o not eat fish."

"But I am no god," said the Fisherman.

"True," said the Fish, "but as soon as Jupiter has heard of your exploit,
he will elevate you to the deitage. You are the only man that ever
caught a small fish."

The Farmer and the Fox

A Farmer who had a deadly and implacable hatred against a certain Fox,
caught him and tied some tow to his tail; then carrying him to the centre
of his own grain-field, set the tow on fire and let the animal go.

"Alas!" said the Farmer, seeing the result; "if that grain had not been
heavily insured, I might have had to dissemble my hatred of the Fox."

Dame Fortune and the Traveller

A Weary Traveller who had lain down and fallen asleep on the brink of a
deep well was discovered by Dame Fortune.

"If this fool," she said, "should have an uneasy dream and roll into the
well men would say that I did it. It is painful to me to be unjustly
accused, and I shall see that I am not."

So saying she rolled the man into the well.

The Victor and the Victim

Two Game Cocks, having fought a battle, the defeated one skulked away and
hid, but the victor mounted a wall and crowed lustily. This attracted
the attention of a hawk, who said:

"Behold! how pride goeth before a fall."

So he swooped down upon the boasting bird and was about to destroy him,
when the vanquished Cock came out of his hiding-place, and between the
two the Hawk was calamitously defeated.

The Wolf and the Shepherds

A Wolf passing a Shepherd's hut looked in and saw the shepherds dining.

"Come in," said one of them, ironically, "and partake of your favourite
dish, a haunch of mutton."

"Thank you," said the Wolf, moving away, "but you must excuse me; I have
just had a saddle of shepherd."

The Goose and the Swan

A Certain rich man reared a Goose and a Swan, the one for his table, the
other because she was reputed a good singer. One night when the Cook
went to kill the Goose he got hold of the Swan instead. Thereupon the
Swan, to induce him to spare her life, began to sing; but she saved him
nothing but the trouble of killing her, for she died of the song.

The Lion, the Cock, and the Ass

A Lion was about to attack a braying Ass, when a Cock near by crowed
shrilly, and the Lion ran away. "What frightened him?" the Ass asked.

"Lions have a superstitious terror of my voice," answered the Cock,
proudly.

"Well, well, well," said the Ass, shaking his he