Aesop, in Rhyme | Page 7

not know their right place must be taught it.

The Man and the Satyr.
[Illustration]
A Man and a Satyr once formed a bond of alliance. One very cold
wintry day, as they talked together, the Man put his fingers to his
mouth and blew on them. On the Satyr inquiring the reason, he told
him that he did it to warm his hands. Later on in the day they sat down
to eat, the food prepared being quite scalding. The Man raised one of
his dishes towards his mouth and blew in it. On the Satyr again
inquiring the reason, he said that he did it to cool the meat. "I can no

longer consider you as a friend," said the Satyr; "a fellow who with the
same breath blows hot and cold I could never trust."
A man who talks for both sides is not to be trusted by either.

The Oak and the Reeds.
[Illustration]
A very large Oak was uprooted by the wind, and thrown across a
stream. It fell among some Reeds, which it thus addressed: "I wonder
how you, who are so light and weak, are not entirely crushed by these
strong winds." They replied:
"You fight and contend with the wind, and consequently you are
destroyed; while we, on the contrary, bend before the least breath of air,
and therefore remain unbroken."
Stoop to conquer.

The Huntsman and the Fisherman.
A Huntsman, returning with his dogs from the field, fell in by chance
with a Fisherman, bringing home a basket laden with fish. The
Huntsman wished to have the fish, and their owner experienced an
equal longing for the contents of the game-bag. They quickly agreed to
exchange the produce of their day's sport. Each was so well pleased
with his bargain, that they made for some time the same exchange day
after day. A neighbor said to them: "If you go on in this way, you will
soon destroy, by frequent use, the pleasure of your exchange, and each
will again wish to retain the fruits of his own sport."
Pleasures are heightened by abstinence.

The Mother and the Wolf.
[Illustration]
A famished Wolf was prowling about in the morning in search of food.
As he passed the door of a cottage built in the forest, he heard a mother
say to her child: "Be quiet, or I will throw you out of the window, and
the Wolf shall eat you." The Wolf sat all day waiting at the door. In the
evening he heard the same woman fondling her child, and saying: "He
is quiet now, and if the Wolf should come, we will kill him." The Wolf,
hearing these words, went home, gaping with cold and hunger.
Be not in haste to believe what is said in anger or thoughtlessness.
[Illustration]

The Shepherd[B] and the Wolf.
A Shepherd once found a young Wolf, and brought it up, and after a
while taught it to steal lambs from the neighboring flocks. The Wolf,
having shown himself an apt pupil, said to the Shepherd: "Since you
have taught me to steal, you must keep a sharp look-out, or you will
lose some of your own flock."
The vices we teach may be practiced against us.
[Transcriber's note B: Original had "Sheperd".]

The Dove and the Crow.
[Illustration]
A Dove shut up in a cage was boasting of the large number of the
young ones which she had hatched. A Crow, hearing her, said: "My
good friend, cease from this unreasonable boasting. The larger the
number of your family, the greater your cause of sorrow, in seeing

them shut up in this prison-house."
To enjoy our blessings we must have freedom.

The Old Man and the Three Young Men.
[Illustration]
As an old man was planting a tree, three young men came along and
began to make sport of him, saying: "It shows your foolishness to be
planting a tree at your age. The tree cannot bear fruit for many years,
while you must very soon die. What is the use of your wasting your
time in providing pleasure for others to share long after you are dead?"
The old man stopped in his labor and replied: "Others before me
provided for my happiness, and it is my duty to provide for those who
shall come after me. As for life, who is sure of it for a day? You may
all die before me." The old man's words came true; one of the young
men went on a voyage at sea and was drowned, another went to war
and was shot, and the third fell from a tree and broke his neck.
We should not think wholly of ourselves, and we should remember that
life is uncertain.

The