As the days of Athenian civilization advanced, their light chaff was
thought more of than their solid matter. Two hundred years of progress
in man caused the animals to be truly considered "lower," natural
distinctions were better appreciated, and there seemed to be something
absurd in the idea of their thinking or talking. Hence Æsop's fables are
spoken of by Aristophanes as something laughable, and the fabulist came
to be regarded as a humorist. This feeling gained ground so much
afterwards that Lucian makes Æsop act the part of a buffoon in "The
Isles of the Blessed." Such views no doubt influenced the traditions
with regard to the condition and characteristics of their composer.
There was the more field for this, inasmuch as even the fables were only
handed down orally. Some biographer, formerly supposed to have been
Planudes the monk, seems to have fertilized with his own inventive
genius many tales which had themselves no better foundation than the
conjectures derived from the tone and nature of the fables. Æsop was
represented as droll, as a sort of wit, and by a development of the
connection in the mind between humour and the ludicrous, they gave him
an infirm body, hesitating speech, and servile condition. Improving the
story, they said his figure frightened the servants of the merchant who
bought him. At the same time many clever tricks and speeches were
attributed to him. What we really glean from such stories is, that
animal fables soon came to be regarded as humorous. It is probable that
some fabulist of the name of Æsop at one time existed, but we know
nothing with certainty about his life, and many of the fables attributed
to him were perhaps of older date.

The advance in the direction of humour, which was manifested in Æsop's
fictions, was also found in the opulent Ionian Sybaris. This city,
situated on the lovely Bay of Tarentum, was now at the height of its
fame, the acknowledged centre of Greek luxury and civilization. A