Aesop's Fables Episode 11

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The viper and the file. Aviper entering the workshop of a smith sought
from the tools the means of satisfyinghis hunger. He more particularly addressed himself
to a file and asked of himthe favor of a meal. The file
replied, you must indeed be asimple minded fellow if you expect to get

(00:23):
anything from me, who am accustomedto take from everyone and never to give
anything in return. The covetous arepoor givers. The oxen and the axle
trees. A heavy wagon was beingdragged along a country lane by a team

(00:44):
of oxen. The axle trees groanedand creaked terribly when the oxen, turning
round, thus addressed the wheels,Hello, there, why do you make
so much noise? We bear allthe labor, and we not you ought
to cry out. Those who suffermost, cry out the least. The

(01:08):
bear and the beehives. A bearthat had found his way into a garden
where bees were kept, began toturn over the hives and devour the honey.
The bees settled in swarms about hishead and stung his eyes and nose
so much that, maddened with pain, he tore the skin from his head

(01:29):
with his own claws. The thrushand the swallow. A young thrush who
lived in an orchard, once becameacquainted with a swallow. A friendship sprang
up between them. And the swallow, after skimming the archard and the neighboring
meadow, would every now and thencome and visit the thrush. The thrush,

(01:53):
hopping from branch to branch, wouldwelcome him with his most cheerful note.
Oh, mother, said he tohis parents one day. Never had
creatures such a friend as I havein this same swallow, nor ever any
mother, replied the parent bird,such a silly son as I have in
this same thrush. Long before theapproach of winter, your friend will have

(02:15):
left you, and while you sitshivering on a leafless bough, he will
be sporting under sunny skies hundreds ofmiles away. The sensible ass, an
old fellow in time of war,was allowing his ass to feed in a
green meadow. When he was alarmedby a sudden advance of the enemy.

(02:38):
He tried every means in his powerto urge the ass to fly. But
in vain the enemy are upon us, said he, And what will the
enemy do? Asked the ass?Will they put two pairs of panniers on
my back instead of one. No, answered the man, There is no

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fear of that, Why, thenreplied the ass, I'll not stir an
inch. I am born to bea slave, and my greatest enemy is
he who gives me most to carry. The lion and the ass. A
lion and an ass made an agreementto go out hunting together. By and

(03:21):
by they came to a cave wherewild goats abode. The lion took up
his station at the mouth of thecave, and the ass, going within,
kicked and brayed and made a mightyfuss to frighten them out. When
the lion had caught them, theass came out and asked him if he
had not made a noble fight.Yes, indeed, said the lion,

(03:43):
and I assure you you would havefrightened me too, if I had not
known you to be an ass.The fox and the ape. Upon the
decease of the lion, the beastsof the forest assembled to us another king.
The ape played so many grimaces,gambols, and antike tricks that he

(04:06):
was elected by a large majority,and the crown was placed upon his head.
The fox, envious of this distinction. Seeing soon after a trap baited
with a piece of meat, approachedthe new king and said, with mock
humility, may it please your majesty, I have found on your domain a

(04:27):
treasure to which, if you willdeign to accompany me, I will conduct
you. The ape thereupon set offwith the fox, and, on arriving
at the spot, laid his pawupon the meat. Snap went the trap
and caught him by the fingers.Mad with the shame and the pain,
he reproached the fox for a falsethief and a traitor. Reynard laughed heartily

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and said, with a sneer,you a king and not understand a trap?
The lion and the wolf. Awolf roaming by the mountain side saw
his own shadow as the sun wassetting, becoming greatly extended and magnified,
and he said to himself, whyshould I, being of such an immense

(05:15):
size and extending nearly an acre inlithe be afraid of a lion? Ought
I not to be acknowledged as kingof all the collected beasts? While he
was indulging in these proud thoughts,a lion fell upon him and killed him.
He exclaimed, with a too laterepentance wretched me. This overestimation of

(05:39):
myself is the cause of my destruction. It is not wise to hold too
exalted an opinion of oneself. Themiller, his son and their ass.
A miller and his son were drivingtheir ass to affair. On the way,

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they met a group of girls.Look there, cried one of them.
Did you ever see such fools tobe trudging along on foot when they
might be riding. The old man, hearing this, quietly bade his son
get on the ass and walked alongmerrily by his side. Presently they came
to a group of old men inearnest debate. There said one of them.

