Aesop’s Fables
AESOP’S FABLES
CONTENTS
Cover
Title Page
Preface
The Wolf and the Lamb
The Bat and the Weasels
The Ass and the Grasshopper
The Lion and the Mouse
The Charcoal-burner and the Fuller
The Father and his Sons
The Boy Hunting Locusts
The Cock and the Jewel
The Kingdom of the Lion
The Wolf and the Crane
The Fisherman Piping
Hercules and the Wagoner
The Ants and the Grasshopper
The Traveler and his Dog
The Dog and the Shadow
The Mole and his Mother
The Herdsman and the Lost Bull
The Hare and the Tortoise
The Pomegranate, Apple-tree, and Bramble
The Farmer and the Stork
The Farmer and the Snake
The Fawn and his Mother
The Bear and the Fox
The Swallow and the Crow
The Mountain in Labor
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
The Tortoise and the Eagle
The Flies and the Honey-Pot
The Man and the Lion
The Farmer and the Cranes
The Dog in the Manger
The Fox and the Goat
The Bear and the Two Travelers
The Oxen and the Axle-trees
The Thirsty Pigeon
The Raven and the Swan
The Goat and the Goatherd
The Miser
The Sick Lion
The Horse and Groom
The Ass and the Lapdog
The Lioness
The Boasting Traveler
The Cat and the Cock
The Piglet, the Sheep, and the Goat
The Boy and the Filberts
The Lion in Love
The Laborer and the Snake
The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The Ass and the Mule
The Frogs Asking for a King
The Boys and the Frogs
The Sick Stag
The Salt Merchant and his Ass
The Oxen and the Butchers
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox
The Vain Jackdaw
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
Old Friends Cannot with Impunity be Sacrificed
The Mischievous Dog
The Fox Who Had Lost his Tail
The Boy and the Nettles
The Man and his two Sweethearts
The Astronomer
The Wolves and the Sheep
The Old Woman and the Physician
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
The Charger and the Miller
The Fox and the Monkey
The Horse and his Rider
The Belly and the Members
The Vine and the Goat
Jupiter and the Monkey
The Widow and her Little Maidens
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf
The Cat and the Birds
The Kid and the Wolf
The Ox and the Frog
The Shepherd and the Wolf
The Father and his Two Daughters
The Farmer and his Sons
The Crab and its Mother
The Heifer and the Ox
The Swallow, the Serpent, and the Court of Justice
The Thief and his Mother
The Old Man and Death
The Fir-Tree and the Bramble
The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk
The Man Bitten by a Dog
The Two Pots
The Wolf and the Sheep
The Aethiop
The Fisherman and His Nets
The Huntsman and the Fisherman
The Old Woman and the Wine-jar
The Fox and the Crow
The Two Dogs
The Stag in the Ox-stall
The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons
The Widow and the Sheep
The Wild Ass and the Lion
The Eagle and the Arrow
The Sick Kite
The Lion and the Dolphin
The Lion and the Boar
The One-eyed Doe
The Shepherd and the Sea
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion
The Mice and the Weasels
The Mice in Council
The Wolf and the Housedog
The Rivers and the Sea
The Playful Ass
The Three Tradesmen
The Master and his Dogs
The Wolf and the Shepherds
The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat
The Ass Carrying the Image
The Two Travelers and the Axe
The Old Lion
The Old Hound
The Bee and Jupiter
The Milk-woman and her Pail
The Seaside Travelers
The Brazier and his Dog
The Ass and his Shadow
The Ass and his Masters
The Oak and the Reeds
The Fisherman and the Little Fish
The Hunter and the Woodman
The Wild Boar and the Fox
The Lion in a Farmyard
Mercury and the Sculptor
The Swan and the Goose
The Swollen Fox
The Fox and the Woodcutter
The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock
The Monkey and the Fishermen
The Flea and the Wrestler
The Two Frogs
The Cat and the Mice
The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox
The Doe and the Lion
The Farmer and the Fox
The Seagull and the Kite
The Philosopher, the Ants, and Mercury
The Mouse and the Bull
The Lion and the Hare
The Peasant and the Eagle
The Image of Mercury and the Carpenter
The Bull and the Goat
The Dancing Monkeys
The Fox and the Leopard
The Monkeys and their Mother
The Oaks and Jupiter
The Hare and the Hound
The Traveler and Fortune
The Bald Knight
The Shepherd and the Dog
The Lamp
The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass
The Bull, the Lioness, and the Wild-boar Hunter
The Oak and the Woodcutters
The Hen and the Golden Eggs
The Ass and the Frogs
Men Often Bear Little Grievances Better Than Large
The Crow and the Raven
