 Section 129 of Fables of Aesop and Others. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Summer Ward, Fables of Aesop and Others by Aesop. The Vane Jackdaw. A certain Jackdaw was so proud and ambitious that not contented to live within his own sphere, he picked up the feathers which fell from the peacocks and stuck them in among his own, and very confidently introduced himself into an assembly of those beautiful birds. They soon found him out, stripped him of his borrowed plumes, and fell upon him with their sharp bills, punished him as his presumption deserved. Upon this, full of grief and affliction, he returned to his old companions and would have lived with them again, but they, knowing his late life and conversation, industriously avoided him and refused to admit him into their company, and one of them, at the same time, gave him this serious reproof. If, friend, you could have been contented with our station and had not disdained the rank in which nature had placed you, you had not been used so scurvally by those whom you intruded yourself, nor suffered the notorious slight which now we think ourselves obliged to put upon you. Application. To aim at making a figure by the means of either borrowed wit or borrowed money generally subjects us at last to tenfold ridicule. A wise man, therefore, will take his post quietly in his own station without pretending to fill that of another, and never effect to look bigger than he really is by means of false or borrowed light. It shrews great weakness and vanity in any man to be pleased at making an appearance above what he really is. But, if to enable him to do so with something of better grace, he has condestinely feathered his nest out of his neighbor's goods. It is a pity if he should not be found out, stripped of his plunder, and treated like a felonous rogue in the bargain. End of Section 129, Recording by Summer Ward. Section 130, The Fables of Esop and Others. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Fables of Esop and Others by Esop. The Lion and the Mouse A lion, having laid down to take his repose under the spreading boughs of a shady tree, a company of mice scampered over his back and waked him. Upon which, starting up, he clapped his paw upon one of them and was just going to put it to death when the little supplyant implored his mercy, begging him not to stain his noble character with the blood of so small and insignificant a creature. The lion, touched with compassion, instantly released his little trembling captive. Not long after traversing the forest in search of his prey, he chanced to run into the toils of the hunters. And not being able to disengage himself, he set up a loud roar, the mouse hearing the voice and knowing it to be the lions, immediately repaired to the place and bade him fear nothing for that he was his friend. Instantly he fell to work and with his little sharp teeth, nodded asunder the nods and fastenings of the toils and set the royal brute at liberty. Application They who generously shower benefits on their fellow creatures seldom fail of inspiring the great bulk of them with a benevolent regard for their benefactors and often receive returns of kindness which they never expected. Mercy is of all other virtues the most likely to kindle gratitude in those to whom it is extended and it is difficult to find an instance of a conqueror who ever had occasion to repent of his humanity and clemency. The fable gives us to understand that there is no person in the world so little but even the greatest may at some time or other stand in need of his assistance and consequently it is good to show favor when there is room for it towards those who fall into our power. As the lowest people in life may upon occasion be able either to serve or hurt us, it is as much our interest as our duty to behave with good nature and lenity towards all with whom we have any intercourse. A great soul is never so much delighted as when an opportunity offers of making a return for favors received and a sensible man however exalted his station will never consider himself secure from the necessity of accepting a service from the poorest. End of section 130 Proclaimed that if any bird would take him up into the air and show him the world he would reward him with the discovery of an invaluable treasure which he knew was hidden in a certain place in the earth. The eagle accepted the offer and having performed his undertaking gently set the tortoise again on the ground and demanded the reward. The tortoise was obligated to confess that he could not fulfill his promise which he had made only with the view of having his fancy gratified. The eagle, stung with resentment at being thus duped, grasped him again in his great talents and then soaring to a great height let him fall by which he was dashed to pieces. Application Man of honor are careful not to tarnish their reputation by falsifying their word and always consider well how far it may be in their powers to fulfill their promises before they make them. They always strive to walk on the straight line of rectitude and should they in an unguarded moment happen to stagger from it they instantly retrace their steps and feel unhappy until they have regained their station. There is a simplicity in truth and virtue which requires no artifices and never leads us into difficulties but points out the plain and safe way. Deceit and cunning on the contrary involve those who practice them in a maze and they are bewildered in their own falsehoods from which no dexterity can extricate them. The brain-racking schemes which villains practice to delude others are commonly detected and end in the unpity punishment of themselves for they seldom discover the folly of being wicked until it has betrayed them into their ruin but such persons would do well to refresh their memories with the old adage which says that all naves are fools but all fools are not naves. End of section 131 Section 132 of Fables of Peace upon Others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain of information or to volunteer. Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Chad Horner from Ballyclerre in Cuncie under Northern Ireland situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Fables of Eesup and Others by Eesup The Polecat and the Cock A Polecat that had long committed depredations on the farmyard having a mind to make a mail of the blood of the cock seized him one morning by surprise and asked him what he could say for himself. Why, slaughter should not pass upon him, the cock replied, that he was serviceable to mankind by crowing in the morning and calling them up to their daily labour. That is true, says the Polecat and is the very objection that I have against you for you make such a shrill, impertinent noise that people cannot sleep for you besides you are this just rascal and make no scruple of lying with your mother and sisters. Well, says the cock, this I do not deny, but I do it to procure eggs and chickens for my master. Ah, villain, says the Polecat, hold your wicket tongue, such empiities as they declare that you are no longer fit to live. Application When a wicket man in power has a mind to glut his appetite in any respect, his innocence or even merit is no protection against him. The cries of justice and the voice of reason are of no effect upon a conscience hardened in iniquity and a mind versed in a long practice of wrong and robbery. Remonstrances, however reasonably urged or movingly couched, have no more influence upon the hearts of such than the gentle evening breeze has upon the oak when it whispers among its branches or the rising surges upon the death-rog when they dash and break upon its sides. Hars should never be trusted in the hands of an empiest, selfish man and one that has more regard to the gratification of his own insatiable desires than to public peace and justice, but as a wicked son may succeed to the station of a virtuous and patriotic father, care should be taken to guard against a surprise by a vigilant watchfulness of the encroaching nature of power, even when, in the nevel and hands, that those checks may not be undermined which counteract its abuse in bad ones. Had the poor cog exerted his usual vigilance, it would have served him much more effectually than either his innocence or his eloquence. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Claude Ramon Bernhard of Philadelphia. Fables of Aesop and Others by Aesop. The Fowler and the Blackbird. A Fowler was busy placing his nets and putting his tackle in order by the side of a coppice when a blackbird, who was perched on an adjacent tree, eyed him with great attention. But being at a loss to know the use of all the apparatus and preparation had the curiosity to ask him what he was doing. I am, says the Fowler, building a fine city for you birds to live in and providing it with meat and all manner of conveniences for you. Having said this, he departed and hid himself, and the blackbird, believing his words, came into the nets and was taken. But when the man ran up to seize his captive, the bird thus addressed him, if this be your faith and these the cities you build, it will be a great pity if you should ever again persuade any poor simple bird to try to inhabit them. Application. The Fowler's professions of friendship for the birds while he aimed at their destruction may be paralleled by too many instances in real life, and however mortifying it may be to reflect upon, yet so it is that the designing nave far too often succeeds in his deep-laid schemes to ensnare and overreach and ruin the honest and unsuspecting man. Planners and projectors of this character, both of high and low degree, are suffered to roam at large and it behooves the inexperienced to guard against their plots with a watchful eye, for while they smoothly disclaim taking any mean advantage over those they are addressing, with their plausible pretensions, their sole study and aim is to fill their own pockets and then to hug themselves with the thoughts of their success and to laugh at those whom they have duped. As long as people can be found credulous enough to suffer themselves to be imposed upon, so long will there arise gentry of this description who will live in affluence by taking advantage of their weakness. End of section 133, recording by Claude Ramon Bernhardt of Philadelphia. Recording by Chris Gray. Ah, do not ask me, says he. Ah, do not ask me, says he. I was so silly as to believe what the nurse said and have been disappointed. Application. A barbarous inference, which neither the obvious sense of the apologue nor the disposition of the softr sex will warrant, for though some women may be fickle and unstable, yet the generality exceed their columnators in truth and constancy and have more frequently to complain of being the victims than to be arraigned as the authors of broken vows. To us this fable appears to mean little more than merely to shoe how easily inclined we are in all our various expectations through life, to delude ourselves into a belief of anything which we desire to be true. The lover interprets every smile of his mistress in his own favor and is then perhaps neglected. The beauty believes all mankind are dying for her and is then deserted by her train of admirers. The followers of the great reckon a smile or nod very auspicious omens and deceive themselves with groundless hopes of employment or promotion, an expectation of which they, like the wolf at the nurse's door, may be usefully employed elsewhere and at last are obliged to retire disappointed and hungry, crying out perhaps against the perfidy of those in power instead of blaming their own sanguine credulity. End of Section 134 Recording by Chris Gray Section 135 of fables of ASOP and others. