Aesop's Fables

CHILDREN'S BOOK COLLECTION LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES

THE

BANBURY

CROSS SERIES

PREPARED FOR CHILDREN BY GRACE RHYS

JESOP'S

FABLES

1LLV3TRHTED BY

KOB1W5ON*

'

*

BT'

*

To ,

this is ^Esop's

And

When Then

Enid.

the cover

is

house,

the door

;

the rains of winter pour, the Lion and the Mouse,

And

the Frogs that asked a king,

And

all

That

Open

the Beasts with curious features,

talk just like us it,

and ask you

human in

creatures,

!

G. R.

CONCEITED

A

enough

jackdaw was vain wanted

to imagine that he

nothing but the coloured plumes to make as beautiful a bird as the Peacock.

him

Puffed

up with

this

wise conceit,

he

dressed himself with a quantity of their finest feathers,

and

in this

borrowed garb,

leaving his old companions, tried to pass for

a

peacock;

tempted birds,

to

than

the sham.

but he no sooner

stray

with these

an affected

The

strut

at-

splendid

betrayed

offended peacocks

fell

upon him with their beaks, and soon Having stripped him of his finery. turned him again into a mere jackdaw, they drove him

back to

his

brethren,

But they, remembering what

airs

he had

once given himself, would not permit him to flock with them again, and treated

him with well-deserved contempt.

A DISPUTE

once arose between the

Sun and the Wind, which was the

stronger of the two, and to count

soonest

this

as

made

a

they agreed

proof, that whichever traveller

take

off his

cloak, should be held the most powerful.

The wind

began, and blew with all his blast, cold and fierce

might and main a as a winter storm

but the stronger he blew, the closer the traveller wrapped ;

his cloak about him,

grasped

it

with

out the sun

and the tighter he Then broke

his hands.

with his welcome beams

:

he chased away the vapour and the cold the traveller

felt

and

sun

as

the

;

the pleasant warmth,

shone

brighter

and

brighter, he sat down, overcome by the heat, and cast aside the cloak that all

the blustering

rage of the wind could

not compel him to lay down. "Learn from this," said the sun to the wind, " that soft and means will often

gentle bring about, what force and fury never

DOG made his bed in a manger, and

A

lay snarling and growling to

the horses from their provender.

keep See,"

one of them, "what a miserable

said

cur

"

!

who

neither can eat corn himself,

nor will allow those to eat

it

who

can."

WOODMAN

A

was

felling

a tree

on the bank of a river; and by chance let his axe slip from his hand,

which dropped mediately

into the

water and im-

sank to the bottom.

therefore in great distress, he sat

by the his

down

and bewailed

Upon this, Mercury, whose was, had compassion on him, appearing before him asked the

loss.

river

and

side of the stream

Being

it

cause of his

sorrow.

On

hearing

he dived to the bottom of the

it,

river,

and coming up again, showed the man a golden hatchet, and asked his.

He

Mercury

that

said

dived

brought up a

man

refused

was not

his.

a

it

it,

not.

second

silver one.

saying

Then

time,

and

The wood-

again

So he dived

were

if that

was

that

this

a third time,

the very axe that had

and brought up been lost.

" That

mine

is

"

man, delighted to have

Wood-

the

said

!

own

his

again.

Mercury was so pleased with his honesty that he made him a present of the other

two,

a

as

reward

for

his

just

dealing.

The man goes to his companions, and giving them an account of what had happened to him, one of them determined not

to

try

have the

like

whether

he might

So

good fortune.

he went presently to the river's side and let his axe fall on purpose into the stream. Then he sat down on the

bank and made a great show of weeping. Mercury appeared as before, and diving, brought

he asked

was

lost,

if

"

up

that

a golden axe.

were

the "

Aye,

man, and snatched

surely at

it

!

"When

one that said

greedily.

the

But

Mercury, to punish lying, that,

not

but

him have

his

impudence and

only refused to give him would not so much as let

his

own

axe again.

A FOX

one day invited a Stork to and being disposed to divert himself at the expense of his dinner,

guest, provided nothing for dinner but

some

thin soup in a shallow dish.

the

Fox lapped up very

the

Stork, unable

with

her at

hungry

the

to

narrow

long

This

readily, while gain a mouthful bill,

end of dinner

was as

as

when

The Fox, meanwhile, said she began. he was very sorry to see her eat so sparingly, and hoped that the dish was seasoned to her mind. The Stork, seeing that she notice

of

it,

was played upon, took no but

herself extremely

the

Fox

to

dine

;

pretended to enjoy and at parting begged

So he agreed He with her the next day. arrived in good time, and dinner was to return the visit.

forthwith

ordered

;

but

when

it

was

served up, he found to his dismay, that it was nothing but minced meat in a tall,

narrow-necked

jar.

Down

this the

Stork easily thrust her long neck and bill, while the Fox had to content himself

"

I

with licking the outside of the

am

jar.

" that very glad," said the Stork,

you seem to have so good an appetite; and I hope you will make as hearty a dinner at

day

at

down "Nay,

my

yours." his

table as I did the other

At

this

the

head and showed

nay,"

said

the

Fox hung his teeth

Stork,

"don't

pretend to be out of humour about the matter ; they that cannot take a jest should never make one."

a cold frosty day in winter, the Ants were dragging out some of the corn which they had laid up in

ON

summer-time, so

as to air

The

it.

