A certain Man had a Goose that laid him a golden egg every day. Being of a covetous turn, he thought if he killed his Goose he should come at once to the source of his treasure. So he killed her and cut her open, but great was his dismay to find that her inside was in no way different from that of any other goose.
_Greediness overreaches itself._
217
The most successful of modern literary fabulists was the French poet Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695). A famous critic has said that his fables delight the child with their freshness and vividness, the student of literature with their consummate art, and the experienced man with their subtle reflections on life and character. He drew most of his stories from aesop and other sources. While he dressed the old fables in the brilliant style of his own day, he still succeeded in being essentially simple and direct. A few of his 240 fables may be used to good effect with children, though they have their main charm for the more sophisticated older reader. (See Nos.
234, 241, and 242.) The best complete translation is that made in 1841 by Elizur Wright, an American scholar. The following version is from his translation. Notice that La Fontaine has changed the goose to a hen.
THE HEN WITH THE GOLDEN EGGS
LA FONTAINE
How avarice loseth all, By striving all to gain, I need no witness call But him whose thrifty hen, As by the fable we are told, Laid every day an egg of gold.
"She hath a treasure in her body,"
Bethinks the avaricious noddy.
He kills and opens--vexed to find All things like hens of common kind.
Thus spoil"d the source of all his riches, To misers he a lesson teaches.
In these last changes of the moon, How often doth one see Men made as poor as he By force of getting rich too soon!
218
THE WOLF IN SHEEP"S CLOTHING
A Wolf wrapped himself in the skin of a Sheep and by that means got admission into a sheep-fold, where he devoured several of the young Lambs. The Shepherd, however, soon found him out and hung him up to a tree, still in his disguise.
Some other Shepherds, pa.s.sing that way, thought it was a Sheep hanging, and cried to their friend, "What, brother! is that the way you serve Sheep in this part of the country?"
"No, friends," cried he, turning the hanging body around so that they might see what it was; "but it is the way to serve Wolves, even though they be dressed in Sheep"s clothing."
_The credit got by a lie lasts only till the truth comes out._
219
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
The Hare one day laughed at the Tortoise for his short feet, slowness, and awkwardness.
"Though you may be swift as the wind," replied the Tortoise good-naturedly, "I can beat you in a race."
The Hare looked on the challenge as a great joke, but consented to a trial of speed, and the Fox was selected to act as umpire and hold the stakes.
The rivals started, and the Hare, of course, soon left the Tortoise far behind. Having reached midway to the goal, she began to play about, nibble the young herbage, and amuse herself in many ways. The day being warm, she even thought she would take a little nap in a shady spot, for she thought that if the Tortoise should pa.s.s her while she slept, she could easily overtake him again before he reached the end.
The Tortoise meanwhile plodded on, unwavering and unresting, straight towards the goal.
The Hare, having overslept herself, started up from her nap and was surprised to find that the Tortoise was nowhere in sight. Off she went at full speed, but on reaching the winning-post, found that the Tortoise was already there, waiting for her arrival.
_Slow and steady wins the race._
220
THE MILLER, HIS SON, AND THEIR a.s.s
A Miller and his Son were driving their a.s.s to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing.
"Look there," cried one of them, "did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?"
The Miller, hearing this, quickly made his Son mount the a.s.s, and continued to walk along merrily by his side. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate.
"There," said one of them, "it proves what I was saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs."
Upon this, the Miller made his Son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children.
"Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several tongues at once, "how can you ride upon the beast while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?"
The good-natured Miller immediately took up his Son behind him. They had now almost reached the town.
"Pray, honest friend," said a citizen, "is that a.s.s your own?"
"Yes," replied the old man.
"Oh, one would not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you."
"Anything to please you," said the Miller; "we can but try."
So, alighting with his Son, they tied the legs of the a.s.s together, and by the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance of the town. This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the a.s.s, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that by trying to please everybody he had pleased n.o.body, and lost his a.s.s into the bargain.
_He who tries to please everybody pleases n.o.body._
221
THE TRAVELERS AND THE BEAR
Two Men, about to journey through a forest, agreed to stand by each other in any dangers that might befall. They had not gone far before a savage Bear rushed out from a thicket and stood in their path. One of the Travelers, a light, nimble fellow, got up into a tree. The other, seeing that there was no chance to defend himself single-handed, fell flat on his face and held his breath. The Bear came up and smelled at him, and taking him for dead, went off again into the wood. The Man in the tree came down and, rejoining his companion, asked him, with a sly smile, what was the wonderful secret which he had seen the Bear whisper into his ear.