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Rachel Marie fables of ASOP and others by ASOP The Harper A man who used to play upon the harp and sing to it in middle ale houses and made a shift in those narrow confined walls to please the dull sorts who hurt him from hence entertained an ambition of shooing his parts in the public theatre, where he fancied he could not fail of raising a great reputation and fortune in a very short time he was accordingly admitted upon trial but the spaciousness of the place and the throng of the people so deadened and weakened both his voice and instrument that scarcely either of them could be heard and where they could his performance sounded so poor, so low and wretched in the ears of his refined audience that he was universally hissed off the stage. Application When we are conmendant for our performances by people of much flattery or little judgment we should be sure not to value ourselves upon it. For want of this caution many a vain, unthinking man has it once exposed himself to the censure of the world a buffoon though he would not be fit to open his mouth in a senate or upon a subject where sound sense and grave and serious behaviour are expected may be very agreeable to a company disposed to be mirthful over a glass of wine. It is not the diverting a little insignificant injudicious audience or society which can gain us a proper esteem or ensure our success in a place which calls for a performance of the first rate. We should have either allowed abilities to please the most refined tastes or judgment enough to know that we want them and to have a care how we submit ourselves to the trial and if we have a mind to pursue a just and true ambition it is not sufficient that we study barely to please but it is of the greatest moment whom we please and in what respect otherwise we may not only lose our labour but make ourselves ridiculous into the bargain. End of section 135 In a dispute between the ant and the fly concerning presidency the latter that's boasted I have said he the apamos seats at church and even frequent the altars. I am tasted to the gods and a part taker of all their sacrifices. I am admitted into the palaces of kings and enjoy myself at every entertainment provided for the princes of the era. And all this without having occasion to labour. What have you to boast of? Poor sorry judge crawling upon the earth living in caverns and holes and with constant excursion gathering up a grain of corn to support a wretched existence? Indeed said the ant. I pretend to none of these vines. Visiting the great and partaking of their festivals and sacrifices might be entitled to some consideration were you invited but you are only an impudent intruder in such places. My time indeed is spent differently. I lead a life of industry which is crowned with health and vigor. My time is crowned with health and vigor and I am constantly held up as an example of prudence and foresight. I provide for present comforts and future wants and court not the favours nor dread the frowns of anyone. While your laziness and vanity make you a beggarly intruder wherever you hope to get a present supply. You may perhaps sip honey one day but on the next you baton on carrion and having propagated a numerous progeny equally as noxious and useless as yourself I then behold you from my comfortable warm well-stored mansion in the winter of your days starving to death with hunger and cold. Application The worthless part of mankind who pass through the world without being of any service in it and without acquiring the least reputation seldom fail of adding empty pride to all the other failings and behave with arrogance towards those who contribute to the comforts and happiness of society. They treat industrious persons as wretched judges appointed to labour for poor subsistence while they think themselves entitled to enjoy all the good things of this life though they of all others least deserve them. But the worthy and industrious will generally find that the pride and extravagance of these idol-flies bring them at least to shame if not to want. While their own honest labourers secure a good name a happy mind and a sufficiency for their wants if not a state of affluence. In short, no one is a better gentleman than he whose own honest industry supplies him with all necessities and who pretends to know more acquaintance with honour than never to say mean or an unjust thing. Section Number 137 of Fables of ESOP and others. This is a LibreVox recording or LibreVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibreVox.org Recording by Elaine Conway England Fables of ESOP and others by ESOP The mouse and the weasel A thin hungry mouse after much pushing and twisting crept through a small hole into a corn basket where he gorged himself so plentifully that on his attempting to retire by the same passage he found himself so swelled out that with all his endeavours he could not squeeze through again a weasel who stood at some distance and had been diverting himself with the vain efforts of the little glutton called to him sneeringly Hark ye, Mr. Mouse remember that you were lean and half-starved when you got in at that small hole and take my word for it you must be as lean and half-starved before you can make your way out again. Application That portion of mankind whose inordinate desires push them on to stick at nothing in acquiring wealth are seldom the most happy for covetousness which never produced one noble sentiment often urges its voterries to break through the rules of justice and then deprive them of the expected fruits of their iniquity besides great riches most inseparable and there is often a quiet and content attending upon people of moderate circumstances to which the wealthy man is an utter stranger it has happened, even to monarchs that their inroads on the possessions of others attended to the detriment of the aggressor who has been obliged to resign the rich spoils obtained by unjustifiable hostilities found the ill-gotten mouth with a very bad grace a punishment which providence is wiser annexed to acts of violence and fraud as the best security of the possessions of the just and virtuous against the attempts of the wicked some men from creeping in the lowest stations of life have in process of time reached the greatest places and grown so bulky by pursuing their insatiate appetite for money that when they would have retired they found themselves too opulent and full to get off there has been no expedient for them to creep out so they were squeezed and reduced in some measure to their primitive littleness they that fill themselves with that which is the property of others should always be so served before they are suffered to escape End of section 137 section 138 of fables of Esop and others this is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of Esop and others by Esop the eagle and the fox an eagle that had young ones looking for something to feed them with happened to spy a fox's cub that lay basking itself abroad in the sun she made a stoop and trusted immediately but before she had carried it quite off the old fox coming home implored her with tears to spare her cub and pity the distress of a poor fond mother who would think no affliction so great of losing her child the eagle whose nest was high in an old hollow tree thought herself secure from all projects of revenge and so bore away the cub to her young ones without chewing any regard to the supplications of the fox but that subtle creature highly incensed at this outrageous barbarity ran to an altar where some country people had been chasing a kid in the open fields and catching up a firebrand in her mouth made towards the tree where the eagle's nest was with a resolution of revenge she had scarcely reached its root when the eagle terrified of the approaching ruin of herself and family begged of the fox to desist and with much submission returned her the cub safe and sound application when men their situations happened to be wicked how little scruple do they make of oppressing their poor neighbours they are perched upon a lofty station and having outgrown all feelings of humanity are insensible to the pangs of remorse the widows tears the orphans cries and the curses of the miserable fall by the way and never reach their hearts but to let such in the midst of their flagrant injustice remember how easy it is notwithstanding their superior distance for the meanest vessel to take his revenge the bitterness of affliction even where cunning is wanting may animate the poorest spirit with desperate resolutions and when once the fury of revenge is thoroughly awakened we know not what she may affect before she is allowed to rest again the most powerful tyrants cannot prevent a resolve to assassination in a thousand different ways for any private man to do the business who is heartily disposed to it and willing to satisfy his appetite for revenge at the expense of his life an old woman may clap a firebrand to the palace of a prince and a poor weak fool may destroy the children of the mighty end of section 138 section 139 of fables of esop and others this is a LibraVox recording or LibraVox recordings and in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the belly and the members for a few days it happened that the members of the human body taking some offence at the conduct of the belly resolved no longer to grant it the usual supplies the tongue first in a seditious speech aggravated their grievances and after highly extolling the activity and diligence of the hands and feet set forth how hard and unreasonable it was that the fruits would be squandered away upon the insatiable cravings of a fat and indolent pawn in short it was resolved for the future to strike off his allowance and let him shift for himself as well as he could the hands protested they would not lift a finger to