Bestiaria Latina: English Aesop

Random Verse Fable

2011-11-21T23:07:00.001-05:00

Aesop's Verse Fable of the Day

2011-11-21T23:04:00.001-05:00

Here is the Aesop's Verse Fable of the Day!

Looking for more fables in English? Take a look at the Random Verse Fable. :-)

Davies: Apollo and Jupiter

2011-11-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

Said the far darter to the gods on high,
"Not one can farther shoot or throw than I."
In sport great Jove Apollo's challenge took,
And quick the lots in Mars' cap Hermes shook.
Luck was with Phoebus. Soon the golden bow
And string he circles, lets the arrow go,
And shoots within the gardens of the West.
Said Jove, when the same range his feet had prest,
"Space fails me, boy. To what point can I shoot?"
Thus without shaft he won the arrow's fruit.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 68.

(image)

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Davies: The Wild Ass and the Lion

2011-11-21T18:38:00.001-05:00

Chase partners were the lion and wild ass:
That did in prowess, this in speed surpass:
A booty of fat beasts their hunt supplied,
Which into three the lion would divide.
"This first," said he, "as foremost, I shall take
In right of kinghood. That my equal stake
Marks as my part. And, for the hindmost lot,
'Twill cause you hurt, unless you flee, I wot."
Measure your strength, nor, with a man more strong,
To company or partnership belong.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius.

(an onager: image source)

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Davies: The Man with Two Wallets

2011-11-21T18:29:00.001-05:00

Prometheus was a god, an elder god:
Man, the brutes' lord, he fashion'd of the sod,
'Tis said, and round his neck two wallets hung,
Full of all ills that rise mankind among:
One holding others' faults in front was thrown;
The larger, slung behind him, held his own.
Hence others' falls, methinks, men clearly see,
But when one should look homeward, blind are we!

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 66.

(Prometheus)

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Davies: The Crane and the Peacock

2011-11-21T18:25:00.002-05:00

To a bright-plumaged peacock smart and vain
This sharp retort fell from an ashen crane:
"Through these dull wings, whose colour you decry,
I scream aloft, in starry heights I fly.
You, cock-like, flap your wings. The tail you spread
With all its gold, is never seen o'erhead."
Rather would I in threadbare coat aspire
Than live inglorious, tho' in rich attire.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 65.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images.

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Davies: The Fir-Tree and the Bramble

2011-11-21T18:19:00.000-05:00

A fir tree and a bramble disagreed,
For the fir alway paid to self the meed
Of praise, "I'm fine, well-grown in point of size:
And my straight top is neighbour to the skies;
'Tis I am roof of mansions, keel of ships:
So much my comeliness all trees outstrips."
To whom the bramble said, "Keep well in view
The axe, whose business is thy trunk to hew,
And saws that cut thee: haply thou'lt prefer
To be the bramble rather than the fir."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 64.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rackham images. I like the subtle way that Rackham turns the plants into something like people!

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Davies: The Mule

2011-11-21T18:15:00.001-05:00

A mule in lazy manger fed on hay
And, fresh with corn, began to leap and say,
Kicking his heels, "A racer is my dam,
And I for her a match in fleetness am!"
Yet with sad visage soon his course he check'd,
Constrain'd his sire the ass to recollect.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 62.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images.

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Davies: The Hunter and the Fisherman

2011-11-21T17:34:00.002-05:00

A huntsman going laden from the hill,
A fisher too, whose fish his basket fill,
As luck would have it, chanced one day to meet,
And lo! the hunter thought the fish a treat;
The fisherman preferr'd the hunter's game.
So they exchanged their spoil. They did the same,
Each for a time, to suit the other's taste,
With all they took: till some one said, "You'll waste
And mar by use the present charm of these,
And each again will seek what used to please."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 61.

(image source)

(not in Mille - Perry327)

Davies: The Mouse that Fell into the Pot

2011-11-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

A mouse into a lid-less broth pot fell;
Choked with the grease and bidding life farewell,
He said, "My fill of meat and drink have I,
And all good things; 'tis time that I should die."
Thou art that dainty mouse among mankind,
If hurtful sweets are not by thee declined.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 60.

(image source)

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Davies: Jove's Cask

2011-11-21T17:28:00.001-05:00

Jove in a cask all blessings pack'd and hid,
A charge for man: but first secured the lid.
Unbridled man, agog to scan the gift
And its contents, essay'd the top to lift.
Releas'd, each blessing mounted to the sky
And would not bide below, when free to fly.
Hope only tarried. Her the lid secured
When closed at last. And thus hath Hope endured
In human homes. In her sole form we see
Earnest of all the goods that then did flee.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 58.

(image)

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Davies: Jupiter and the Monkey

2011-11-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

A baby show with prizes Jove decreed
For all the beasts and gave the choice due heed.
A monkey mother came among the rest,
A naked, snub-nosed pug upon her breast
She bore, in mother's fashion. At the sight
Assembled gods were moved to laugh outright.
Said she, "Jove knoweth where his prize will fall;
I know my child's the beauty of them all!"
This Fable will a general law attest:
That each one deems that what's his own is best.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Osius images.

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Davies: The Ox and the Ass

2011-11-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

With a she-ass, best shift his means allow'd
A tiller yoked his only ox, and plough'd.
When these he was preparing to unyoke,
Their work being over, thus the ass bespoke
The ox: "Who carries home the old man's gear?"
"The beast whose wont it is," said he, "'tis clear."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 55.

(image source)

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Davies: The Wolf and the Fox

2011-11-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

A hapless fox fell in a wild wolf's way
And pray'd him her old life to spare, not slay.
"I will, by Pan, I will," the wolf replied,
"If in thy next three words thou hast not lied."
"Well: first then," said she, "would we had not met!"
Next that a blind wolf had my path beset!
And third, and last," she added, "go for ever:
I trust from this day forth to meet thee never!"

