An Ass found a Lion’s Skin, and dressed himself
up in it. Then he went about frightening every
one he met, for they all took him to be a lion, men
and beasts alike, and took to their heels when they
saw him coming. Elated by the success of his
trick, he loudly brayed in triumph. The Fox heard
him, and recognised him at once for the Ass he was,
and said to him, “Oho, my friend, it’s
you, is it? I, too, should have been afraid if
I hadn’t heard your voice.”
Jupiter granted beards to the She-Goats at their own
request, much to the disgust of the he-Goats, who
considered this to be an unwarrantable invasion of
their rights and dignities. So they sent a deputation
to him to protest against his action. He, however,
advised them not to raise any objections. “What’s
in a tuft of hair?” said he. “Let
them have it if they want it. They can never be
a match for you in strength.”
A Lion, enfeebled by age and no longer able to procure
food for himself by force, determined to do so by
cunning. Betaking himself to a cave, he lay down
inside and feigned to be sick: and whenever any
of the other animals entered to inquire after his
health, he sprang upon them and devoured them.
Many lost their lives in this way, till one day a
Fox called at the cave, and, having a suspicion of
the truth, addressed the Lion from outside instead
of going in, and asked him how he did. He replied
that he was in a very bad way: “But,”
said he, “why do you stand outside? Pray
come in.” “I should have done so,”
answered the Fox, “if I hadn’t noticed
that all the footprints point towards the cave and
none the other way.”
A Boy was bathing in a river and got out of his depth,
and was in great danger of being drowned. A man
who was passing along a road heard his cries for help,
and went to the riverside and began to scold him for
being so careless as to get into deep water, but made
no attempt to help him. “Oh, sir,”
cried the Boy, “please help me first and scold
me afterwards.”
Give assistance, not advice,
in a crisis.
Once upon a time a Frog came forth from his home in
the marshes and proclaimed to all the world that he
was a learned physician, skilled in drugs and able
to cure all diseases. Among the crowd was a Fox,
who called out, “You a doctor! Why, how
can you set up to heal others when you cannot even
cure your own lame legs and blotched and wrinkled
skin?”
Physician, heal thyself.
