Fables and Fabulists: Ancient and Modern

CHAPTER XV.
OTHER AND OCCASIONAL FABULISTS.

Sir Roger L'Estrange (1616-1704) was a rabid Jacobite, journalist, and pamphleteer, and during a long life spent in fierce political conflict, in which, at times, he bore a far from estimable part, found time to translate various classical works, amongst these being Æsop's fables. L'Estrange's version (1692) of the sage is not in the best taste. It is disfigured by mannerisms and vulgarisms in language, and the applications which he appended to the fables are often a distortion of the true intent of the apologue, stated so as to support and enforce his own peculiar views in politics and religion.

Steele (1672-1729) was the author of at least one excellent fable,[66] The Mastiff and his Puppy, not unworthy to take a place beside those of the Greek sage:

'It happened one day, as a stout and honest mastiff (that guarded the village where he lived against thieves and robbers) was very gravely walking with one of his puppies by his side, all the little dogs in the street gathered round him, and barked at him. The little puppy was so offended at this affront done to his sire, that he asked him why he would not fall upon them, and tear them to pieces. To which the sire answered with great composure of mind, "If there were no curs, I should be no mastiff."'

Of other fabulists, it will be sufficient, without going into lengthy particulars, to name Allan Ramsay (1686-1758), who attempted the writing of fables, though with but doubtful success; of the thirty he produced there is not one of striking merit. Edmund Arwaker, Rector of Donaghmore, who compiled a collection of two hundred and twenty-five select fables from Æsop and others, which he entitled, 'Truth in Fiction; or, Morality in Masquerade' (1708). John Hall-Stevenson, 1718-1785 (the original of Sterne's 'Eugenius'), wrote 'Fables for Grown Gentlemen.' Edward Moore composed a series of original 'Fables for the Fair Sex' (1756), pleasing in their versification, but otherwise of no striking merit. Moore, besides a number of poems, odes and songs, wrote two comedies ('The Foundling' and 'Gil Blas') and a tragedy ('The Gamester'), in which Garrick acted the leading characters. He was also editor of the World, a satirical journal of the period, which had a brief life of four years. He died in poverty in 1751. Francis Gentleman (actor and dramatist), whose collection of 'Royal Fables' (1766) was dedicated to George, Prince of Wales. William Wilkie, D.D., a Scotch fabulist of some note in his day, was Professor of Natural Philosophy in St. Andrews University. In 1768 he published a volume containing sixteen fables after the manner of Gay. One of these, The Boy and the Rainbow,[67] a fable of considerable merit, has survived; the others are forgotten. Rev. Henry Rowe, whose fables tire without interesting. 'Fables for Mankind,' by Charles Westmacott. 'The Fables of Flora,' by Dr. Langhorne. Gaspey wrote a number of original fables, as did also Dr. Aitken and Walter Brown. Cowper, the poet, penned some elegant fables with which most readers are familiar. There are 'Fables for Children, Young and Old, in Humorous Verse,' by W. E. Staite (1830); Sheridan Wilson was the author of a volume entitled 'The Bath Fables' (1850); finally, there is Frere's Fables for 'Five Years Old.' Æsop's fables have been parodied and caricatured, with varying success, by different writers, notably by an American author, under the pseudonym of 'G. Washington Æsop.'

Of lady fabulists, the most notable is Maria de France, who lived in the first half of the thirteenth century, and made a collection of one hundred and six fables in French, which, she alleges, were translated from the English of King Alfred.[68] There are several more modern collections by members of the fair sex. One is entitled 'The Enchanted Plants, Fables in Verse;' London, 1800. The name of the author is not given, but evidently a lady. Mrs. Trimmer has her version of Æsop. A volume of original fables was published by Mary Maria Colling, a writer of humble rank, under the patronage of the once celebrated Mrs. Bray (daughter of Thomas Stothard, R.A.), and Southey, the Poet Laureate. A volume of fables, also original, by Mrs. Prosser, and 'Æsop's Fables in Words of One Syllable,' by Mary Godolphin.

