conscious of the value of his burden, and tossed up and down the

clear-toned bells fastened to his neck. His companion followed
with quiet and easy step. All of a sudden Robbers rushed upon

them from their hiding-places, and in the scuffle with their
owners, wounded with a sword the Mule carrying the treasure,

which they greedily seized while taking no notice of the grain.
The Mule which had been robbed and wounded bewailed his

misfortunes. The other replied, "I am indeed glad that I was
thought so little of, for I have lost nothing, nor am I hurt with

any wound."
The Viper and the File

A LION, entering the workshop of a smith, sought from the tools
the means of satisfying his hunger. He more particularly

addressed himself to a File, and asked of him the favor of a
meal. The File replied, "You must indeed be a simple-minded

fellow if you expect to get anything from me, who am accustomed
to take from everyone, and never to give anything in return."

The Lion and the Shepherd
A LION, roaming through a forest, trod upon a thorn. Soon

afterward he came up to a Shepherd and fawned upon him, wagging
his tail as if to say, "I am a suppliant, and seek your aid." The

Shepherd boldly examined the beast, discovered the thorn, and
placing his paw upon his lap, pulled it out; thus relieved of his

pain, the Lion returned into the forest. Some time after, the
Shepherd, being imprisoned on a false accusation, was condemned

"to be cast to the Lions" as the punishment for his imputed
crime. But when the Lion was released from his cage, he

recognized the Shepherd as the man who healed him, and instead of
attacking him, approached and placed his foot upon his lap. The

King, as soon as he heard the tale, ordered the Lion to be set
free again in the forest, and the Shepherd to be pardoned and

restored to his friends.
The Camel and Jupiter

THE CAMEL, when he saw the Bull adorned with horns, envied him
and wished that he himself could obtain the same honors. He went

to Jupiter, and besought him to give him horns. Jupiter, vexed
at his request because he was not satisfied with his size and

strength of body, and desired yet more, not only refused to give
him horns, but even deprived him of a portion of his ears.

The Panther and the Shepherds
A PANTHER, by some mischance, fell into a pit. The Shepherds

discovered him, and some threw sticks at him and pelted him with
stones, while others, moved with compassion towards one about to

die even though no one should hurt him, threw in some food to
prolong his life. At night they returned home, not dreaming of

any danger, but supposing that on the morrow they would find him
dead. The Panther, however, when he had recruited his feeble

strength, freed himself with a sudden bound from the pit, and
hastened to his den with rapid steps. After a few days he came

forth and slaughtered the cattle, and, killing the Shepherds who
had attacked him, raged with angry fury. Then they who had

spared his life, fearing for their safety, surrendered to him
their flocks and begged only for their lives. To them the

Panther made this reply: "I remember alike those who sought my
life with stones, and those who gave me food

aside, therefore, your fears. I return as an enemy only to those
who injured me."

The Ass and the Charger
AN ASS congratulated a Horse on being so ungrudgingly and

carefully provided for, while he himself had scarcely enough to
eat and not even that without hard work. But when war broke out,

a heavily armed soldier mounted the Horse, and riding him to the
charge, rushed into the very midst of the enemy. The Horse was

wounded and fell dead on the battlefield. Then the Ass, seeing
all these things, changed his mind, and commiserated the Horse.

The Eagle and His Captor
AN EAGLE was once captured by a man, who immediately clipped his

wings and put him into his poultry-yard with the other birds, at
which treatment the Eagle was weighed down with grief. Later,

another neighbor purchased him and allowed his feathers to grow
again. The Eagle took flight, and pouncing upon a hare, brought

it at once as an offering to his benefactor. A Fox, seeing this,
exclaimed, "Do not cultivate the favor of this man, but of your

former owner, lest he should again hunt for you and deprive you a
second time of your wings."

The Bald Man and the Fly
A FLY bit the bare head of a Bald Man who, endeavoring to destroy

it, gave himself a heavy slap. Escaping, the Fly said mockingly,
"You who have wished to revenge, even with death, the Prick of a

tiny insect, see what you have done to yourself to add insult to
injury?' The Bald Man replied, "I can easily make peace with

myself, because I know there was no intention to hurt. But you,
an ill-favored and contemptibleinsect who delights in sucking

human blood, I wish that I could have killed you even if I had
incurred a heavier penalty."

The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Tree
THE OLIVE-TREE ridiculed the Fig-Tree because, while she was

green all the year round, the Fig-Tree changed its leaves with
the seasons. A shower of snow fell upon them, and, finding the

Olive full of foliage, it settled upon its branches and broke
them down with its weight, at once despoiling it of its beauty

and killing the tree. But finding the Fig-Tree denuded of
leaves, the snow fell through to the ground, and did not injure

it at all.
The Eagle and the Kite

AN EAGLE, overwhelmed with sorrow, sat upon the branches of a
tree in company with a Kite. "Why," said the Kite, "do I see you

with such a rueful look?' "I seek," she replied, "a mate suitable
for me, and am not able to find one." "Take me," returned the

Kite, "I am much stronger than you are." "Why, are you able to
secure the means of living by your plunder?' "Well, I have often

caught and carried away an ostrich in my talons." The Eagle,
persuaded by these words, accepted him as her mate. Shortly

after the nuptials, the Eagle said, "Fly off and bring me back
the ostrich you promised me." The Kite, soaring aloft into the

air, brought back the shabbiest possible mouse, stinking from the
length of time it had lain about the fields. "Is this," said the

Eagle, "the faithful fulfillment of your promise to me?' The Kite
replied, "That I might attain your royal hand, there is nothing

that I would not have promised, however much I knew that I must
fail in the performance."

