Aesop, in Rhyme | Page 3

entertained no anticipation of danger. Some boatmen, sailing by, saw
her, and, taking a successful aim, mortally wounded her. Said she: "O
wretched creature that I am! to take such precaution against the land,
and, after all, to find this seashore, to which I had come for safety, so
much more perilous."
Danger sometimes comes from a source that is least suspected.

The Dog, Cock and Fox.
A Dog and a Cock, traveling together, took shelter at night in a thick
wood. The Cock perched himself on a high branch, while the Dog
found a bed at the foot of the tree. When morning dawned, the Cock, as
usual, crowed very loudly. A Fox, hearing the sound, and wishing to
make a breakfast on him, came and stood under the branches, saying
how earnestly he desired to make the acquaintance of the owner of so
sweet a voice.
"If you will admit me," said he, "I should very much like to spend the
day with you."
The Cock said: "Sir, do me the favor to go round and wake up my
porter, that he may open the door, and let you in." On the Fox
approaching the tree, the Dog sprang out and caught him and quickly
tore him in pieces.
[Illustration]
Those who try to entrap others are often caught by their own schemes.

The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk.

[Illustration]
A Mouse, by an unlucky chance, formed an intimate acquaintance with
a Frog. The Frog one day, intent on mischief, bound the foot of the
Mouse tightly to his own. Thus joined together, the Frog led his friend
toward the pool in which he lived, until he reached the very brink,
when suddenly jumping in, he dragged the Mouse in with him. The
Frog enjoyed the water amazingly, and swam croaking about as if he
had done a meritorious action. The unhappy Mouse was soon
suffocated with the water, and his dead body floated about on the
surface, tied to the foot of the Frog. A Hawk observed it, and, pouncing
upon it, carried it up aloft. The Frog, being still fastened to the leg of
the Mouse, was also carried off a prisoner, and was eaten by the Hawk.
Harm hatch, harm catch.

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."
Who acts in haste repents at leisure.

The Wolf and the Shepherds.
A Wolf passing by, saw some shepherds in a hut eating for their dinner
a haunch of mutton. Approaching them, he said: "What a clamor you
would raise, if I were to do as you are doing!"
Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice
themselves.

The Hares and the Frogs.
[Illustration]
The Hares, oppressed with a sense of 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 a very numerous body 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 other creatures who yet live are more timorous than ourselves."
[Illustration]
We are encouraged by seeing others that are worse off than ourselves.

The Lion and the Boar.
[Illustration]
On a summer day, when the great heat induced a general thirst, a Lion
and a Boar came at the same moment to a small well to drink. They
fiercely disputed which of them should drink first, and were soon
engaged in the agonies of a mortal combat. On their stopping on a
sudden to take breath for the fiercer renewal of the strife, they saw
some Vultures waiting in the distance to feast on the one which should
fall first. They at once made up their quarrel, saying: "It is better for us
to make friends, than to become the food of Crows or Vultures, as will
certainly happen if we are disabled."
Those who strive are often watched by others who will take advantage
of their defeat to benefit themselves.

The Mischievous Dog.
[Illustration]
A Dog used to run up quietly to the heels