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THE FOX AND THE GRAPES
A Fox,very hungry,chanced to come into a vineyard,where
there hung branches of charming ripe grapes:but nailed up to a trellis so high,that he leaped till he quite tired himself,without
being able to reach one of them.At lst-"Let he who will take them!"says he!"they are but green and sour"so I will even let
them alone."
THE OX and THE FROG
An Ox,grazing in a meadow,chanced to set his foot among a parcel
of young frogs,and trod one of them to death.The rest informed their mother,when she came home,what had happend;telling her,that
the beast that di it was the hugest creature that they ever saw in their lives."What was it so big?" says the old Frog,sweeling
and blowing up her speckled belly to a great degree."OH!"Bigger by a vast deal," say they."And so big",says she,straining
herself yet more."Indeed,mama,"sat they,"if you were to burst yourself,you would never be so big."She strove yet again,and
burst herself indeed.
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THE DOG and HIS SHADOW
A Dog crossing a little rivulet with a piece of flesh in his mouth,saw
his own shadow represented in the clear mirror of the limpid stream;and,believing it to be another dog,who was carrying another
piece of flesh,he could not forbear catching at it;but was so far from getting anything by his greedy design,that he dropped
the piece of he had in his mouth,which immeadiatley sunk to the bottom,and was irrecoverably lost.
The Shepherd's Boy
A certain Shepherd's Boy kept his sheep upon a common,and in sport
and wantoness would often cry out,The Wolf!the Wolf!.By this means he several times grew the husbandmen out in an adjoining
field from their work;who,finding themselves deluded,resolved in the future to take no notice of his alarm.Soon after the
Wolf came indeed.The Boy cried out in earnest;but no heed being given to his cries,the sheep are devoured by the Wolf.
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The Hare and THE Tortise
A Hare insulted a Tortise upon account of his slowness,and
vainly boasted of her own great speed in running."Let us make a match"replied the Tortise;"I will run with you five miles
for five pounds,and the Fox yonder shall be the umpire of the race."The Hare agreed;and away they both started together.But
the Hare,by reason of her exceeding swiftness,outran the Tortise to such a degree,that she made a jest of the matter;and,finding
herself a little tired,squatted in a tuft of fern that grew by the way,and took a nap;thinking that,if the Tortise went by,she
could at anytime fetch him up with all the ease imaginable.In the meantime while the Tortise came jogging on with slow but
continued motion and the Hare,out of a too great security and the confidence of victory,oversleeping herself,the Tortise arrived
at the end of the race first.
The Lion and The Mouse
A lion faint with heat,and weary with hunting,was layed
down to take his repose under the spreading boughs of a thick shady oak.It happen that,while he slept, a company of scrambling
mice ran over his back,and waked him;upon which,starting up,he clapped his paw upon one of them,and was going to put it to
death,when the little supplicant implored his mercy in a very moving manner,begging him not to stain his noble character with
the blood of so despicable and small a beast.The Lion,considering the matter,,thought it proper to do as he was desired,and
immeadiately released his little trembling prisoner.
Not long after,traversing the forest in pursuit of his prey,he chanced
to run into the toils of the hunters;from whence,not able to disengage himself,he set up a most hideous and loud roar. The
Mouse,hearing the voice,and knowing it to be the Lion"s,immeadiately repaired to the place,and bid him fear nothing,for that
he was his friend.Then straight he fell to work,and,with his little sharp teeth,gnawing asunder the knots and fastenings of
the toils,set the royal brute at liberty.
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