Besides the fabulists already named, there are, among the ancients, Avian, Ademar, Rufus, Romulus, Alfonso and Poggio. Among the French, Nivernois, and the Abbé Fénelon (1651-1715), author of 'Dialogues of the Dead' and 'Telemachus.' Notwithstanding his reputation in his own country as a fabulist, it must be allowed that his fables are much too lengthy and prolix. The characters he gives to his animals are unnatural, and their manners and speech pointless and tame. Florian, an imitator of Yriarte, and a friend of Voltaire, by whose advice he cultivated the literature of Spain; Boursalt, Boisard, Ginguene, Jauffret, Le Grand and Armoult. Amongst the Germans are, Gellert (1746), Nicolai, Hagedorn, Pfeffel and Lichtner. The Italian fabulists are numerous: Tommaso Crudeli (1703-1743), Gian-Carlo Passeroni (1713-1803), Giambattisti Roberti (1719-1786), Luigi Grillo (1725-1790), Lorenzo Pignotti (1739-1812), who with an elegant diction combines splendid descriptive powers; Clemente Bondi (1742-1821), Aurelio de Giorgi Bertola (1753-1798), Luigi Clasio (1754-1825), Giovanni Gherardo de Rossi (1754-1827), Gaetano Perego (1814-1868) and Gaetano Polidori. Among Spanish fabulists, besides Yriarte, there is Samaniego (1745-1801). Of Russian writers of fables we have already spoken of Krilof, and there are besides, Chemnitzer, Dmitriev, Glinka, Lomonosov (1711-1765), Goncharov and Alexander Sumarakov (1718-1777). Of English writers not already referred to, the following may be named as having tried their hand at the composition of fables: Addison, Sir John Vanbrugh,[69] Prior, Goldsmith, Henryson, Coyne, Winter. Thomas Percival, M.D., President of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester about the end of last century, wrote a volume of moral tales, fables, and reflections. Bussey's collection is well known. The late W. J. Macquorn Rankine, Regius Professor of Civil Engineering in Glasgow University, wrote a number of 'Songs and Fables,' which were published posthumously in a small volume in 1874. The fables, twelve in all, are an ingenious attempt, not wanting in playful humour, to elucidate the origin and meaning of some of the old and well-known signboards, such as The Pig and Whistle, The Cat and Fiddle, The Goat and Compasses, and others. An interesting collection of one hundred and six 'Indian Fables,' in English, the materials for which were gathered from native sources and put into form by Mr. P. V. Ramaswami Raju, B.A., were originally contributed to the columns of the Leisure Hour, and afterwards published in a volume (1887).[70]

Specimens of the work of some of the writers named are given in the succeeding pages.

The Bee and the Coquette (Florian).—'Chloe, young, handsome, and a decided coquette, laboured very hard every morning on rising; people say it was at her toilet; and there, smiling and smirking, she related to her dear confidant all her pains, her pleasures, and the projects of her soul.

'A thoughtless bee, entering her chamber, began buzzing about. "Help! help!" immediately shrieked the lady. "Lizzy! Mary! here, make haste! drive away this winged monster!"

'The insolent insect settling on Chloe's lips, she fainted; and Mary, furiously seizing the bee, prepared to crush it.

'"Alas!" gently exclaimed the unfortunate insect, "forgive my error; Chloe's mouth seemed to me a rose, and as such I kissed it."

'This speech restored Chloe to her senses: "Let us forgive it," said she, "on account of its candid confession! Besides, its sting is but a trifle; since it has spoken to you, I have scarcely felt it."

'What may one not effect by a little well-timed flattery?'

The Farmer, Horseman, and Pedestrian (Nivernois).

The Land of the Halt (Gellert).—'Many years since, in a small territory, there was not one of the inhabitants who did not stutter when he spoke, and halt in walking; both these defects, moreover, were considered accomplishments. A stranger saw the evil, and, thinking how they would admire his walking, went about without halting, after the usual manner of our race. Everyone stopped to look at him, and all those who looked, laughed, and, holding their sides to repress their merriment, shouted: "Teach the stranger how to walk properly!"

'The stranger considered it his duty to cast the reproach from himself. "You halt," he cried, "it is not I; you must accustom yourselves to leave off so awkward a habit!" This only increased the uproar, when they heard him speak; he did not even stammer; this was sufficient to disgrace him, and he was laughed at throughout the country.

'Habit will render faults, which we have been accustomed to regard from youth, beautiful; in vain will a stranger attempt to convince us that we are in error. We look upon him as a madman, solely because he is wiser than ourselves.'

The Beau and Butterfly (Francis Gentleman).

The Nightingale and Glow-worm (Edward Moore).

It is interesting to observe how a true poet, Cowper, treats the same subject, the object or moral of the fable, however, being different:

The Nightingale and Glow-worm.