(06:24):
It proves what I was saying,what respect is shown to old age?
And these days do you see thatidle young rogue riding while his old
father has to walk? Get down, you, scapegrace, and let the
old man rest his weary limbs.Upon this, the father made his son
dismount and got up himself. Inthis manner, they had not proceeded far

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when they met a company of womenand children. Why you lazy old man,
cried several tongues at once. Howcan you ride upon the beast while
that poor little lad there can scarcelykeep pace by the side of you.
The good natured miller immediately took uphis son behind him. They had now

(07:09):
almost reached the town. Pray,honest, friend, said a townsman,
Is that ass your own? Yes, said the old man. Oh,
one would not have thought so bythe way you load him. Why you
two fellows are better able to carrythe poor beast than he. You anything
to please you, said the oldman. So, alighting with his son,

(07:32):
they tied the ass's legs together,and, by the help of a
pole, endeavored to carry him ontheir shoulders over a bridge. But people
ran out in crowds to laugh atthe sight, till the ass, not
liking the noise nor his situation,kicked asunder the cords, and, tumbling
off the pole, fell into theriver. On this the old man made

(07:55):
the best of his way home withhis son, convinced that endeavoring to please
everybody, he had succeeded in pleasingnobody, and lost his ass into the
bargain The Travelers and the plane Tree. Two travelers, worn out by the
heat of the summer's sun, laidthemselves down at noon under the wide,

(08:18):
spreading branches of a plane tree.As they rested under a shade, one
of the travelers said to the other, what a singularly useless tree is the
plane It bears no fruit and isnot of the least service to man?
The plane tree, interrupting him,said, you, ungrateful fellows, do

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you, while receiving benefits from meand resting under my shade, dare to
describe me as useless and unprofitable?Some men despise their best blessings because they
come without cost. The Tartoise andthe two Ducks a tartis, becoming tired

(09:01):
of her humble home, resolved tovisit foreign lands. But she did not
know which way to go. Sherepaired to two ducks to show her the
road, and they told her thatthe best way to travel was through the
air. On her imploring their help, they made her grasp a stick with
her mouth, and so they boreher aloft. As they flew along.

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The gaping people beneath shouted at sightof the spectacle. The vain Tartis mistook
their shouts for applause. I amsurely a queen, said she, But
alas as she opened her mouth tospeak, she lost her hold of the
stick. And falling to the ground, was dashed to pieces. Those who

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were not able to roam should stayat home. The countryman and the snake.
A villager found a snake under ahedge, almost dead with cold.
He could not help having compassion forthe poor creature, so he brought it
home and laid it upon the hearthnear the fire. But it had not

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lain there long before, being revivedwith the heat, it began to erect
itself and fly at his wife andchildren. The countryman, hearing an outcry
and perceiving what the matter was,caught up a mattock, and soon despatched
him upbraiding him at the same timein these words, is this vile wretch
the reward you make to him thatsaved your life? Kindness to the ungrateful,

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and the vicious is thrown away.The madman who sold wisdom. A
madman once set himself up in themarketplace, and, with loud cries,
announced that he would sell wisdom.The people at once crowded about him,
and some gave him gold for hiswares, But they each got only a

(10:54):
blow on the ear and a bunchof thread, and were well laughed at
by their companions. One of them, however, took it more seriously than
the others, and asked a wisesage what it meant. It means,
said the sage, that if onewould not be hurt by a madman,
he must put a bunch of threadover his ears. So the madman was

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really selling wisdom. The leopard andthe fox. A leopard, being no
longer able by reason of old ageto pursue his prey, feigned illness and
gave out that he would confer greatfavors upon any animal that would cure him.
A cunning fox heard of the proclamationand lost no time in visiting the