Grass-

hopper, half-starved with hunger, begged the ants to give him a morsel of it to save his life.

"

Nay,"

said they,

" but you

should have worked in the summer, and

you would not have wanted

in winter."

"Well," says the Grasshopper, "but was not idle either, for I sung out the " " whole season Nay, then," said the " do well to make a merry Ants, you'll I

!

year of that

it,

and dance

you sung

in

in

winter to the tune

summer."

was sleeping

in his lair,

when

ALIGN a Mouse, not looking where he was going, ran over the mighty beast's nose and awakened him. The Lion clapped his

paw on

the frightened

little

creature,

and was about to make an end of him

in

moment, when the Mouse, in pitiable tone, begged him to spare one who had a

done him wrong without being aware. Lion looking kindly on his little

The

prisoner's fright, generously let

Now

him go.

happened, no long time after, that the Lion, while ranging the woods for his it

prey, fell into the toils of the hunters

;

and finding himself entangled without hope of escape, set up a roar that filled the

whole

forest

with

its

echo.

The

Mouse, quickly recognising the Lion's voice, ran to the spot, and without more

ado

set to

work

to nibble the knot in the

cord that bound him, and in a short time, free ; thus showing him that kindseldom thrown away, and that there no creature so much below another but

set

him

ness is

that a

is

he may have

good deed.

it

in his

power

to return

A

CROW,

ready to die with thirst, flew with joy to a Pitcher, which

he saw

a distance.

at

came up

to

that with

all

it,

was unable tried

to

overturn sufficient

his stooping

to reach

break it

,

to

But when he

he found the water so low

the

it.

and straining he Thereupon he

Pitcher;

then to

strength was not do either. At last, seeing

but his

some small pebbles lie near the place, he cast them one by one into the Pitcher ; and thus, by degrees, raised the water up to the very brim, and quenched his thirst.

ago,

when

LONG liberty at

grown

quite

one

own

his

in

the Frogs were

all

lakes, and had

the

weary of following every

devices, they assembled one

day together and with a great clamour petitioned Jupiter to let them have a king to

keep them

them

lead

knowing

in better order

honester

lives.

and make Jupiter,

their foolishness, smiled at their

request, and threw

down

a log into the

lake, which by the huge splash and commotion it made, sent the whole nation of

Frogs into the greatest terror and amazeThey rushed under the water and

ment.

mud, and dared not come within a At leap's-length of the spot where it lay. into the

length one Frog bolder than the rest ventured to pop his head above the water,

and take

a look at their

new king from

a

distance.

respectful

Presently

when

saw the log still,

began to and it

others

swim

up

around

it,

they stock-

lie

to

by de-

till

grees growing bolder

and bolder, they leaped treated

it

at last

it

and

with

the

upon

greatest contempt. Full

of disgust for so tame a ruler, they carried a petition a second time

to Jupiter for another

and more active King. Upon which he sent

them

a stork,

who

had

no sooner come among them, than he began laying hold

and

of them,

devouring one by one as

them fast as

was

in vain

that they

to escape him.

Then

they sent

he could, and tried

Mercury

it

with

Jupiter, begging

a

private

him

message to on them

to take pity

once more

;

were only

suffering the punishment

but Jupiter replied that they

due

to their folly, and that another time they

would

learn to let well alone, and not be

dissatisfied

with their natural

state.

A

FOX,

very hungry, chanced to come

into a vineyard,

where there hung

many bunches of charming but nailed up to a leaped

till

trellis

ripe grapes

;

so high, that he

he quite tired himself without

At being able to reach one of them. " Let who will take them " last, says he ; " they are but green and sour so !

-,

I'll

even

let

them

alone."

AS Lamb

Wolf was

a

paddling, at

make

himself

some distance down

Having made up

the stream. to

lapping at the head of

a running brook, he spied a stray

his dinner off her,

his

mind

he bethought

how he might

"

said

begin the quarrel. he to her, " how dare

Wretch," you muddle the water that I am drink" Indeed," said the Lamb humbly, ing ?"

"I, do not see how I can disturb the it runs from you to me, not from me to you." " Be that as it may," " it was but a year replied the Wolf, water, since

ago that you called

"Oh,

sir," said

year ago it

I

the

me many ill names." Lamb trembling, "a

was not born."

"

No

matter,

was your father then, or some of your

relations,"

and immediately seizing the

innocent Lamb, he tore her to pieces.

The Fox and the Crow.

CROW had snatched

A

a piece of cheese

-*

out of a cottage window, and flew up with it into a

high tree, that she might eat it at her ease. A Fox having spied her came and sat underneath and began to pay the Crow compliments on her beauty.

"Why,"

said

never saw

it

delicate white than

any that ever life

!

of a

are

your feathers

more

"I

he,

before, but

Ah

!

I

saw

in

what a

my fine

shape and graceful neck is there And I have no !

doubt

but

you have a 12

E

If

tolerable voice.

I

your complexion, match you."

it

is

but as fine as

do not know

a bird

that can

The Crow,

tickled with this very civil

and wriggled about, and hardly knew where she was. But language, nestled

thinking the Fox a little doubtful as to the quality of her voice, and having a mind to set him right in the matter, she

began

to sing,

and

in the

same

instant,

down dropped the cheese which the Fox presently chopped up, and then bade ;

her remember that whatever he had said

of her beauty, he had spoken nothing yet

of her brains.

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