{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_76243/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_76243","id":"gutenberg_76243","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76243","summary":null,"tags":["Aesop's fables -- Adaptations","Animals -- Juvenile fiction","Category: British Literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Classics of Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's stories","Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction","Fables, Greek -- Adaptations"],"text":"Transcriber\u2019s Note:\n\nWords and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like\nthis_; those in bold are surrounded by tildes, ~like this~.\nMid-paragraph illustrations were moved to adjoin their related\nfable.\n\n\n\n\n  [Illustration: The Fox and the Grapes.--Page 10.\n                                                   _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                            \u00c6SOP\u2019S FABLES\n\n                      IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE.\n\n\n                          BY MARY GODOLPHIN.\n\n\n                            _ILLUSTRATED._\n\n\n                              NEW YORK:\n                        A. L. BURT, PUBLISHER.\n\n\n\n\n                         COPYRIGHT, 1895, BY\n                      THE CASSELL PUBLISHING CO.\n\n\n                        _All rights reserved._\n\n\n\n\n                              CONTENTS.\n\n\n                                                     PAGE\n\n              THE BOY AND THE WOLF                      9\n\n              BOYS AND FROGS                           10\n\n              THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS                10\n\n              THE FOX AND THE GRAPES                   10\n\n              THE FLY AND THE MOTH                     11\n\n              THE LYNX AND THE MOLE                    11\n\n              THE CHILD AND THE BROOK                  12\n\n              THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL          13\n\n              THE BEAR IN THE WOOD                     13\n\n              THE OLD FOX AND HER YOUNG ONE            14\n\n              THE SQUEAK OF A PIG                      15\n\n              THE WOLF AND THE LAMB                    15\n\n              STONE BROTH                              16\n\n              THE GNAT AND THE BULL                    18\n\n              THE DOVES AND THE MOUSE                  18\n\n              THE COCK AND THE GEM                     19\n\n              THE OAK AND THE REED                     20\n\n              THE KID AND THE WOLF                     20\n\n              THE BAG OF GOLD                          22\n\n              THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL            22\n\n              THE MAN AND THE APE                      24\n\n              THE MAN AND HIS LIVE STOCK               25\n\n              THE FROGS AND THE BULLS                  25\n\n              THE BLUE WOLF                            26\n\n              THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS            26\n\n              THE FOX AND THE CRANE                    28\n\n              THE OLD HEN AND HER YOUNG ONES           29\n\n              THE BOY AND THE HORN BOOK                30\n\n              THE ASS WITH A LOAD OF SALT              31\n\n              THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG               31\n\n              THE STAG IN THE LAKE                     32\n\n              THE MAN, THE FOX, AND THE BEAR           33\n\n              THE FOX AND THE CROW                     34\n\n              THE BOOR AND THE STAG                    34\n\n              THE CAT, THE MOUSE, AND THE COCK         35\n\n              THE PLANE TREE                           36\n\n              THE DOG WHO WAS HUNG                     37\n\n              THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT       38\n\n              THE BOY AND THE NUTS                     38\n\n              THE APE AND HER YOUNG ONES               39\n\n              THE HORSE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX         39\n\n              THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES              40\n\n              THE KITE, THE SOW, AND THE CAT           41\n\n              THE MAN AND THE PERCH                    43\n\n              THE ROSE AND THE CLAY                    44\n\n              THE OX AND THE CALF                      44\n\n              THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP                 45\n\n              THE COCK, THE FOX, AND THE SPRINGE       45\n\n              THE KID AND THE WOLF                     46\n\n              THE ASS AND THE LAMB                     46\n\n              THE BEES AND THE SNAIL                   47\n\n              THE OLD DAME AND HER MAIDS               48\n\n              THE TWO GOATS ON THE BRIDGE              48\n\n              THE AX AND THE TREES                     49\n\n              THE DOG AND THE THIEF                    49\n\n              THE FLY AND THE ANT                      50\n\n              THE WOLF, AND THE FOX IN THE WELL        52\n\n              THE CAT AND THE MICE                     52\n\n              THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLD EGG              54\n\n              THE FOX AND THE STORK                    55\n\n              THE HART AND THE VINE                    56\n\n              THE DAW AND THE JAY                      56\n\n              THE OWLS AND THE WREN                    57\n\n              THE LEAP AT RHODES                       58\n\n              THE DOG IN THE OX\u2019S STALL                59\n\n              THE NURSE AND THE WOLF                   60\n\n              THE OLD BLIND DAME                       60\n\n              THE COCK, THE DOG, AND THE FOX           61\n\n              THE BOAR AND THE HORSE                   62\n\n              THE APE MADE KING                        62\n\n              THE FROG, THE MOUSE, AND THE HAWK        63\n\n              THE WOLF IN A SHEEP\u2019S SKIN               70\n\n              THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP              70\n\n              THE JUDGE AND THE POOR MAN               64\n\n              THE STAG IN THE OX\u2019S STALL               65\n\n              THE GOAT, AND THE FOX IN THE WELL        66\n\n              THE APE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX           66\n\n              THE FOX AND THE CAT                      67\n\n              THE MULES AND THE THIEVES                68\n\n              THE BALD KNIGHT                          68\n\n              THE WAR HORSE                            69\n\n              THE WIND AND THE SUN                     71\n\n              THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN           72\n\n              THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS          72\n\n              THE HOG, OX, COW, DOG, AND SHEEP         74\n\n              THE DRUM AND THE VASE                    75\n\n              THE FROGS AND THEIR KING                 76\n\n              THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF         78\n\n              THE FIELD OF CORN                        79\n\n              THE HAWK, THE ROOKS, AND THE CAT         80\n\n              THE COCK AND THE FOX                     81\n\n              THE WOLF AND THE STORK                   82\n\n              THE JAY AND THE OWL                      83\n\n              THE NURSE AND THE SNAKE                  83\n\n              THE LARK AND THE FINCH                   84\n\n              THE DOVE AND THE ANT                     84\n\n              THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL               85\n\n              THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS                 86\n\n              THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG                  87\n\n\n\n\n  [Illustration: The Horse and the Ass.--Page 10.\n                                                  _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                           [Illustration]\n\n\n                           AESOP\u2019S FABLES.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE BOY AND THE WOLF.\n\n\nA boy, who kept watch on a flock of sheep, was heard from time to\ntime to call out, \u201cThe Wolf! The Wolf!\u201d in mere sport. Scores of\ntimes, in this way, had he drawn the men in the fields from their\nwork. But when they found it was a joke, they made up their minds\nthat, should the boy call \u201cWolf\u201d once more, they would not stir to\nhelp him. The wolf, at last, did come. \u201cThe Wolf! The Wolf!\u201d shrieks\nout the boy, in great fear, but none will now heed his cries, and the\nwolf kills the boy, that he may feast on the sheep.\n\nOne knows not how to trust those who speak lies, though they may tell\none the truth.\n\n  [Illustration: The Boy and the Wolf.--Page 9.\n                                                _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                           BOYS AND FROGS.\n\n\nSome boys were at play at the edge of a pond, and, as their game\nwas \u201cducks and drakes,\u201d they had to throw stones with as much force\nas they could, to the great harm of some poor frogs in the pool. At\nlength one of them, who was more brave than the rest, put his head\nout of the pond and said, \u201cOh, dear young sirs, stop, I pray you, for\nwhat is sport to you is death to us!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                      THE WAR HORSE AND THE ASS.\n\n\nA fine horse broke loose from his stall, and as he ran down the road\nwith a loud, shrill neigh, he met an ass with a load on his back, to\nwhom he said, in a proud tone, that if he did not make way for him,\nhe would kick him with his heels, and tread him in the dust. The poor\nass held his peace, and made room for him as fast as he could. In\ncourse of time the horse went to the wars, and was shot in the eye,\nwhich so spoilt his good looks, that he was sent to work on the farm.\nStript of all his pomp, he was met by the ass, who said to him. \u201cHa!\nis it you? Your state is now as low as mine. I thought your pride\nwould have a fall some day!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                       THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.\n\n\nOne hot day a fox saw some grapes which hung on a wall, and he took\na spring to seize them, but made too short a bound; so then he leapt\nwith all his might, but could not quite reach them; and each jump he\ntook was still too short. There hung the fine ripe grapes, but not\nfor him. Then, as he found he could not get at them, he said, \u201cIt is\nnot worth my while to try, for the grapes are sour.\u201d\n\nThey who can not as they will, must will as they can.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE FLY AND THE MOTH.\n\n\nA fly, one night, stood on the rim of a pot of jam, and as he could\nnot turn from so rare a feast, he went down the jar that he might\nreach the fruit; but found to his cost that he stuck fast like a bird\ncaught with lime. A moth that flew by, chid him thus: \u201cIt serves thee\nright! How couldst thou think that such legs and wings as thine,\nwould be safe in a pot of jam?\u201d By and by the moth saw a lamp in the\nsame room, and flew in the light of it, but at last his sight grew\ndim, he sprang up to the flame, and was burnt to death. \u201cWhat!\u201d says\nthe fly, who saw him, \u201cHow is this? You love to play with fire! You\nwho took me to task for so small a crime as a taste for jam!\u201d\n\nWe tax our friends with faults, but see not our own.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE LYNX AND THE MOLE.\n\n\nA lynx by chance met a mole at the foot of a mound. \u201cAh, poor\nwretch!\u201d said the lynx, \u201cwhat a life is yours! Shut up in the cold,\ndamp ground, you see no light, nor feel the warmth of the sun, for\nyou do but move from mine to mine. If you could but see me as I vault\nby your dark mound with limbs so free, and my sight--ah! my sight--so\nkeen, you would die of grief at your dull life. Would that I could\nchange it for you, my friend!\u201d \u201cI thank you for your kind wish,\u201d said\nthe mole; \u201cbut I need not your help, nor do I feel so dull as you\nthink, for I was bred and born in the ground, and all my days have\nbeen spent here. I have my dear young ones round me, and more than\nall, I am safe. My eyes are small, it is true, but that has made my\nears sharp, and if they serve me well now, I hear a sound which seems\nto come from where you stand, and it tells of a foe.\u201d Just then up\nrode some men from the hunt, who thrust a spear through the heart of\nthe poor lynx, and he fell dead; but the mole went safe back to her\nhole in the bank, and said, when she got there, \u201cHome is home for all\nthat.\u201d\n\nWhat the eye sees not, the heart rues not.\n\nThough the fox runs, the chick has wings.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE CHILD AND THE BROOK.\n\n\nAn old man who saw a child stand for a long time by the side of a\nstream, said, \u201cMy boy, why do you gaze so long on this brook?\u201d \u201cSir,\u201d\nsaid the child, \u201cI stay here to wait till the stream has run off,\nfor then I shall pass with dry feet.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d quoth the old man, \u201cyou\nmight stay out your life, and yet not do that, for this brook will\nrun on as long as time. And as you wend your way through life, you\nwill find this out. If you go with the stream, you will get to the\nsea; but if you do not go with the stream, you will have to wade.