Aesop’s Fables, part 4 · page 21 2101He sat down by the wayside, and throwing down his load, besought “Death” to come.102“Death” immediately appeared in answer to his summons and asked for what reason he had called him.103The Old Man hurriedly replied, “That, lifting up the load, you may place it again upon my shoulders.”104The Fir-Tree and the Bramble105A FIR-TREE said boastingly to the Bramble, “You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses.”106The Bramble answered: “You poor creature, if you would only call to mind the axes and saws which are about to hew you down, you would have reason to wish that you had grown up a Bramble, not a Fir-Tree.”107Better poverty without care, than riches with.108The Æthiop109THE PURCHASER of a black servant was persuaded that the color of his skin arose from dirt contracted through the neglect of his former masters.110On bringing him home he resorted to every means of cleaning, and subjected the man to incessant scrubbings.111The servant caught a severe cold, but he never changed his color or complexion.112What’s bred in the bone will stick to the flesh.113The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk114A MOUSE who always lived on the land, by an unlucky chance formed an intimate acquaintance with a Frog, who lived for the most part in the water.115The Frog, one day intent on mischief, bound the foot of the Mouse tightly to his own.116Thus joined together, the Frog first of all led his friend the Mouse to the meadow where they were accustomed to find their food.117After this, he gradually led him towards the pool in which he lived, until reaching the very brink, he suddenly jumped in, dragging the Mouse with him.118The Frog enjoyed the water amazingly, and swam croaking about, as if he had done a good deed.119The unhappy Mouse was soon suffocated by the water, and his dead body floated about on the surface, tied to the foot of the Frog.checked by a teacher120A Hawk observed it, and, pouncing upon it with his talons, carried it aloft.121The Frog, being still fastened to the leg of the Mouse, was also carried off a prisoner, and was eaten by the Hawk.122Harm hatch, harm catch.123The Fisherman and His Nets124A FISHERMAN, engaged in his calling, made a very successful cast and captured a great haul of fish.125He managed by a skillful handling of his net to retain all the large fish and to draw them to the shore; but he could not prevent the smaller fish from falling back through the meshes of the net into the sea.126The Wolf and the Sheep127A WOLF, sorely wounded and bitten by dogs, lay sick and maimed in his lair.128Being in want of food, he called to a Sheep who was passing, and asked him to fetch some water from a stream flowing close beside him.129“For,” he said, “if you will bring me drink, I will find means to provide myself with meat.”130“Yes,” said the Sheep, “if I should bring you the draught, you would doubtless make me provide the meat also.”1 2← previousAesop’s Fables, part 3next →Aesop’s Fables, part 5↑ back to Three hundred Aesop’s fablesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg21/6/page/2/