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Page 26
"To this the other donkey replied, 'My lord, I admire in you exactly the
same excellencies.'
"Not content with flattering each other in this way, these two asses
went about the cities singing aloud each other's praises. Either one
thought he was doing a good turn to himself in thus lauding his
companion.
"Well, your majesty, I know of many people to-day, not among asses, but
among exalted creatures, whom heaven has been pleased to raise to a high
degree, who would, if they dared, change their title of 'Excellency to
that of 'Majesty.' I am saying more than I should, perhaps, and I hope
your majesty will keep the secret. You wished to hear of some incident
which would show you, among other things, how self-love makes people
ridiculous, and there I have given you a good instance. Injustice I will
speak of another time, it would take too long now."
Thus spoke the ape. No one has ever been able to tell me whether he ever
did speak of injustice to his king. It would have been a delicate
matter, and our master of arts, who was no fool, regarded the lion as
too terrible a king to submit to being lectured too far.
XXXVI
THE WOLF AND THE FOX IN THE WELL
(BOOK XI.--No. 6)
Why does �sop give to the fox the reputation of excelling in all tricks
of cunning? I have sought for a reason, but cannot find one. Does not
the wolf, when he has need to defend his life or take that of another,
display as much knowingness as the fox? I believe he knows more, and I
dare, perhaps with some reason, to contradict my master in this
particular.
Nevertheless, here is a case where undoubtedly all the honour fell to
the dweller in burrows.
One evening a fox, who was as hungry as a dog, happened to see the round
reflection of the moon in a well, and he believed it to be a fine
cheese. There were two pails which alternately drew up the water. Into
the uppermost of these the fox leapt, and his weight caused him to
descend the well, where he at once discovered his mistake about the
cheese. He became extremely worried and fancied his end approaching, for
he could see no way to get up again but by some other hungry one,
enticed by the same reflection, coming down in the same way that he had.
Two days passed without any one coming to the well. Time, which is
always marching onward, had, during two nights, hollowed the outline
of the silvery planet, and Reynard was in despair.
[Illustration: Descended by his greater weight.]
At last a wolf, parched with thirst, drew near, to whom the fox called
from below, "Comrade, here is a treat for you! Do you see this? It is an
exquisite cheese, made by Faunus[16] from milk of the heifer Io.[17] If
Jupiter were ill and lost his appetite he would find it again by one
taste of this. I have only eaten this piece out of it; the rest will be
plenty for you. Come down in the pail up there. I put it there on
purpose for you."
A rigmarole so cleverly told was easily believed by the fool of a wolf,
who descended by his greater weight, which not only took him down, but
brought the fox up.
We ought not to laugh at the wolf, for we often enough let ourselves be
deluded with just as little cause. Everybody is ready to believe the
thing he fears and the thing he desires.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 16: The benign spirit of the fields and woods.]
[Footnote 17: A priestess who was changed by Hera, wife of Zeus, into a
white heifer.]
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