Other excellent fables of Cowper will occur to the reader, as, for example: The Raven, The Contest between Nose and Eyes, The Poet, the Oyster and the Sensitive Plant, and Pairing Time Anticipated.

The Boy and the Rainbow (William Wilkie, D.D.).

Professor Rankine evidently took Æsop's illustration of 'The Bow Unbent' to heart, when, relaxing his severer studies, he occupied occasional hours in composing 'Songs and Fables.' The three following pieces are examples of his work as a fabulist, and of his skill in interpreting the meaning of popular signs:

'The Magpie and Stump.—A magpie was in the habit of depositing articles which he pilfered in the hollow stump of a tree. "I grieve less," the stump was heard to say, "at the misfortune of losing my branches and leaves, than at the disgrace of being made a receptacle for stolen goods." Moral: Infamy is harder to bear than adverse fortune.'

'The Green Man.—A green man, wandering through the Highlands of Scotland, discovered, in a sequestered valley, a still, with which certain unprincipled individuals were engaged in the illicit manufacture of aqua-vitæ. Being, as we have stated, a green man, he was easily persuaded by those unprincipled individuals to expend a considerable sum in the purchase of the intoxicating produce of their still, and to drink so much of it that he speedily became insensible. On awaking next morning, with an empty purse and an aching head, he thought, with sorrow and shame, what a green man he had been. Moral: He who follows the advice of unprincipled individuals is a green man indeed.'

'The Bull and Mouth.—A native of the Sister Isle having opened his mouth during a convivial entertainment, out flew a bull, whereupon some of the company manifested alarm. "Calm your fears," said the sagacious host; "verbal bulls have no horns." Moral: Harmless blunders are subjects of amusement rather than of consternation.'

The following curious 'Birth Story,' from the collection of Indian Fables by Mr. P. V. Ramaswami Raju, is an ironical commentary on the doctrine of transmigration, in which the followers of Buddha implicitly believe:

'One day a king in the far East was seated in the hall of justice. A thief was brought before him; he inquired into his case, and said he should receive one hundred lashes with a cat-o'-nine-tails. Instantly he recollected an old Eastern saying, "What we do to others in this birth, they will do to us in the next," and said to his minister, "I have a great mind to let this thief go quietly, for he is sure to give me these one hundred lashes in the next birth." "Sire," replied the minister, "I know the saying you refer to is perfectly true, but you must understand you are simply returning to the thief in this birth what he gave you in the last." The king was perfectly pleased with this reply, says the story, and gave his minister a rich present.'

This selection of fables may be suitably concluded by two which, though not original, we have not met with in print. The first is entitled The Nightingale, the Cuckoo and the Ass:[71]

'The nightingale and the cuckoo disputed as to which of them was the best singer, and they chose the ass to be the judge. First, the nightingale poured forth one of his most entrancing lays, followed by the cuckoo, with his two mellow notes. Being requested to deliver judgment, said the ass, "Without doubt the trill of the nightingale is worth listening to; but for a good plain song give me that of the cuckoo!"'

The moral here is obvious. Persons with a want of taste, or with a depraved taste, see no difference between things excellent and mean. Nay, they will often be found to prefer the mean, as being more in harmony with their own predilections.

The next is the shortest fable on record; its humour is as conspicuous as its brevity, and it hails from the County Palatine of Lancashire. It is named The Flea and the Elephant:

'Passing into the ark together, said the flea to its big brother: "Now, then, mister! no thrutching!"

'Moral: Insignificance has often its full share of self-importance.'

CHAPTER XVI.
CONCLUSION.

Pictures illustrating fables are a feature that tends to enhance their attractiveness and value, and the ablest artists have employed their pencils in the work. It is sufficient to mention Bewick and his pupils, whose illustrations are greatly prized. S. Howitt's etchings of animals in illustration of the fabulists (1811). Northcote's original volumes (1828-33) are illustrated with 560 charming engravings from the author's designs. Robert Cruikshank illustrated the 'Fables for Mankind,' by Charles Westmacott (1823). Blake, Stothard, Harvey, and Sir John Tenniel, the distinguished Punch artist, have gained applause in the same field. The latter illustrated a small volume of Æsop published by Murray in 1848. This is 'A New Version of the Old Fables, chiefly from Original Sources,' by the Rev. Thomas James, M.A., and contains an introduction which is worthy of perusal by those interested in the subject. The first edition of the work is a rarity sought for by collectors. Randolph Caldecott illustrated some of Æsop's fables in his own inimitable style. Walter Crane[72] and Harrison Weir[73] have exercised their talents in the same direction, and Mrs. Hugh Blackburn has supplied clever illustrations to Rankine's fables. The pictures in the collection of fables made by G. Moir Bussey (1842) are from designs by J. J. Grandville, and are full of originality and humour. The same volume also contains an excellent 'Dissertation on the History of Fable.' The spirited and masterly designs of Oudry in illustration of La Fontaine are justly prized and highly valued. Gustave Doré also employed his facile pencil in illustrating the same author.