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 53.

Here is an image for the story (image source) showing the defiant fox.

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Davies: The Driver and the Waggon

2011-11-21T17:12:00.001-05:00

Strong bulls to town upon their shoulders drew
A four wheel'd wain. Its creakings were not few.
Then was the driver wroth and drawing near
He spoke so plain it could not choose but hear,
"Thou worst of goods, will not thy groaning cease,
Though they, whose shoulders draw thee, hold their peace?"
It is a base man's way to raise a moan
As if the toil of others were his own.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 52.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Detmold images.

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Davies: The Widow and the Sheep

2011-11-21T17:09:00.000-05:00

A widow kept at home a single sheep
Out of whose fleece a larger gain to reap
She clipp'd it rudely, press'd the shears too near
Its flesh, and kept them not from wounding clear.
The smarting sheep cried, "Do not torture me!
My blood in weight will small addition be.
Nay, mistress, nay! My flesh if you require,
To kill me quick, a practis'd butcher hire,
But if 'tis fleece and wool, not flesh, you need, Shearers will shear me, yet not make me bleed."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 51.

(Image Source)

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Davies: The Workman and Fortune

2011-11-21T17:05:00.002-05:00

Close to a well a workman slept one night,
Unwittingly. But Fortune met his sight.
He seem d to hear, "What ho there, sirrah, wake!
Lest of thy tumble I the blame should take
Among mankind and earn an uglier name:
For each man's trips and haps I bear the blame,
Howe'er his own the fault, 'tis just the same."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 49.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images.

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Davies: The Sick Stag

2011-11-21T17:01:00.000-05:00

A stag whose lissome joints grew stiff had made
A grassy couch outside a woodland shade,
Hence ample fodder to his need he found.
Till soon, to see their neighbour, gathered round
Whole tribes of beasts (a right good neighbour he!) Each came, and each with his supplies made free
By thoughtless nibbling, ere it sought the wood.
Thus sank, not by disease, but want of food,
A stag that scarce had yet two crow-lives told:
Had he lack'd friends, he haply had died old!"

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 46.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

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Davies: The Bulls and the Lion

2011-11-21T16:57:00.002-05:00

Three bulls together in one pasture grazed.
Of seizing these a lion's hopes were raised;
He thought their union all his aims would foil,
So with deep festering slanders to embroil
The friends he bent his mind. Asunder they
Became in turns the lion's easy prey.
If thou wouldst live securely to the end,
Distrust a foe but hold thou fast a friend.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 44.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Heighway images.

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Davies: The Dog and the Cook

2011-11-21T16:50:00.001-05:00

High feast a cit was holding at the end
Of sacrifice. His house dog ask'd a friend
Whom he had met to come and share his meal.
He came. The cook upraised him by the heel
And toss'd him o'er the wall into the street,
Whom when each dog did with the question greet, "What cheer?" he said, "What more could be desired, When I scarce know by what way I retired?"

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 42.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Tenniel-Wolf images. What a great illustration: you can see the friendly dog of the house who issued the invitation up there in the window with the cook!

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Davies: The Lizard

2011-11-21T16:49:00.002-05:00

'Tis said a lizard burst its back in twain
In vain attempts a dragon's size t'attain.
Hurt to thyself will be thy certain fate,
If men far higher thou shouldst imitate.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 41.

(image source)

(not in Mille - Perry371)

Davies: The Dolphins and the Crab

2011-11-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

'Twixt whales and dolphins there was difference great:
And to them came a crab to mediate.
Just as in states, if one of small renown
Should act peacemaker for each rival crown.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 39.

(image)

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Davies: The Pine

2011-11-21T16:28:00.000-05:00

Some woodmen bent a forest pine to split
Into each fissure sundry wedges fit
To keep the void and render work more light.
Out groan d the pine, "Why should I vent my spite
Against the axe which never touch'd my root,
So much as these curst wedges, mine own fruit,
Which rend me through inserted here and there!"
A fable this, intended to declare,
That not so dreadful is a stranger's blow
As wrongs which men receive from those they know.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 38.

(image)

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Davies: The Monkeys

2011-11-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

Twins at each birth the female monkey bears,
Yet gives not them her love in equal shares.
For, by her illstarr'd fondness one opprest
Is kill'd with kindness in her rugged breast.
The other as a useless idiot thrown
Adrift, an outcast, thrives when left alone.
Men's natures oft are such, that friendliness
In them than hate is to be chosen less.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 35.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Osius images.

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Davies: The Cat and Venus

2011-11-21T16:17:00.001-05:00

A cat that loved a handsome man was blest
By the Loves' mother granting her request:
To change her shape permission Venus gave
For lovely woman's: such who would not rave
Unless he won? 'Twas now the man's to bend
To love and marriage. At the banquet's end
A mouse ran past. Down the deep couch's side
Intent upon its capture sprang the bride.
The nuptials ceased. Love vanish'd from among
His mocking sports. For nature was too strong.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 32.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the images from this edition of Croxall's Aesop.

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Davies: The Sculptor and Mercury

2011-11-21T16:13:00.001-05:00

A man had wrought a Mercury for sale
In marble. Would-be buyers did not fail.
One for a pillar (he'd just lost a son)
To buy it wish'd; for a god's statue, one.
Night came: yet it the sculptor had not sold.
So he agreed at morn again t' unfold
The statue, if they'd come. In slumber deep
He gazed on Hermes at the gates of sleep,
Who said, "Good measure of my worth you take,
Since god or corpse of me you mean to make."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 30.

