A Fisher once took his bagpipes to the bank of a river, and played upon them with the hope of aking the fish rise; but never a one put his nose out of the water. So he cast his net into the river and soon drew it forth filled with fish. Then he took his bagpipes again, and, as he played, the fish leapt up in the net. "Ah, you dance now when I play," said he. "Yes," said an old Fish: "When you are in a man's power you must do as he bids you."
“Après mille ans et plus de guerre déclarée,
Les Loups firent la paix avecque les Brebis,
C’était apparemment le bien des deux partis:
Car, si les Loups mangeaient mainte bête égarée,
Les Bergers de leur peau se faisaint maints habits.
Jamais de liberté, ni pour les pâturages,
Ni d’autre part pour les carnages:
Ils ne pouvaient jouir qu’en tremblant de leurs biens.
La paix se conclut donc; on donne des otages:
Les Loups, leurs Louveteaux; et les Brebis, leurs Chiens.
L’echange en étant fait aux formes ordinaires,
Et réglé par des commissaires.
Au bout de quelque temps que messieurs les Louvats
Se virent loups parfaits et friands de tuerie,
Ils vous prennent le temps que dans la bergerie
Messieurs les Bergers n’étaient pas,
Étranglent la moitié des Agneaux les plus gras,
Les emportent aux dents, dans les bois se retirent.
Ils avaient averti leurs gens secrètement.
Les Chiens, qui, sur leur foi, reposaient surement,
Furent étranglés, en dormant,
Cela fut sitôt fait qu’à peine ils le sentirent;
Tout fut mis en morceaux; un seul n’en échappa.
Nous pouvons conclure de là
Qu’il faut faire aux méchants guerre continuelle.
La paix est fort bonne de soi;
J’en conviens: mais de quoi sert-elle
Avec des ennemis sans foi?”
A Fir-Tree said boastingly to the Bramble, "You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses." The 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."
Better poverty without care, than riches with.
A Fir-Tree said boastingly to the Bramble, "You are useful for nothing at all; while I am everywhere used for roofs and houses." The 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."
Better poverty without care, than riches with.
"Depois de mil anos e mais de guerra declarada,
Os lobos fizeram a paz com as ovelhas.
Era, aparentemente, a felicidade dos dois partidos:
Pois, se os lobos comiam muita rês extraviada,
Os pastores, da pele deles, para si faziam muitos trajes.
Jamais havia liberdade, nem para as pastagens,
Nem, de outro lado, para as carnificinas:
Não podiam usufruir de seus bens senão tremendo.
A paz se concluiu, portanto; trocam-se os reféns:
Os lobos entregam seus lobinhos; e as ovelhas, seus carneirinhos.
Sendo a troca feita nas formas habituais,
E ajustada por comissários.
Ao fim de algum tempo, quando os senhores lobinhos
Se viram lobos perfeitos e ávidos de matança,
Valem-se do tempo em que, no redil,
Os senhores pastores não se achavam,
Estrangulam metade dos cordeiros mais gordos
Agarram-nos com os dentes e se retiram para os bosques.
Haviam eles avisado sua gente secretamente.
Os carneiros, que, sob a palavra deles, repousavam confiadamente,
Foram estrangulados dormindo.
Foi isto feito tão rapidamente, que eles mal sentiram;
Foram todos feitos em pedaços; nem um só escapou.
Podemos concluir disto
Que é preciso fazer aos maus guerra contínua.
A paz é bastante boa em si mesma;
Concordo; mas de que serve ela
Com inimigos sem palavra?”
Two game cocks were fiercely fighting for the mastery of the farmyard. One at last put the other to flight. The vanquished Cock skulked away and hid himself in a quiet corner, while the conqueror, flying up to a high wall, flapped his wings and crowed exultingly with all his might. An Eagle sailing through the air pounced upon him and carried him off in his talons. The vanquished Cock immediately came out of his corner, and ruled henceforth with undisputed mastery.
Pride goes before destruction.
A young Fawn once said to his Mother, "You are larger than a dog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as a defense; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frighten you so?" She smiled, and said: "I know full well, my son, that all you say is true. I have the advantages you mention, but when I hear even the bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as fast as I can."
No arguments will give courage to the coward.
A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: "My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."
A Man had two daughters, the one married to a gardener, and the other to a tile-maker. After a time he went to the daughter who had married the gardener, and inquired how she was and how all things went with her. She said, "All things are prospering with me, and I have only one wish, that there may be a heavy fall of rain, in order that the plants may be well watered." Not long after, he went to the daughter who had married the tilemaker, and likewise inquired of her how she fared; she replied, "I want for nothing, and have only one wish, that the dry weather may continue, and the sun shine hot and bright, so that the bricks might be dried." He said to her, "If your sister wishes for rain, and you for dry weather, with which of the two am I to join my wishes?'
