Aesop's FablesAesop embodies an epigram not uncommon in human history; his fame is all the more deserved because he never deserved it. The firm foundations of common sense, the shrewd shots at uncommon sense, that characterise all the Fables, belong not him but to humanity. In the earliest human history whatever is authentic is universal: and whatever is universal is anonymous. In such cases there is always some central man who had first the trouble of collecting them, and afterwards the fame of creating them. He had the fame; and, on the whole, he earned the fame. There must have been something great and human, something of the human future and the human past, in such a man: even if he only used it to rob the past or deceive the future. The story of Arthur may have been really connected with the most fighting Christianity of falling Rome or with the most heathen traditions hidden in the hills of Wales. But the word "Mappe" or "Malory" will always mean King Arthur; even though we find older and better origins than the Mabinogian; or write later and worse versions than the "Idylls of the King." The nursery fairy tales may have come out of Asia with the Indo-European race, now fortunately extinct; they may have been invented by some fine French lady or gentleman like Perrault: they may possibly even be what they profess to be. But we shall always call the best selection of such tales "Grimm's Tales": simply because it is the best collection. |
Contents
FABLE XIV | |
FABLE XV | |
FABLE XVI | |
FABLE XVII | |
FABLE XIX | |
FABLE XX | |
FABLE XXI | |
FABLE XXII | |
FABLE VII | |
FABLE VIII | |
FABLE IX | |
FABLE X | |
FABLE XI | |
FABLE XII | |
FABLE XIII | |
FABLE XXIII | |
FABLE XXIV | |
FABLE XXV | |
FABLE XXVI | |
FABLE XXVII | |
FABLE XXVIII | |
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Common terms and phrases
able advantage Æsop Aesop's Fables agreeable APPLICATION asked bad company bear beasts beauty behaviour better bird Cock consider courage Crane creature Crow death degree easy endeavour enemy envious esteem expose eyes FABLE FABLE LII FABLE LX FABLE LXXII FABLE XLIII favour fear fellow forbear fortune Frog give happened happy heart honest honour Horse idle innocence Jupiter kind king Kite least Leo Tolstoy liberty Lion live look mankind manner matter mind Mouse mouth nature neighbours never observing occasion ourselves passion Peacock person Phædrus Phrygia piece Pisistratus Plutarch poor proper punishment reason replies resolved revenge Reynard ridiculous says scarce secure sense Sheep silly skin Stag Stork stupidity suffer sure temper thing thought took Tortoise true virtue wheel of fortune whole Wilkie Collins Wolf Woman in White wretch young