(image)

(not in Mille Perry307)

Davies: The Aged Horse

2011-11-21T16:05:00.000-05:00

Once an old horse was sold to work the mill
And yok'd each eve a grinder's task to fill.
At last it groan'd and said, "What courses past,
Round what strange millers' turns I wheel at last!"
Be not too much with fortune's hopes elate;
Age ends for many in a troubled state.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 29.

(image source: although this is a donkey, you get the idea)

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Davies: The Ox and the Toad

2011-11-21T16:02:00.001-05:00

An ox at water once a toadling crush'd,
Whose dam, then absent, quickly homeward rush'd
And question'd all its brethren where it was:
"Mother, 'tis dead. Before its time, alas,
Beneath the hoof of a huge quadruped
'Twas trampled down!" "Was it as large," she said,
"As this?" She tried her proper size to strain.
"Mother," cried they, "forbear! nor fume in vain
You'll rend yourself in sunder ere you rise,
Howe'er you ape it, to that monster's size."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW from the Baby's Book of Fables.

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Davies: The Captured Weasel

2011-11-21T15:55:00.001-05:00

A man had trapp'd a weasel which to drown
He in a water vessel tied it down,
But when she said, "How shamefully my aid
In catching mice and lizards have you paid!"
I own the debt," cried he; "but did not you
Stifle each bird, and rob each dwelling too,
And empty every meat-pot? You shall die!
For I'm more hurt than profited thereby."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 27.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the colored Steinhowel images.

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Davies: The Hares and the Frogs

2011-11-21T15:52:00.001-05:00

To end their days the hares made up their mind
And since they were of beasts the feeblest kind,
Timid of heart and dull in all but flight,
To hide themselves in some dark pool from light.
But as to a broad swamp they drew more near,
Upon its margin hosts of frogs appear,
Which into slimy depths affrighted leap.
As the hares paused, one said, "Your courage keep.
Let us return! To die we need not seek,
For here are others than ourselves more weak."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 25

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Tenniel-Wolf images.

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Davies: The Marriage of the Sun

2011-11-21T15:50:00.001-05:00

The Sun's espousals were at summer's prime;
Hence all the beasts enjoy'd a jovial time.
The frogs too led the dance in marsh and mere
Till a toad check'd them, saying, "Nought is here
To call for joy but rather grief and moan;
For if he dries each spring while yet alone,
How by this union are we not undone,
If like himself he should beget a son?"
Many o'er trifles needlessly exult,
From which too often sorrow will result.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 24.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images.

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Davies: The Drover that Lost a Bull

2011-11-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

To a far forest for a bull that stray'd,
A well horn'd beast, a drover quest had made.
Then to the mountain nymphs and gods around,
Hermes and Pan, he sware, in case he found
The thief, a lamb should fall a sacrifice.
Crossing a hill, his noble bull he spies,
Feasting a lion. Then he vows in grief,
To add an ox, if he escape the thief.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 23.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Croxall images.

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Davies: The Oxen and the Butchers

2011-11-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Some oxen wish'd the butcher tribe to kill
Who boasted a to them destructive skill.
But when they met and now for direful fray
Whetted their horns, an ox of ancient day
Among them, who for years had borne the plough,
Said, "These at least have hands experienced, how
To kill and carve us, not to hack and hew:
But if we chance on men to slaughter new,
We shall die twice. One will not lack to fell
The ox but one perhaps to do it well."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius, Babrius 21.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

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Smart: The Bull and the Calf

2011-11-21T13:02:00.000-05:00

A Bull was struggling to secure
His passage at a narrow door,
And scarce could reach the rack of hay,
His horns so much were in his way.
A Calf officious, fain would show
How he might twist himself and go.
"Hold thou thy prate; all this," says he,
Ere thou wert calved was known to me."
He, that a wiser man by half
Would teach, may think himself this Calf.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 5.9.

(image source)

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Smart: The Fox and the Tragic Mask

2011-11-21T12:59:00.002-05:00

A Fox beheld a Mask - "O rare
The headpiece, if but brains were there!"
This holds - whene'er the Fates dispense
Pomp, pow'r, and everything but sense.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 1.7.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Medici Aesop images.

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Smart: The Hungry Dogs

2011-11-21T12:53:00.003-05:00

A stupid plan that fools project,
Not only will not take effect,
ut proves destructive in the end
To those that bungle and pretend.
Some hungry Dogs beheld an hide
Deep sunk beneath the crystal tide,
Which, that they might extract for food,
They strove to drink up all the flood;
But bursten in the desp'rate deed,
They perish'd, ere they could succeed.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 1.20.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

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Smart: The Fox and the Grapes

2011-11-21T12:49:00.003-05:00

An hungry Fox with fierce attack
Sprang on a Vine, but tumbled back,
Nor could attain the point in view,
So near the sky the bunches grew.
As he went off, "They're scurvy stuff,"
Says he, "and not half ripe enough--
And I 've more rev'rence for my tripes
Than to torment them with the gripes."
For those this tale is very pat
Who lessen what they can't come at.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 4.3.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images.

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Smart: The Two Bags

2011-11-21T12:48:00.000-05:00

Great Jove, in his paternal care,
Has giv'n a man two Bags to bear;
That which his own default contains
Behind his back unseen remains;
But that which others' vice attests
Swags full in view before our breasts.
Hence we're inevitably blind,
Relating to the Bag behind;
But when our neighbours misdemean,
Our censures are exceeding keen.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 4.10.

(image)

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Smart: The Dog in the River

2011-11-21T12:44:00.004-05:00

The churl that wants another's fare
Deserves at least to lose his share.
As through the stream a Dog convey'd
A piece of meat, he spied his shade
In the clear mirror of the flood,
And thinking it was flesh and blood,
Snapp'd to deprive him of the treat:-
But mark the glutton's self-defeat,
Miss'd both another's and his own,
Both shade and substance, beef and bone.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 1.4.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW from the Baby's Book of Fables.