keep him from starving and the teeth refused to chew a single morsel wall for his use in this distress the belly frustrated with them in vain for during the clamour of passion the voice of reason is always disregarded this unnatural resolution was kept as long as anything of that kind can be kept which was until each of the rebel members pined away to the skin and bone and could hold out no longer then they found there was no doing without the belly and that idle and insatiable as it seemed it contributed as much to the welfare of all the other parts as they in their several stations did towards its maintenance application this fable was spoken by Meneños Agrippa a roman consul and general when he was deputed by the senate to appease a dangerous tumult and insurrection of the people the many wars the romans were engaged in and the frequent supplies they were obliged to raise had so soured and inflamed the minds of the populace that they were resolved to endure it no longer and obstinately refused to pay the taxes it is easy to discern how the great man applied this fable for if the branches and members of a community use the government that aid which its necessities require the whole must perish together the rulers of a state useless or frivolous as they may sometimes seem are yet as necessary to be kept up and maintained in a proper and decent grandeur as the family of each private person is in a condition suitable to its own every man's enjoyment of that little which he gains by his daily labour depends upon the governments being maintained in a condition to defend and secure him in the unmolested control and possession of it end of section 139 section 140 of fables of esop and others this is a Libravox recording all Libravox recordings are in the public domain for information or to volunteer please visit Libravox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the fatal marriage a mass being ambitious of marrying into a noble family paid his addresses to a young lioness and at length succeeded in entering into a treaty of marriage with her when the day appointed for the nuptials arrived the bridegroom set out in a transport of joy to meet his beloved bride and coming up to her passionately threw himself at her feet but she, like a giddy thing as she was not minding how she walked accidentally set her foot upon her little spouse and crushed him to death application it is very unsafe for persons of low estate to form connections with those of a very superior situation when wealthy persons of mean extraction and unrefined education as an equivalent for their money demand brides out of the nursery of the peerage if they should not be ruined by the giddy extravagances of their high-born wives they're being despised or at least treated with neglect is almost certain but indeed much unhappiness follows the want of a sand judgment in the choice of a partner for life whether it be in high or low rich or poor no human contract is of so important as well as delicate to nature as marriage it is one of the grand epochs in the history of a man it is an engagement which should be voluntary judicious and disinterested and can never be attended with honour or blessed with happiness if it is not if it has not it's origin in mutual affection if it be either unsuitable or compulsory it produces not only individual misery but consequences universally pernicious sordid interest and vile dependence may indeed sometimes act so powerfully as to set nature and true convenience aside so as to make the yoke which is jointly born by the improper union of the high and low or by age and youth put on an appearance of regard for each other but natural affection must needs be wanting on one side or the other nature has however with a strong hand pointed out the path to be pursued and a few prudential rules only are necessary to keep us within it if a man is of an unsound constitution or if he cannot provide for a family let him forebear matrimony it is the duty of every man who marries to take a wealthy woman for his wife for the sake of his children and an amiable one for his own comfort the same precaution ought to be taken by the fair sex unless they can make up their minds to become nurses to tainted worn out husbands and their puny nerveless offspring end of section 140 section number 141 of fables of esop and others this is a LibriVolks recording or LibriVolks recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVolks.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the young man and the lion an opulent old man who believed in omens and dreams had an only son of whom he was dotingly fond one night he dreamt that he saw the young man while he was eagerly engaged in the chase seized upon and torn in pieces by a lion his operated upon his fears to such a degree that he instantly determined upon breaking off his son's strong propensity turning and he might be kept out of home's way for this purpose he spared neither pain nor expense to make home agreeable to him he had the rooms decorated with the finest paintings of forest scenery and the hunting of wild beasts with the reality of which the youth had been so much delighted but the young man debarred from his favourite pleasures considered the palace a prison at his father as the keeper one day when looking at the pictures he cast his eye upon that of a lion and enraged that he was confined for a dream about such a beast he struck at the painting with his fist with all his might there happened to be a nail in the wall behind the canvas which lacerated the hand terribly the wound festered and threw the young man into a fever of which he died so that the father's dream was fulfilled by the very step he took to prevent it application those people who govern their lives by foreboding some dreams and signs of ill luck are kept in a state of constant anxiety and uneasiness such a disposition is grounded on superstition which is the offspring of a narrow mind and adds greatly to the evils with which life is sufficiently loaded heaven has kindly concealed from us the knowledge of futurity and it is therefore foolish for us to attempt to pray into it or to disturb our minds with absurd conceptions of events which are only realised by our ridiculous precautions against them how inconsistent is the conduct of people who imagine things to be predestined and yet busy themselves in endeavors to prevent their coming to pass the vain efforts of human power or prudence were able to counteract the will or reverse the degrees of the omnipotent end of section 141 section 142 of fables of esop and others this is a LibraVox recording or LibraVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer visit LibraVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the kite and the pigeons a kite who had kept sailing in the air for many days near a dove house and made a stoop at several pigeons to no purpose for they were too nimble for him and at last had recourse to stratagem and make a declaration to them in which he set forth his own just and good intentions and that he had nothing more at heart than the defence and protection of the pigeons in their ancient rights and liberties and how concerned he was at their unjust and unreasonable suspicions of himself as if he intended by force of arms to break in upon their constitution and erect a tyrannical government over them to prevent all which and thoroughly to quiet their minds he thought proper to propose such terms of alliance as might forever cement a good understanding between them one of which was that they should accept of him for their king and invest him with all kingly privilege and prerogative over him in return for which he promised them protection from all their enemies the poor simple pigeons consented the kite took the coronation oath after a very solemn manner on his part and the doves the oaths of allegiance and fidelity on theirs but much time had not passed over their heads before the good kite pretended that it was part of his prerogative to devour a pigeon whenever he pleased and this he was not contented to do himself only but instructed the rest of the royal family in the same kingly arts the pigeons reduced to this miserable condition said one to the other ah we deserve no better why did we let him come in application what can this fable be applied to but the exceeding blindness and stupidity of that part of mankind who wantonly and foolishly trust their native rights of liberty without good security who often choose for guardians of their lives and fortunes persons abandoned to the most unsociable of vices and seldom have any better excuse for such an error in politics than that they were deceived in their expectation or never thoroughly knew the manners of their king till he had got them entirely in his power we ought not to incur the possibility of being deceived in so important a matter as this an unlimited power should not be trusted in the hands of anyone who is not endowed with a perfection more than human end of section 142 section 143 of fables of esop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the sick kite kite who had been sick a long time beginning to be doubtful of recovery begged his mother to go to all the churches and religious houses in the country to try what prayers and offerings would affect in his behalf the old kite replied indeed my dear son I will willingly undertake anything to save your life but I have great reason to despair of doing you any service in the way you propose with what face can I ask anything of the gods in favour of one whose whole life has been a continued scene of rapine and injustice and who has not scrupled a punication to rob even their alters application the rehearsal of this fable almost inevitably draws our attention to that very serious and important point the consideration of a deathbed repentance the sincerity of which we may justly respect in one whose whole life has been spent in acts of wickedness and impiety to expose the absurdity of relying upon such a weak foundation we need only ask the same question with a kite in the fable how can he who has offended the gods all his lifetime dishonour and injustice expect that they will be pleased with him at last for no other reason but because he fears he shall not be able to offend them any longer since the summons to pass that born when snow traveller returns must one day come we ought always to be prepared to meet it but when the whole life has been wasted without communication with or totally estranged from that thinking by whose fiat it was called into existence then indeed the polluted soul must be distracted with the agonising thoughts of appearing before him who created it for a very different purpose nothing but the consciousness of having led a virtuous life can in the awful moment disarm death of his