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leopard, first making himself look asmuch like a physician as he could.
On seeing him, the leopard declaredthat such a distinguished looking animal could not
fail to cure him. This soflattered the fox that he came near and
at once fell a victim to hisvanity, being unable to flee because of

(12:03):
the disguise which fettered his limbs.Flattery is a dangerous weapon in the hands
of an enemy. The hair afraidof his ears, the lion, being
badly hurt by the horns of agoat, swore in a great rage that
every animal with horns should be banishedfrom his kingdom. A silly hair,

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seeing the shadows of his ears,was in great fear lest they should be
taken for horns, and scampered away. The peacock and the crane. A
peacock, spreading its gorgeous tail,mocked a crane that passed by, ridiculing
the ashen hue of its plumage,and saying, I am robed like a

(12:52):
king in gold and purple and allthe colors of the rainbow, while you
have not a bit of color onyour wings. True, replied the crane.
But I soar to the heights ofheaven and lift up my voice to
the stars, while you walk belowlike a cock among the birds of the
dunghill. Fine feathers don't make finebirds. The mouse and the weasel.

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A little starveling mouse had made hisway with some difficulty into a basket of
corn, where, finding the entertainmentso good, he stuffed and crammed himself
to such an extent that when hewould have got out again, he found
the hole too small to allow hispuffed up body to pass. As he
sat at the hole, groaning overhis fate. A weasel who was brought

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to the spot by his cries,thus addressed him, stop there, my
friend, and fast till you arethin, for you will never come out
till you reduce yourself to the samecondition as when you entered. The Ox
and the Tiger, a skillful archercoming into the woods, directed his arrows

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so successfully that he slew many wildbeasts and pursued several others. This put
the whole savage kind into a fearfulconsternation, and made them fly to the
most retired thickets for refuge. Atlast, the tiger resumed courage, and,
bidding them not be afraid, saidthat he alone would engage the enemy,

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telling them they might depend upon hisvalor and strength to revenge their wrongs.
In the midst of these threats,while he was lashing himself with his
tail and tearing up the ground foranger, an arrow pierced his ribs and
hung by its barbed point in hisside. He set up a hideous and

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loud roar, occasioned by the anguishwhich he felt, and endeavored to draw
out the painful dart with his teeth. When the fox approached him, inquiring
with an air surprise who it was, that they could have strength and courage
enough to wound so mighty and valorousa beast ah said the tiger, I
was mistaken in my reckoning. Itwas that invincible man yonder. There was

(15:15):
always some vulnerable point in the strongestarmor. The fox and the turkeys.
A fox spied some turkeys roosting ina tree. He managed to attract their
attention, and then ran about thetree, pretending to climb, walked on
his hind legs, and yet allsorts of tricks. Filled with fear,

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the turkeys watched every one of hismovements until they became dizzy, and one
by one fell from their safe perch. By too much attention to danger,
we may fallow victims to it.The eagle, the cat, and the
wild sow. An eagle had madeher nest at the top of a lofty

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oak. A cat, having founda convenient hole, lived with her kittens
in the middle of the trunk,and a wild sow with her young,
had taken up shelter in a hollowat its foot. The cat resolved to
destroy by her arts this chance maycolony. She climbed to the nest of
the eagle and said, destruction ispreparing for you and me too. The

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wild sow, whom you may seedaily digging up the earth, wishes to
uproot the oak, that she may, on its fall, seize our families
as food. Then she crept downto the cave of the sow, and
said, your children are in greatdanger, for as soon as you shall
go out with your litter to findfood, the eagle is prepared to pounce

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upon one of your little pigs.When night came, she went forth with
silent foot and obtained food for herselfand her kittens, But feigning to be
afraid, she kept a look outall through the day. Meanwhile, the
eagle, full of fear of thesow, sat still on the branches,
and the sow, terrified by theeagle, did not dare to go out

(17:07):
from her cave. And thus they, each with their families, perished from
hunger. Those who stir up enmitiesare not to be trusted. End of
Section ten.