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Smart: The Mountain in Labor

2011-11-21T12:40:00.004-05:00

The Mountain labor'd, groaning loud,
On which a num'rous gaping crowd
Of noodles came to see the sight,
When, lo ! a mouse was brought to light!
This tale 's for men of swagg'ring cast,
Whose threats, voluminous and vast,
With all their verse and all their prose,
Can make but little on 't, God knows.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus 4.24.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the colored Steinhowel images.

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Smart: The Man and the Dog

2011-11-21T12:39:00.002-05:00

Torn by a Cur, a man was led
To throw the snappish thief some bread
Dipt in the blood, which, he was told,
Had been a remedy of old.
Then Esop thus: - "Forbear to show
A pack of dogs the thing you do,
Lest they should soon devour us quite,
When thus rewarded as they bite."
One wicked miscreant's success
Makes many more the trade profess.

Source: Smart: Fables of Phaedrus, 2.3.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the images from this edition of Croxall's Aesop.

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Smart: Fables of Phaedrus

2011-11-21T12:26:00.003-05:00

The English verse versions of Phaedrus are by Christopher Smart:

The Fables of Phaedrus, Translated into English Verse by Christopher Smart (1913).

You can find this text online at Google Books, included in Riley's edition of Terence.

Davies: The Carter and Hercules

2011-11-21T12:11:00.005-05:00

A carter from the village drove his wain,
And when it fell into a rugged lane,
Inactive stood nor lent a helping hand,
But to that God, whom of the heavenly band
He really honour'd most, Alcides, pray'd,
"Push at your wheels," the God appearing said,
"And goad your team; but, when you pray again,
Help yourself likewise or you'll pray in vain."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 20

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the 1590 Aesop images.

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Davies: The Fox and the Grapes

2011-11-21T12:09:00.003-05:00

There hung some bunches of the purple grape
On a hillside. A cunning fox, agape
For these full clusters, many times essay'd
To cull their dark bloom, many vain leaps made.
They were quite ripe and for the vintage fit;
But when his leaps did not avail a whit,
He journey'd on, and thus his grief composed:
"The bunch was sour, not ripe, as I supposed."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 19

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the colored Steinhowel images.

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Davies: The Cat and the Cock

2011-11-21T12:06:00.005-05:00

A cat that ambush'd for some house-birds lay,
Swung itself, baglike, from a peg one day.
'Twas seen by a sagacious shrewd-tongued cock,
Which shrilly thus began the cat to mock;
"Full many bags I've noticed heretofore;
But none the grinders of a live cat bore."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 17

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

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Davies: The Wolf and the Nurse

2011-11-21T12:03:00.005-05:00

A country nurse to fright her babe to peace
Said, "Wolf shall have thee, or thy cries must cease."
The wolf o'erheard, believed the scolding crone,
And stay'd in hopes to find the feast his own.
But evening came; the babe was hush'd to rest:
The wolf still gaped, with rav'ning hunger prest.
At last his hopes to utter dulness grew:
Then to his anxious helpmate he withdrew.
"How cam'st thou empty?" said she. He replied,
"Because upon a female I relied."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 16

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rabier images.

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Davies: The Bear and the Fox

2011-11-21T12:02:00.001-05:00

A bear for man was boasting fondness rare,
Whose corpse, he urged, he was not wont to tear.
To whom quoth Reynard, "Were the choice my own,
You should tear corpses, but let life alone;
Let none that hurt my life, my death bemoan."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 14

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rackham images.

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Davies: The Man and the Fox

2011-11-21T12:00:00.002-05:00

A man that on his vines' and orchard's foe,
The fox, a strange affront design'd to throw,
Bandag'd its tail with tow, applied a light,
And sent it forth. Now Heaven's just oversight
Led the flame-bearer to its captor's fields.
It was the time for crops when harvest yields
A hopeful prospect of abundant share;
The man pursued, deploring wasted care,
And Ceres did not bless his threshing floor.
One should be meek, and ne'er be vexed sore.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 11

(image)

M0831 Perry283

Davies: The Fisherman Piping

2011-11-21T11:56:00.005-05:00

A fisher play'd the pipes with wondrous skill
And, hoping shoals of fish of their own will
Would to the sweet sound of his piping throng,
Let down his net and piped a tuneful song.
But when his breath was spent, his piping nought,
He cast again and fish in numbers caught.
These panting here and there ashore he spied
And as he wash'd his net thus sharply cried,
"Dance without music now! Had ye been wise,
Ye had before danced to my melodies."

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 9

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Medici Aesop images.

M0849 Perry011

Davies: The Young Cocks

2011-11-21T11:50:00.006-05:00

Two Tanagraean cocks a fight began;
Their spirit is, 'tis said, as that of man;
Of these the beaten bird, a mass of blows,
For shame into a corner creeping goes;
The other to the housetop quickly flew,
And there in triumph flapp'd his wings and crew.
But him an eagle lifted from the roof
And bore away; his fellow gain'd a proof
That oft the wages of defeat are best,
None else remain'd the hens to interest.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 5

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the images from Croxall's Aesop.

M0562 Perry281

Davies: The Arab and the Camel

2011-11-21T11:50:00.005-05:00

An Arab having heap'd his camel's back,
Ask'd if he chose to take the upward track
Or downward; and the beast had sense to say,
"Am I cut off then from the level way?"