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                   THE MICE, THE CAT, AND THE BELL.\n\n\nOnce on a time some mice were in such great dread of a cat, that they\ndid not dare to stir day or night lest she should kill them. At this\nrate they thought they should starve, so they all met to talk of the\nbest thing for them to do. While they thus sat in great doubt, a pert\nyoung mouse rose and said, \u201cI have thought of a good plan, and that\nis to tie a bell to the cat\u2019s neck, which would ring at each step\nshe takes, and let us know when she comes near.\u201d This bright speech\nbrought hope with it, and made the mice jump for joy. Then a grave\nold mouse, who till now had been quite mute, rose and said, \u201cI have\nheard that you \u2018hold a wolf by the ears\u2019 and that you \u2018put salt on\nthe bird\u2019s tail,\u2019 but what shall we do to bell the cat?\u201d\n\nSafe bind, safe find.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE BEAR IN THE WOOD.\n\n\nTwo men had to pass through a thick wood, and one of them said,\n\u201cShould we fall in with wild beasts, I will come to your help, if\nyou will do the same by me.\u201d \u201cSo be it,\u201d said his friend, and off\nthey set. They had not gone far when a bear made a rush out of the\nwood. The man who had made the good rule for them to act on, got up\na tree to hide, and his poor friend was put to his wits\u2019 end to save\nhis life, so he fell flat on the ground, held his breath, and lay\nquite still, that the bear might think he was dead. The huge beast\ncame close up to him, and felt him with his snout, but as he took him\nfor a dead man, did him no harm. When the bear was gone, and all was\nsafe, the man came down from the tree, and with a smile, said, \u201cWhat\ndid the bear tell you when he put his snout so close up to your ear?\u201d\n\u201cWell,\u201d said his friend, \u201cwhat he told me was this--\u2018Have a care of\nthat rogue up the tree, and for the time to come put no trust in\nhim!\u2019\u201d\n\nProve thy friend ere thou have need of him.\n\n\n\n\n                    THE OLD FOX AND HER YOUNG ONE.\n\n\nAn old fox and her young one found their way to a yard where hens\nwere kept, and one by one they put them all to death. It was the wish\nof the young fox to eat them all then and there, but his dam said,\n\u201cWe have had great luck, yet we must not spend all our stock at once,\nbut put some by, and come for it when we want it.\u201d \u201cDon\u2019t preach to\nme,\u201d said the pert young fox, \u201cthe fowls will not keep sweet a day,\nso I shall eat as much as I can now, for when the men on the farm see\nwhat we have done, they will, of course, look out for us.\u201d The young\nfox then ate such a meal that it was all he could do to crawl to his\nhole, and in less than an hour he was dead. The old fox came back to\nthe hoard, and was caught by the men, who had lain in wait to kill\nher. \u201cAh!\u201d said she, with her last breath, \u201ceach age hath its fault;\neach bean its black; each day its night; each weal its woe!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                         THE SQUEAK OF A PIG.\n\n\nA man, well known for his wit, said he could show a trick which had\nnot yet been seen. So he took his stand on a stage, and, with his\nhead thrust down, he gave out a sound like the squeak of a pig. This\nhe did so well, that all thought he had brought a young pig in his\ncloak; but though a search was made, they did not find one. A rough\nman from a farm, who had come to look on, said, \u201cFaith, I can do this\nas well as he.\u201d So the next night they were both to try their skill.\nA great crowd came to see them, and the men went on the stage. The\nfirst man gave his squeak, which brought a roar of praise, as it had\ndone the first night. The boor\u2019s turn then came, and he had a real\nyoung pig in his cloak; but though he made it squeak by a hard pinch\non the ear, all gave the palm to the first man, and sent the boor off\nthe stage with a loud hiss.\n\nGive a man luck, and you may throw him in the sea.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.\n\n\nOne hot day a wolf came to quench his thirst at a clear brook that\nran down the side of a hill. By chance a young lamb stood there. The\nwolf had a wish to eat her, but felt some qualms, so for a plea he\nmade out that the lamb was his foe. \u201cStand off from the banks, sir,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201cfor as you tread them you stir mud in the stream, and all I\ncan get to drink is thick and foul.\u201d The young lamb said, in a mild\ntone, that she did not see how that could be the case, as the brook\nran down hill to her from the spot where he stood. \u201cBut,\u201d said the\nwolf, \u201chow dare you drink of it at all, till I have had my fill?\u201d\nThen the poor lamb told him that as yet her dam\u2019s milk was both food\nand drink to her. \u201cBe that as it may,\u201d said the wolf, \u201cyou are a\nbad lamb; for last year I heard that you spoke ill of me and all my\nrace.\u201d \u201cLast year! dread sir,\u201d quoth the lamb, \u201cwhy, I have not yet\nbeen shorn, and at the time you name I was not born.\u201d The wolf, who\nfound it was of no use to tell lies, fell in a great rage, and as he\ncame up to the lamb, he said, \u201cAll you sheep have the same dull kind\nof face, and how is one to know which is which? If it was not you, it\nwas your dam, and that\u2019s all the same thing, so I shall not let you\ngo from here.\u201d He then flew at the poor meek lamb, and made a meal of\nher.\n\nMight beats Right.\n\n  [Illustration: The Wolf and the Lamb.--Page 15.\n                                                  _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                             STONE BROTH.\n\n\nA poor man, in a storm of wind and rain, came to a great house to\nbeg for alms, and was sent off with cross words. But he went back,\nand said, \u201cMay I but ask to dry my clothes at your fire, for I am\nwet with rain?\u201d This the maids thought would not cost them much, so\nthey let him come in. He then told the cook that if she would but\ngive him a pan, and let him fill it from the pump, he would make some\nstone broth. This kind of dish was so new to the cook, that she let\nhim make it. The man then got a stone from the road, and put it in\nthe pan. The cook gave him some salt, peas, mint, thyme, and all the\nscraps of meat that she could spare, to throw in. Thus the poor man\nmade a rich mess, and the cook said, \u201cWell done! you have made a silk\npurse out of a sow\u2019s ear; and it just shows that \u2018they who crave for\nfood will break through stone walls.\u2019\u201d\n\nWhere there\u2019s a will there\u2019s a way.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE GNAT AND THE BULL.\n\n\nOnce on a time a poor gnat sat on the horn of a bull, and said, \u201cI\nhave made free to rest on the tip of your horn; but if my weight is\nat all too much for you, pray say so, and I will move off.\u201d \u201cI think\nyou are more nice than wise,\u201d said the bull. \u201cTo tell you the truth,\nI did not know when you sat down, so I shall not miss you when you\nthink fit to rise up.\u201d At this the bull gave his head a toss, and put\nthe gnat to death with his tongue.\n\nIt is a dull bird that points out her own nest.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE DOVES AND THE MOUSE.\n\n\nA man who sold doves in the East threw down some grains of rice in a\nwood, and flung a net on the top of them in such a way that it could\nnot be seen in the grass, and then hid close by to watch. Soon the\nking of the wild doves, \u201cSmooth Neck\u201d by name, flew up to the spot\nwith his train, and said, \u201cWhence can all these grains of rice come?\nLet it be seen to. Eat them not yet.\u201d But the doves, drawn by greed,\nset to work to pick them up, and they were all caught in the net.\n\u201cHa!\u201d said Smooth Neck, \u201cI thought this might be the work of a foe.\nYou would not wait, as I told you to do, and this has come of it.\nHark to the plan which I have in hand. We know that small things may\nwork out great ends, and that huge beasts may be bound with straws\nmade firm in a thick rope. Now, all put out your strength at once,\ntake up the net, and fly off.\u201d This they did, and the man who had set\nthe snare was much struck to see his net borne off in the air by the\nbirds. \u201cThis is well,\u201d said one of the doves, \u201cbut what are we to do\nnow, with these toils on our feet?\u201d Smooth Neck said, \u201cWe are in an\nill plight, but Gold Fur, the wise king of the mice, may help us.\u201d So\nhe went in search of Gold Fur\u2019s hole, which had scores of small doors\nthat led to it, deep down in the ground. The good mouse came out to\nmeet them, and when he had heard their tale, he said, \u201cAs long as my\nteeth do not break, I will gnaw the nets for you.\u201d So with his sharp\nteeth he cut the snare, and set them all free. Then, with great joy,\nthe king of the doves bent low his smooth neck to him, and said, \u201cHow\nmuch we owe to you! Think of us as your slaves for life; for a friend\nin need is the best friend of all.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE COCK AND THE GEM.\n\n\nA cock came down from his roost at break of day, and set up a loud,\nshrill crow; he then went to work to scratch the ground in search of\nfood for the hens. By and by, what should he turn up but a bright\ngem. He gave it a kick and said, \u201cHa! you are a fine thing, no\ndoubt; but, to my mind, one good grain of wheat is worth all the gems\nin the world.\u201d\n\nDo not cast pearls to swine.\n\n  [Illustration: The Cock and the Gem.--Page 19.\n                                                 _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE OAK AND THE REED.\n\n\nAn oak which stood on the side of a brook was torn up by the roots in\na storm, and as the wind took it down the stream, its boughs caught\non some reeds which grew on the bank. \u201cHow strange it is,\u201d said the\noak, \u201cthat such a slight and frail thing as a reed should face the\nblast, while my proud front, which till now has stood like an Alp,\nis torn down, root and branch!\u201d A reed, which caught the sound of\nthese words, said, in soft tones, \u201cIf I may be free with you, I think\nthe cause of it lies in your pride of heart. You are stiff and hard,\nand trust in your own strength, while we yield and bow to the rough\nblast.\u201d\n\nIt is worse to break than to bend.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE KID AND THE WOLF.\n\n\nA young kid that would stray from the herd saw a wolf, and did her\nbest to get out of his reach; but when she found that all hope was\nlost, she said, \u201cSir wolf, I know that I am to die at your hands, so\nas my life will now be but short, I pray of you to let it be a gay\none. Now, do you pipe while I dance.\u201d So the wolf pipes, and the\nkid jumps and springs to please him. A pack of hounds who heard the\nsound, ran up to see who was there, and then the wolf set off as fast\nas his legs would take him, and the kid came home safe. Quoth she,\nwith a hop and a skip:\n\n[Illustration]\n\n    \u201cHe that sticks to chance,\n     When fools pipe he may dance.\u201d\n\nBut the wolf gave a deep sigh, and said:\n\n    \u201cHe who will not when he may,\n     When he wills, he shall have nay.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Kid and the Wolf.--Page 20.\n                                                 _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                           THE BAG OF GOLD.\n\n\nTwo men set off to walk from Bath to York, and said they would each\nshare the same fate, come what might. All went well till they got\nhalf way, when one of them saw a bag of gold in the path, which he\ntook up. \u201cHa!\u201d said he, \u201cI am in luck\u2019s way. See, I have found a\nbag of gold! I will buy a horse and ride the rest of my way.\u201d \u201cMy\nfriend,\u201d said the man who went with him, \u201cwhen we set out you told\nme we were to share the same luck, be it good or bad; so you ought\nto say \u2018we\u2019 have found a bag of gold, not \u2018I.\u2019\u201d \u201cYou may think just\nas you please,\u201d said the man, \u201cbut as it was I who found the gold, I\nshall keep it, and do with it as I said, and wish you good day.\u201d Just\nthen they heard a hue and cry of \u201cStop thief!\u201d \u201cCome, I pray you,\u201d\nsaid the man (who held the bag), in a great fright; \u201ccome, let us\nhide in this wood, for if the men find us with the gold, they will\ntake us for thieves, and we shall get hung for it.\u201d \u201cHow now?\u201d said\nhis friend; \u201cyou swore it should be \u2018I\u2019 when you found the bag, so\npray let it be \u2018I\u2019 as long as there is fear of theft.\u201d\n\nA just man\u2019s word is as good as a bond.\n\nOne gets the prize, and both bear the blame.\n\n\n\n\n                    THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL.\n\n\nA fox who went to steal some young chicks was caught in a trap, from\nwhich he got free, but with the loss of his tail; and when he came to\nmix with the world, he saw how high a price he had paid for it, for\nnone of the beasts who stole a look at him could hide a laugh, and\nthe fox thought it would have been well for him if his life had gone\nwith the \u201cbrush.\u201d But, to make the best of things, he sent to all the\nrest of his race to beg of them to meet him on a heath, and there the\nfox held forth and said, \u201cI would have you all cut off your tails.