The Widow and Her Little Maidens
A widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on read more

The Widow and Her Little Maidens
A widow who was fond of cleaning had two little maidens to wait on her. She was in the habit of waking them early in the morning, at cockcrow. The maidens, aggravated by such excessive labor, resolved to kill the cock who roused their mistress so early. When they had done this, they found that they had only prepared for themselves greater troubles, for their mistress, no longer hearing the hour from the cock, woke them up to their work in the middle of the night.

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 Ass and the Charger
AN ASS congratulated a Horse on being so ungrudgingly and
carefully provided for, while read more

The Ass and the Charger
AN ASS congratulated a Horse on being so ungrudgingly and
carefully provided for, while he himself had scarcely enough to
eat and not even that without hard work. But when war broke out,
a heavily armed soldier mounted the Horse, and riding him to the
charge, rushed into the very midst of the enemy. The Horse was
wounded and fell dead on the battlefield. Then the Ass, seeing
all these things, changed his mind, and commiserated the Horse.

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 Crab and Its Mother
A crab said to her son, Why do you walk so one-sided, my child? It read more

The Crab and Its Mother
A crab said to her son, Why do you walk so one-sided, my child? It is far more becoming to go straight forward. The young Crab replied: Quite true, dear Mother; and if you will show me the straight way, I will promise to walk in it. The Mother tried in vain, and submitted without remonstrance to the reproof of her child.
Example is more powerful than precept.

The Cat and the Birds
A cat, hearing that the Birds in a certain aviary were ailing dressed himself up read more

The Cat and the Birds
A cat, hearing that the Birds in a certain aviary were ailing dressed himself up as a physician, and, taking his cane and a bag of instruments becoming his profession, went to call on them. He knocked at the door and inquired of the inmates how they all did, saying that if they were ill, he would be happy to prescribe for them and cure them. They replied, We are all very well, and shall continue so, if you will only be good enough to go away, and leave us as we are.

The Ant and the Chrysalis
An Ant nimbly running about in the sunshine in search of food came
across a read more

The Ant and the Chrysalis
An Ant nimbly running about in the sunshine in search of food came
across a Chrysalis that was very near its time of change. The
Chrysalis moved its tail, and thus attracted the attention of the Ant,
who then saw for the first time that it was alive. Poor, pitiable
animal! cried the Ant disdainfully. What a sad fate is yours!
While I can run hither and thither, at my pleasure, and, if I wish,
ascend the tallest tree, you lie imprisoned here in your shell, with
power only to move a joint or two of your scaly tail. The Chrysalis
heard all this, but did not try to make any reply. A few days after,
when the Ant passed that way again, nothing but the shell remained.
Wondering what had become of its contents, he felt himself suddenly
shaded and fanned by the gorgeous wings of a beautiful Butterfly.
Behold in me, said the Butterfly, your much-pitied friend! Boast
now of your powers to run and climb as long as you can get me to
listen. So saying, the Butterfly rose in the air, and, borne along
and aloft on the summer breeze, was soon lost to the sight of the
Ant forever.
Appearances are deceptive.

The Astronomer
An astronomer used to go out at night to observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through read more

The Astronomer
An astronomer used to go out at night to observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed on the sky, he fell accidentally into a deep well. While he lamented and bewailed his sores and bruises, and cried loudly for help, a neighbor ran to the well, and learning what had happened said: Hark ye, old fellow, why, in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do you not manage to see what is on earth?'.

The Ant and the Dove
AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and
read more

The Ant and the Dove
AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and
being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of
drowning. A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked
a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her. The Ant
climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank. Shortly
afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid
his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches. The Ant,
perceiving his design, stung him in the foot. In pain the
birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove
take wing.
One good turn deserves another.