terrors and fortify the mind with cheering hopes and resignation but this is a subject of the utmost importance and the due enforcing of it is one of the most solemn duties of the pulpit end of section 143 section 144 of fables of esop and others this is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the fox and the lion the first time the fox saw the lion he fell down at his feet and was ready to die with fear the second time he took courage and could even bear to look upon him the third time he had the confidence to come up to him to salute him and to enter into familiar conversation with him application from this fable we may observe the two extremes in which we may fail as to a proper behaviour towards our superiors the one is a bashfulness proceeding either from a vicious guilty mind or a timorous rusticity the other an overbearing impedance which assumes more than becomes it and so renders the person insufferable to the conversation of well-bred reasonable people but there is a difference between the bashfulness which arises from a want of education and the shame-facedness that accompanies conscious guilt the first by time and a nearer acquaintance may be ripened into a proper liberal behaviour the other no sooner finds an easy practicable access but it throws off all manner of reverence grows every day more and more familiar and branches out at last into the utmost indecency and irregularity indeed there are many occasions which may happen to cast an awe or even a terror upon our minds at first view without any just or reasonable grounds but upon a little recollection or a nearer insight we recover ourselves and can appear indifferent and unconcerned where before we were ready to sink under a load of dividends and fear we should upon such occasions use our endeavours to regain a due degree of steadiness and resolution but at the same time we must have a care that our efforts in that respect force the balance too much and make it rise to an unbecoming freedom and an offensive familiar arity end of section 144 section 145 of fables of ESOP and others this is a LibraVolks recording or LibraVolks recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVolks.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of ESOP and others by ESOP the dog and the wolf a wolf in quest of prey happened to fall in with a well-fed Mastief ah Trey said he one does not need to ask how you do you look so plump and hearty I wish you were as well provided for but my gaunt looks that I fare very differently although I dare say I venture my life ten times more than you do in searching for a precarious subsistence amidst woods and wilds exposed to rain and frost and snow if you will follow me replies the dog and do as I do I have no doubt you will change for the better and soon be in as good as I am the wolf eagerly requested to be informed what would be required of him very little replied the Mastief only drive away beggars guard the master's house caress him and be submissive to his family and you will be well fed and warmly lodged to these conditions the wolf had no objections but as they were jogging along he observed the hare worn off around the dog's neck and inquired the course oh nothing answered he who were mere trifle perhaps the collar to which my chain has left him up chain replied the wolf with some surprise so then you are not permitted to go where and when you please not always said Trey but what does that signify it signifies so much that I am resolved to partake of no sumptuous fare with a chain about my neck for half a meal with liberty is preferable to a full one without it application true greatness of soul will never give up liberty for any consideration whatever for what are riches grandeur, titles or any other worldly good if they are beholden by so precarious a tenure as the arbitrary will of a tyrant a mere competency with liberty is preferable to servitude amidst the greatest affluence and even the lowest condition in life with freedom is better than the most exalted station without it but liberty in a state of society does not consist in doing whatsoever we please but only permits those actions by which we do no injustice to our neighbor all to the community the well-being of society requires the efforts of all from the highest to the lowest to preserve and support it and since it appears to be the will of omnipotence that mankind should live in this state of social union which does not admit of the unbridled freedom of the savage state a certain portion of individual liberty must be given up with the good of the whole but the sacrifice should be banded by the common good all beyond approaches towards slavery and degrades the people who submit to it End of section 145 Section 146 of fables of ESOP and others this is a LibraVolks recording or LibraVolks recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVolks.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of ESOP and others by ESOP the flying fish and the dolphin the flying fish to avoid its enemies leaves the water takes wing and mounts up into the air the dolphin is one of the most constant of these enemies and its velocity through the liquid element it is said surpasses that of every living creature in so much that as it darts along the brilliancy and changeableness of its colours which cannot be described appear like the flash of a meteor a flying fish being pursued by a dolphin in his eagerness to escape took too long a flight and his wings becoming dry he fell upon a rock where his death was inevitable the dolphin in the keenness of his pursuit ran himself on shore at the foot of the rock and was left by the wave gasping in the same condition as the other well says the flying fish I must die it is certain but it is some consolation to behold my merciless enemy involved in the same fate application when brought low by a cruel and insolent oppressor there is no torture we feel more poignantly than to see him triumphantly exalting in our downfall and the opposite extreme must take place in our minds on seeing our enemy overshoot his mark and in his turn brought down to the same level of distress with ourselves the temper that is not touched with feelings of this kind must be of a highly philosophical cast indeed the great and powerful for the sake of their own peace of mind should not unfeelingly persecute their inferiors for nothing is more sweet to some tempers and scarcely anything more easy to compass than revenge it is not so ugly as a purse-proud ignorant wicked man end of section 146 section 147 of fables of esop and others this is a LibraVox recording all LibraVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England fables of esop and others by esop the lion and the frog the lion hearing an odd kind of hollow voice and seeing nobody started up he listened again and hearing the noise repeated he trembled and quaked of fear at last seeing a frog crawl out of the lake and finding that the noise he had heard was nothing but the croaking of that little creature he went up to it with greater anger but checking himself turned away from it ashamed of his own timidity application the early prejudices of a wrong education can only be eradicated from the strongest minds the weak retain them through life this fable is a pretty image of the vain fears and empty terrors with which our weak misguided nature is so apt to be alarmed and disturbed if we hear but ever so little noise which we are not able to account for immediately nay, often before we give ourselves time to consider about it we are struck with fear and labour under our most unmanly and unreasonable trepidation will especially if the alarm happens when we are alone and in the dark these fears are engrafted into our minds very early and therefore it is the more difficult even when we are grown up and ashamed of them to root them out of our nature they are chiefly the offspring of the nursery and originate in the many terrific tales and lying stories of those who have the management there and though every pains be afterwards taken to free the mind from the impression of such grandless fears the weaker part of mankind are still apt to be terrified at the empty phantoms of ghosts spectres, apparitions and hobgoblins but whatever effect such fantasies may have upon the guilty mind innocence has nothing to dread from supernatural causes fear is however a natural passion and its use is to put us upon our guard against danger by alarming the spirits but it, like all our other passions should be kept in a state of subjection for though they are all good and useful servants yet if once they get the better of our reason they prove the most domineering tyrants imaginable nor do any of them treat us in so abject and slavish manner as fear it unnerves and enfeebles our limbs while it fetters our understandings and at the same time that it represents a danger near at hand disarms and makes us incapable of defending ourselves from it but we ought to call forth a sense of honour and shame to correct such weaknesses and for this purpose it will be useful to remember the fable of the lion and the frog End of section 147 section 148 of fables of Esop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Elaine Conway England Fables of Esop and Others by Esop the Kid and the Wolf a kid being mounted upon the roof of a high shed and seeing a wolf below took the opportunity of affronting him with a foulest reproaches upon which the wolf looking up replied, do not value yourself vain creature, upon thinking you mortify me for I look upon this ill language not as coming from you but from the place which protects you Application Place a coward out to the reach of danger and then no man can put on an appearance of greater courage. In his castle he makes a great deal more bluster and threatening than a man of spirit and honour would do if placed in the same situation a similar kind of overbearing behaviour to often choose itself in the upstart worthless placeman who taking advantage of his situation which protects him and knowing that he is out of the reach of our resentment exhibits all the insolence of our office but such should be put in mind that a saucy deportment is no sign of either courage, good sense or good manners and that a gentleman and a man of spirit will use no ill or unbecoming language to any person however low in station End of section 148 Section 149 of Fables of Asop and Others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Michael Fasio Fables of Asop and Others by Asop The Country and the City Mouse A plain country mouse was one day unexpectedly visited at his hole by a fine mouse of the town who had formerly been his play-fellow The honest rustic, pleased with the honour resolved to entertain his friend as sumptuously as possible He set before him a reserve of delicate