\nYou know not the ease with which I can now move. Of what use is the\ntail to us? If we creep through a hole in the hedge, as we fly from\nthe hounds, it stops us in the way. It is the \u2018brush,\u2019 you know, that\nman strives for in the hunt; and then, too, in spite of all we can\ndo, it is apt to be caught in a trap.\u201d A sly old fox who heard him,\nsaid, with a leer, \u201cIt strikes me that you would not so much care to\nsee us part with our tails, if you had a chance to get your own back!\u201d\n\nBought wit is the best.\n\n  [Illustration: The Fox who had lost His Tail.--Page 22.\n                                                          _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                         THE MAN AND THE APE.\n\n\nA man in the East kept a tame ape, who was of great use to him, for\nhe could scare the birds from the fruit and peas. One day the man\ntook his sleep at noon, and the ape sat by his side to brush the\nflies from his face. One fly came and stood on the tip of his nose,\nso the ape, with a grin, sent it off; then it flew to his chin, and\nthis put the ape in such a rage that he flung a stone at it, which\nsmote the fly; but, sad to tell, the force with which the stone was\nthrown broke the man\u2019s jaw.\n\nA rash friend is worse than a foe.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE MAN AND HIS LIVE STOCK.\n\n\nA man who had a farm in a cold part of the world, was shut up in it\nby a deep fall of snow, and could not get out to buy food, so he\nate all his sheep, one by one, and, as the frost did not break up,\nhe then ate his pigs, then his goats, and, at last, the ox that was\nkept for the plough. When the dogs on the farm found this out, they\nsaid, \u201cLet us be off! for since the man thinks it no harm to kill his\nsheep, his pigs, his goats, and his ox, how can we hope that he will\nspare us?\u201d\n\nWhen the house next door is on fire, it is high time to look to our\nown.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE FROGS AND THE BULLS.\n\n\nSome frogs that were in a damp marsh saw two bulls which fought in a\nfield some way off. \u201cLook!\u201d said one of them, \u201cthere\u2019s a sight! Dear\nsirs, what must we do?\u201d \u201cI pray thee,\u201d said a young frog, \u201cdo not\ntake fright at that. How can the feuds of two bulls hurt us? They are\nnot of the same tribe as we are, far less in the same rank of life;\nand as to size, why we are too small for such large beasts as those\nto take note of us. They do but fight to see which shall be head of\nthe herd.\u201d \u201cThat is true,\u201d said an old frog, \u201cbut as one will win the\nday, one must, of course, yield, and the bull that is sent out of the\nfield will come to the marsh for rush and reed, and will crush us to\ndeath at each step. Know you not that when great folk fall out, small\nfolk smart for it?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                            THE BLUE WOLF.\n\n\nA wolf once fell in a vat of blue dye which is made in the East. A\nman came by and thought he was dead, so he took him out and laid him\non the bank and went his way; and then the wolf, glad to be safe, ran\noff to the woods. One by one, all the beasts came to gaze on him,\nand knew not what to make of him. So then the sly wolf said, \u201cMy fur\nis of a fine blue! You see in me a new kind of beast, and so I must,\nof course, be king of all the rest!\u201d Then the bears, the boars, the\napes, the wolves, as well as the ounce, the lynx, the bull, the fox,\nand all the rest of them, drew near to bow their heads to him as the\nlord of the wood. But soon the wolves thought they saw in the king\nsome trace of kin, and one of them said, \u201cBe it for me to find out,\nand let it be done as I say. At night you must all set up a loud yell\nnear him, and if he be one of us--as I think he is--he will send\nforth a loud howl too.\u201d So all at once the wolves put up their heads\nto howl, and they soon heard the new king join in the cry, for he\ncould not help it. At this, a loud laugh rang through the wood from\nall the beasts of the plain. What is bred in the bone will not out of\nthe flesh.\n\n\n\n\n                    THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS.\n\n\nA man and his son drove their ass to a fair to sell him. They had\nnot gone far, when one of a group of girls, who stood round a well,\nsaid, with a laugh, \u201cLook at those two fools--they let their ass walk\nat his ease, while they trudge on foot by his side.\u201d The man heard\nthis, and set his son on the beast. They had not gone more than half\na mile, when they came up to some old men who sat in grave talk.\n\u201cThere,\u201d said one of them, \u201cthat just proves what I say; now a days\nthe young take no care of the old; see, that young rogue rides, while\nthe old man has to walk by his side. Get down, and let your sire rest\nhis limbs.\u201d At this the man made his son jump off the ass, that he\nmight ride him. Thus they went on for a space, when they met three\nkind dames, each with a child on her arm. \u201cWhy, you old sloth,\u201d said\none of them, \u201cwhat a shame to sit at ease while that poor slight lad\ncan scarce keep pace by the side of you!\u201d The man then took his son\non the croup of the ass by his side, and so they rode till they got\nnear the town. \u201cPray, good friend,\u201d said a young man who met them,\n\u201cis that ass your own?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d said he. \u201cOne would not have thought\nso by the way you load him. Why, it seems to me more fit that you two\nshould take him to the fair, than that he should take you.\u201d \u201cWell,\nbe it so,\u201d said the old man; \u201cwe can but try.\u201d So they got off, and\nmade fast the legs of the ass to a pole, which each took hold of at\none end, and so went on their way, till they came to a bridge. This\nwas a rare sight, and so the boys and girls thought, for they ran in\ncrowds to laugh at the farce, till the ass--which took fright at the\nnoise--gave a kick which broke the cords that bound him; so he fell\nin the stream, and sank. The old man then made the best of his way\nhome, and said, \u201cIf we try to please all, we please none.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS ASS.]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE FOX AND THE CRANE.\n\n\nA fox that had been out to poach, had got hurt in a trap, and lay at\nthe point of death. For a long time he sought in vain for aid, but at\nlast he saw a crane, and said to her, \u201cI beg of you to bring me some\ndrink to quench my thirst, for I might then gain strength to go in\nsearch of food.\u201d \u201cNot far in search, I think,\u201d said the crane, \u201cfor\nwere I to bring you drink, I make no doubt that the food would come\nwith me.\u201d\n\nPlay not with edge tools.\n\n\n\n\n                   THE OLD HEN AND HER YOUNG ONES.\n\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nA hen led her train of young chicks through a yard, to rake the chaff\nand to show the grain, when one of them flew on the edge of a well\nto try her wings, and by chance dropt down it, to the great grief\nof the old bird. The next day, when the hen met one of her chicks\nfrom an old brood, she said, \u201cMy dear son, I know you are strong and\nbold, but, for your life, do not go near that well; if you do, some\ngreat harm will come to you.\u201d \u201cWhy should she give me this charge?\u201d\nsaid he. \u201cDoes she think I am not brave, or does she store some good\nthing down the well, which she keeps for her last brood? I will go\nand see.\u201d So he stood at the brink of the well, and, far down in the\ndark, he saw a spruce young cock, whose plumes rose, and whose wings\nspread, as if he had a wish to fight. Down flew the young bird--to\nrise no more.\n\nIf a fool is bid not to do a thing, he is sure to do it.\n\nThe best shield is to keep out of the reach of shot.\n\n\n\n\n                      THE BOY AND THE HORN BOOK.\n\n\nA boy stole a horn book from school, and brought it home to his aunt,\nwho did not take him to task for what he had done, but gave him some\nplums for his pains. In course of time the child grew up to be a man,\nand--need we say?--a thief. He stole more and more, and at last was\ncaught in a great theft, and was hung. A crowd came to look on at the\nsad scene, and with them the aunt of the thief, who, with sobs and\ntears, tore her hair and beat her breast. The thief saw her, and said\nto those who were in charge of him, \u201cGive me leave to say a word to\nmy aunt.\u201d When she came up, he put his face to hers, as if he would\nspeak, and bit off her ear! At this the aunt gave a loud cry, and all\nwho stood near were struck with awe at so base a deed. \u201cGood sirs,\u201d\nsaid the young man, \u201cit is she who is the cause of my guilt; for if,\nwhen I stole the horn book from school, she had had the sense to\npoint out to me that I had done wrong, I should not have come to this\nsad end.\u201d\n\nSpare the rod, and spoil the child.\n\nHe that will steal an ounce, will steal a pound.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE ASS WITH A LOAD OF SALT.\n\n\nA man drove his ass down to the coast to buy a load of salt, and on\nhis way home the ass fell in the midst of a stream. The salt, of\ncourse, did not take long to melt, and so the ass lost his load, and\ncame home fresh and gay. The next day the man set off to the coast\nfor some more salt, and put the load on his ass once more. As they\nwent through the stream, the ass took care to fall down just at the\nsame spot, and thus got rid of his load this time too. But the man,\nwho now saw the trick, made a plan to cure the ass of it. He bought a\nlarge load of sponge, and put it on the back of the beast, and drove\nhim, for the third time, to the coast. By and by they came to the\nstream, when the ass thought to play his old pranks. But the sponge\ngot wet through, and the ass found to his cost that so far from a\nlight load, he had now on his back one which was ten times the weight\nof the first.\n\nIf a man cheats me once, shame on him. If he cheats me twice, shame\non me.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG.\n\n\nA poor lean wolf, that was but skin and bone, fell in with a plump\nhouse dog, and said, \u201cHow comes it, my friend, that you look so fat\nand sleek, while I, who am in the woods night and day in search of\nfood, do but starve at the best?\u201d \u201cWell,\u201d said the dog, \u201cyou may be\nas well off as I am, if you will do the same for it. I have but to\nguard the house from thieves; so come home with me, and see how you\nlike the life.\u201d \u201cWith all my heart!\u201d cries the wolf.\n\nAs they went down the road side by side, the wolf saw a mark on the\ndog\u2019s neck, and would know what it was. So they had a talk.\n\n_Dog._--Well, it may be a slight mark from the chain.\n\n_Wolf._--Chain! Do you mean to say that you may not roam when and\nwhere you please?\n\n_Dog._--Why, not quite. For, you see, they do look on me as the least\nin the world fierce, so they tie me up by day, but I am let loose\nat night. And all in the house pet me, and feed me with scraps from\ntheir own plates, and--Come on. What ails you?\n\n_Wolf._--Oh, good night to you. I wish you joy of your fine life;\nbut, for my part, though I may not be fat, I will at least be free.\n\nNo one loves chains, though they be made of gold.\n\n  [Illustration: The Wolf and the House Dog.--Page 31.\n                                                       _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE STAG IN THE LAKE.\n\n\nOne hot day, a stag came to quench his thirst at a lake, and stood\nthere to scan his shape from head to foot, as it shone in the clear\npool. \u201cWhat strength is there,\u201d said he, \u201cin this fine pair of horns\nwhich branch out with so much grace from each side of my head! If the\nrest of my form were but of a piece with my horns, I would give place\nto none. But, ah, me! how slight are these poor legs of mine. I would\nas lief have none at all.\u201d Just then some men, and a pack of hounds\nthat had been on the scent, made to the spot where the stag stood.\nOff he went, at full speed; and those legs, with which he found so\nmuch fault, soon took him out of the reach of hounds and men. But the\nhorns which he was so vain of, by ill luck, caught in the boughs of a\ntree, and held him there till the hounds came to pull him down.\n\n  [Illustration: The Stag in the Lake.--Page 32.\n                                                 _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                   THE MAN, THE FOX, AND THE BEAR.\n\n\nA man once saw a fox which had so sleek a coat that he felt a wish\nto kill him for the sake of it, and he thought of a plan by which he\nmight save the skin whole. He dug a deep trench just in front of his\nhole, on which he spread leaves, sticks, and straw, and then hid in\nthe thick trees out of sight, to wait till the fox came home. But he\nwent to sleep; and while he slept, the fox came up, saw the piece\nof meat, and had a great wish to taste it; yet when he stole a look\nround him, he had his doubts that all was right, so he did not touch\nit. Soon a bear came up, and sprang on the bait. The sticks gave way\nas he lit on them, and down he fell in the pit. The noise woke up the\nman, who, as he thought of course it was his friend the fox, went\ndown the pit, where the bear gave him a hug which took all the breath\nout of his lungs, and then ate him up. So the man was caught in his\nown trap.\n\nHe must rise in good time who would cheat the fox.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE FOX AND THE CROW.\n\n\nA crow sat on the bough of a tree with a piece of cheese in her beak.