There are books bearing the title of 'Fables' the contents of which are not fables in the restricted sense. Of these are Dryden's so-called fables, which are really metrical romances. A competent critic has pronounced them to be the 'noblest specimens of versification to be found in any modern language,' but we need not speak further of them in this connection. Again, there is Bernard Mandeville's eccentric work, entitled 'The Fable of the Bees; or, Private Vices Public Benefits.' This is an apologue in rhyme, with a moral in addition, and followed by a voluminous prose disquisition on questions of morality, partaking of all the audacious paradoxical elements which characterized its ingenious author. Thomas Moore, the distinguished Irish poet, wrote a series of eight political fables, which were originally published by him under the pseudonym of 'Thomas Brown.' Neither these nor that of Mandeville, however, are fables from our point of view. The same remark applies to Lowell's well-known 'Fable for Critics,' and Lord Lytton's 'Fables in Song,' on which it is unnecessary to dwell.

And so, having taken our survey of the fabulist and his work, we conclude, as we rightly may, that he is both philosopher and poet, but more poet than philosopher, inasmuch as the imaginative faculty is greatly at his command. Further, as saith Sir Philip Sidney,[74] 'The philosopher teacheth, but he teacheth obscurely, so as the learned only can understand him; that is to say, he teacheth them that are already taught. But the poet is the food for the tenderest stomachs; the poet is, indeed, the right popular philosopher. Whereof Æsop's tales give good proof; whose pretty allegories, stealing under the formal tales of beasts, make many, more beastly than beasts, begin to hear the sound of virtue from these dumb speakers.'

INDEX.

• Æsop:
  • his era, 33;
  • birthplace, 33;
  • his masters when a slave, 33;
  • his mission to Delphi, 34;
  • his death, 35;
  • disparagement of his personal appearance, 36;
  • due to Planudes, 37;
  • his mate or wife, Rhodope, 38;
  • Lysippus' statue of Æsop, 39;
  • stories related of, 42;
  • Æsop and the figs, 44;
  • the pannier of bread, 45;
  • bought by Zanthus, 45;
  • Zanthus' foolish wager, 46;
  • Zanthus' wife restored, 46;
  • Æsop and the mean fellow, 47;
  • at play, 48;
  • and the author, 48;
  • sayings of, 49;
  • at the Court of Crœsus, 49;
  • as a fabulist, 97
• Æsop and the Ass, 115
• 'Æsop, G. Washington,' parody on Æsop's fables, 127
• Æsopian fable or apologue defined, 5;
  • opinions regarding the, 52;
  • characteristics of the, 55
• Ademar, 128
• Agathia's epigram on Lysippus' statue of Æsop, 39
• Aitken, Dr., fables by, 127
• Aldus' edition of the fables, 59
• Alfonso, 128
• Aphthonius, definition of fable by, 2
• Apologue or fable, definition of the, 1
• Applicability of fables to every-day life, 58
• Application of fables, 13
• Arabian fables, 80
• Archilochus, a writer of fables, 54
• Aristotle on fables, 68
• Arrogant Mule mortified, The, 75
• Arwaker, Edmund, 'Truth in Fiction; or, Morality in Masquerade,' fables by, 126
• Ass's Shadow, The, 79
• 'Assemblies of Æsopian Fables,' 55
• Avienus, 55, 61

• Babrius, 55, 61, 65
• Bayle on Babrius, 66
• Beau and the Butterfly, The, 133
• Bee and the Coquette, The, 130
• Bee and the Spider, The, 111
• Belly and the Members, The, 54, 68;
  • the oldest known fable, 69
• Bentley, Dr., ridicules the account of Æsop's deformity, 40;
  • on Babrius, 66
• Berington on 'The Arabian or Saracenic Learning,' 85
• Bias, 34
• Bitteux, 60
• Bonus Accursius, his collection of fables, 59
• 'Book of Kalilah and Dimnah,' The, 80
• Boothby, Sir Brooke, definition of fable by, 3
• Boy and the Rainbow, The, 137
• Brettinger, 60
• Brown, Walter, fables by, 127
• Bull and the Gnat, The, 57
• Bull and Mouth, The, 141
• Bussey, G. Moir, definition of fable by, 4;
  • collection of fables, 130, 144

