWO FROGS dwelt in the same pool. When the pool dried up under
the summer's heat, they left it and set out together for another

home. As they went along they chanced to pass a deep well, amply
supplied with water, and when they saw it, one of the Frogs said

to the other, "Let us descend and make our abode in this well: it
will furnish us with shelter and food." The other replied with

greater caution, "But suppose the water should fail us. How can
we get out again from so great a depth?'

Do nothing without a regard to the consequences.
The Cat and the Mice

A CERTAIN HOUSE was overrun with Mice. A Cat, discovering this,
made her way into it and began to catch and eat them one by one.

Fearing for their lives, the Mice kept themselves close in their
holes. The Cat was no longer able to get at them and perceived

that she must tempt them forth by some device. For this purpose
she jumped upon a peg, and suspending herself from it, pretended

to be dead. One of the Mice, peeping stealthily out, saw her and
said, "Ah, my good madam, even though you should turn into a

meal-bag, we will not come near you."
The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox

A LION and a Bear seized a Kid at the same moment, and fought
fiercely for its possession. When they had fearfully lacerated

each other and were faint from the long combat, they lay down
exhausted with fatigue. A Fox, who had gone round them at a

distance several times, saw them both stretched on the ground
with the Kid lying untouched in the middle. He ran in between

them, and seizing the Kid scampered off as fast as he could. The
Lion and the Bear saw him, but not being able to get up, said,

"Woe be to us, that we should have fought and belabored ourselves
only to serve the turn of a Fox."

It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil, and another
all the profit.

The Doe and the Lion
A DOE hard pressed by hunters sought refuge in a cave belonging

to a Lion. The Lion concealed himself on seeing her approach,
but when she was safe within the cave, sprang upon her and tore

her to pieces. "Woe is me," exclaimed the Doe, "who have escaped
from man, only to throw myself into the mouth of a wild beast?'

In avoiding one evil, care must be taken not to fall into
another.

The Farmer and the Fox
A FARMER, who bore a grudge against a Fox for robbing his poultry

yard, caught him at last, and being determined to take an ample
revenge, tied some rope well soaked in oil to his tail, and set

it on fire. The Fox by a strange fatality rushed to the fields
of the Farmer who had captured him. It was the time of the wheat

harvest; but the Farmer reaped nothing that year and returned
home grieving sorely.

The Seagull and the Kite
A SEAGULL having bolted down too large a fish, burst its deep

gullet-bag and lay down on the shore to die. A Kite saw him and
exclaimed: "You richlydeserve your fate; for a bird of the air

has no business to seek its food from the sea."
Every man should be content to mind his own business.

The Philosopher, the Ants, and Mercury
A PHILOSOPHER witnessed from the shore the shipwreck of a vessel,