\nA sly old fox which saw her, said, \u201cWhat a fine bird thou art! How\nbright is thine eye, how sleek are thy wings, what grace is there\nin the turn of thy whole form! Oh, that such a bird should lack a\nvoice!\u201d The poor crow was much struck with this speech, saw not its\nguile, and would fain prove how sweet her note was; so she gave a\nloud caw, and down fell the cheese to the ground. The fox ran off\nwith it, and said, as he went, \u201cI spoke loud of her charms; but fair\nwords do not cost much, nor does the heart feel all that the false\ntongue speaks. Yet I said not a word of her brains; for a wise head\nmakes a close mouth, and a close mouth will catch no flies.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Fox and the Crow.--Page 34.\n                                                 _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE BOOR AND THE STAG.\n\n\nA stag that had left the hounds a long way off, came up to a man who\nwas at work on a farm, to ask if he would show him some safe place\nto hide in. So the man bade him hide in his own hut, which was close\nby. The stag lay quite still in the hut, and in a short time up came\nthe squire and his train with the hounds. The squire caught sight of\nthe boor, and drew back to ask him if he had seen the stag pass that\nway. \u201cNo,\u201d said the boor, in a loud tone, \u201cI have not.\u201d At the same\ntime--as he had a wish to keep on good terms with the squire--he held\nout his hand, with a sly look, to point to the hut where the stag\nlay hid; but as luck would have it, the squire took no heed of this\nsign, nor did he so much as see it. So on he went to join the rest;\nbut though they rode through the field where the hut was, they did\nnot see the stag. As soon as they were well out of sight, the stag\nstole from the hut, but said not a word to the boor, who now gave a\nloud call to him. \u201cYou wretch!\u201d said he, \u201cyou owe your life to me,\nyet when you leave my hut, where I sent you to screen you from your\nfoes, you say not one word of thanks.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d quoth the stag, \u201cyou\nmay make sure I should fill your ears as full of praise and thanks\nas my heart is of joy, if your deeds had been true to your words; in\nshort, if I had not, through the door of the hut, seen your hand play\nfalse to your tongue.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                  THE CAT, THE MOUSE, AND THE COCK.\n\n\nA young mouse, which had not seen much of the world, came home one\nday and said, \u201cOh, I have had such a fright! I have seen a thing with\nsuch a fierce look, that struts now here, now there, on two legs; on\nhis head he wears a small red flag, and one round his throat, his\narms flap up and down on his sides as if he meant to rise in the air.\nBut you should have seen him stretch out his head, and roar at me\nwith his sharp mouth, till I thought he would eat me up. It made me\nshake from head to foot with fear, and I was glad to run home as fast\nas my feet would take me. But for this I should have made friends\nwith as sweet a soul as could be. She had soft fur like ours, which\nwas black and gray in streaks. Her look was so bland and meek that\nI fell quite in love with her. Then she had a fine long tail, which\nyou might see wave to and fro, first on this side, then on that; and\nwhen I saw her fix her bright eyes on me I thought she had a wish to\nspeak; when that fierce wretch set up his scream, which drove me in\nthis haste, quite out of breath with fear.\u201d \u201cAh! my dear child,\u201d said\nthe old mouse, \u201cin good truth you have run for your life; but the\nfierce thing you speak of was not your foe, for it was but a bird,\nthat would not have done you the least harm in the world; while that\nsweet thing, of which you seem so fond, was a cat, and cats eat all\nus mice when they have a chance--in short, they live on mice.\u201d\n\nJudge not by looks.\n\n\n\n\n                           THE PLANE TREE.\n\n\nOne hot day in June, two men lay down in the shade of a plane tree,\nto get out of the rays of the sun, and as they lay there, they cast\ntheir eyes up to the boughs. \u201cA plane tree bears no fruit,\u201d said\none of them. \u201cIn good sooth,\u201d quoth his friend, \u201cthat seems but a\npoor tree that is of no use to man!\u201d The plane chid them, and said,\n\u201cSirs, you must be as blind as you are base, to come here and lie in\nthe shade I give, and yet rail at me as a thing that is of no use to\nman.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE DOG WHO WAS HUNG.\n\n\nOnce on a time two sheep met, and one of them said to her friend,\n\u201cLast night our dog Spring ate a lamb, and then bit the old one to\ndeath, as well as the man of the farm.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d quoth the friend, \u201cif\nthat be true, in whom can we put our trust?\u201d Thus spread the news,\nand such was the crime of Spring, who now lay bound, while a group\nof men sat to judge his case. Spring then said, with a firm voice,\n\u201cFor more than ten years I have done my work as a sheep dog should.\nLast night, as I lay on the ground, a wolf leapt forth from the wood,\nsprang at a lamb, and drank its blood, then let fall his prize, and\nstood at bay. We fought, and I slew the wolf. But now, when I saw\nthe lamb, as it lay dead on the grass, I could in no way curb my\nwish to eat it. While I was at my feast, the ewe came up to seek for\nher young one; so, lest she should charge its death on me, I thought\nit best to kill her. Just then, up came the man of the farm, who of\ncourse thought that I had put both to death. His eye met mine; he\nheld up his staff; I could not pause; dead men tell no tales, thought\nI, and so flew at his throat. You know, too well, the rest.\u201d\n\nIf we do not crush sin in the bud, it will grow strong, and crush us.\n\nDo what you ought, come what may.\n\n\n\n\n                 THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT.\n\n\nThe birds and the beasts once went to war. The bat--which could not\nbe said to be bird or beast--at first kept out of the way of both,\nbut when he thought the beasts would win the day, he was found in\ntheir ranks, and to prove his right to be there, he said, \u201cCan you\nfind a bird that has two rows of teeth in his head, as I have?\u201d At\nlast the birds had the best of the fight, so then the bat was seen to\njoin their ranks. \u201cLook,\u201d said he, \u201cI have wings, so what else can I\nbe but a bird?\u201d \u201cTo grind with all winds\u201d was thought base in the bat\nby both sides of the fight, and he could not get bird or beast to own\nhim, and to this day he hides and skulks in caves and stems of trees,\nand does not come out till dark, when all the birds of the air have\ngone to roost, and the beasts of the field are wrapt in sleep.\n\nOne must not blow hot and cold.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE BOY AND THE NUTS.\n\n\nA young child put his hand in a jar where nuts and figs were kept. He\ntook all that his fist could hold, but when he came to pull it out,\nthe neck of the jar was too small for him to do so. At this the tears\ncame in his eyes, and a friend, who stood by, said, \u201cGrasp at but\nhalf, my boy, and you will have it; but grasp at all, and lose all.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                     THE APE AND HER YOUNG ONES.\n\n\nAn ape, who had two young ones, felt a great love for her fine child,\nbut did not care at all for the plain one. One day, when by chance\nthe old dam was put to flight, she caught up the fine young ape in\nher arms, but left the plain one to get on as it could, so it leapt\non the dam\u2019s back, and off they set. The old ape ran so fast to save\nher pet, that in her haste its head was caught by the branch of a\ntree, and it fell down dead from the blow; but the plain one clung on\ntight to the dam\u2019s rough back, and so came off safe and sound.\n\nThe pet child may die from too much care.\n\n\n\n\n                  THE HORSE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX.\n\n\nA fox one night had been out some hours in the snow in search of\nfood, and yet had found none. At last he met a wolf in the same case,\nto whom he said, \u201cDo you see the horse in that field? Well, I think\nif you lend me your help, I could kill him.\u201d When they came up to the\nhorse, the fox was much struck to find how small his size was by the\nside of him. \u201cMay I ask your name, and that of the man who owns you?\u201d\n\u201cMy name is Squire,\u201d said the horse. \u201cI have not yet heard the man\u2019s\nname, but I think if you wish to know it you can see the stamp on\nmy shoe.\u201d The sly fox, who made a shrewd guess at what this meant,\nsaid, \u201cNay, I do not know how to read, but\u201d--here he gave a low bow\nto the wolf--\u201cmy friend has a gift that way.\u201d The wolf, who was made\nquite vain by this soft speech, came up to read, but as he bent down\nhis head to do so, Squire gave a kick which clave his skull in two.\n\nTake the nuts out of the fire with the cat\u2019s paw.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.\n\n\n  [Illustration: THE LARK AND HER YOUNG ONES.]\n\nA lark had a nest of young birds in a field of corn, and one day\ntwo men came to look at the state of the crop. \u201cWell,\u201d says one of\nthem to his son, \u201cI think this wheat is ripe, so now go and ask our\nfriends to help us reap it.\u201d When the old lark came back to her nest,\nthe young brood told her, in a great fright, what they had heard.\n\u201cSo they look to their friends,\u201d said she; \u201cwell, I think we have no\ncause to fear.\u201d The next day the man of the farm came, and saw no\nfriends in the corn field, so he bade his son fetch his kith and kin\nto help him. This the young birds heard, and told to the old one when\nshe came home to her nest. Quoth she, \u201cI do not see that men go much\nout of their way to help those that are of the same kith and kin.\u201d\nIn the course of a day or two, as the man found that no one came, he\nsaid to his son, \u201cHark you, John; we will trust to none, but you and\nI will reap the corn at dawn of day.\u201d \u201cNow,\u201d said the old lark, \u201cwe\nmust be gone; for when a man takes his work in his own hands, it is\nsure to be done.\u201d\n\nNo eye so good as one\u2019s own; no work so well done.\n\nHe that by the plow would thrive ... must hold or drive.\n\n  [Illustration: The Lark and Her Young Ones.--Page 40.\n                                                        _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                   THE KITE, THE SOW, AND THE CAT.\n\n\nA kite had built her nest at the top of an old oak, and in a hole\nhalf way up the tree, a wild cat had found a home; while the foot of\nthe tree made a sty for a sow and her young pigs. For some time they\nall went on in peace, and might have done so to this day, but for\nthe spite of the cat. For, first of all, she crept up to the kite,\nand said, \u201cGood friend, I have news to tell you, which will plunge us\nboth in grief. The old sow does naught else than grub at the foot of\nthe tree, and we all know what that will come to. It is clear that\nshe means to root it up, that she may kill your young ones. For my\npart, I will take care of my own, and you can do as you please; but\nyou may be sure I shall watch her well, though I were to stay at home\nfor a month for it.\u201d When she had said this to the kite, she went\ndown and made a call on the sow at the foot of the tree. She put on a\ngrave face, and said, \u201cI hope you do not mean to go out?\u201d \u201cWhy not?\u201d\nsaid the sow. \u201cNay,\u201d said she, \u201cyou may do as you please; but I heard\nthe kite say to her brood that she would treat them with a pig the\nfirst time she saw you go out; and I do not feel sure that she may\nnot take one of _my_ young ones at the same time. So good day to you,\nfor I must look at home, you see.\u201d With these words she went back to\nher hole.\n\nThe scheme that puss had in her head was to steal out at night for\nher prey, and peep all day at her hole, that the sow and the kite\nmight think she was in great dread. This plan put them both in such\na fright, that the kite did not dare to stir out in search of food,\nfor fear of the sow, nor the sow for fear of the kite; and the end of\nit was that they and their young ones were all kept in their homes to\nstarve, and so were made a prey of by the cat.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE MAN AND THE PERCH.\n\n\nA man went to fish in a fresh stream, and caught a small perch, who\nsaid, \u201cI pray of you to save my life, and put me in the stream once\nmore, for as I am but young and small now, it is not so well worth\nyour while to take me as it will be some time hence, when I am grown\na large fish.\u201d \u201cSo you think,\u201d said the man; \u201cbut I am not one of\nthose who give up that which is at hand for that which is far off;\nnor do I make sure of fish, flesh, or fowl till I have got it, for\none bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nAll is fish that comes to the net.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE ROSE AND THE CLAY.\n\n\nA man in the East by chance took up a piece of clay which lay in his\npath, and was much struck to find it smell so sweet. \u201cIt is but a\npoor piece of clay,\u201d said he, \u201ca mean clod of earth, yet how sweet is\nit! How fresh! But whence has it this scent?\u201d The clay said, \u201cI have\ndwelt with the rose.\u201d\n\nMake friends with the good if you wish to be like them.\n\n\n\n\n                         THE OX AND THE CALF.