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 8

(image source)

(not in Mille - Perry287)

Davies: The Fisherman and the Fish

2011-11-21T11:48:00.001-05:00

His late-cast net ashore a fisher drew,
Enclosing fish not all alike nor few.
The smaller, taking flight, contrived to get
Safe through the bottom of the meshy net,
Whilst in the ship the greater emptied lay.
'Tis surely safe and farthest from harm's way,
To be but small: for you shall seldom see
The high in rank escape calamity.

Source: Davies: Fables of Babrius = Babrius 4

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the images from the 1484 Directorium Humanae Vitae.

M0581 Perry282

Davies: Fables of Babrius

2011-11-21T11:31:00.002-05:00

The fables of the Greek poet Babrius are one of our most important sources for the ancient Greek Aesopic tradition, even though we do not really know much about Babrius (Babrius, Gabrias) at all. This book contains the poems of Babrius done into English verse:

Fables of Babrius, translated into English verse by James Davies (1860)

You can find the book at Google Books!

Thummel: The Geese and the Cranes

2011-11-20T16:47:00.002-05:00

A flock of young geese joined with a flock of cranes
To eat the green corn, brought up by the spring rains.
A farmer who saw them devouring his corn
Frightened them away by blowing his horn.
The cranes, being light of wing, soon flew away,
Leaving the geese to stand the brunt of the fray.
"Everyone for himself" is what people say,
When, fleeing from danger, they hasten away.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

(image source)

M0536 Perry228

Thummel: The Boasting Traveller

2011-11-20T16:46:00.002-05:00

While talking with friends, a traveller of old,
Of his great achievements this story once told:
"While staying in Rhodes, far over the sea,
No athlete, in jumping could ever beat me.
I once took a jump, that each man trying hard
For the prize, could not make within a good yard,
'Tis a fact as true as you are standing there,
Were we in Rhodes ten men to it would swear."
"Why go to Rhodes to prove your story true?"
Said one: "Try here and we'll see what you do."

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Tenniel-Wolf images.

M0974 Perry033

Thummel: The Two Crabs

2011-11-20T16:45:00.001-05:00

"My dear," said old Mrs. Crab to her daughter,
"Of all awkward beasts on land or on water,
Though they walk, though they jump, though they hop or crawl,
You surely are the most awkward of all."
"O mother, I thought all the graces I knew,
For I've faithfully tried to walk just like you.
But if you will teach me a more graceful way,
I'll learn, for I'll practice by night and by day."
'Tis strange, very strange, how much plainer I see
The mistakes that you make, than those made by me.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

(image source)

M0586 Perry322

Thummel: The Sparrow and the Hare

2011-11-20T16:44:00.001-05:00

A hare being seized by an eagle most bold,
In pitiful tones his sad story told.
A foolish young sparrow hard by on a tree,
Offered no pity, but laughed in his glee.
And said to the hare: "I think it absurd.
A swift hare like you, to be caught by a bird."
Then a hawk darting down seized the poor sparrow,
And ere long was dining, in state, on her marrow,
And the hare as he drew his lingering breath,
Saw the poor little sparrow strangling in death.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the images from Croxall's Aesop.

M0494 Perry473

Thummel: Fortune and the Boy

2011-11-20T16:43:00.002-05:00

Tired from play, one quiet, warm summer day,
Hard by a deep well a slumbering boy lay.
Dame Fortune came by, and, seeing his danger,
Awakened the lad, who, to her was no stranger,
And said, "Had you fallen in while lying so still,
Everyone would have said that I'd used you ill.
Now please tell me truly, if you should thus die,
Who would be to blame, little man, you or I?"
Don't blame poor old Dame Fortune, let me implore,
Don't lay all your folly at Dame Fortune's door.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

(image source)

M0813 Perry174

Thummel: The Jackdaw and the Sheep

2011-11-20T16:40:00.002-05:00

A jackdaw was chattering on the back of a sheep,
Who, in spite of the jackdaw was trying to sleep,
At length, after trying and trying in vain
To stop the bird's talking, the sheep did complain.
"Do stop your noisy tongue! You very well know,
If I were a dog you would not treat me so!"
"Oh!" replied the jackdaw, "I know that is true,
But you forget that no dog is like you.
The reason I treat you so is very plain,
You're too big a coward to fight back again."

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

(image source)

M0445 Perry553

Thummel: The Stag and the Fawn

2011-11-20T16:39:00.004-05:00

A fawn once said to a stag: "Pray tell me why
You are so frightened when a dog comes nigh.
You are larger, stronger, and fleeter than he,
So why he should frighten you I cannot see.
I am sure if the dogs knew this to be true
They certainly all would be fleeing from you."
"My friend," said the stag, "there's been many a day
I have said to myself just what you now say,
But, for all that, I am not sure I could win,
And a dog makes me want to jump from my skin."

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Patousas images.

M0153 = Perry351

Thummel: The Fisher

2011-11-20T16:39:00.003-05:00

A fisher once played by a stream, being sure
That he with his music the fish could thus lure.
But never a fish could the fisher thus get
And so he was forced to rely on his net.
As the net soon was filled he then played again
And the fish in the net leapt up with each strain,
"Ah; now you dance when I play," said the old man.
"Yes," said an old fish, "when we have to, we can."
Do as you please in freedom's short hour,
For you'll do as you're bid when in a man's power.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the colored Steinhowel images. The coloring actually makes this image a bit harder to read: stage one of the story is in the background, and stage two of the story is in the foreground - but it is the same fisherman, so the person who colored the image probably should not have made the hats two different colors!

M0849 Perry011

Thummel: The Fatal Courtship

2011-11-20T16:38:00.002-05:00

'Tis said the mouse that saved the lion's life
Was emboldened to ask his daughter to wife.
The lion, laughing, put mousie at ease,
And said: "I am willing, if my daughter you please.
Be seated, my friend, in her soft, cushioned chair,
While I to my daughter your wish will declare."
Miss Lion came bouncing her lover to greet,
But crushed out his life with one of her feet.
Though deeming your lot most humble and ill,
Seek not a position you never can fill.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images. Look closely to see the little mouse underfoot!

