Fable No. 26
The Serpent and the File
A Serpent in the course of its wanderings came into an armorer's shop. As he glided over the floor he felt his skin pricked by a file lying there. In a rage he turned round upon it and tried to dart his fangs into it; but he could do no harm to heavy iron and had soon to give over his wrath.
It is useless attacking the insensible.
Fable No. 27
The Man and the Wood
A Man came into a Wood one day with an axe in his hand, and begged all the Trees to give him a small branch which he wanted for a particular purpose. The Trees were good-natured and gave him one of their branches. What did the Man do but fix it into the axe head, and soon set to work cutting down tree after tree. Then the Trees saw
how foolish they had been in giving their enemy the means of destroying themselves.
Fable No. 28
The Dog and the Wolf
A gaunt Wolf was almost dead with hunger when he happened to meet a House-dog who was passing by. ‘Ah, Cousin,’ said the Dog. ‘I knew how it would be; your irregular life will soon be the ruin of you. Why do you not work steadily as I do, and get your food regularly given to you?’ ‘I would have no objection,’ said the Wolf, ‘if I could only get a place.’ ‘I will easily arrange that for you,’ said the Dog; ‘come with me to my master and you shall share my work.’ So the Wolf and the Dog went towards the town
together. On the way there the Wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the Dog’s neck was very much worn away, so he asked him how that had come about. ‘Oh, it is nothing,’ said the Dog. ‘That is only the place where the collar is put on at night to keep me chained up; it chafes a bit, but one soon gets used to it.’ ‘Is that all?’ said the Wolf. ‘Then good-bye to you, Master Dog.’
Better starve free than be a fat slave.
Fable No. 29
The Belly and the Members
One fine day it occurred to the Members of the Body that they were doing all the work and the Belly was having all the food. So they held a meeting, and after a long discussion, decided to strike work till the Belly consented to take its proper share of the work. So for a day or two, the Hands refused to take the food, the Mouth refused to receive it, and the Teeth had no work to do. But after a day or two the Members began to find that they themselves were not in a very active condition: the Hands could hardly move, and the Mouth was all parched and dry, while the Legs were unable to support the rest. So thus they found that
even the Belly in its dull quiet way was doing necessary work for the Body, and that all must work together or the Body will go to pieces.
Fable No. 30
The Hart in the Ox-Stall
A Hart hotly pursued by the hounds fled for refuge into an ox-stall, and buried itself in a truss of hay, leaving nothing to be seen but the tips of his horns. Soon after the Hunters came up and asked if any one had seen the Hart. The stable boys, who had been resting after their dinner, looked round, but could see nothing, and the Hunters went away. Shortly afterwards the master came in, and looking round, saw that something unusual had taken place. He pointed to the truss of hay and said: ‘What are those two curious things sticking out of the hay?’ And when the stable boys came to look they discovered the Hart, and soon made an end of him. He thus learnt that
Nothing escapes the master’s eye.
Continued...