• Caxton's collection of fables, 60
• Characteristics of fables, 7
• Chilo, 34
• Cleobulus, 34
• Colling, Mary Maria, fables by, 128
• Confession, from the 'Gesta Romanorum,' 93
• Cotiæum in Phrygia, the supposed birthplace of Æsop, 33
• Cowper, William, combats Rousseau's views on fables, 27;
  • his fables, 96, 127;
  • The Nightingale and the Glow-worm, 136
• Crœsus, King of Lydia, 34
• Croxall, Dr. Samuel, 16, 59, 60, 61

• Davies, M.A., Rev. James, translator of Babrius, 67
• Definition of fable, 1
• Delphi, Æsop's mission to, 34;
  • character of the Delphians, 34;
  • their punishment for the murder of Æsop, 36;
  • their expiation to a descendant of Idmon, 36
• Demarchus, Æsop's first master, 33
• Demetrius Phalereus, Æsop's fables collected by, 55, 61
• Diagoras, Æsop's fables collected by, 55
• Dodsley, Robert, definition of fable by, 3;
  • on the morals and applications of fables, 17;
  • reason why fables esteemed in all ages, 21;
  • collection of fables, 60, 97, 108
• Dog and the Crocodile, The, 56
• Dryden's fables, 144

• Eagle and the Beetle, The, 35, 76
• Ebn Arabscah's collection of Arabian fables, 85
• Elephant and the Fox, The, 29
• Emblematical fables, 11
• English writers on fables, 62;
  • English fabulists, 129
• Epigram, Agathia's, on Lysippus' statue of Æsop, 39
• Epigrammatical character of Æsop's fables, 58
• Escurial Library, the, 85
• Eusebius, 35