grey peas and bacon a dish of fine oatmeal some pairings of new cheese and a crown-all with a dessert a remnant of a charming mellow apple When the repass was nearly finished the spark of the town taking breath said, old crony, give me leave to be a little free with you How can you bear to live in this melancholy hole here with nothing but woods and meadows and mountains and rivulets about you? Do you not prefer the conversation of the world to the chirping of birds and the splendor of the court to the rude aspect of a wild like this? With many flowery arguments he at last prevailed upon his country friend to accompany him to town and about midnight they safely entered a certain great house where there had been an entertainment the day before Here it was the courtiers turned to entertain and placing his guest on a rich Persian carpet they both began to regale most deliciously when on a sudden the noise of somebody opening the door made them scuttle in confusion about the dining-room The rustic in particular was ready to die with fear breath escapes which followed At last recovering himself Well, says he If this be your town life much good may it do you Give me my poor quiet hole again with my homely but comfortable grey peas Application A moderate fortune with a quiet retirement in the country is preferable to the greatest affluence attended with the care and the perplexity of business How often are we deceived by the specious shows of splendor and magnificence and what a poor exchange does he make who gives up ease and content in a humble situation to engage in difficulties and encounter perils in affluence and luxury The plowman in the field who labors for his daily pittance earns his bread with less uneasiness and fatigue than the man who haunts levies to obtain wealth and preferment Riches, properly used are indeed very conducive to ease and happiness But if we leave any comfortable situation to procure them or abuse the possession of them by riot and intemperance we resign the end for the means mistake the shadow for the substance and convert the instruments of good fortune into the engines of anxiety and solicitude End of Section 149 Section 150 of Fables of Esup and Others This is a LibriVox recording while LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Fables of Esup and Others by Esup The one-eyed doe A doe that had lost an eye used to graze near the sea and that she might be the more secure from harm she kept her blindside towards the water from when she had no apprehension, danger and with the others surveyed the country as she fed By this vigilance and precaution she thought herself in the utmost security But a sly fellow with two poaching companions who had watched her several days to no purpose at last took a boat and came gently down upon her and shot her The doe and the agonies of death breathed out this doful complaint O hard fate that I should receive my death's wound from the side once I expect it no ill and be safe in that quarter where I looked for the most danger Application We are liable to many misfortunes that no care or foresight can prevent but we ought to provide in the best way we can against them and leave the rest to Providence The wisest of men have their foibles or blindsides and have their enemies too who watched to take advantage of their weaknesses It behooves us therefore to look to ourselves on the blindside as the part that lies most exposed to an attack Vigilance and caution are commonly our best preservatives from evil and security is often a fatal enemy when we cherish it so as to lull all our apprehensions to rest We should not however encourage in ourselves the slavish principle of fear nor make ourselves miserable on account of latent evils which it is not in our power to prevent The ways and workings of Providence are inscrutable and it is not in the power of human prudence to obviate all the accidents of life End of Section 150 Section 151 of Fables of Aesop and Others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Claude Ramon Bernhard of Philadelphia Fables of Aesop and Others by Aesop The Trees and the Woodmen A countryman, being in want of a handle for his hatchet entered a wood and looked among the branches for one that would suit his purpose The trees with the curiosity natural to some other creatures asked him what he was seeking He replied that he only wanted a piece of wood to make a handle to his axe and begged they would be so good as to permit him to serve himself Since that is all said the trees Help yourself and welcome He immediately availed himself of the permission and had no suitor fitted up his instrument then he began pale mail to cut and hack about him felling the noblish trees in all the forest without distinction The oak is said to have spoke thus to the beach in a low whisper We must take all this for our easy credulity and imprudent generosity Application One would imagine that the natural principle of self-preservation implanted in us would make it unnecessary to caution anyone not to furnish an enemy with arms against himself Yet daily experience shows us that such instances of imprudence are not uncommon In this life we are liable to be surrounded with calamities and distresses We should therefore be cautious of our own one of caution and of putting power into the hands of those enemies which our merit or our affluence may tempt to rise up against us Any person in a community by what name or title so ever distinguished who affects a power which may possibly hurt a people is their enemy and therefore they ought not to trust him for though he were ever so fully determined not to abuse such a power yet he is so far a bad man as he disturbs a nation's quiet un-easy by desiring to have it or even retaining it when it may prove mischievous If we consult history we shall find that the thing called prerogative has been claimed and contended for chiefly by those who never intended to make a good use of it and as readily resigned by wise and just princes who had the true interest of their people at heart How, like senseless stocks do they act who, by complimenting some capricious mortal from time to time of prerogative at last put it out of their power to maintain their just and natural liberty End of Section 151 Recording by Claude Ramon Bernhard of Philadelphia Section 152 of Fables of Aesop and others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Fables of Aesop and others by Aesop The Eagle and the Crow An eagle flew down from the top of a high rock and making a stupid lamb seized it with her strong talons and bore aloft her bleeding prize to her young A crow observing what passed was ambitious of performing the same exploit and darted down upon a ram But instead of being able to carry it up into the air she found she had got her claws entangled in its fleece and could neither move herself nor her fancy prize Thus fixed she was soon taken by the shepherd and given away to some boys who eagerly inquired what bird it was An hour ago said he she fancied herself an eagle However, I suppose she is by this time convinced that she is but a crow application It is impossible for any man to take a true measure of the abilities of another without an exact knowledge and true judgment of his own a false estimate of which always exposes him to ridicule and sometimes to danger Every man ought therefore to examine the strength of his own mind with attention and impartiality and not fondly to flatter himself that he can by an awkward and ill judged emulation soar to the height which has been attained by men endowed by nature with great abilities and original talents matured by industry We can no more adopt the genius of another man than we can assume his shape and person The bright original in every department of the arts and sciences will be valued in esteem whilst his puny imitators will be treated with neglect or be despised Almost every man has something original in himself which, if duly cultivated might perhaps procure him respect and applause, and it is creditable for him to endeavor justly to obtain them End of Section 152 Recording by narrator J Section 153 of Fables of Aesop and Others This is the LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Fables of Aesop and Others by Aesop The Horse in the Stag In ancient times when the horse and the deer ranged the forest with uncontrolled freedom it happened that contentions arose between them about grazing in particular meadows These disputes ended in a conflict between them in which the deer proved victorious and with his sharp hooves drove the horse from the pasture Full of disappointment and chagrin the horse applied to the man and craved his assistance in order to re-establish him in the possession of his rights Request was granted on the condition that he suffered himself to be bridled, saddled, and mounted by his new ally with whose assistance he entirely defeated his enemy But the poor horse was mighty disappointed when, upon returning thanks to the man and desiring to be dismissed he received the answer No, I never knew how useful a drudge you were and now I have found what you are good for You may be assured I will keep you to it Application Victors may be purchased at too dear a rate if we solicit the assistance of allies capable of becoming our most formidable enemies and it will be vain to flatter ourselves that the yoke of slavery if we once willingly suffer it to be laid upon our shoulders can be easily shaken off when the ends for which we board are accomplished The fable is intended to caution us against consenting to anything that might prejudice public liberty as well as keep us upon our guard in the preservation of that which is of a private nature This is the use interpretation give it to it by Horace one of the best and most polite philosophers that ever wrote After reciting the fable he applies it thus This says he is the case of him who dreading poverty parts with that invaluable jewel liberty Like a wretch as he is he will always be subject to a tyrant of some sort or another and be a slave forever because of his vicious spirit knew not how to be contented with that moderate competency which he might have possessed independent of all the world and of the horse and the stag Section 154 of fables of Esop and others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org by Adrian Stevens fables of Esop and others by Esop A miller and his son were taking their ass to market to sell him and that he might get thither in good condition they drove him gently before them They had not proceeded far before they met a company of travellers Sure they say You're mighty careful of your ass One of you might as well get up and ride as suffer him to walk on at his ease while you trudge after on foot In compliance with this advice the old man set his son upon the