M0209 Perry150

Thummel: The Partridge and the Cocks

2011-11-20T16:37:00.001-05:00

A partridge was put, by a man, in the yard,
Where he kept some game cocks that fought very hard.
The partridge considered his life in danger,
As he to the cocks was naught but a stranger.
But by watching, as sly as any shrewd fox,
The habits and tastes of those same old game cocks,
Soon, quite soon, he was able to discover
That foe or friend, enemy, or e'en lover,
These cocks cared not; it was their wish but to fight,
Be they ready or not, their side wrong or right.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rabier images.

M0525 Perry023

Thummel: The Woman and the Hen

2011-11-20T16:36:00.002-05:00

A certain woman had a hen which laid each day an egg.
So fine and large, she knew that she need never starve or beg,
So good a price did these eggs bring. But not content with that,
She thought the hen might lay her two, if she were doubly fat.
And so she fed her till she was as sleek as any ball,
But found she had so lazy grown, she did not lay at all.
This moral find we here. Your fortunes don't bemoan,
But when you're doing well, let well enough alone.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

M0982 Perry058

Thummel: The Fox and the Leopard

2011-11-20T16:34:00.002-05:00

A leopard was heard giving vent to his thoughts,
Expressing much pride in his beautiful spots.
A cunning old fox was standing quite near him,
And listened intently on purpose to hear him.
Speaking with dignity and raising his head,
To the boasting leopard the sly old fox said:
"Your beauty from mine is a different kind;
You're proud of your skin while I'm proud of my mind.''
It is true, very true, this fact you will find,
There's no greater beauty than that of the mind.

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images.

M0058 = Perry012

Thummel: The Tunny and the Dolphin

2011-11-20T16:33:00.002-05:00

A tunny swam out into shallow water,
A dolphin pursuing eagerly sought her.
A huge ocean wave threw him on the dry laud,
No one being near him to lend him a hand.
The dolphin, per chance, by another huge wave,
Was landed beside him to share the same grave.
The tunny seeing the dolphin at his side,
Ere death closed his eyes to the dolphin he cried
"I die content, truly glad am I to see
My enemy's death blow was given by me."

Source: Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme.

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Medici Aesop images.

M0595 Perry113

Thummel: Aesop in Rhyme

2011-11-20T16:28:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Google Books for making this book available!

Aesop in Rhyme by Mary Leone Gilliam Thummel, illustrated by Edward Eksergian (1906)

Here are some illustrations from the book:

Boothby: The Traveller

2011-11-20T10:25:00.002-05:00

The man thro' rough roads who his journey has sped,
From sunrise to evening's dim close;
Sups quickly, and calls for his candle and bed,
Impatient from toils to repose.
So, when weary and old, we have struggled our way.
Through this troublesome warfare and strife;
We are glad to lie down at the end of the day;
Old age is the bed-time of life.

Source: Boothby - Other Fables 51

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: The Housewife and her Hen

2011-11-20T10:22:00.002-05:00

A Housewife once a Hen possessed,
That every morning in her nest
Left a fine egg. Twice in the day
The Beldame wanted her to lay:
And so her nourishment increas'd.
Grown fat, to lay at all she ceas'd.

Source: Boothby - Other Fables 48

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Medici Aesop images.

M0982 Perry058

Boothby: The Dog and the Quaker

2011-11-20T10:15:00.002-05:00

Quakers forbidd'n are by their teachers,
To lift their hand against God's creatures.
But, injur'd, their revenge to take,
Their instruments of others make.
A Dog had stol'n from one of these.
His evening mess of bread and cheese.
He struck him not; but calling out
"Mad Dog! mad Dog!" the rabble rout
Seizing on bludgeons, bricks, and stones,
Pursu'd the Dog, and broke his bones.

Source: Boothby - Other Fables 45

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: The Sleep of the Wicked

2011-11-20T10:11:00.002-05:00

Beneath a bower's protecting shade,
A wicked Minister was laid.
A gentle rivulet, winding round.
Murmuring, but made his sleep more sound.
"Should such a man have peaceful rest?"
Said one who long had known the pest:
"Yes," says his friend," while thus he lies,
"The world a short repose enjoys."

Source: Boothby - Other Fables 40

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: Pleasure and Pain

2011-11-20T10:07:00.002-05:00

Pleasure and Pain in constant fray.
Which o'er mankind should bear the sway;
Jove finding all agreement vain,
Link'd them together in a chain.
Hating the adamantine tie,
To its extremities they fly;
But dragg'd along, which ever lead.
The other must perforce succeed;
Doom'd, an inseparable pair.
In man to take alternate share.

Source: Boothby - Other Fables 26

(image source)

(not in Mille - Perry 445)

Boothby: Fortune and Vice

2011-11-20T10:04:00.002-05:00

Fortune and Vice dispute one day.
Which had to punish greater sway.
Says Fortune, "At my sovereign will,
I take all good and give all ill."
"Granted," says Vice, "but without me
None can completely wretched be;
While I, alone, do all you can.
In perfect misery plunge my man."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.66

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: Neptune and Pallas

2011-11-20T09:51:00.002-05:00

Two Gods with emulation strove
By presents for Cecropia's love.
Great Neptune's trident smote the earthy
And to the stately horse gave birth.
Her fostering hands Athene spread,
And the fat olive rears its head.
Preferred before the warlike steed.
The palm to Pallas was decreed.
Mortals most grateful incense owe
To Gods, who peaceful gifts bestow.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.64

