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be like us in outside appearances.
The Camel and the Arab

AN ARAB CAMEL-DRIVER, after completing the loading of his Camel,
asked him which he would like best, to go up hill or down. The

poor beast replied, not without a touch of reason: "Why do you
ask me? Is it that the level way through the desert is closed?"

The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
A MILLER and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair

to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of
women collected round a well, talking and laughing. "Look

there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be
trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?' The old

man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and
continued to walk along merrily by his side. Presently they came

up to a group of old men in earnestdebate. "There," said one of
them, "it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to

old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his
old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace, and let

the old man rest his weary limbs." Upon this the old man made his
son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not

proceeded far when they met a company of women and children:
"Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several tongues at once, "how

can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can
hardly keep pace by the side of you?' The good-natured Miller

immediately took up his son behind him. They had now almost
reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a citizen, "is

that Ass your own?' "Yes," replied the old man. "O, one would
not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you load him.

Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than
he you." "Anything to please you," said the old man; "we can but

try." So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass
together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on

their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town.
This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at

it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling
that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and,

tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old
man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again,

convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased
nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain.

The Crow and the Sheep
A TROUBLESOME CROW seated herself on the back of a Sheep. The

Sheep, much against his will, carried her backward and forward
for a long time, and at last said, "If you had treated a dog in

this way, you would have had your deserts from his sharp teeth."
To this the Crow replied, "I despise the weak and yield to the

strong. I know whom I may bully and whom I must flatter; and I
thus prolong my life to a good old age."

The Fox and the Bramble
A FOX was mounting a hedge when he lost his footing and caught

hold of a Bramble to save himself. Having pricked and grievously
tom the soles of his feet, he accused the Bramble because, when

he had fled to her for assistance, she had used him worse than
the hedge itself. The Bramble, interrupting him, said, "But you

really must have been out of your senses to fasten yourself on
me, who am myself always accustomed to fasten upon others."

The Wolf and the Lion
A WOLF, having stolen a lamb from a fold, was carrying him off to

his lair. A Lion met him in the path, and seizing the lamb, took
it from him. Standing at a safe distance, the Wolf exclaimed,

"You have unrighteously taken that which was mine from me!" To
which the Lion jeeringly replied, "It was righteously yours, eh?

The gift of a friend?'
The Dog and the Oyster

A DOG, used to eating eggs, saw an Oyster and, opening his mouth
to its widest extent, swallowed it down with the utmost relish,

supposing it to be an egg. Soon afterwards suffering great pain
in his stomach, he said, "I deserve all this torment, for my

folly in thinking that everything round must be an egg."
They who act without sufficient thought, will often fall into

unsuspected danger.
The Ant and the Dove

AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and
being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of

drowning. A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked
a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her. The Ant

climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly
afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid

his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches. The Ant,
perceiving his design, stung him in the foot. In pain the

birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove
take wing.

The Partridge and the Fowler
A FOWLER caught a Partridge and was about to kill it. The

Partridge earnestly begged him to spare his life, saying, "Pray,
master, permit me to live and I will entice many Partridges to

you in recompense for your mercy to me." The Fowler replied, "I
shall now with less scruple take your life, because you are

willing to save it at the cost of betraying your friends and
relations."

The Flea and the Man
A MAN, very much annoyed with a Flea, caught him at last, and

said, "Who are you who dare to feed on my limbs, and to cost me
so much trouble in catching you?' The Flea replied, "O my dear

sir, pray spare my life, and destroy me not, for I cannot
possibly do you much harm." The Man, laughing, replied, "Now you

shall certainly die by mine own hands, for no evil, whether it be
small or large, ought to be tolerated."