beast and now they had scarcely advanced a quarter of a mile further before they met another company You idle young rogue said one Why don't you get down and let your poor father ride Upon this the old man made his son dismount and got up himself While they were marching in this manner a third company began to insult the father You hard hearted wretch say they How can you suffer that poor lad to wade through the dirt while you, like an older man ride at your ease The good-natured miller stood corrected and immediately took his son up behind him and now the next man they met exclaimed with more vehemence and indignation than all the rest was there ever such a couple of lazy lubies to overload in so unconscionable a manner a poor dumb creature who is far less able to carry you than you are to carry him The complying old man would have been half inclined to make the trial had not experienced by this time sufficiently convinced him that there cannot be a more fruitless attempt than to endeavour to please all mankind Application It is better to pursue the dictates of one's own reason than attempt to please everybody for to do so is next to impossible Therefore we ought to decide according to the best of our judgment and correct our mistakes from our own experience Wise men are instructed by reason men of less understanding by experience the most ignorant by necessity and beasts by instinct When a man so neglects himself as not to make a just use of his reason and his mental powers in combating with prejudice and folly as well as the caprice of others he will ever be led on in a maze of error wavering and embarrassed about pursuing this or that path until between them he is lost in a labyrinth from which he will never be able to extricate himself as long as he lives End of section 154 Section 155 of Fables of Aesop and Others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Michael Fosio Fables of Aesop and Others by Aesop The Ant and the Grasshopper A commonwealth of ants having after a busy summer provided everything for their wants in the winter were about shutting themselves up for that dreary season when a grasshopper was in great distress and in dread of perishing with cold and hunger approached their avenues and with great humility begged they would relieve his wants and permit him to take shelter in any corner of their comfortable mansion One of the ants asked him how he had disposed of his time in summer that he had not taken pains and laid in a stock as they had done Alas! my friends says he had no time merrily and pleasantly in drinking, singing and dancing and never once thought of winter If that be the case replied the ant all I have to say is this that they who drink, sing and dance in the summer run a great risk of starving in the winter Application As summer is the season in which the industrious, laborious husbandmen lays up his supplies for the winter so youth and manhood are the times of life which we should employ in laying in such a stock as may suffice for helpless old age Yet there are many whom we call rational creatures who squander away in a profuse prodigality whatever they get in their younger days as if the infirmity of age would require no supplies to support it or at least would find them administered to it in some miraculous way From this fable we learn an admirable lesson never to lose the present opportunity of fairly and honestly providing against the future evils and accidents of life and while health and the vigor of our faculties remain firm and entire to lay them out to the best advantage so that when age infirmities to spoil us of our strength and abilities we may not have to bewail that we have neglected to provide for the wants of our latter days for it should always be remembered that the youth of revels breeds an age of care and that temperance in youth lays the foundation of health and comfort for old age fables of asop and others by asop the horse and the lion an old lion finding that many of the beasts had become too nimble for him and that he could not come at his prey so readily as before craftily gave out that he had long studied physics and surgery in foreign countries and that he could cure every kind of disorder to which the beast were liable these professions having been spread abroad he hoped to get many of the animals to come within his clutches the horse seeing through the whole of the scheme was resolved to be even with him and so humoring the thing as if he suspected nothing he feigned himself to be in great pain from a wound in his foot and limping up to the lion he begged he would examine the part and administer relief the lion though intent only upon making a good meal of horse flesh begged the horse to hold up his foot that he might see it this was no sooner done as the lion rose as quite stunned him and scampered off neighing at the success of a trick which had defeated the purpose of one who intended to have tricked him out of his life application we ought never to put trust in the fair words and pretensions of those who have both an interest and inclination to ruin us and where we find foul play thus intended against us it is not in the nature of things to expect that we should not if we can turn the tables upon the plotters treachery has something so wicked and worthy of punishment in its nature that it deserves to meet with a return of its own kind an open revenge is too liberal for it and nothing matches it but itself though a man of sense and honor will always view tricking and fraud of all kinds as mean and beneath him and will despise setting such an example yet it cannot be inconsistent with virtue to counteract the schemes of those who are taking all manner of undue advantages and hatching wicked plots to undermine us end of section 156 recording by Claude Ramon Bernhard of Philadelphia section 157 of fables of ASOP and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Michael Fosio fables of ASOP and others by ASOP the fox in the well a fox having fallen into a well made a shift by sticking his claws into the sides to keep his head above water soon after a wolf came and peeped over the brink to whom the fox applied and very earnestly implored his assistants to help him out or he should be lost ah, poor Renard says he I pity your misfortune, poor creature I am sorry for you with all my heart how did you happen to slip into this well? pray how long have you been in this melancholy situation nay, I prithee, friend replies the fox if you wish me well, do not stand pitying me but lend me some succor as soon as you can for pity is but cold comfort when one is up to the chin in water and within a hair's breath of starving or drowning application if we would really manifest our sorrow for the sufferings of another let our pity be shown by our friendly endeavors to relieve him for indeed pity of itself is but poor comfort at any time unless it produces something more substantial if we cannot do this let us not offend the sensibility and add to the anguish of a delicate mind by empty professions and unmeaning compassion for to stand bemoaning the misfortunes of our friends without offering some expedient to alleviate them is only echoing their grief and putting them in mind that they are miserable he is truly my friend who with a ready presence of mind supports me not he who merely condols with me upon my ill success and expresses his sorrow for mine is hap end of section 157 section 150 of fables of asop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org recording by Justin Bresson fables of asop and others by asop, the gardener and his dog a gardener's dog happened by some mischance to fall into the well his master ran immediately to his assistants but when helping him out the surly brute bit his hand the gardener took this ungrateful treatment so ill that he shook him off and left him to shift for himself thou wicked wretch said he to injure the hand that was stretched forth to save thy life the hand of thy master who has hitherto fed and taken care of thee die there as thou deservedest for so basin on natural creature is not fit to live application when a man has suffered his mind to become so debased as to be capable to doing injuries to him who has showered benefits on his head he can scarcely be treated with too much severity he deserves at least to be scouted as an outcast of society all the favors that are bestowed upon men of this worthless disposition are thrown away for the envy and malevolence of the ingrate work him up into a hatred of his benefactor generous men should therefore use a just circumspection and the choice of the objects of their benevolence before they give way to the feelings of the heart or waste its bountiful overflowing upon those who instead of making a grateful return will bite them like a drowning but spiteful dog the fable is also intended as an admonition to servants who own a special duty to their masters whose kindness should be met by their faithful exertions to serve them into his interest they ever ought to make their own end of section 158 section 159 of fable's vase op and others this is a Libravox recording all Libravox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit Libravox.org recording by Justin Bresson fables of Aesop and others by Aesop the deer and the lion a deer terrified by the cry of the hunters instead of trusting to his fleetness made towards a cave which he chanced to a spy and in which he hoped to conceal himself until they were passed by but he had scarcely reached the entrance before he was seized by a lion who lay crouching there ready to spring upon his prey and who instantly killed and tore him to pieces in the last agonies of death he thus gave vent to his feelings ah me said he unhappy creature that I am I hoped in this cave to escape the pursuit of men but have fallen into the jaws of the most cruel and rapacious of wild beasts application this fable points out the dangers to which we expose ourselves when for want of presence of mind we suffer ourselves to be guided by our own reasoning fears which no sooner show us an evil than they throw us into the utmost confusion in our manner of escaping and prevent us from discerning the safe path by which we ought to avoid it thus in a rash endeavor to shun a less danger we often times blindly run headlong into a greater the fate of the deer should warn us to consider well what may be the ultimate consequences before we take any important step for many paths which appear smooth and pleasant at a distance are found to be rough dangerous when we come to tread them and many a plausible scheme which promises us ease and safety is no better than attempting bower with a lion crouching among its foliage ready to spring upon and devour us end of section 159 section 160 of fables of asop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Rachel