The Trees and the Axe
The Crab and the Fox
The Woman and her Hen
The Ass and the Old Shepherd
The Kites and the Swans
The Wolves and the Sheepdogs
The Hares and the Foxes
The Bowman and Lion
The Camel
The Wasp and the Snake
The Dog and the Hare
The Bull and the Calf
The Stag, the Wolf, and the Sheep
The Peacock and the Crane
The Fox and the Hedgehog
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow
The Thief and the Innkeeper
The Mule
The Hart and the Vine
The Serpent and the Eagle
The Crow and the Pitcher
The Two Frogs
The Wolf and the Fox
The Walnut-tree
The Gnat and the Lion
The Monkey and the Dolphin
The Jackdaw and the Doves
The Horse and the Stag
The Kid and the Wolf
The Prophet
The Fox and the Monkey
The Thief and the Housedog
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
The Apes and the Two Travelers
The Wolf and the Shepherd
The Hares and the Lions
The Lark and Her Young Ones
The Fox and the Lion
The Weasel and the Mice
The Boy Bathing
The Ass and the Wolf
The Seller of Images
The Fox and the Grapes
The Man and his Wife
The Peacock and Juno
The Hawk and the Nightingale
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox
The Wolf and the Goat
The Lion and the Bull
The Goat and the Ass
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape
The Fly and the Draught-Mule
The Fishermen
The Lion and the Three Bulls
The Fowler and the Viper
The Horse and the Ass
The Fox and the Mask
The Geese and the Cranes
The Blind Man and the Whelp
The Dogs and the Fox
The Cobbler Turned Doctor
The Wolf and the Horse
The Brother and the Sister
The Wasps, the Partridges, and the Farmer
The Crow and Mercury
The North Wind and the Sun
The Two Men Who Were Enemies
The Gamecocks and the Partridge
The Quack Frog
The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox
The Dog’s House
The Wolf and the Lion
The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat
The Spendthrift and the Swallow
The Fox and the Lion
The Owl and the Birds
The Trumpeter Taken Prisoner
The Ass in the Lion’s Skin
The Sparrow and the Hare
The Flea and the Ox
The Goods and the Ills
The Dove and the Crow
Mercury and the Workmen
The Eagle and the Jackdaw
The Fox and the Crane
Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, and Momus
The Eagle and the Fox
The Man and the Satyr
The Ass and his Purchaser
The Two Bags
The Stag at the Pool
The Jackdaw and the Fox
The Lark Burying her Father
The Gnat and the Bull
The Bitch and her Whelps
The Dogs and the Hides
The Shepherd and the Sheep
The Grasshopper and the Owl
The Monkey and the Camel
The Peasant and the Apple-tree
The Two Soldiers and the Robber
The Trees Under the Protection of the Gods
The Mother and the Wolf
The Ass and the Horse
Truth and the Traveler
The Manslayer
The Lion and the Fox
The Lion and the Eagle
The Hen and the Swallow
The Buffoon and the Countryman
The Crow and the Serpent
The Hunter and the Horseman
The King’s Son and the Painted Lion
The Cat And Venus
The She-goats and their Beards
The Camel and the Arab
The Miller, his son, and their Ass
The Crow and the Sheep
The Fox and the Bramble
The Wolf and the Lion
The Dog and the Oyster
The Ant and the Dove
The Partridge and the Fowler
The Flea and the Man
The Thieves and the Cock
The Dog and the Cook
The Travelers and the Plane-tree
The Hares and the Frogs
The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant
The Lamb and the Wolf
The Rich Man and the Tanner
The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea
The Mules and the Robbers
The Viper and the File
The Lion and the Shepherd
The Camel and Jupiter
The Panther and the Shepherds
The Ass and the Charger
The Eagle and his Captor
The Bald Man and the Fly
The Olive-tree and the Fig-tree
The Eagle and the Kite
The Ass and his Driver
The Thrush and the Fowler
The Rose and the Amaranth
The Frogs’ Complaint Against the Sun
Classic Literature: Words and Phrases Adapted from the Collins English Dictionary
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About the Publisher
PREFACE
