circumstance of his
adventures in the woods, and concluded by saying that the very lion
which now stood before them had been his friend and entertainer in the
woods. All the persons present were astonished and delighted with the
story, to find that even the fiercest beasts are capable of being
softened by gratitude and moved by humanity; and they unanimously joined
to entreat for the pardon of the unhappy man from the governor of the
place. This was immediately granted to him, and he was also presented
with the lion, who had in this manner twice saved the life of Androcles.

215

THE WIND AND THE SUN

A dispute once arose between the North Wind and the Sun as to which was
the stronger of the two. Seeing a Traveler on his way, they agreed to
try which could the sooner get his cloak off him. The North Wind began,
and sent a furious blast, which, at the onset, nearly tore the cloak
from its fastenings; but the Traveler, seizing the garment with a firm
grip, held it round his body so tightly that Boreas spent his remaining
force in vain.

The Sun, dispelling the clouds that had gathered, then darted his genial
beams on the Traveler's head. Growing faint with the heat, the Man flung
off his coat and ran for protection to the nearest shade.

_Mildness governs more than anger._

216

The following brief fable has given us one of
the best known expressions in common speech,
"killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."
People who never heard of AEsop know what that
expression means. It is easy to connect the
fable with our "get rich quick" craze. (Compare
with No. 254.)

THE GOOSE WITH THE GOLDEN EGGS

A certain Man had a Goose that laid him a golden egg every day. Being of
a covetous turn, he thought if he killed his Goose he should come at
once to the source of his treasure. So he killed her and cut her open,
but great was his dismay to find that her inside was in no way different
from that of any other goose.

_Greediness overreaches itself._

217

The most successful of modern literary
fabulists was the French poet Jean de la
Fontaine (1621-1695). A famous critic has said
that his fables delight the child with their
freshness and vividness, the student of
literature with their consummate art, and the
experienced man with their subtle reflections
on life and character. H