Marie fables of asop and others by asop the plowman and fortune as a plowman was turning up the soil his plow uncovered a treasure which had been hidden there transported with joy he seized upon it and fervently began to thank the ground for being so liberal to him fortune passing by observed what he was about and could not for bear shooing her resentment at it you stupid creatures achieved to lie thus thanking the ground and take no notice of me if you had lost such a treasure instead of finding one I should have been the first you would have laid a blame upon application how often do we ascribe our success or misfortunes to the wrong causes vanity sometimes leads us to consider our prosperity as the natural result of our own sagacity and inattention sometimes induces us to make acknowledgements to the wrong persons but if we would have our praises valued we should be cautious to direct them properly our thanks are an indirect affront to those who receive them without deserving them and at the same time an act of open ingratitude to those who merit them without receiving them in prosperity as well as in adversity let us not forget the power in goodness of heaven and if we implore the aid of the almighty in our distress we should not neglect to send our acknowledgement of this goodness with the voice of gratitude end of section 160 section 161 of fables of asop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Justin Bresson fables of asop and others by asop the ape and the fox an ape meeting with a fox that he would be so good as to give him some of the superfluous hair from his bushy tail to make into a covering for his bear posteriors which were exposed to all the inclinancy of the weather and he endeavored to further his suit by observing to Reynard that he had far more than he had any occasion for and a great part even dragged along in the dirt the fox answered that as to his having too much it was more than he knew but be it as it would he had rather sweet the ground with his tail as long as he lived the least bit of it for a covering to the filthy posteriors of an ape application riches in the hands of a wise and generous man are a blessing to the community in which he lives they're like the light and the rain and diffuse a good all around them but wealth when it falls to the lot of those who want benevolence and humanity serves only as an instrument of mischief or at best produces no advantage to the rest of mankind the good man considers himself as a kind a steward to those from whom fortune has withheld her smiles and thus shows his gratitude to heaven for the abundance which has been showered down upon him he directs the superfluous part of his wealth at least to the necessities of such of his fellow creatures as are worthy of it and this he would do from feeling though there were no religion which enjoined it but selfish avaricious persons who are generally naves how much so ever they may have will never think they have enough much less be induced by any consideration of virtue or religion to part with any portion for the purposes of charity and beneficence if the riches in power of the world were to be always in the hands of the virtuous part of mankind it would seem according to our human conceptions that they would produce more good than in those of the vile and groveling mortals who often possessed them without any merit these move apparently in a sphere of ease and splendor while good sense and honesty have to struggle in adversity or walk in the dirt but the all wise disposer of events does certainly permit this order of things for just good and wise purposes though our shallow understandings are not able to fathom them end of section 161 section 162 of fables of ease up and others this is a LibraVox recording all LibraVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibraVox.org fables of ease up and others by ease up the thief and the boy an arch mischievous boy sitting by the side of a well observed a noted thief coming towards him the little dissembler wiping his eyes affected to be in great distress the thief asking him what was the matter ah sister boy I should be severely flogged for an attempting to get some water I have dropped the silver tankard into the well upon this the thief eager for a prize stripped off his clothes and went down to the bottom to search for it while having groved about to no purpose he came up again but found neither the boy nor the clothes the little wag having run off with and hidden them and left the thief to look for the tankard at his leisure application nothing gives more entertainment to honest men than to see rogues and sharpers tricked and punished in the pursuit of their schemes of villainy by making their own contrivances instrumental in bringing down their wickedness upon their own heads in these instances justice seems as it were to be actually in person and saved the trouble of publicly enforcing punishment by the penal laws but indeed vice carries with it its own punishment and the misery attendant upon it in this world seems always pretty exactly balanced to its various degrees of enormity the abandoned man drags on a contemptible or infamous life with constantly deadened or disturbed conscience and amidst his associates like himself we can never hope to meet with either friendship or fidelity end of section one six two section one six three of fables of esop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org fables of esop and others by esop the fox and the sick lion it was reported that the lion was sick and the beasts were given to understand that they could not make their court better than by going to visit him upon this they generally went but it was particularly taken notice of that the fox was not one of the number the lion therefore dispatched one of his jackals to inquire why he had so little charity and respect as to never come near him at a time when he lay so dangerously ill and everybody else had been to see him why replies the fox pray present my duty to his majesty and tell him the tie of the same respect fame as ever and have been coming several times but was fearful of being troublesome as I have observed from the prints of their footsteps that great numbers have gone into the royal den but I have not seen a single trace of their coming out again application he that embarks implicitly in any scheme may be mistaken notwithstanding the number who keep him company but he that keeps out till he sees reason to enter acts upon true maxims of policy and it is the quintessence of prudence not to be too easy of belief for a rash and hasty fragility has been the ruin of many men who habituate themselves to think will profit by the experience of others as well as their own but commonly the multitude do not reason but stupidly follow each other step by step not moving out of the sphere in which chance has placed them and the notions or prejudices they may have imbibed in youth will remain with them to the last there is no opinion however impious or absurd that has not its advocates in some quarter of the world whoever therefore takes up his creed upon trust and grants his principles on no better reason than his being a native or inhabitant of the regions where they prevail becomes a disciple of Muhammad in Turkey and of Confucius in China a Jew or a pagan as the accident of birth decides end of section 163 section 164 of fables of Esop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org fables of Esop and others by Esop the sun and the wind a dispute arose between the north wind and the sun about the superiority of their power and they agreed to come in matters by trying which of them could first compel a traveller to throw off his cloak the north wind began and blew a very cold blast accompanied by a sharp driving shower but this and whatever else he could do instead of making the man quit his cloak induced him to gird it about him more closely next came the sun who breaking out from a cloud drove away the cold vapours and darted his warm sultry beams upon the weather beaten traveller the man growing faint with the heat first threw off his heavy cloak then flew for protection to the shade of a neighbouring grove application there is something in the temper of man so averse to severe and boisterous treatment that he who endeavours to carry his point in that way instead of prevailing generally leaves the mind of him who is thus attempted to subdue in a more confirmed and obstinate state bitter words and hard usage freeze the heart into an objeurecy which mild, persuasive and gentle language only can dissolve persecution has always fixed those opinions which it was intended to dispel and the quick growth of Christianity in early times is attributed in a great measure to the barbarous reception which its first teachers met within the pagan world and since that time the different modes of faith which have grown out of Christianity itself have been each established by the same kind of intolerance spirit to reflect upon these things furnishes matter of wonder and regret for the benevolent author of the Christian religion taught neither intolerance nor persecution the doctrines he laid down are plain, pure and simple they teach mercy to the contrite aid to the humble and eternal happiness to the good in short, persecution is the scandal of all religion and like the north wind in the fable to make a man wrap his notions more closely about him End of section 164 he had not gone far before he overtook an ass who was laboring under a heavy burden and moving slowly on in the same track in an imperious tone he threatened to trample him in the dirt if he did not get out of the way the poor ass, not daring to dispute quietly got aside as fast as he could and let him go by not long after he had gone far away he had gone far away he had gone far away he had gone far away and let him go by not long after this the same horse in an engagement happened to be shot in the eye which made him unfit for show or any military business so he was stripped of his ornaments and sold to a carrier the ass meeting him in this forlorn condition thought that now it was his time to retort hey day friend says he, is it you? well I always believed that pride of yours one day have a fall application it is an affectation of appearing considerable that puts men upon being proud and insolent but this very affectation infallibly makes them appear little and despicable in the eyes of discerning people did the proud man but rightly consider what kind of ingredients pride is composed of and fed with and the unstable foundation and the tottering pinnacle upon which it stands he would blush at the thoughts of it and cease to be puffed up by the little supernumeric advantages whether of birth, fortune or title which he may enjoy above his