Aesop's Fables Episode 6

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The bear and the two travelers.Two men were traveling together when a bear
suddenly met them on their path.One of them climbed up quickly into a
tree and concealed himself in the branches. The other, seeing that he must
be attacked, fell flat on theground, And when the bear came up
and felt him with his snout andsmelt him all over, he held his

(00:23):
breath and feigned the appearance of deathas much as he could. The bear
soon left him, for it issaid he will not touch a dead body.
When he was quite gone, theother traveler descended from the tree,
and, accosting his friend, jocularlyinquired what it was the bear had whispered

(00:44):
in his ear. His friend replied, he gave me this advice. Never
travel with a friend who deserts youat the approach of danger. Misfortune tests
the sincerity of friends. The sickkite, a kite sick unto death,
said to his mother, Oh,mother, do not mourn, but at

(01:07):
once invoked the gods that my lifemay be prolonged. She replied, alas,
my son, which of the godsdo you think will pity you?
Is there one whom you have notoutraged by filching from their very altars a
part of the sacrifice which had beenoffered up to them. We must make
friends in prosperity, if we wouldhave their help in adversity. The Wolf

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and the crane. A wolf,having a bone stuck in his throat,
hired a crane for a large sumto put her head into his throat and
draw out the bone. When thecrane had extracted the bone and demanded the
promised payment, the wolf, grinningand grinding his teeth, exclaimed, why

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you have surely already a sufficient recompensein having been permitted to draw out your
head in safety from the mouth andjaws of a wolf. In serving the
wicked, expect no reward, andbe thankful if you escape injury for your
pains. The cat and the cock. A cat caught a cock and took

(02:21):
counsel with himself how he might finda reasonable excuse for eating him. He
accused him of being a nuisance tomen by crowing in the night time and
not permitting them to sleep. Thecock defended himself by saying that he did
this for the benefit of men,that they might rise betimes for their labors.
The cat replied, although you aboundin specious apologies. I shall not

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remain supperless, and he made ameal of him. It does no good
to deny those who make false accusationsknowingly. The wolf and the horse.
A wolf coming out of a fieldof oats, met with the horse,
and thus addressed him. I wouldadvise you to go into that field.

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It is full of capital oats,which I have left untouched for you,
as you are a friend, thevery sound of whose teeth it would be
a pleasure to me to hear.The horse replied, if oats had been
the food for wolves, you wouldnever have indulged your ears at the cost
of your belly. Men of evilreputation, when they perform a good deed,

(03:36):
fail to get credit for it.The two soldiers and the robber.
Two soldiers traveling together were set uponby a robber. The one fled away,
the other stood his ground and defendedhimself with his stout right hand.
The robber being slain, the timidcompanion runs up and draws his sword,

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and then, throwing back his travelingcloak, says, I'll be at him,
and I'll take care he shall learnwhom he has attacked on this He
who had fought with the robber madeanswer, I only wish that you had
helped me just now, even ifit had only been with those words,
for I should have been the moreencouraged, believing them to be true.

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But now put up your sword inits sheath, and hold your equally useless
tongue till you can deceive others whodo not know you. I indeed,
who have experienced with what speed youran away, know right well that no
dependence can be placed on your valor. When a coward is once found out,

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his pretensions of valor are useless.The monkey and the cat a monkey
and a cat lived in the samefamily, and it was hard to tell
which was the greatest thief. Oneday, as they were roaming about together,
they spied some chestnuts roasting in theashes. Come, said the cunning

(05:06):
monkey, we shall not go withoutour dinner to day. Your claws are
better than mine for the purpose.You pulled them out of the hot ashes,
and you shall have half pussy pulledthem out one by one, burning
her claws very much in doing so. When she had stolen them all,
she found that the monkey had eatenevery one. A thief cannot be trusted

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even by another thief. The twofrogs. Two frogs dwelt in the same
pool, the pool being dried upunder the summer's heat, they left it
and set out together for another home. As they went along, they chanced
to pass a deep well, amplysupplied with water. On seeing which one

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of the frogs said to the other, let us descend and make our abode
in this well. The other replied, with greater caution. But suppose the
water should fail us, how canwe get out again from so great a
depth? Do nothing without a regardto the consequences. The vine and the

(06:15):
goat. A vine was luxuriant inthe time of vintage, with leaves and
grapes. A goat passing by,nibbled its young tendrils and its leaves.
The vine said, why do youthus injure me and crop my leaves?
Is there no young grass left?But I shall not have to wait long
for my just revenge. For ifyou now crop my leaves and cut me