The Tale, the Parable, and the Fable are all common and popular modes of conveying instruction. Each is distinguished by its own special characteristics. The Tale consists simply in the narration of a story either founded on facts, or created solely by the imagination, and not necessarily associated with the teaching of any moral lesson. The Parable is the designed use of language purposely intended to convey a hidden and secret meaning other than that contained in the words themselves; and which may or may not bear a special reference to the hearer, or reader. The Fable partly agrees with, and partly differs from both of these. It will contain, like the Tale, a short but real narrative; it will seek, like the Parable, to convey a hidden meaning, and that not so much by the use of language, as by the skilful introduction of fictitious characters; and yet unlike to either Tale or Parable, it will ever keep in view, as its high prerogative, and inseparable attribute, the great purpose of instruction, and will necessarily seek to inculcate some moral maxim, social duty, or political truth. The true Fable, if it rises to its high requirements, ever aims at one great end and purpose representation of human motive, and the improvement of human conduct, and yet it so conceals its design under the disguise of fictitious characters, by clothing with speech the animals of the field, the birds of the air, the trees of the wood, or the beasts of the forest, that the reader shall receive advice without perceiving the presence of the adviser. Thus the superiority of the counsellor, which often renders counsel unpalatable, is kept out of view, and the lesson comes with the greater acceptance when the reader is led, unconsciously to himself, to have his sympathies enlisted on behalf of what is pure, honorable, and praiseworthy, and to have his indignation excited against what is low, ignoble, and unworthy. The true fabulist, therefore, discharges a most important function. He is neither a narrator, nor an allegorist. He is a great teacher, a corrector of morals, a censor of vice, and a commender of virtue. In this consists the superiority of the Fable over the Tale or the Parable. The fabulist is to create a laugh, but yet, under a merry guise, to convey instruction. Phaedrus, the great imitator of Aesop, plainly indicates this double purpose to be the true office of the writer of fables.
Duplex libelli dos est: quod risum movet,
Et quod prudenti vitam consilio monet.
The continual observance of this twofold aim creates the charm, and accounts for the universal favor, of the fables of Aesop. “The fable”, says Professor K. O. Mueller, “originated in Greece in an intentional travestie of human affairs. The ‘ainos’, as its name denotes, is an admonition, or rather a reproof veiled, either from fear of an excess of frankness, or from a love of fun and jest, beneath the fiction of an occurrence happening among beasts; and wherever we have any ancient and authentic account of the Aesopian fables, we find it to be the same.”
The construction of a fable involves a minute attention to (1) the narration itself; (2) the deduction of the moral; and (3) a careful maintenance of the individual characteristics of the fictitious personages introduced into it. The narration should relate to one simple action, consistent with itself, and neither be overladen with a multiplicity of details, nor distracted by a variety of circumstances. The moral or lesson should be so plain, and so intimately interwoven with, and so necessarily dependent on, the narration, that every reader should be compelled to give to it the same undeniable interpretation. The introduction of the animals or fictitious characters should be marked with an unexceptionable care and attention to their natural attributes, and to the qualities attributed to them by universal popular consent. The Fox should be always cunning, the Hare timid, the Lion bold, the Wolf cruel, the Bull strong, the Horse proud, and the Ass patient. Many of these fables are characterized by the strictest observance of these rules. They are occupied with one short narrative, from which the moral naturally flows, and with which it is intimately associated. “‘Tis the simple manner,” says Dodsley, “in which the morals of Aesop are interwoven with his fables that distinguishes him, and gives him the preference over all other mythologists. His ‘Mountain delivered of a Mouse’, produces the moral of his fable in ridicule of pompous pretenders; and his Crow, when she drops her cheese, lets fall, as it were by accident, the strongest admonition against the power of flattery. There is no need of a separate sentence to explain it; no possibility of impressing it deeper, by that load we too often see of accumulated reflections.” An equal amount of praise is due for the consistency with which the characters of the animals, fictitiously introduced, are marked. While they are made to depict the motives and passions of men, they retain, in an eminent degree, their own special features of craft or counsel, of cowardice or courage, of generosity or rapacity.
