misfortune which thou so unjustly imputest to me."



The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf once devoured his prey so ravenously that a bone stuck in his
throat, giving him great pain. He ran howling up and down in his
suffering and offered to reward handsomely any one who would pull the
bone out.

A Crane, moved by pity as well as by the prospect of the money,
undertook the dangerous task, and having removed the bone, asked for
the promised reward.

"Reward!" cried the Wolf; "pray, you greedy fellow, what greater reward
can you possibly require? You have had your head in my mouth, and
instead of biting it off I have let you pull it out unharmed. Get away
with you, and don't come again within reach of my paw."



The Hares and the Frogs

The Hares once took serious counsel among themselves whether death
itself would not be preferable to their miserable condition. "What a
sad state is ours," they said, "never to eat in comfort, to sleep ever
in fear, to be startled by a shadow, and to fly with beating heart at
the rustling of the leaves. Better death by far," and off they went
accordingly to drown themselves in a neighbouring lake.