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down to my root, I shallprovide the wine to pour over you when
you were led as a victim tothe sacrifice, retribution is certain. The
mouse and the boasting rat. Amouse lived in a granary, which became,
after a while the frequent resort ofa cat. The mouse was in

(07:01):
great fear and did not know whatto do. In her strait, she
bethought herself of a rat who livednot far away, and who had said
in her hearing a hundred times thathe was not afraid of any cat living.
She resolved to visit the bold ratand ask him to drive the cat
away. She found the rat inhis hold, and, relating her story,

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besought his help. Pooh, saidthe rat, you should be bold
as I am. Go straight aboutyour affairs, and do not mind the
cat. I will soon follow youand drive him away. He thought,
now he must do something to makegood his boast, so he collected all
the rats in the neighborhood resolved tofrighten the cat by numbers. But when

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they all came to the granary,they found that the cat had already caught
the foolish mouse, and a singlegrowl from him sent them all scampering to
their hole. Do not rely ona boaster, the dogs and the fox.
Some dogs, finding the skin ofa lion, began to tear it

(08:11):
in pieces with their teeth. Afox, seeing them, said, if
this lion were alive, you wouldsoon find out that his claws were stronger
than your teeth. It is easyto kick a man that is down.
The thief and the house dog.A thief came in the night to break

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into a house. He brought withhim several slices of meat that he might
pacify the house dog, so thathe should not alarm his master by barking.
As the thief through the pieces ofmeat, the dog said, if
you think to stop my mouth,to relax my vigilance, or even to
gain my regard by these gifts,you are greatly mistaken. This sudden kindness

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at your hands will only make memore watchful, lest under these unexpected favors
to myself you have some private endsto accomplish for your own benefit and for
my master's injury. Besides, thisis not the time that I am usually
fed, which makes me all themore suspicious of your intentions. He who

(09:18):
offers bribes needs watching, for hisintentions are not honest. The sick Stag
a six stag lay down in aquiet corner of his pasture ground. His
companions came in great numbers to inquireafter his health, and each one helped

(09:39):
himself to a share of the foodwhich had been placed for his use,
so that he died not from hissickness, but from the failure of the
means of living. Evil companions bringmore hurt than profit. The Fowler and
the Ring of a Fowler took hisgun and went into the woods a shooting.

(10:03):
He spied a ring dove among thebranches of an oak, and intended
to kill it. He clapped thepiece to his shoulder and took his aim
accordingly. But just as he wasgoing to pull the trigger, an adderb
which he had trod upon under thegrass, stung him so painfully in the
leg that he was forced to quithis design and threw his gun down in

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a passion. The poison immediately infectedhis blood, and his whole body began
to mortify, which, when heperceived he could not help, owning it
to be just fate, said,he has brought destruction upon me while I
was contriving the death of another.Men often fall into the trap which they

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prepare for others. The Kid andthe Wolf. A kid returning without protection
from the pasture, was pursued bya wolf round and said to the wolf,
I know, friend, wolf,that I must be your prey.
But before I die, I wouldask of you one favor that you will

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play me a tune to which Ican dance. The wolf complied, and
while he was piping and the kidwas dancing, the hounds, hearing the
sound, came up and gave chaseto the wolf. The wolf, turning
to the kid, said, itis just what I deserve, for I,
who am only a butcher, shouldnot have turned piper to please you.

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Everyone should keep his own colors.The blind man and the whelp.
A blind man was accustomed to distinguishingdifferent animals by touching them with his hands.
The whelp of a wolf was broughthim with a request that he would
feel it and say what it was. He felt it, and, being

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in doubt, said, I donot quite know whether it is the cub
of a fox saw the whelp ofa wolf. But this sygno full well
that it would not be safe toadmit him to the sheepfold. Evil tendencies
are shown early in life. Thegeese and the cranes. The geese and

(12:16):
the cranes fed in the same meadow. A bird capture came to ensnare them
in his nets. The cranes,being light of wing, fled away at
his approach, while the geese,being slower of flight and heavier in their
bodies, were captured. Those whowere caught are not always the most guilty.

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The north wind and the sun.The north wind and the Sun disputed
which was the more powerful, andagreed that he should be declared the victor
who could first strip a wayfaring manof his clothes. The north wind first
tried his power and blew with allhis might, but the keener became his

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blasts closer, the traveler wrapped hiscloak around him, till at last,
resigning all hope of victory, hecalled upon the sun to see what he
could do. The Sun suddenly shoneout with all his warmth. The traveler
no sooner felt his genial rays thanhe took off one garment after another,
and at last, fairly overcome withheat, undressed and bathed in a stream

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that lay in his path. Persuasionis better than force. End of Section five.