The Lion and the Mouse
A LION was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up read more

The Lion and the Mouse
A LION was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness. The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by st ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came gnawed the rope with his teeth, and set him free, exclaim
You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; I now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion.

The Ass and the Grasshopper
An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the read more

The Ass and the Grasshopper
An Ass having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, The dew. The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger.

The Kingdom of the Lion
THE beasts of the field and forest had a Lion as their king. He was read more

The Kingdom of the Lion
THE beasts of the field and forest had a Lion as their king. He was neither wrathful, cruel, nor tyrannical, but just and gentle as a king could be. During his reign he made a royal proclamation for a general assembly of all the birds and beasts, and drew up conditions for a universal league, in which the Wolf and the Lamb, the Panther and the Kid, the Tiger and the Stag, the Dog and the Hare, should live together in perfect peace and amity. The Hare said, Oh, how I have longed to see this day, in which the weak shall take their place with impunity by the side of the strong. And after the Hare said this, he ran for his life.

The Dog in the Manger
A dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented the read more

The Dog in the Manger
A dog lay in a manger, and by his growling and snapping prevented the oxen from eating the hay which had been placed for them. What a selfish Dog! said one of them to his companions; he cannot eat the hay himself, and yet refuses to allow those to eat who can.

The Vain Jackdaw
Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds, and made proclamation that on read more

The Vain Jackdaw
Jupiter determined, it is said, to create a sovereign over the birds, and made proclamation that on a certain day they should all present themselves before him, when he would himself choose the most beautiful among them to be king. The Jackdaw, knowing his own ugliness, searched through the woods and fields, and collected the feathers which had fallen from the wings of his companions, and stuck them in all parts of his body, hoping thereby to make himself the most beautiful of all. When the appointed day arrived, and the birds had assembled before Jupiter, the Jackdaw also made his appearance in his many feathered finery. But when Jupiter proposed to make him king because of the beauty of his plumage, the birds indignantly protested, and each plucked from him his own feathers, leaving the Jackdaw nothing but a Jackdaw.

The Lioness
A controversy prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most read more

The Lioness
A controversy prevailed among the beasts of the field as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence of the Lioness and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute. And you, they said, how many sons have you at a birth?' The Lioness laughed at them, and said: Why! I have only one; but that one is altogether a thoroughbred Lion.
The value is in the worth, not in the number.

The Man and His Two Sweethearts
A middle aged man, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women read more

The Man and His Two Sweethearts
A middle aged man, whose hair had begun to turn gray, courted two women at the same time. One of them was young, and the other well advanced in years. The elder woman, ashamed to be courted by a man younger than herself, made a point, whenever her admirer visited her, to pull out some portion of his black hairs. The younger, on the contrary, not wishing to become the wife of an old man, was equally zealous in removing every gray hair she could find. Thus it came to pass that between them both he very soon found that he had not a hair left on his head.
Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.

The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
A CHARCOAL-BURNER carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a read more

The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
A CHARCOAL-BURNER carried on his trade in his own house. One day he met a friend, a Fuller, and entreated him to come and live with him, saying that they should be far better neighbors and that their housekeeping expenses would be lessened. The Fuller replied, The arrangement is impossible as far as I am concerned, for whatever I should whiten, you would immediately blacken again with your charcoal.
Moral: Like will draw like.

The Sick Stag
A sick stag lay down in a quiet corner of its pasture-ground. His companions came in great read more

The Sick Stag
A sick stag lay down in a quiet corner of its pasture-ground. His companions came in great numbers to inquire after his health, and each one helped himself to a share of the food which had been placed for his use; so that he died, not from his sickness, but from the failure of the means of living.
Evil companions bring more hurt than profit.