A Hundred Fables of La Fontaine

Part 1

Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive.)

WITH PICTURES BY PERCY J. BILLINGHURST]

A HUNDRED FABLES OF

LA FONTAINE

A HUNDRED FABLES

LA FONTAINE

WITH PICTURES BY PERCY J. BILLINGHURST

LONDON JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD NEW YORK JOHN LANE COMPANY

SECOND EDITION

Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO. At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh

CONTENTS

Page The Acorn and the Pumpkin 128 The Animals Sick of the Plague 200 The Ape 90 The Ass and his Masters 34 The Ass and the Dog 120 The Ass and the Little Dog 18 The Ass Carrying Relics 26 The Ass Dressed in the Lion's Skin 166 The Ass Loaded with Sponges 72

The Bat and the Two Weasels 66 The Battle of the Rats and the Weasels 198 The Bear and the Two Companions 194 The Bird Wounded by an Arrow 68

The Camel and the Floating Sticks 82 The Carter in the Mire 104 The Cat and the Fox 138 The Cat and the Two Sparrows 150 The Cock and the Fox 76 The Council held by the Rats 62 The Countryman and the Serpent 102 The Cunning Fox 88

Death and the Woodman 56 The Dog and his Master's Dinner 110 The Dog whose Ears were Cropped 144 The Dove and the Ant 74 The Dragon with many Heads 54

The Eagle and the Magpie 94 The Eagle and the Owl 184 The Ears of the Hare 22 The Earthen Pot and the Iron Pot 192 Education 122

The Fool who Sold Wisdom 130 The Fox, the Flies, and the Hedgehog 92 The Fox, the Monkey, and the Animals 98 The Fox and the Turkeys 172 The Fox, the Wolf, and the Horse 170

The Grasshopper and the Ant 2

The Hare and the Partridge 28 The Head and the Tail of the Serpent 108 The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep 48 The Heron 106 The Hog, the Goat, and the Sheep 116 The Hornets and the Bees 58 The Horse and the Wolf 182

The Joker and the Fishes 112

The Lion and the Ass Hunting 8 The Lion and the Hunter 96 The Lion and the Gnat 70 The Lion and the Monkey 178 The Lion beaten by the Man 78 The Lioness and the Bear 146 The Lion Going to War 30 The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox 196 The Lobster and her Daughter 162

The Man and his Image 52 The Man and the Wooden God 20 The Man and the Owl 148 The Miser and the Monkey 186 The Monkey and the Cat 140 The Monkey and the Leopard 126

Nothing too Much 136

The Oak and the Reed 60 The Old Cat and the Young Mouse 154 The Old Man and the Ass 32 The Old Woman and her Servants 24 The Oyster and the Litigants 132

Philomet and Progne 80 The Ploughman and his Sons 164

The Quarrel of the Dogs and Cats 158

The Rat and the Elephant 118 The Rat and the Oyster 114 The Rat Retired from the World 86

The Shepherd and his Dog 44 The Shepherd and his Flock 38 The Shepherd and the Lion 180 The Shepherd and the Sea 16 The Sick Stag 156 The Spider and the Swallow 142 The Stag and the Vine 190 The Sun and the Frogs 100 The Swan and the Cook 12

Part 2

The Thieves and the Ass 4 The Tortoise and the Two Ducks 40 The Two Asses 42 The Two Bulls and the Frog 64 The Two Dogs and the Dead Ass 124 The Two Goats 152 The Two Mules 46 The Two Rats, the Fox, and the Egg 50

The Vultures and the Pigeons 188

The Wallet 174 The Wax-Candle 36 The Weasel in the Granary 14 The Wolf Accusing the Fox 6 The Wolf and the Fox 160 The Wolf and the Lean Dog 134 The Wolf, the Goat, and the Kid 84 The Wolf turned Shepherd 10 The Woodman and Mercury 176 The Woods and the Woodman 168

A HUNDRED FABLES OF LA FONTAINE

The Grasshopper and the Ant.