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: The Pike and the Herring

2011-11-20T09:46:00.002-05:00

A Pike, of ancient pedigree,
Came from his rivulet to the sea;
And with no title to be vain.
Treated the Sea-fish with disdain.
A Herring then indignant said,
"What folly has thee hither led?
Thou might'st be something in thy stream.
But here thou'lt meet with no esteem.''
Good Landlords, in your counties known.
There rest; ye're of no note in town.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.52

(image)

M0596 (not in Perry)

Boothby: The Boy and the Goldfinch

2011-11-20T09:38:00.002-05:00

"Let me, my pretty Bird, but know
Why from your gilded cage you go?"
A Stripling to his Goldfinch said
Who to a neighb'ring grove had fled:
"To give you all that you could ask.
Has ever been my pleasing task."
"'Tis true," replies the Bird, "less good
Will be my lodging and my food;
But nothing will my wings confine.
And native liberty be mine.''

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.50

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: The Eagle and the Snail

2011-11-20T09:35:00.002-05:00

An Eagle, thro' the air on sail,
On a high rock descried a Snail:
"How cam'st thou on this lofty steep?"
He said, "Sir," says the Snail, "I creep."
How many a reptile do we see
Crawl, where he ne'er was made to be!

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.48

(Image Source)

M0642 (not in Perry)

Boothby: The Fox and the Hedgehog

2011-11-20T09:32:00.001-05:00

A wounded Fox disabled lay;
To drive tormenting flies away
A Hedgehog offered him his aid:
"No, Sir, I thank you," Reynard said;
"Already I have borne the ill;
These of my blood have suck'd their fill;
And should we now these robbers chase,
A hungry swarm would take their place."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.43

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images. I like the way Grandville shows the hungry new flies ready and waiting.

M0180 = Perry427

Boothby: The Ass, the Ape and the Mole

2011-11-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

They who their sorrows most bemoan
May find worse miseries than their own.
An Ass his want of horns bewails;
An Ape that Apes are short of tails;
"What would you say," a Mole replies,
"Were you, like me, depriv'd of eyes?"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.42

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the 1590 Aesop images.

M0188 (not in Perry)

Boothby: The Wolf and the Shepherds

2011-11-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

The powerful too oft abuse
Rights, which to others they refuse.
A prowling Wolf one evening put
His muzzle in a Shepherd's hut;
And there at table saw them seated,
To a young lamb's fat quarter treated.
"Aye, aye, 'tis very well," said he;
"Did you at such a feast find me,
The country up in arms would be."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.38

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images.

M0084 = Perry453

Boothby: The Fox and the Lion

2011-11-20T09:28:00.001-05:00

Men will become, by habit led,
Familiar with what most they dread.
Fox who had no lions seen,
Met one of a tremendous mien,
And trembling fled. Another day
He look'd again upon the way,
He look'd him in the face: At last
Made him a rev'rence as he past;
Accosted him; and ventur'd near,
As if there nothing was to fear.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.32

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Griset images.

M0026 = Perry010

Boothby: The Storks and the Geese

2011-11-20T09:22:00.004-05:00

The least to carry off who have
Themselves from danger readiest save.
Some Storks and Geese a farmer found
Marauding on his new-sown ground;
The lean Storks flying straight away.
Left the fat Geese the score to pay.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.31

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Medici Aesop images.

M0536 Perry228

Boothby: The Eagle and the Serpent

2011-11-20T02:00:00.002-05:00

An Eagle, on the wing for prey.
Observed a Snake that sleeping lay,
And seiz'd him in her claws; the Snake
Us'd his last force revenge to take.
Dying, he writh'd his body round,
And gave his foe a mortal wound.
Tyrants will oft their ruin find
In ills for others they designed.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.29

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the 1590 Aesop images; the bird here is not an eagle, of course - this fable is usually told about a raven.

M0621 Perry128

Boothby: The Bird and the Arrow

2011-11-20T01:59:00.001-05:00

The feather'd arrow in her side,
A Bird in plaintive accent cried,
''How sad it is the means to lend,
That brings us to a timeless end!"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.28

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Harrison Weir images.

M0414 Perry276

Boothby: The Gnat and the Ox

2011-11-20T01:58:00.000-05:00

Cries to an Ox a little Gnat,
As perch'd upon his horn she sat,
"My weight fatigues you, Sir, I fear;"
Says Ox, ''I knew not thou wert there.''

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.27

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Milo Winter images. You'll have to look hard to find the little gnat!

M0292 Perry137

Boothby: The Fly

2011-11-20T01:56:00.001-05:00

A Fly, upon a chariot pole,
Sees sandy clouds about him roll;
And, puft with self-importance, cries,
"The dust I raise obscures the skies!''

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.26

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the 1590 Aesop images.

M0680 Perry724

Boothby: The Thief and the Pauper

2011-11-20T01:44:00.002-05:00

He to whom fortune nothing gives,
Free from the dread of robbers lives.
A Pauper as he lay in bed,
Overhearing some one in his shed
Groping and searching all about,
Something of value to take out.
Cries, ''What by day I ne'er could see,
To find by night you'll lucky be!"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.13

(image source)

(not in Mille - not in Perry)

Boothby: The Wolf and the Shepherd's Boy

2011-11-20T01:42:00.001-05:00

In wantonness a Shepherd's boy
Alarm'd the neighbours with his cry;
"The Wolf! the Wolf!" and, when they came,
Of their lost labour made his game.
At last the Wolf when there indeed,
His real cries they did not heed;
He and his flock a prey were made,
And for his lies he dearly paid.
Those who are known to have deceived,
When they speak truth, are not believ'd.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.12

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Tenniel-Wolf images.

