The Fish and the Animals

The Fish and the Animals. When the birds had declared war on the land animals, the animals made a treaty with the fish so that, with the help of the fish, they would be able to defend themselves against the wrath of the birds.When the animals were waiting for the help they needed, the fish said that they were not able to come to them on the land. The fable warns us that we should not choose as our allies those who are not able to come to our aid in a time of need.

Pisces et Quadrupedes. Quadrupedes, cum bellum sibi ab Avibus esset indictum, cum Piscibus foedus inierunt ut, eorum auxilio, se ab Avium furore tuerentur. Cum autem optata expectarent auxilia, Pisces negant se per terram ad eos accedere posse. Morale. Haec nos admonet fabula ne eos nobis socios faciamus, qui, cum opus sit, nobis adesse non possint.

Notes. This is Abstemius 21. As usual with Abstemius, it is not found in Perry's inventory. There are quite a few Aesop's fables about misbegotten alliances like this one; it's almost as if Abstemius noticed the logical possibility which was missing in the existing fables and filled in the gap with his contribution here.