The Ass and His Driver
AN ASS, being driven along a high road, suddenly started off and

bolted to the brink of a deep precipice. While he was in the act
of throwing himself over, his owner seized him by the tail,

endeavoring to pull him back. When the Ass persisted in his
effort, the man let him go and said, "Conquer, but conquer to

your cost."
The Thrush and the Fowler

A THRUSH was feeding on a myrtle-tree and did not move from it
because its berries were so delicious. A Fowler observed her

staying so long in one spot, and having well bird-limed his
reeds, caught her. The Thrush, being at the point of death,

exclaimed, "O foolish creature that I am! For the sake of a
little pleasant food I have deprived myself of my life."

The Rose and the Amaranth
AN AMARANTH planted in a garden near a Rose-Tree, thus addressed

it: "What a lovely flower is the Rose, a favorite alike with Gods
and with men. I envy you your beauty and your perfume." The Rose

replied, "I indeed, dear Amaranth, flourish but for a brief
season! If no cruel hand pluck me from my stem, yet I must perish

by an early doom. But thou art immortal and dost never fade, but
bloomest for ever in renewed youth."

The Frogs' Complaint Against the Sun
ONCE UPON A TIME, when the Sun announced his intention to take a

wife, the Frogs lifted up their voices in clamor to the sky.
Jupiter, disturbed by the noise of their croaking, inquired the

cause of their complaint. One of them said, "The Sun, now while
he is single, parches up the marsh, and compels us to die

miserably in our arid homes. What will be our future condition
if he should beget other suns?'

End

• conscious [´kɔnʃəs] a.意识的；自觉的 (初中英语单词)
• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)
• greedily [´gri:dili] ad.贪婪地 (初中英语单词)
• hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)
• everyone [´evriwʌn] pron.=everybody 每人 (初中英语单词)
• shepherd [´ʃepəd] n.牧羊人 vt.带领 (初中英语单词)
• punishment [´pʌniʃmənt] n.罚，刑罚 (初中英语单词)
• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
• jupiter [´dʒu:pitə] n.朱庇特；木星 (初中英语单词)
• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• treatment [´tri:tmənt] n.待遇；对待；治疗 (初中英语单词)
• flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
• cultivate [´kʌltiveit] vt.耕作；培植；培养 (初中英语单词)
• revenge [ri´vendʒ] vt.报复 n.报仇；报复 (初中英语单词)
• insect [´insekt] n.昆虫 (初中英语单词)
• insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
• intention [in´tenʃən] n.意图；打算；意义 (初中英语单词)
• shower [´ʃauə] n.展出者；阵雨；淋浴 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• attain [ə´tein] v.取得；到达；成为 (初中英语单词)
• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• conquer [´kɔŋkə] v.征服；克服；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• delicious [di´liʃəs] a.美味的，可口的 (初中英语单词)
• flourish [´flʌriʃ] v.茂盛；挥动 n.挥舞 (初中英语单词)
• immortal [i´mɔ:təl] a.不死的n.不朽的人物 (初中英语单词)
• complaint [kəm´pleint] n.抱怨；叫屈 (初中英语单词)
• boldly [´bəuldli] ad.大胆地；醒目地 (高中英语单词)
• offering [´ɔfəriŋ] n.提供；礼物；捐献 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• deprive [di´praiv] vt.剥夺，使丧失 (高中英语单词)
• finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
• foliage [´fəuli-idʒ] n.叶子，簇叶 (高中英语单词)
• workshop [´wə:kʃɔp] n.车间；工场；创作室 (英语四级单词)
• accusation [ækju:´zeiʃən] n.谴责；告发 (英语四级单词)
• besought [bi´sɔ:t] beseech过去式(分词) (英语四级单词)
• compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)
• morrow [´mɔrəu] n.翌日 (英语四级单词)
• precipice [´presipis] n.悬崖；危急的处境 (英语四级单词)
• thrush [θrʌʃ] n.画眉鸟 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• panther [´pænθə] n.豹；美洲狮 (英语六级单词)
• battlefield [´bætlfi:ld] n.战场 (英语六级单词)
• benefactor [´beni,fæktə] n.捐助人；恩人 (英语六级单词)
• contemptible [kən´temptəbəl] a.可鄙的；可轻视的 (英语六级单词)
• ostrich [´ɔstritʃ] n.鸵鸟 (英语六级单词)