These terms of praise, it must be confessed, cannot be bestowed on all the fables in this collection. Many of them lack that unity of design, that close connection of the moral with the narrative, that wise choice in the introduction of the animals, which constitute the charm and excellency of true Aesopian fable. This inferiority of some to others is sufficiently accounted for in the history of the origin and descent of these fables. The great bulk of them are not the immediate work of Aesop. Many are obtained from ancient authors prior to the time in which he lived. Thus, the fable of the “Hawk and the Nightingale” is related by Hesiod; the “Eagle wounded by an Arrow, winged with its own Feathers”, by Aeschylus; the “Fox avenging his wrongs on the Eagle”, by Archilochus. Many of them again are of later origin, and are to be traced to the monks of the middle ages: and yet this collection, though thus made up of fables both earlier and later than the era of Aesop, rightfully bears his name, because he composed so large a number (all framed in the same mould, and conformed to the same fashion, and stamped with the same lineaments, image, and superscription) as to secure to himself the right to be considered the father of Greek fables, and the founder of this class of writing, which has ever since borne his name, and has secured for him, through all succeeding ages, the position of the first of moralists.
The fables were in the first instance only narrated by Aesop, and for a long time were handed down by the uncertain channel of oral tradition. Socrates is mentioned by Plato as having employed his time while in prison, awaiting the return of the sacred ship from Delphos which was to be the signal of his death, in turning some of these fables into verse, but he thus versified only such as he remembered. Demetrius Phalereus, a philosopher at Athens about 300 B.C., is said to have made the first collection of these fables. Phaedrus, a slave by birth or by subsequent misfortunes, and admitted by Augustus to the honors of a freedman, imitated many of these fables in Latin iambics about the commencement of the Christian era. Aphthonius, a rhetorician of Antioch, A.D. 315, wrote a treatise on, and converted into Latin prose, some of these fables. This translation is the more worthy of notice, as it illustrates a custom of common use, both in these and in later times. The rhetoricians and philosophers were accustomed to give the Fables of Aesop as an exercise to their scholars, not only inviting them to discuss the moral of the tale, but also to practice and to perfect themselves thereby in style and rules of grammar, by making for themselves new and various versions of the fables. Ausonius, the friend of the Emperor Valentinian, and the latest poet of eminence in the Western Empire, has handed down some of these fables in verse, which Julianus Titianus, a contemporary writer of no great name, translated into prose. Avienus, also a contemporary of Ausonius, put some of these fables into Latin elegiacs, which are given by Nevelet (in a book we shall refer to hereafter), and are occasionally incorporated with the editions of Phaedrus.
Seven centuries elapsed before the next notice is found of the Fables of Aesop. During this long period these fables seem to have suffered an eclipse, to have disappeared and to have been forgotten; and it is at the commencement of the fourteenth century, when the Byzantine emperors were the great patrons of learning, and amidst the splendors of an Asiatic court, that we next find honors paid to the name and memory of Aesop. Maximus Planudes, a learned monk of Constantinople, made a collection of about a hundred and fifty of these fables. Little is known of his history. Planudes, however, was no mere recluse, shut up in his monastery. He took an active part in public affairs. In 1327 A.D. he was sent on a diplomatic mission to Venice by the Emperor Andronicus the Elder. This brought him into immediate contact with the Western Patriarch, whose interests he henceforth advocated with so much zeal as to bring on him suspicion and persecution from the rulers of the Eastern Church. Planudes has been exposed to a two-fold accusation. He is charged on the one hand with having had before him a copy of Babrias (to whom we shall have occasion to refer at greater length in the end of this Preface), and to have had the bad taste “to transpose”, or to turn his poetical version into prose: and he is asserted, on the other hand, never to have seen the Fables of Aesop at all, but to have himself invented and made the fables which he palmed off under the name of the famous Greek fabulist. The truth lies between these two extremes. Planudes may have invented some few fables, or have inserted some that were current in his day; but there is an abundance of unanswerable internal evidence to prove that he had an acquaintance with the veritable fables of Aesop, although the versions he had access to were probably corrupt, as contained in the various translations and disquisitional exercises of the rhetoricians and philosophers. His collection is interesting and important, not only as the parent source or foundation of the earlier printed versions of Aesop, but as the direct channel of attracting to these fables the attention of the learned.