\n\n\nIn days of old, a calf that ran wild in some fields near Rome, and\nhad not yet felt the yoke, said to an old ox, \u201cDull slave! How can\nyou drudge on in this way from day to day with a plough at your tail?\nLook at me, see how I skip and play!\u201d The ox said not a word, but\nwent on with his work. The next day there was a great feast held at\nRome, so the ox did not go to the plough; but his friend the calf,\nwas led off in great pomp to be slain, with a wreath round his neck.\n\u201cIf this is the last scene of your gay life,\u201d said the ox, \u201clet me\ndrudge on at the plough, for the yoke is more to my mind than the ax.\u201d\n\nOf two ills, choose the least.\n\n  [Illustration: The Ox and the Calf.--Page 44.\n                                                _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                      THE WOLVES AND THE SHEEP.\n\n\nThe wolves and the sheep had been for a long time at war. At last the\nwolves said, \u201cIt is the dogs that are the cause of it all; they bark\nif we do but come near you. Now, if you will but send them off from\nyour heels, we, on our part, will give up our young ones to you.\u201d The\npoor sheep thought it a fair thing; but as soon as the change was\nmade, the young cubs set up a howl for want of their dams. On this\nthe old wolves gave out that the peace was at an end; so they fell on\nthe sheep, who, as they had lost their best friends, the dogs, had\nnone now to help them, and were torn to death by the wolves.\n\n  [Illustration: The Wolves and the Sheep.--Page 45.\n                                                     _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                 THE COCK, THE FOX, AND THE SPRINGE.\n\n\nA fox, who came to a farm at break of day, was caught in a springe,\nwhich had been put there for that end. A cock, who sat on the bough\nof a tree, did not at first dare to go near so dire a foe; but when\nhe saw that the fox could not stir from the spot, he came down from\nthe tree to greet him. The fox said, \u201cDear bird, you see what has\ncome to me, and all for your sake; for as I crept through the hedge,\non my way home, I felt I must come to ask how you are. And now I will\nbeg of you to fetch me a knife to cut this wire.\u201d The cock spoke not,\nbut flew off as fast as he could to tell the news to the men on the\nfarm, who soon came up with a knife with which to cut the wire, and\nkill the fox. The cock said that he thought those who spoke doves\u2019\nwords should lead doves\u2019 lives. \u201cHa!\u201d cries the fox, \u201che gives twice\nwho gives in a trice.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE KID AND THE WOLF.\n\n\nA young kid who stood on the roof of a house, out of harm\u2019s way, saw\na wolf pass by, and set to work to taunt and tease his foe. But the\nwolf said, \u201cI hear you. Yet it is not you who mock me, but the roof\non which you stand.\u201d\n\nTime and place will give to the weak more strength than the strong.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE ASS AND THE LAMB.\n\n\nAn ass once lay down in a shed that he might shirk his work, and\nmake known to those who were near what toil was put on him. All the\nbeasts, great and small, came to lend him help. At the same time a\npoor meek lamb lay at the point of death from want, but none came\nto give her their aid. \u201cHow is it,\u201d said she, \u201cthat I lie here in\nso much need of care, whilst the ass gets all this help?\u201d A fox,\nwho heard her, said, \u201cThe ass knows well that the loud bray which\nhe gives by way of thanks, makes the kind acts of his friends well\nknown, and so it swells their pride to help him.\u201d\n\nA good deed may spring from a bad source.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE BEES AND THE SNAIL.\n\n\nA snail, one day, made his way through the hole of a bee hive, where,\nin a great rage, the bees flew round him, and stung him to death.\nBut soon they found that the snail, when dead, was all the more a\nfoe than when he had life, for the air in the hive was not fit to\nbreathe. What was to be done? He was of too great bulk for the bees\nto turn him out, so they had to leave the hive; and they found, to\ntheir cost, that they ought to have let the poor snail just crawl out\nas he had come in. The bees made a long search for a new home, but in\nvain, so they went back to their old hive, to see what could be done\nwith the dead snail. And, in the end, they all set to work to build a\ncase of wax round the shell of their guest, so as to close him in a\nsort of tomb, and thus they made the hive as sweet as the stores that\nwere laid up in the combs.\n\nWhen things come to the worst, they must mend.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE OLD DAME AND HER MAIDS.\n\n\nIn the good old times, when there were no clocks, an old dame kept\na cock in her yard, which at dawn of day gave a loud crow, and then\nshe got up to rouse her maids, that they might go to their work. But\nthey thought it hard to be woke out of their sweet sleep at such an\nhour, so, one day, they wrung the cock\u2019s neck. The next night the old\ndame slept till late, as she had not heard the cock crow; but when\nshe found that he was dead, and that there was now no means by which\nto tell the time, she went at all hours of the night to wake up her\nmaids, for fear they should sleep too long.\n\nStrive to mend, and you will oft times mar what\u2019s well.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE TWO GOATS ON THE BRIDGE.\n\n\nTwo goats that had been brought up in the same glen, left it, and by\nchance met on a bridge, which was a mere plank, and would not hold\nthem both side by side. One of the fair ones set her foot on it, and\nher friend was not slow to do the same. They came up, step by step,\ntill they met half way, and as they could not pass, and were both too\nproud to give in, each did her best to push by with a skip and jump,\ntill at last the plank broke, and they both fell in, and were borne\noff by the stream.\n\nIt is not so bad to clear the way as to fall in the ditch.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE AX AND THE TREES.\n\n\nOnce on a time a man came to a wood to ask the trees if they would\ngive him a stick for his ax. This was so small a boon to ask, that\nthe chief trees said at once, \u201cBy all means, give him what he wants\nfrom a good tough ash.\u201d But as soon as the man had made the stick fit\nthe ax, he fell to work with it to hack and hew down all the best\ntrees in the wood. The oak was heard to say, in sad tones to the\nbeech, \u201cThe first step has lost us all. We gave up our poor friend\nthe ash to the foe. But for this we might all have stood for an age\nto come; now we must take our sad fate for our pains.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE DOG AND THE THIEF.\n\n\nOne dark night a thief came to a man\u2019s house to rob it, and when the\ndog heard him he gave a loud bark. At this the man sprang from his\nbed to look out, but saw no one, nor did he hear the least sound, so\nhe bade the dog be still, and then went back to sleep. The thief in\nthe mean time had hid in the shed in a state of great fear; but when\nhe found that the dog was bound by a chain, and did not now bark,\nhe crept to the door of the house, and took out his bunch of false\nkeys to try the lock. The dog saw him, and set up his loud bark, so\nthe man of the house put his head out once more to look round him,\nbut as he saw no one, and found that all was now quite still, in a\ngreat rage he cries out, \u201cDown, you brute! Down, I tell you! You\nwill not let me have a wink of sleep!\u201d So the dog left off, and in\nthe mean time the thief made his way to the house, and took all that\nhe could find. The next day when the man saw what had been done, he\nsaid, \u201cThis will teach me to give ear to the voice of a warm and true\nfriend when he warns me.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                         THE FLY AND THE ANT.\n\n\nA fly and an ant came to words as to which stood first in rank. The\nfly said, \u201cHow can you place your mean state by the side of mine?\nLook how I soar up in the air, skip round the head of a king, and\nkiss the lips of a queen! I toil not, nor stoop to work, but live\na life of ease. What is there you can have to say to this?\u201d \u201cWhy,\u201d\nquoth the ant, in a sharp tone, \u201cto be made much of by kings and\nqueens is a great thing, I grant, if they send for you, but not if\nthey deem you a pest. In good sooth, I think it is but your small\nsize that screens you from their wrath; and as to work, you will\nlearn the use of it when the frost and snow pinch, and the cold winds\nblow, while I shall reap the fruits of my toil. To be free with you,\nI think you will find no pains, no gains.\u201d\n\nOne tale is good, till the next is told.\n\n  [Illustration: THE FLY AND THE ANT.]\n\n\n\n\n                  THE WOLF, AND THE FOX IN THE WELL.\n\n\nA fox fell down a deep well, in the sides of which he stuck his\nclaws, and so, for a while, kept his head up. A wolf came to take a\npeep down the well, and when the fox saw him, he said, \u201cOh, I beg of\nyou to run for a rope, or some such thing, to pull me out, for I am\nat the point of death!\u201d \u201cPoor friend! you are in a sad strait,\u201d said\nthe wolf; \u201cI grieve for you, with all my heart! How long have you\nbeen here?\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d said the fox, \u201cif you wish me well, don\u2019t stand\nthere to say soft words to me, but get me some help, and that soon,\nor I must die.\u201d The wolf then gave one more sigh, and went home, and\nthe poor fox sank, to rise no more.\n\nA long tongue hath a short hand.\n\n  [Illustration: The Wolf, and the Fox in the Well.--Page 52.\n                                                              _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE CAT AND THE MICE.\n\n\nAn old dame dwelt in a house that had such swarms of mice in it that\nshe got a cat, who caught and ate them one by one. But in course of\ntime all the mice kept on the top shelves to be out of the cat\u2019s\nreach, and puss saw that at this rate she should starve. So she hit\non a plan, which was to hang in a bag, by her hind legs, from a peg\nin the shelf, that she might pass for dead. The young mice took no\nheed of her, but the old ones gave a peep round the edge of the\nshelf, and said, \u201cAh, you sly thing! We see you! Hang there as long\nas you please, but we would not trust a child of ours to go near you,\nthough you were full of straw.\u201d\n\nOld birds are not caught with chaff.\n\n  [Illustration: The Cat and the Mice.--Page 52.\n                                                 _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                     THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLD EGG.\n\n\nIn the good old times, a man and his wife had a goose that each day\nof her life laid a gold egg; but they thought that one egg from the\ntime the sun rose till he set was slow work, and in the hopes that\nthey should seize all the eggs at once, they put the goose to death.\nBut to their great grief they found that their goose was just the\nsame as all geese. \u201cAh, my dear,\u201d quoth the old man, \u201che who has much\nwould have more.\u201d \u201cTrue,\u201d said his wife, with a sigh, \u201cand so comes\nto lose all.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Goose with the Gold Egg.--Page 54.\n                                                        _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                        THE FOX AND THE STORK.\n\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nOne day the fox had a mind to play the wag with the stork, and said,\n\u201cYou must come and dine with me to day, for I have had good luck,\nand the soup will be rich.\u201d When the time came for them to dine, the\nstork found to her grief, that the dish in which the soup was put\nwas so flat that she could but dip in the point of her bill, while\nthe fox could lap it up with his tongue. \u201cIt grieves me,\u201d said he,\n\u201cto see you make so poor a meal; I fear it is not to your mind.\u201d The\nstork did not say much, but told her host that it was now his turn\nto come and dine with her. So he came, true to the hour. \u201cGood day,\u201d\nquoth the stork. \u201cNow I hope you will feel that you are quite at\nhome.\u201d The smell of the stew was fine, but it was put in a jar with a\nthin neck, down which the stork thrust her long bill with ease, but\nall the fox could do was to lick the brim of it; and when the time\ncame for him to take his leave, he made his bow with a bad grace. The\nstork told him that she had but paid him off in his own coin.\n\nTit for tat.\n\nGood cat, good rat.\n\n  [Illustration: The Fox and the Stork.--Page 54.\n                                                  _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                         THE DAW AND THE JAY.\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a daw, who was so vain that he must needs\nleave his old friends (the jacks), and go quite out of his sphere to\npass for a jay. So he stuck the bright plumes that fell from those\ngay birds on his own back, that he might look like them. But they\nsoon found him out, took off his plumes, fell on him with their sharp\nbills, and made him smart for his pride. Full of shame, he hung down\nhis head, and once more went to flock with those of his own tribe,\nbut they knew his vain ways too well, and told him they did not now\nchoose to own him; and one of them said, \u201cIf you had been true to\nyour own friends, you would not have had such hard cuts from those\nwhom you have just left, nor would you have had to bear the slights\nwhich we now feel we must put on you.