A grasshopper gay Sang the summer away, And found herself poor By the winter's first roar. Of meat or of bread, Not a morsel she had! So a-begging she went, To her neighbour the ant, For the loan of some wheat, Which would serve her to eat, Till the season came round. "I will pay you," she saith, "On an animal's faith, Double weight in the pound Ere the harvest be bound." The ant is a friend (And here she might mend) Little given to lend. "How spent you the summer?" Quoth she, looking shame At the borrowing dame. "Night and day to each comer I sang, if you please." "You sang! I'm at ease; For 'tis plain at a glance, Now, ma'am, you must dance."

The Thieves and the Ass.

Two thieves, pursuing their profession, Had of a donkey got possession, Whereon a strife arose, Which went from words to blows. The question was, to sell, or not to sell; But while our sturdy champions fought it well, Another thief, who chanced to pass, With ready wit rode off the ass.

This ass is, by interpretation, Some province poor, or prostrate nation. The thieves are princes this and that, On spoils and plunder prone to fat,-- As those of Austria, Turkey, Hungary. (Instead of two, I've quoted three-- Enough of such commodity.) These powers engaged in war all, Some fourth thief stops the quarrel, According all to one key, By riding off the donkey

The Wolf Accusing the Fox.

A wolf, affirming his belief That he had suffer'd by a thief, Brought up his neighbour fox-- Of whom it was by all confess'd, His character was not the best-- To fill the prisoner's box. As judge between these vermin, A monkey graced the ermine; And truly other gifts of Themis Did scarcely seem his; For while each party plead his cause, Appealing boldly to the laws, And much the question vex'd, Our monkey sat perplex'd. Their words and wrath expended, Their strife at length was ended; When, by their malice taught, The judge this judgment brought: "Your characters, my friends, I long have known, As on this trial clearly shown; And hence I fine you both--the grounds at large To state would little profit-- You wolf, in short, as bringing groundless charge, You fox, as guilty of it."

Come at it right or wrong, the judge opined No other than a villain could be fined

The Lion and the Ass Hunting.

The king of animals, with royal grace, Would celebrate his birthday in the chase. 'Twas not with bow and arrows, To slay some wretched sparrows; The lion hunts the wild boar of the wood, The antlered deer and stags, the fat and good. This time, the king, t' insure success, Took for his aide-de-camp an ass, A creature of stentorian voice, That felt much honour'd by the choice. The lion hid him in a proper station, And order'd him to bray, for his vocation, Assured that his tempestuous cry The boldest beasts would terrify, And cause them from their lairs to fly. And, sooth, the horrid noise the creature made Did strike the tenants of the wood with dread; And, as they headlong fled, All fell within the lion's ambuscade. "Has not my service glorious Made both of us victorious?" Cried out the much-elated ass. "Yes," said the lion; "bravely bray'd! Had I not known yourself and race, I should have been myself afraid!" The donkey, had he dared, With anger would have flared At this retort, though justly made; For who could suffer boasts to pass So ill-befitting to an ass?

The Wolf turned Shepherd.

A wolf, whose gettings from the flocks Began to be but few, Bethought himself to play the fox In character quite new. A shepherd's hat and coat he took, A cudgel for a crook, Nor e'en the pipe forgot: And more to seem what he was not, Himself upon his hat he wrote, "I'm Willie, shepherd of these sheep." His person thus complete, His crook in upraised feet, The impostor Willie stole upon the keep. The real Willie, on the grass asleep, Slept there, indeed, profoundly, His dog and pipe slept, also soundly; His drowsy sheep around lay. As for the greatest number, Much bless'd the hypocrite their slumber, And hoped to drive away the flock, Could he the shepherd's voice but mock. He thought undoubtedly he could. He tried: the tone in which he spoke, Loud echoing from the wood, The plot and slumber broke; Sheep, dog, and man awoke. The wolf, in sorry plight, In hampering coat bedight, Could neither run nor fight.

There's always leakage of deceit Which makes it never safe to cheat. Whoever is a wolf had better Keep clear of hypocritic fetter.

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