M0076 = Perry210

Boothby: The Head and the Tail

2011-11-20T01:41:00.001-05:00

That land accurs'd what ills betide,
Where the vile populace preside!
A Serpent's Tail address'd the Head:
"Too long I've followed you," it said,
"Tls now my turn to take the lead."
"Tis well," replied the Head, "proceed!"
The Tail, unus'd, went wrong and slow,
And blind and deaf, got many a blow;
Nor did the Head much better fare,
Condemned its leader's ills to share.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.9

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Billinghurst images.

M0620 Perry362

Boothby: The Eagle and the Crow

2011-11-20T01:39:00.001-05:00

The wise well know their force to weigh,
Nor what they cannot do, essay.
A Carrion Crow an Eagle saw
Seize on a lamb with beak and claw.
Conceiving he could better do.
He pounces on a well fed ewe;
But he and not the sheep was caught;
For when to fly with it he sought
His feet entangled in the wool.
The shepherd seiz'd the helpless fool.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.8

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Grandville images.

M0431 Perry002

Boothby: The Lion, the Bull and the Goat

2011-11-20T01:37:00.001-05:00

Curs'd is the wretch who has the will
Without the power to do ill.
As once a Bull from Leo fled,
A Goat oppos'd his horny head.
"Out of my way, poor idiot," cries
The Bull, "if you your safety prize."
The stupid animal stood fast,
And the Bull toss'd him as he past.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.6

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Tenniel-Wolf images.

M0317 Perry217

Boothby: The Horse and the Ass

2011-11-20T01:34:00.001-05:00

He on the ground who rests his head
Sleeps of no precipice in dread.
An Ass with envying eye surveyed
A Courser in his war-parade.
Curvetting to the trumpet's sound,
With steps that scarcely touch'd the ground.
The squadrons join, the battle burns,
Stript, wounded, lame, the Horse returns.
The Ass then grateful felt, that Heav'n
To him a humbler lot had giv'n.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 2.3

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Arthur Rackham images.

M0253 Perry357

Boothby: The Sow and the Wolf

2011-11-20T01:33:00.001-05:00

Put no reliance on a creature
Of savage and deceitful nature.
A Sow had laid her new-born race
Safe in a well-defended place.
A Wolf, as nurse, an offer made
The mother in the straw to aid.
" Thanks for your kindness," says the Sow,
"Your help we do not need just now;
What most obliging you can do,
Far from this quarter is to go."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.36

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Herrick images and additional information.

M0331 Perry547

Boothby: The Ass Carrying Relics

2011-11-20T01:31:00.001-05:00

An Ass some Relics bore along,
Which, worshiped by the stupid throng,
He thought 'twas him they thus respected.
With stately step and ears erected,
As pleas'd he star'd about, the guide
Drubb'd with a stick his dusty hide,
Crying, "March, idiot! Don't you see
Thy load they kneel to, not to thee!"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.33

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Billinghurst images. In the ancient world, the donkey was usually carrying an image of Isis, but here the story has been adapted to a Christian context!

M0249 Perry182

Boothby: The Tunny and the Sturgeon

2011-11-20T01:30:00.001-05:00

When falls the oppressor with the oppress'd,
The wretch's wrongs seem half redress'd.
A Sturgeon from a Tunny fled,
Who following with voracious speed,
They both were cast upon the strand.
As they lay gasping on the sand
The Sturgeon says, "My fate I bear,
Since the same lot I see thee share;
And thou who hadst design'd my death
Art forc'd thyself to yield thy breath."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.32

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Barlow images.

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Boothby: Fortune and the Boy

2011-11-20T01:28:00.002-05:00

The improvident on fortune lay
The price they for their folly pay.
Upon the margin of a well,
Asleep a thoughtless Schoolboy fell
So sound, that Fortune passing by
Could scarcely wake him with her cry:
"For once I've sav'd thy life," says she,
"Another time more prudent be.
Yours was the fault, had you fall'n in;
Yet mine the blame had surely been."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.29

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Bewick images.

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Boothby: The Fuller and the Collier

2011-11-20T01:26:00.001-05:00

Let fitness guide your inclination:
Suit your companions to your station.
A Collier offer'd to receive
A Fuller, forc'd his house to leave:
"Thank you, my friend;" the Fuller said,
"But what would happen to my trade,
If what all morning I make white,
Your coal-dust must make black at night?"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.25

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Salomon images.

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Boothby: The Wolf and the Kid

2011-11-20T01:25:00.000-05:00

Cowards most insolent appear
When sure they nothing have to fear.
A Kid, within a fold high wall'd,
A Wolf thief, villain, rascal, call'd;
"I heed not what thou say'st," cried he,
"It is the wall that speaks, not thee."

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.22

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all J. M. Conde's color Aesop illustrations. I wonder what insults the kid would be hurling at such an elegant wolf!

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Boothby: The Frogs and the Tortoise

2011-11-20T01:24:00.001-05:00

The wise contentedly will bear
Burthens that necessary are.
A Tortoise saw a nimble Frog,
Swimming and leaping in a bog,
And began nature to upbraid,
Who him had so unwieldy made.
But when he saw a water-snake,
His meal upon a dozen make:
"My rough impenetrable hide,
Though ponderous, is secure," he cried.

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.14

(Image Source)

M0635 (not in Perry)

Boothby: The Two Frogs

2011-11-20T01:22:00.001-05:00

Their marsh dried up, two Frogs set out,
For some fresh spring to look about;
They come to a deep draw-well's side:
"We here," says one, "may safe abide,
From boys and cranes and fishes free,
In plentiful security."
"Halt," cries the other, "if you please;
'Tis true we can descend with ease,
But if this spring the sun should drain,
Pray how shall we get up again?"

Source: Boothby - Aesop 1.10

Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rackham images.

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