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE HART AND THE VINE.\n\n\nSome men sought out a hart for the chase, when one made a rush out\nof the wood, and hid from them in the shade of a thick vine, so that\nthey quite lost sight of him. It was the best hide and seek that\ncould be, and so thought the stag, but he hid not for sport, but for\ndear life. There he lay, still as a mouse. In a short time he took\nheart to browse on the leaves of the vine, which hung so green and\nfresh just at his nose. He saw no harm in one more crop, and then one\nmore, till he quite lost sight of what he had come there for. More\nthan this, he so shook the tree when he took a bite, that he drew\nthe eyes of the men to the spot, and as the vine was now too thin of\nleaves to hide him, they shot at him, and he fell down dead.\n\nWhere the hedge is thin, men will see through it.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE OWLS AND THE WREN.\n\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nTwo owls sat on the branch of a tree. \u201cHow strange is it,\u201d said one\nof them, \u201cthat in the old days of Greece, men best knew our worth,\nfor owls were then thought to be the type of all that is wise.\u201d \u201cNot\nso,\u201d said the wren, who heard them, \u201cand if you were less vain, you\nwould know well that in those days men wore owls on their shields\nto show that they should not judge by mere looks. If they did, they\nwould take an owl to be a wise bird; for, though he has but a small\nwit, he has a large head.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                         THE LEAP AT RHODES.\n\n\nA man who had been in all parts of the world told his old friends\nwhen he came home of the great feats he had done. These tales they at\nfirst heard with great glee; but in time they found out that he shot\nwith a long bow, nay, more than this, that he told lies, and when\nhe once did that, he set less and less guard on his tongue, till he\nmade those who heard him stare. \u201cHow comes it,\u201d said they, \u201cthat this\nman, who when at home could boast of no great feats, should, when he\ngoes to strange lands, do such great things?\u201d One day he told them\nthat there was no place in the world where men leapt like the men\nat Rhodes; \u201cbut I beat them all,\u201d said he, \u201cfor I took a leap there\nof two score yards.\u201d A grave old man, who sat near him, said with a\nsneer, \u201cSir, if your tale be true, think this place to be Rhodes,\nand, to prove your words, take the leap once more.\u201d The man kept his\nseat, and had no more to say.\n\n\n\n\n                      THE DOG IN THE OX\u2019S STALL.\n\n\nA dog once made his bed on some hay in a stall, and an ox, who was\nmuch in want of food, came near to eat some of it. Up sprang the\nfierce cur, with a growl and a snarl, and would not let him touch it.\nAt this the ox said, \u201cFie on thee, thou cur! Thou dost not feed on\nhay, yet, in thy spite, thou must needs stand in the way of those who\ndo.\u201d With this, a man on the farm took the dog up by the neck, and\nlaid his whip on his back till he ran off in shame.\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n                       THE NURSE AND THE WOLF.\n\n\nA wolf that was in search of food, was seen to prowl near a house\nwhere he heard a child cry, and its nurse chide it in these\nwords--\u201cNow leave off at once, or I will throw you out of doors to\nthe wolf!\u201d So the wolf sat near the house for a long time in the\nhopes that he should see her words made good. At last the child, worn\nout by its cries, fell off to sleep. In a short time the wolf heard\nthe nurse say, \u201cThere\u2019s a good dear then; if the fierce old wolf\ncomes for my babe, we will beat him to death, we will.\u201d The wolf now\nthought it high time to be off, and said, as he went, \u201cIf folk say\nthat which they do not mean at one hour, and mean that which they do\nnot say the next, what can a child or a wolf think of it?\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Nurse and the Wolf.--Page 60.\n                                                   _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                         THE OLD BLIND DAME.\n\n\nOnce on a time an old dame that was blind sent for Dr. Dash to cure\nher. She told him that if he brought back her sight he should have a\nlarge fee, but that if he did not cure her, he was to have no fee at\nall. Well, day by day Dr. Dash made his call on the dame, and one by\none he took off all her goods. At last, when he had swept the house\nclear of them, he set to work on the case, and made a cure of it; so\nonce more, to her great joy, the old dame could see. \u201cI must ask you\nfor my fee,\u201d said Dr. Dash; but the dame put him off from time to\ntime, and did not pay him. At last he went to law; and when she came\nto the court, she spoke thus to the judge: \u201cWhat Dr. Dash tells you\nis quite true, in so far as I said I would give him a large fee if he\nbrought back my sight. Now, then, he tells me my eyes are well, but I\nsay they are not; for till my bad sight had come on, I could see all\nsorts of goods in my house, while now, when he tells me he has made a\ncure of my eyes, I can see none there; and I think, my lord, that he\nwho plays tricks ought to take a joke!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                   THE COCK, THE DOG, AND THE FOX.\n\n\nA dog and a cock had been in a wood, and as night came on, they went\nto rest. The cock flew on the bough of a tree to roost, while the dog\nslept in a hole in the trunk of it. At break of day the cock set up a\nloud shrill crow, which was heard by a fox, who soon ran to the place\nwhence the sound came, and said, \u201cLet me beg of you to fly down, that\nI may greet you, and praise you for so sweet a song.\u201d \u201cI would first\nask you,\u201d said the cock, \u201cto wake up my friend, who lies in the trunk\nof this tree.\u201d \u201cBy all means,\u201d quoth the fox, who thought he should\nfind a nest, with the hen and her young chicks in it; so he thrust\nhis head in the hole, and was torn to death by the dog, who said,\nwith a loud bark, \u201cPaid in his own coin.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Cock, the Dog, and the Fox.--Page 61.\n                                                           _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                       THE BOAR AND THE HORSE.\n\n\nIn days of old a horse came to drink at a pond, when he saw that a\nboar lay in the mud at the edge, which made the pool thick and foul.\nFierce neighs and grunts were soon heard, and but for the fear the\nhorse had of the boar\u2019s huge tusks, they would have fought. At last\nthe horse found a man to help him, who soon made a bit and a rein,\ntook his bow, got on his back, and off they both set. The boar,\nstruck with awe at so strange a sight, ran off as fast as he could,\nbut the horse soon came up to him, and the man shot him dead. Now\nthat there was no cause for fear, the horse would fain be once more\nfree; so he said, \u201cI pray thee take off this rein.\u201d \u201cNay, that I will\nnot do, my friend,\u201d quoth the man; \u201cfor now that I have found out thy\nuse, I will keep thee to ride on.\u201d\n\nA man may beat the bush, and his friend catch the bird.\n\n\n\n\n                          THE APE MADE KING.\n\n\nThe beasts once chose an ape for their king. From morn till night he\nwould play all his droll tricks to please them, and they could not\nrest till they had put him on a throne, with a king\u2019s crown on his\nhead. They did all they could to swell his pomp, and the beasts took\nhim to be as wise as he was great--all but the fox, who knew what\na bad choice they had made. One day, as the fox was on his way to\nthe court, he saw a trap in a ditch with nuts, figs, and dates for a\nbait. He told the ape of all these good things, and said that as they\nwere found on a piece of waste land, they were the king\u2019s by right.\nThe ape, who did not dream of fraud, went to claim them; but as soon\nas he had laid his paw on the bait, he was caught in the trap. Stung\nwith rage and pain, he gave the fox all the hard names he could think\nof; but all the fox said was, \u201cAre you a king, and not up to trap?\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                  THE FROG, THE MOUSE, AND THE HAWK.\n\n\nBy chance a mouse made friends with a frog, who spent his life for\nthe most part in a pool. The frog one day, by way of sport, bound the\nfoot of the mouse to his own, and step by step led him to the pool in\nwhich he spent most of his time, till at last he got to the brink,\nwhen he gave a leap which took them both in the midst of the pond.\nThe frog, who was fond of a swim, went now here, now there, with a\ncroak which would seem to say that all was right, and that he thought\nhe had done a great feat. But the poor mouse could not stand it long,\nas the dry ground was his home, and he was soon seen to float on the\npool quite dead, but still bound fast to the frog. By and by a hawk\nstuck his claws in the mouse, and flew off with him; but the frog,\nwho could not get loose from the mouse, had to share the same fate,\nand the hawk made a meal of both.\n\nHarm hatch, harm catch.\n\n  [Illustration: The Frog, the Mouse, and the Hawk.--Page 63.\n                                                              _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                     THE JUDGE AND THE POOR MAN.\n\n\nA man who kept a small farm came to the house of a judge. \u201cWell, my\nman,\u201d said the judge, \u201cwhat do you come to me for?\u201d \u201cIf you please,\nmy lord, I have a sad tale to tell.\u201d \u201cHa, the old tale! You folk with\nyour small farms fall out, and then you come to plague me.\u201d \u201cNay, my\nlord, this time it is with you and me. I have a bull that breaks out\nof his bounds, and he has got to your best field of corn, and has\nspoilt half of it; now I want to know what you would have me do in\nthis case?\u201d \u201cWell, I must say you are a staunch old man to come and\ntell me of it, and I shall send my man John to look at the waste, and\nwhat he says it comes to you must pay. As to your bull, as you say\nhe breaks out of his bounds, you must kill him, and that at once.\u201d\n\u201cBless my heart!\u201d said the man, \u201cwhat was it I told you? I have but\ntwo small cows in the world. No, it was that red bull of yours, my\nlord, which locks and bars will not keep in; it is he that breaks\nthrough the fence of my corn field, and fine work he has made of it;\nbut as you say you will send your man to make things right, I thank\nyou, and take my leave.\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the judge, \u201cyou must not play me\nsuch a trick as this. I would not part with that red bull for all\nthe world, and as to the field of corn, of course you must take your\nchance.\u201d\n\nThe law will catch small flies, but wasps will break through.\n\nWe weigh not in the same scale the ills we do and the ills we feel.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE STAG IN THE OX\u2019S STALL.\n\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nA pack of hounds drove a poor stag out of a wood, and in a great\nfright he made off to a farm that was near, and hid in a heap of\nstraw in an ox\u2019s stall. \u201cWhat can have brought you to such a place\nas this, where you are sure to meet with your doom?\u201d said the ox.\n\u201cOh,\u201d cries the stag, \u201cif you will but help to hide me for a while, I\nshall do well, and by and by I will move off.\u201d It grew dusk, and the\nmen on the farm came in and out, but did not see the stag, so he now\nthought it time to leave. \u201cNay,\u201d quoth the ox, \u201cwait a while; there\nis the man who owns the farm to come yet, and should he pass this\nway, I would not give the straw you hide in for your life.\u201d While the\nox spoke, the man came up and cast his eyes on the stag, and made a\nprize of him. \u201cThat is a bad game,\u201d said he, \u201cwhere none wins.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Stag in the Ox\u2019s Stall.--Page 65.\n                                                       _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                  THE GOAT AND THE FOX IN THE WELL.\n\n\nA fox, who was a great rogue, fell down a deep well. Just then, a\ngoat came up who had a mind to slake his thirst, so he said to the\nfox, \u201cIs the well a sweet one?\u201d \u201cSweet!\u201d says the fox; \u201cit is the\nbest well I have drunk from for along time. Come and try it.\u201d At\nthis the goat leapt in; and the fox--who put his feet on the goat\u2019s\nhorns--sprang out, and said, \u201cIf you had as much brain as you have\nbeard, you would \u2018Look ere you leap,\u2019 for\n\n    \u2018Those who trust ere they try,\n     They will grieve ere they die.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe poor goat put his head up, and said, \u201cTrue, I see too late that I\nhave lent you a stick to break my own head with.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration: The Goat and the Fox in the Well.--Page 66.\n                                                             _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                   THE APE, THE WOLF, AND THE FOX.\n\n\nA wolf one day brought a fox up to the Bench for theft. The ape, who\nwas the judge, knew well that both were knaves; so he said, \u201cI know\nyou well of old, my friends; and as I wish to be just, I shall lay\nthe same fine on both of you: on you, Sir Wolf, for you have no right\nto bring the charge; and on you, Sir Fox, for there can be no doubt\nthat the charge is a true one.