The Thieves and the Cock
SOME THIEVES broke into a house and found nothing but a Cock,

whom they stole, and got off as fast as they could. Upon
arriving at home they prepared to kill the Cock, who thus pleaded

for his life: "Pray spare me; I am very serviceable to men. I
wake them up in the night to their work." "That is the very

reason why we must the more kill you," they replied; "for when
you wake your neighbors, you entirely put an end to our

business."
The safeguards of virtue are hateful to those with evil

intentions.
The Dog and the Cook

A RICH MAN gave a great feast, to which he invited many friends
and acquaintances. His Dog availed himself of the occasion to

invite a stranger Dog, a friend of his, saying, "My master gives
a feast, and there is always much food remaining; come and sup

with me tonight." The Dog thus invited went at the hour
appointed, and seeing the preparations for so grand an

entertainment, said in the joy of his heart, "How glad I am that
I came! I do not often get such a chance as this. I will take

care and eat enough to last me both today and tomorrow." While he
was congratulating himself and wagging his tail to convey his

pleasure to his friend, the Cook saw him moving about among his
dishes and, seizing him by his fore and hind paws, bundled him

without ceremony out of the window. He fell with force upon the
ground and limped away, howling dreadfully. His yelling soon

attracted other street dogs, who came up to him and inquired how
he had enjoyed his supper. He replied, "Why, to tell you the

truth, I drank so much wine that I remember nothing. I do not
know how I got out of the house."

The Travelers and the Plane-Tree
TWO TRAVELERS, worn out by the heat of the summer's sun, laid

themselves down at noon under the widespreading branches of a
Plane-Tree. As they rested under its shade, one of the Travelers

said to the other, "What a singularly useless tree is the Plane!
It bears no fruit, and is not of the least service to man." The

Plane-Tree, interrupting him, said, "You ungrateful fellows! Do
you, while receiving benefits from me and resting under my shade,

dare to describe me as useless, and unprofitable?'
Some men underrate their best blessings.

The Hares and the Frogs
THE HARES, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of

the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord
determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles by

jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake below. As they
scampered off in large numbers to carry out their resolve, the

Frogs lying on the banks of the lake heard the noise of their
feet and rushed helter-skelter to the deep water for safety. On

seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs, one of the Hares
cried out to his companions: "Stay, my friends, do not do as you

intended; for you now see that there are creatures who are still
more timid than ourselves."

The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant
THE LION wearied Jupiter with his frequentcomplaints. "It is

true, O Jupiter!" he said, "that I am gigantic in strength,
handsome in shape, and powerful in attack. I have jaws well

provided with teeth, and feet furnished with claws, and I lord it
over all the beasts of the forest, and what a disgrace it is,

that being such as I am, I should be frightened by the crowing of
a cock." Jupiter replied, "Why do you blame me without a cause? I

have given you all the attributes which I possess myself, and
your courage never fails you except in this one instance." On

hearing this the Lion groaned and lamented very much and,
reproaching himself with his cowardice, wished that he might die.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, he met an Elephant and
came close to hold a conversation with him. After a time he

observed that the Elephant shook his ears very often, and he
inquired what was the matter and why his ears moved with such a

tremor every now and then. Just at that moment a Gnat settled on
the head of the Elephant, and he replied, "Do you see that little

buzzing insect? If it enters my ear, my fate is sealed. I should
die presently." The Lion said, "Well, since so huge a beast is

afraid of a tiny gnat, I will no more complain, nor wish myself
dead. I find myself, even as I am, better off than the

Elephant."
The Lamb and the Wolf

A WOLF pursued a Lamb, which fled for refuge to a certain Temple.
The Wolf called out to him and said, "The Priest will slay you in

sacrifice, if he should catch you." On which the Lamb replied,
"It would be better for me to be sacrificed in the Temple than to

be eaten by you."
The Rich Man and the Tanner

A RICH MAN lived near a Tanner, and not being able to bear the
unpleasant smell of the tan-yard, he pressed his neighbor to go

away. The Tanner put off his departure from time to time, saying
that he would leave soon. But as he still continued to stay, as

time went on, the rich man became accustomed to the smell, and
feeling no manner of inconvenience, made no further complaints.

The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea
A SHIPWRECKED MAN, having been cast upon a certain shore, slept

after his buffetings with the deep. After a while he awoke, and
looking upon the Sea, loaded it with reproaches. He argued that

it enticed men with the calmness of its looks, but when it had
induced them to plow its waters, it grew rough and destroyed

them. The Sea, assuming the form of a woman, replied to him:
"Blame not me, my good sir, but the winds, for I am by my own

nature as calm and firm even as this earth; but the winds
suddenly falling on me create these waves, and lash me into

fury."
The Mules and the Robbers

TWO MULES well-laden with packs were trudging along. One carried
panniers filled with money, the other sacks weighted with grain.

The Mule carrying the treasure walked with head erect, as if


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