neighbours these might indeed be a blessing to him and to the community in which he lives if wisely used but if guided by pride and consequently by want of sense they will prove only a curse and the reverence and respect which he looks for will not be paid with sincerity nor does he deserve it and should the tide of misfortune set in against him instead of friendship and commiseration he will meet with nothing but contempt and that with much more justice than ever he himself expressed it towards others the vain proud man ought to be put in mind that the time is not far distant when his skull will not be distinguished from that of the beggar and that there is no state however exalted so permanent that it may not be reduced to a level with the lowest end of section 165 section 166 of fables of esop and others this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org fables of esop and others by esop the hawk and the farmer a hawk in the eagerness of his pursuit after a pigeon flew with such violence against the corner of a hedge that he was stunned and fell a farmer who had been looking about his field saw the whole transaction and instantly ran and picked up the hawk he was going to kill him but the latter begged the man would let him go assuring him he was only following a pigeon and neither intending nor had done any harm to him to which the farmer replied and what harm had the pigeon done to you immediately application in all our transactions through life to suppose ourselves in the place of those we may be dealing with will be the most certain check upon our own conduct and we ought always to consult our conscience about the retitude of our behaviour for this we may be assured of that we are acting wrong whenever we are doing anything to another which we should think unjust if it were done to us let those therefore who intend to act justly but take this view and all will be well there will be no danger of their oppressing others or fear of their falling into error or danger themselves nothing but a habitual inadvertency as to this particular can be the occasion of so many ingenious noble spirits being so often engaged in courses opposite to virtue and honour end of section 166 for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Catherine Phipps fables of Esop and others by Esop the fox and the countryman a fox being closely pursued by the hunters and almost run down begged of a countryman to give him protection and save his life the man consented and pointed out a hovel into which the fox crept and covered himself up among some straw and presently up came the hunters and inquired of the man if he had seen the fox and which way he had taken no said he I've not seen him here he has passed another way but all the while he nodded with his head and pointed with his finger to the place where the fox was hidden these signals the hunters in the eagerness of pursuit did not notice but calling off the dogs they dashed along the fox came out of his hiding place and was sneaking off when the man calling after him hello says he is that the way you behave then to go without thanking the benefactor who has saved your life Reynard who had peeped all the while and had seen what passed answered I know what obligation I owe you well enough and I assure you if your actions had agreed with your words I should have endeavored however incapable of it to have returned you suitable thanks application dissimulation and double dealing are among the most odious vices and a hollow friend is worse than an open enemy for in the full confidence of friendship we are led to depend upon the man who uses that confidence to betray us to pretend to keep another's counsel and appear in his interest while underhand we are giving intelligence to his enemies he is treacherous navish and base truth is a plain and open virtue and cannot be practiced in part and truth and sincerity are the same wherefore he that equivocates and adheres to his promise in one sense without preserving it inviolably in its full extent and meaning departs as much from truth and sincerity as the most direct liar and be those juggling friends no more believed that polter with us in a double sense that keep the word of promise to the ear and break it to our hope end of section 167 section 168 of fables of isop and others this is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Adrien Stevens fables of isop and others by isop isop at play an Athenian one day found isop entertaining himself with a company of little boys at their childish diversions and began to jeer and laugh at him for it isop who was too much a wag himself to suffer others to ridicule him took a bow unstrung to the ground then calling the sensorous Athenian now philosopher says he expound the riddle if you can and tell us what the unstrained bow implies the man after racking his brains a considerable time to no purpose at last gave it up and declared he knew not what to make of it why says isop smiling if you keep a bow always bent lose its elasticity presently but if you let it go slack he'll be fitter for use when you want it application the mind of man is not formed for unremitted attention nor his body for uninterrupted labour and both are in this respect like a bow we cannot go through any business requiring intense thought without unbending the mind any more than we can perform a long journey without refreshing ourselves by due rest at the several stages of it continual labour as in the case of the bended bow destroys the elasticity and energy of both body and mind it is therefore absolutely necessary for the studious man to unbend and the laborious one to take his rest or both lose their tone and figure and become dull and languid it is to remedy these extremes that pastimes and diversions ought to be kept up provided they are innocent the heart that never tastes of pleasure shuts up, grows stiff and is at last incapable of enjoyment end of section 168 section 169 of fables of isop and others this is a LibiVox recording all LibiVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibiVox.org recording by Alan Lawley the wolf having laid in a store of provisions snuggly kept in his den and indulged himself been feasting upon them the fox observing the seclusion of the wolf became inquisitive to know the cause and by way of satisfying his curiosity and his suspicions he went and paid the wolf a visit the latter excused himself from seeing the fox by pretending he was very much indisposed the fox having smelt how matter stood took his leave and immediately went to a shepherd to inform him of the discovery he had made and that he had nothing else to do but to take a good weapon with him and with it easily dispatched the wolf as he lay dozing in his cave the shepherd following his directions presently went and killed the wolf the wicked fox then slyly took possession of the cave and the provisions to himself but he did not enjoy them long for the same shepherd shortly afterwards passing by the place seeing the fox there dispatched him also application a villain whose only aim is to get what he can will assume betrayed the innocent as the guilty let him but know where there is a suspected person and propose a reward and he was seldom failed to work the suspicion up to high treason and it will be no loss to produce sufficient proofs of it men of this stamp will not be content with practicing one single villainry for having never laid down any good principles for their guide they will go on triumphantly in their wickedness for a time and though perhaps they may be the instruments of bringing other villains to punishment yet they will at last suffer in their turn for being detested by all good men justice will sooner or later overtake their crimes and hurl down its vengeance on their heads with the measure equal at least to the sufferings their pavidi had occasioned to others the fate of such wretches can never exact the smallest commissuration for no character is so truly detestable as that of a spy and informer seeing a serpent basking in the sun sourced down seized it with his horny beak and attempted to carry it off but the serpent writhing with the pain twisted its elastic coil so firmly about the raven and bit him with such inventive fierceness that he fell to the ground mortally wounded in the agonies of death the raven confessed this was a just punishment upon him for having attempted to satisfy his greedy appetite at the expense of another's welfare application when men suffer their passions to set aside their reason they soon become sensual in their appetites and inordinate in their desires mortal rectitude takes its departure from their minds and led by their evil spirit they soon become fitted for the commission of any enormity they give the reign to their unbridled lusts and regardless of consequences stop at nothing to gratify their brutal desires but if we mark the progress of such men through life it will be found that besides losing the great and virtuous pleasures of self-approbation and incurring the stings of a guilty conscience their wicked career often meets just punishment from retaliations in kind which the objects of their iniquitous proceedings unexpectedly retort upon them End of Section 170 Recording by Claude Ramon Bernhard of Philadelphia 171 of Fables of Esop and Others This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Fables of Esop and Others by Esop The Dove and the Bee A bee whose business had led her to the brink of a purling stream was snatched away by its circling eddy and carried down its current pitting her distressed situation cropped a twig from a tree and dropped it before her in the water by means of which the bee saved herself and got ashore not long after a fowler having a design upon the dove inspired her sitting on a tree and keeping out of her sight was waiting the opportunity of shooting her this the bee perceiving stung him in the air which made him give so sudden a start he took the alarm and flew away application we ought ever with a ready zeal to extend her arm to relieve a sinking friend from distress and danger or endeavor to forewarn him against the wicked plots of his enemies the benevolent man from the most disinterested motives will always be disposed to do good offices to all and the grateful man will never forget to return them in kind and there is not one good man in the world who may not on some occasion stand in need of the help of another but gratitude is not very common among mankind it is a heavenly spark from which many virtues spring and the source of pleasures which never enter the breast of the vile ingrate the favors and kindnesses bestowed upon the grateful man he cannot forget those which are conferred upon the ungrateful are lost in the words he would not have had them if he had not deserved them End of section 171