\u201d\n\nSet a thief to catch a thief.\n\n\n\n\n                         THE FOX AND THE CAT.\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nA fox and a cat once met on a heath, and had a long chat on things\nof state. The fox said, \u201cLet the war turn out as bad as it may, it\nis all one to me, for I have lots of plans by which to save my life.\nBut now, pray tell me, puss, if the foe should come, what course do\nyou mean to take?\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d says the cat, \u201cI have but one shift, and if\nthat will not do, I am lost.\u201d Just then a pack of hounds came on them\nin full cry. Puss, by the help of her one trick, ran up a tree, from\nthe top branch of which she saw that the fox, who had not the skill\nto get out of sight, was torn to death by the hounds. \u201cGreat boast,\nsmall roast,\u201d quoth the cat, \u201cbut he plays well that wins.\u201d\n\n  Illustration: The Fox and the Cat.--Page 67.\n                                               _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                      THE MULES AND THE THIEVES.\n\n\nTwo mules were once on the road, one of which had bags of gold on his\nback, and rang his bells with a proud toss of the neck, as if he felt\nvain of his load; and one took but sacks of grain, and hung down his\nhead as he trod the way. They had not gone far, when three thieves,\nwho lay in wait for them in a wood close by, ran out, took the bags\nof gold from off the back of the mule, and put him to death, as well\nas the men with him. But the mule who was the drudge stood quite\nsafe, and said he should count the scorn in which he was held as so\nmuch gain, for he was best off in the end.\n\n\n\n\n                           THE BALD KNIGHT.\n\n\nIn the good old times there was a brave knight who had lost all his\nhair, and wore a wig. As he rode in the hunt a gust of wind blew his\nwig off, and a loud laugh rang forth from those who saw his bald\npate. When the knight found his wig was in the air, he, of course,\nfelt much put out, for it was his false hair that made him look\nyoung; but he thought the best way to pass it off would be to take\nthe laugh in his own hands; so he said, \u201cHow could I hope to keep\nstrange hair on my head, when my own would not stay there!\u201d\n\nHe must stoop that has a low door.\n\n\n\n\n                            THE WAR HORSE.\n\n\nThere was a man who in time of war took great pains with his horse,\nand fed him on as much corn and hay as he could eat. But when the war\nwas at an end all he gave him was chaff, and he put him to draw great\nloads of wood; in short, made a slave and a drudge of him. When the\nwar broke out once more, and there was a call to arms, the man, clad\nin his coat of mail, sprang on the back of his steed, and went off\nto join the fight. But soon the horse fell down with all his weight\nof steel. \u201cYou must now go to the war on foot,\u201d said he; \u201cfor if you\nturn me from a horse to an ass, how can you think that I can all at\nonce turn from an ass to a horse?\u201d\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n                     THE WOLF IN A SHEEP\u2019S SKIN.\n\n\nOnce on a time a wolf put on a sheep\u2019s skin, by which means he got\nshut in the fold at night. By and by the man of the farm came in to\nkill one of his flock for food, and as luck would have it, he chose\nout the wolf. But when he saw how it was, he put a rope round his\nneck, and hung him to the branch of a tree. Some folks who came by\nsaid, \u201cWhat! do you hang sheep?\u201d \u201cNo,\u201d said the man, \u201cbut I hang a\nwolf when I can catch him, though in the garb of a sheep.\u201d\n\nYou may find more than one face in a hood.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP.\n\n\nA man made a great feast, and his dog Tray said to Gyp, who was a\ngreat friend of his, \u201cCome and sup with us to-night. Eight o\u2019clock is\nthe time; but if you are there an hour too soon, you will find there\nis much to be done.\u201d Gyp lay in the sun a while, to wink and wait. He\nthought of fish, flesh, and fowl, tripe and toast, and made a feast\nin his heart that might grace a bill of fare for a king. At length\nthe time came, and he set off to the cook\u2019s room, where he found all\nhands hard at work. Gyp went with a skulk, now here, now there; gave\na peep at this dish, and smelt at that, and with a wag of his tail,\nas much as to say, \u201cO rare! What a feast have I in store!\u201d This wag\nof the tail brought the eyes of the cook on him, and he said, \u201cHow\nnow? what\u2019s this I spy? A cur! who let him in? A nice sort of guest,\nto be sure. I shall soon pack you off.\u201d The cook then brought poor\nGyp to view, and threw him out at the back door.\n\nThere\u2019s oft a slip \u2019twixt cup and lip.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE WIND AND THE SUN.\n\n\nThe wind and the sun once came to high words as to which had the most\nstrength. Just then by chance a man came by, so they let the point\nrest on this, that he who got this man\u2019s cloak off first, should win\nthe day. The wind was the first to try, and he blew with all his\nmight and main a fierce blast; but the man wrapt his cloak all the\nmore close round him. Next came the sun, who broke out with his warm\nbeams, and cast his bright rays on the man, till at length he grew\nfaint with the heat, and was glad to part with his cloak, which he\nflung to the ground.\n\nKind means are best.\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n                   THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS.\n\n\nOnce on a time a horse and an ass went on the high road, side by\nside, and the man who kept them went on foot. The poor ass had told\nthe horse that if he would share the load with him he should soon\nget well; but that if he did not lend him some help, the weight of\nit would kill him. But the horse took no heed of this, and bade him\ngo on, till from the weight of the load he fell down dead. When the\nman found the poor ass was dead, he put the load on the back of the\nhorse, and the dead ass too.\n\nOne may bear till his back break.\n\n\n\n\n                   THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN.\n\n\nOnce on a time, as a blind man went on his way, he came to a bad part\nof the road, and knew not how to get on. By chance a lame man sat\non a bank near, so the blind man said to him, \u201cHark you to what I\nsay. I have thought of a plan which will help us both on our way--my\nfeet shall be thy feet, and thine eyes shall be mine.\u201d \u201cWith all my\nheart,\u201d said the lame man; and off they set. \u201cStop,\u201d said he, \u201cI see\na purse that lies on the road, and if you go straight on, and then\nturn to the left, you will come to it.\u201d This the blind man did, and\nat last he took it up. \u201cGive it to me,\u201d said the lame man, who was\non the blind man\u2019s back. \u201cNot so,\u201d said his friend; \u201cbut for my\nfeet you would not have come so far, so now I shall keep it.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d\nsaid the lame man; \u201cbut for my sight you would not have known it was\nthere.\u201d\n\nAll keys hang not on one bunch.\n\n  [Illustration: THE BLIND MAN AND THE LAME MAN.]\n\n\n\n\n                  THE HOG, OX, COW, DOG, AND SHEEP.\n\n\nOne day a hog, an ox, a cow, a dog, and a sheep all met in a straw\nyard. The hog told the rest that he thought that beast stood first in\nrank who was kept most for his own sake, and not for the sake of the\nwork that he did. \u201cNow, which of you,\u201d said he, \u201ccan boast of this\nso well as I can?\u201d To the horse he spoke first. \u201cAs for you, though\nyou are well fed, and have grooms to wait on you, and make you sleek\nand clean, yet all this is for the sake of your work. Do not I see\nthe man on the farm take you out at break of day, put you in chains,\nor bind you fast to the shafts of a cart with a load in it, and keep\nyou out till noon? Then, in the space of an hour does he not take you\nto work once more till dusk? I may say just the same of the ox, save\nthat he does not work for such good fare.\u201d To the cow he spoke next:\n\u201cYou, who are so fond of your straw and grains, you are thought worth\nyour cost for your milk, which they drain from you twice a day; and\nyour young ones, who should by right have the milk, are torn from you\nto go no one knows where.\u201d Then thus spoke he to the sheep: \u201cThey\nturn you out to shift as well as you can on the bare hills. You pay\ndear for your keep, for you have to part with your warm coats once a\nyear, and at night starve with the cold. As for the dog, he has to\nkeep watch all the live long night, while the rest of us are wrapt in\nsoft sleep. In short, you are all slaves, kept for use; while I, on\nmy part, have a warm sty, with food close to my snout, all day and\nfree of cost. All they want from me is to see me eat my food from\nthe trough, bask in the sun, and live at my ease.\u201d Thus spoke the\nhog. But in a short time the frost set in, and, as it was a bad time\nfor all kinds of food, the man was in great straits to keep his live\nstock till the spring. \u201cHow can I feed them all?\u201d thought he. \u201cI must\npart with those I can best spare. As for my horse and ox, I shall\nhave _work_ for them--they must be kept, cost what it will. My cows\nwill not give much milk in the frost, it may be, but they will calve\nin the spring, and will thrive in the new grass; the sheep will do\nas long as there is a blade on the hills; and if a deep fall of snow\nshould come, I must give them hay, for I count on their wool to make\nout my rent with. But my hog will eat me out of house and home; so,\nas he _yields_ naught, I must kill him at once.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE DRUM AND THE VASE.\n\n\nA drum was heard to boast, in these words, to a vase of sweet herbs,\n\u201cHark at my loud, strong tone which rends the sky. When men hear my\nvoice they march to arms, and join the fight with joy!\u201d \u201cBe not too\nproud,\u201d said the vase; \u201cas for me, I grant you there is a chain on\nmy lips. I speak not, but I am full of good things, while thou hast\nnaught in thee but noise, and must be struck to give it out.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                      THE FROGS AND THEIR KING.\n\n\nIn the days of yore the frogs met to beg of Jove to send them a\nking. So he threw them a log, and said, \u201cThere\u2019s a king for you--a\ngood, mild one!\u201d Well, King Log came on the pond with such a splash,\nthat the frogs took fright at him. Some sought the mud, and some\nthe reeds; and, for a long time, there was not one that would dare\nto take a peep. By and by, when they saw that King Log lay quite\nstill, they said, \u201cSee, he sleeps!\u201d Some came round him, and up to\nhim, till, one by one they leapt on his back, and at last held him\nquite in scorn. So, with harsh croaks, they beg of Jove to change him\nfor one with more life; in short, a king that would move. Jove then\nsent them an eel, and he, too, was too tame for them; and, a third\ntime, they ask of Jove to choose for them a king with more strength\nof will. This time, he sent them a stork, who, day by day, made the\nfrogs his prey, till there were none left to croak on the lake, save\none, and he shook his head, and said, \u201cIf we had had the sense to\nkeep well, there would have been no need to mend our state. Now we\nhave found to our loss what we did not seek.\u201d\n\nSet not the Fox to keep the Geese.\n\n  [Illustration: The Frogs and their King--Page 76.\n                                                    _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                  THE STAG, THE CROW, AND THE WOLF.\n\n\nA wolf saw a plump stag, and thought, How can I feast on his flesh?\nThen he drew near, and said, \u201cAll hail be to thee!\u201d and made friends\nwith the stag. \u201cHey day! whom have you here?\u201d quoth a crow that flew\nby. The stag told him that he was a good wolf. \u201cHave a care!\u201d said\nthe crow; \u201ctrust him not.\u201d Yet the stag took no heed of his words,\nbut let the wolf lead him at night to feed in a field that had a crop\nof ripe wheat in it. Now, there was a trap in the field, and the poor\nstag was caught by the feet. \u201cThis is well,\u201d thought the wolf; \u201cfor\nwhen his flesh is cut up, the bones, and what is left, will be for\nme.\u201d The crow flew to the spot, but could give his friend no aid.\nThe next day the man who set the snare came with a knife in his hand\nto kill the stag. \u201cIf you care for your life,\u201d quoth the crow, \u201clie\nquite still, and seem to be dead; but when I give a caw, start up at\nonce, and take to your heels as fast as you can.\u201d So the stag lay\ndown quite stiff, held his breath, and shut his eyes. When the man\ncame up, he thought the stag was dead, and took him from the toils,\nand went a few steps off to fold up the net, when the crow\u2019s voice\nwas heard, and the stag ran off at full speed. In the mean time the\nwolf came up to seek for his feast, and was slain by the man.\n\nBad faith is like to fall back on the head of those who make use of\nit.\n\n\n\n\n                          THE FIELD OF CORN.\n\n\nAn old man had a field, and when he fell ill, he sent for his three\nsons, that he might take leave of them, and give them his last\ncharge. \u201cMy sons,\u201d said he, \u201cthere is one thing which, with my last\nbreath, I charge you to do, and that is, to seek out a rich gift\nwhich I have left you, and which you will find in my field--\u201d Here\nthe poor old man\u2019s voice grew faint, and his head sank down on his\nbreast in death. The sons were in too much grief for their loss to\nput in force that which the old man had bade them do, till want\ndrove them to seek for what they thought must be a hoard of gold in\nthe field; so they made a search from end to end of it, till there\nwas not a clod they did not turn, in the hunt. At last they gave it\nup. \u201cIt is strange that the old man should have set us on this long\nsearch for a thing that is not here,\u201d said Jack. \u201cCome,\u201d said Dick,\n\u201csince we have gone through so much toil on the field, we may as\nwell sow it with corn, and so make the most of it.\u201d At this bright\nthought they set to work to sow the grain, and in due time a crop\nsprang up, five times as large as those crops which grew there in the\nold man\u2019s time. The thought now struck the youths that this was the\nwealth the old man meant, and that it was his wish that they should\nearn their bread by the sweat of their brow.\n\nSeek till you find, and you will not lose by the toil.\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n                  THE HAWK, THE ROOKS, AND THE CAT.\n\n\nIn the trunk of an old elm tree dwelt a large bird of prey, with\nclaws blunt, and eyes blind with age. The rooks fed him from their\nown store, while he, on his part, took charge of their young ones\nwhen the old birds went in search of food. One day, a cat--\u201cLong Ear\u201d\nby name--came to prey on the young rooks, who, when they saw her,\ngave a loud scream. The old hawk heard it, and said, \u201cWho is that?\u201d\n\u201cI am a cat,\u201d said \u201cLong Ear.\u201d \u201cHa!\u201d quoth the hawk, \u201cCats love\nflesh, and the young rooks dwell here--that\u2019s all I know. Get you\ngone at once, or I will put you to death!\u201d \u201cNot so,\u201d said the cat. \u201cI\neat no meat now; and all the beasts of the field and the birds of the\nair love me--for I am good. I pray of you to let me stay, for you are\nold and wise, and can teach me much.\u201d By this praise sly puss made\nthe old hawk put his trust in her, so he let her stay in the trunk\nof the tree. Day by day she ate some of the young birds, and took all\nthe bones that were left from the feast to a hole in the stem of the\nold elm tree, that the death of the young rooks might be laid to the\ncharge of the hawk. The old birds were in great grief for the loss\nof their young ones; and when they saw the bones in the hole of the\ntree, they of course laid the blame on the hawk, and they all flew at\nthe poor old bird and put him to death. He said with his last breath,\n\u201cAh me! How much worse than a foe is a false friend!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                        THE COCK AND THE FOX.\n\n\nA cock stood on the top of a rick, and gave a loud crow. A fox, who\nsaw him, thought he would just do for a meal; but though the cock\ncould fly down to him, he could not climb up to the cock; so he said,\n\u201cHave you heard the news?\u201d\n\n_Cock._--What news?\n\n_Fox._--Peace has been sworn by bird and beast.\n\n_Cock._--Do you say so? Let me hear how it came to pass.\n\n_Fox._--Well, the birds and the beasts have met, and have sworn a\ntruce. We are now quite safe by night and day. The wolf will no more\ntear the lamb, nor the fox kill the kid; the cat will not catch the\nmice, nor the dog bark at the sheep; and from this time all will live\nin peace: so come down, that I may wish you joy on this new state of\nthings.\n\nThe cock did not say much, but gave his neck a stretch, and made a\nfeint that he saw some foe at hand.\n\n_Fox._--What is it you see?\n\n_Cock._--Why, I think I see a pack of hounds. No doubt they come this\nway to tell the good news.\n\n_Fox._--Oh, then, I must be gone!\n\n_Cock._--No; pray, sir, do not go; I am just on the point of a flight\ndown to you. You can have no fear of dogs in this time of peace.\n\n_Fox._--Why, no--no--but--ten to one they have not heard the news.\n\n_Cock._--If the sky falls, we shall catch larks. You might as well\ntry to make me think the moon is made of green cheese!\n\n\n\n\n                       THE WOLF AND THE STORK.\n\n\nA wolf had a bone that stuck in his throat, and gave him so much\npain, that he ran with a howl, up and down, to ask all whom he met to\nlend him a kind hand, and said he would give a large sum to bird or\nbeast who would take it out. At last a crane, who heard of the bribe,\ncame up, put her long bill down the wolf\u2019s throat, and drew out the\nbone. The crane then said, \u201cNow, where is the fee which you spoke\nof?\u201d \u201cWretch that you are!\u201d said the wolf, \u201cto ask for more than\nthis--that you should put your head in a wolf\u2019s mouth, and bring it\nsafe out!\u201d\n\nA bribe walks in, and gives no knock.\n\n  [Illustration: The Wolf and the Stork.--Page 82.\n                                                   _\u00c6sop._]\n\n\n\n\n                         THE JAY AND THE OWL.\n\n\nOne day an old owl, who sat in a dark barn, had a call from a jay.\nThe owl sat quite still in his nook, save when he saw a mouse, and\ndid not speak a word, so that the jay had all the talk. When he had\nthus spent an hour or so, he took his leave, full of glee, with a\nheart as gay as his plumes, and said as he went that he must love\nthat dear old owl, and that he did not know when he had had a chat to\ncheer him up so much.\n\nIf you wish to please your friend, sit still, and let him talk.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE NURSE AND THE SNAKE.\n\n\nA child that was at play in a field, by chance trod on a snake which\nstung him to death. The nurse, in a great rage, hit the snake a blow\nwhich struck off his tail. The next day she came to the snake\u2019s\nhole to coax him with some salt and meal, that she might kill him.\n\u201cI pray thee come forth,\u201d said the nurse, \u201cand let us make it up on\nboth sides\u201d; but she could in no way get the snake to leave his hole.\nAll he would do was to give a hiss, and tell her that as long as she\nthought of the dead child, and he thought of the tail, they could not\nbe friends.\n\nHe who does you a wrong is sure not to love you.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE LARK AND THE FINCH.\n\n\nA poor lark was kept in a cage that hung on a wall, in a town that\nwas full of dust and dirt. One day, as he stood on his piece of dead\nturf, to trill out his sweet song, a finch, who by chance flew that\nway, said, \u201cHow canst thou sing so blithe a strain, shut up in that\nvile cage?\u201d \u201cFinch, finch,\u201d rang out the lark, in his clear tones,\n\u201cknow you not that if I did not sing while I am shut up here, I\nshould fail to call to mind my song, when the time came for me to\nmount up to the sky?\u201d\n\nIt is meet for us to sing hymns of praise while we are on earth, to\nfit us for our flight to realms of bliss.\n\n\n\n\n                        THE DOVE AND THE ANT.\n\n\nA hot day in June drove a poor ant to take a sip from a clear brook,\nwhen she fell in, and went down with the stream. A dove that sat in\na tree close by saw the ant fall, so she threw a leaf down to her in\nthe brook, which the ant clung to, and so was brought safe to land.\nIn a few days from this time, the ant saw a man take aim with his bow\nto shoot the dove, and, just in the nick of time, she stung him on\nthe heel. This made him give a start, and spoilt his aim, so that the\ndove flew off safe and sound.\n\nLive, and let live.\n\n\n\n\n                     THE MAID AND HER MILK PAIL.\n\n\nOne day, as a young maid went down the road with her pail of milk on\nher head, she was heard to say, \u201cThis pail of milk will fetch me so\nmuch, which sum I will lay out in eggs; these eggs will bring a score\nof chicks, and they will be fit to sell just at the time when fowls\nbear a good price; so that on May day I shall have a new gown. Let me\nsee,--yes, green will suit me best, and green it shall be. In this\ndress I will go to the fair, and all who are there will pay their\ncourt to me; but with a proud look I shall turn from them.\u201d\n\n  [Illustration]\n\nWrapt in this dream of joy, she gave a toss of the head to suit the\nwords, when down came the pail of milk, and with it the eggs, the\nchicks, the green gown, and all the bright thoughts of what she would\ndo at the fair.\n\nCount not your chicks till they are out of the shell. Each \u201cmay be\u201d\nhath a \u201cmay not be.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n                      THE HARE AND HER FRIENDS.\n\n\nA hare that was known to be good and kind was a friend to all the\nbeasts of the field. One day the hounds caught sight of her, and gave\nher such a hard chase that at last she lay quite faint by the side\nof the road. To her great joy a horse came by. \u201cLet me mount you,\u201d\nsaid she, \u201cand the hounds will then be thrown off the scent.\u201d \u201cPoor\nPuss,\u201d said the horse, with a sigh, \u201cit makes me sad to see you thus;\nbut look up--all your friends are near.\u201d She next sought aid from the\nbull. \u201cI would lend you help, and be sure I wish you well,\u201d said he;\n\u201cbut I am the head of the herd, and I must now join it.\u201d The goat,\nwho came next, said, \u201cI fear my coat is too rough for you; there\u2019s\nthe sheep with his soft wool.\u201d But the sheep told her that she was\ntoo weak to bear her weight, and that hounds eat sheep as well as\nhares. A young calf was the poor hare\u2019s last chance, and he said,\n\u201cIf those who have gone by, who are grown up, did not help you, what\ngood can I do, who am but young and weak?\u201d Just then the hounds came\nin sight, and the calf ran off, and left the poor hare to her fate.\n\u201cAh!\u201d said she, \u201cfriends are like bees: on bright days they swarm,\nbut when clouds shut out the sun they are not to be found, though\nsought.\u201d\n\nWhen your friend is in want, lose no time, but help him.\n\n\n\n\n                       THE ASS AND THE LAP DOG.\n\n\nOnce on a time there was a man who had a pet dog, of which he was so\nfond that he let him eat from his own plate, and sit on his knee. The\nsame man kept an ass that drew wood all day, and had to take his turn\nat the mill at night. \u201cWhat a hard fate is mine!\u201d said he; \u201cI work\nnight and day, while the lap dog leads a life of ease. No doubt my\nlord would get as fond of his ass as he is of his dog, if I could but\nwin him by the same tricks.\u201d\n\nAt this thought he broke from the stall, set off to the room where\nthe man was, sprang to his face to lick it, and gave a loud bray in\nhis ear. But now the ass had gone too far with his rough play; for\nthe men of the farm came in with clubs, sticks, and staves to beat\nhim.\n\n\n                               THE END.\n\n\n\n\n                ~BURT\u2019S SERIES of ONE SYLLABLE BOOKS~\n\n~12 Titles. Handsome Illuminated Cloth Binding.~\n\nA series of Classics, selected specially for young people\u2019s reading,\nand told in simple language for youngest readers. Printed from large\ntype, with many illustrations.\n\n~Price, 50 Cents per Volume.~\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n\n~AESOP\u2019S FABLES.~\n\n  Retold in words of one syllable for young people. By MARY GODOLPHIN.\n  With 41 illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~ANDERSEN\u2019S FAIRY TALES.~\n\n  (Selections.) Retold in words of one syllable for young people. By\n  HARRIET T. COMSTOCK. With many illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~BIBLE HEROES.~\n\n  Told in words of one syllable for young people. By HARRIET T.\n  COMSTOCK. With many illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~GRIMM\u2019S FAIRY TALES.~\n\n  (Selections.) Retold in words of one syllable. By JEAN S. R\u00c9MY. With\n  many illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~GULLIVER\u2019S TRAVELS.~\n\n  Into several remote regions of the world. Retold in words of one\n  syllable for young people. By J. C. G. With 32 illustrations.\n  Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~LIFE OF CHRIST.~\n\n  Told in words of one syllable for young people By JEAN S. R\u00c9MY. With\n  many illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS.~\n\n  Told in words of one syllable for young people. By JEAN S. R\u00c9MY.\n  With 24 large portraits. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~PILGRIM\u2019S PROGRESS.~\n\n  Retold in words of one syllable for young people, By SAMUEL PHILLIPS\n  DAY. With 33 illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~REYNARD THE FOX.~\n\n  The Crafty Courtier. Retold in words of one syllable for young\n  people. By SAMUEL PHILLIPS DAY. With 23 illustrations. Illuminated\n  cloth.\n\n\n~ROBINSON CRUSOE.~\n\n  His life and surprising adventures retold in words of one syllable\n  for young people. By MARY A. SCHWACOFER. With 32 illustrations.\n  Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~SANFORD AND MERTON.~\n\n  Retold in words of one syllable for young people. By MARY GODOLPHIN.\n  With 20 illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\n~SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON.~\n\n  Retold in words of one syllable for young people. Adapted from the\n  original. With 31 illustrations. Illuminated cloth.\n\n\nFor sale by all booksellers, or sent postpaid on receipt of price by\nthe publisher, ~A. L. BURT, 52-58 Duane Street, New York~.","title":"\u00c6sop's fables in words of one syllable","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":19978}