• Fable, definition of, 1;
  • in history and myth, 68
• Fable, writers on:
  • Alsop, 62;
  • Bayle, 66;
  • Benfey, 61;
  • Bentley, 62;
  • Boissonade, 61;
  • Boyle, 62;
  • Crusius, 61;
  • Davies, 67;
  • Du Meril, 61;
  • Ellis, 62;
  • Fausboll, 61;
  • Gaston Paris, 61;
  • Gitlbauer, 61;
  • Hervieux, 61;
  • Jacobs, 62;
  • James, 62;
  • Jannelli, 61;
  • Landsberger, 62;
  • Lewis, 67;
  • Mall, 61;
  • Menas, 66;
  • Meziriac, 61;
  • Mueller, 61;
  • Neveletus, 66;
  • Oesterley, 61;
  • Perotti, 61;
  • Pithou, 61;
  • Robert, 61;
  • Rhys-Davids, 62;
  • Rutherford, 62;
  • Townsend, 62;
  • Tyrwhitt, 62;
  • Vavassor, 66;
  • Wase, 62
• Fables, characteristics of, 7;
  • morals of, 7;
  • rational, emblematical, and mixed, 11;
  • La Fontaine on, 13;
  • Montaigne on Æsop's, 14;
  • Rousseau on, 25, 27;
  • Cowper on, 27;
  • Plato advises the use of, 26;
  • Aristotle on, 68;
  • in Holy Scripture, 54
• Fables, collections of Æsopian:
  • Accursius, 59;
  • Aldus, 59;
  • Avienus, 55;
  • Babrius, 55;
  • Caxton, 60;
  • Croxall, 59;
  • Diagoras, 55;
  • Dodsley, 60;
  • Faerno, 59;
  • James, 60;
  • L'Estrange, 59;
  • Neveletus, 59;
  • Ogilby, 60;
  • Phædrus, 55;
  • Phalereus, 55;
  • Planudes, 37;
  • Stephens, 59;
  • Willans, 60
• Fables quoted—
  • Æsop and the Ass, 115
  • The Arrogant Mule mortified, 75
  • The Ass's Shadow, 79
  • The Beau and Butterfly, 133
  • The Bee and the Coquette, 130
  • The Bee and the Spider, 111
  • The Belly and the Members, 69
  • The Boy and the Rainbow, 137
  • The Bull and Mouth, 141
  • The Bull and the Gnat, 57
  • Confession, 93
  • The Dog and the Crocodile, 56
  • The Eagle and the Beetle, 35, 76
  • The Elephant and the Fox, 29
  • The Farmer, Horseman and Pedestrian, 131
  • The Flea and the Elephant, 142
  • The Fox and the Crow, 31
  • The Fox and the Hedgehog, 73
  • The Fox and the Stork, 99
  • The Frogs and Jupiter, 74
  • The Geese, 121
  • The Greedy and Ambitious Cat, 81
  • The Green Man, 140
  • The Horse and the Stag, 77
  • Indian Birth Story, 141
  • The Land of the Halt, 132
  • The Leaves and the Roots, 120
  • The Magpie and Stump, 140
  • The Man and his Goose, 10
  • The Man and the Lion, 9
  • The Mastiff and his Puppy, 126
  • Mercury and the Sculptor, 57
  • The Miser and Plutus, 106
  • The Miser and the Magpie, 109
  • The Nightingale, the Cuckoo, and the Ass, 142
  • The Nightingale and the Hawk, 54, 58
  • The Nightingale and the Glow-worm, 135, 136
  • The Old Woodcutter and Death, 58
  • Of Perfect Life, 90
  • The Piper turned Fisherman, 76
  • The Shepherd and the Nightingale, 116
  • The Snake and the Hedgehog, 56
  • Solomon's Ghost, 116
  • The Toad and the Ephemeron, 110
  • The Trees in Search of a King, 71
  • The Trooper and his Armour, 113
  • The Two Thrushes, 118
  • The Viper and the File, 102
  • The Wolf and the Shepherds, 55
  • The Wolves and the Sheep, 78
• Fables, writers of:
  • Addison, 129;
  • Ademar, 128;
  • Aitken, 127;
  • Alfonso, 128;
  • Armoult, 129;
  • Arwaker, 126;
  • Avian, 128;
  • Babrius, 65;
  • Bertola, 129;
  • Boisard, 129;
  • Bondi, 129;
  • Brown, 127;
  • Chemnitzer, 129;
  • Clasio, 129;
  • Colling, 128;
  • Coyne, 130;
  • Crudeli, 129;
  • Dmitriev, 129;
  • Dodsley, 108;
  • Dryden, 144;
  • Faerno, 59;
  • Fénelon, 128;
  • Florian, 129;
  • Maria de France, 127;
  • Gaspey, 127;
  • Gay, 103;
  • Gellert, 129;
  • Gentleman, 127;
  • Ginguene, 129;
  • Glinka, 129;
  • Godolphin, 128;
  • Goldsmith, 129;
  • Goncharov, 129;
  • Grillo, 129;
  • Hagedorn, 129;
  • Hall-Stevenson, 126;
  • Henryson, 130;
  • Jauffret, 129;
  • Krilof, 120;
  • La Fontaine, 97;
  • Lessing, 115;
  • Le Grand, 129;
  • Lichtner, 129;
  • Lomonosov, 129;
  • Moore, 126;
  • Nicolai, 129;
  • Nivernois, 128;
  • Northcote, 112;
  • Passeroni, 129;
  • Perego, 129;
  • Percival, 130;
  • Pfeffel, 129;
  • Phædrus, 63;
  • Pignotti, 129;
  • Pilpay, 80;
  • Planudes, 37;
  • Poggio, 128;
  • Polidori, 129;
  • Prior, 129;
  • Prosser, 128;
  • Ramsay, 126;
  • Rankine, 130;
  • Roberti, 129;
  • Romulus, 128;
  • Rossi, 129;
  • Rowe, 127;
  • Rufus, 128;
  • Samaniego, 129;
  • Staite, 127;
  • Steele, 126;
  • Sumarakov, 129;
  • Trimmer, 128;
  • Vanbrugh, 129;
  • Westmacott, 127;
  • Wilkie, 127;
  • Wilson, 127;
  • Winter, 130;
  • Yriarte, 117
• Fabulists as censors, 19
• Faerno's, Gabriele, one hundred fables, 59
• Farmer, Horseman, and Pedestrian, The, 131
• Feast of the Sages, The, 75
• Fénelon, the Abbé, 128
• Figs, Æsop and the stolen, 44
• Flea and the Elephant, The, 142
• Florian, 129;
  • The Bee and the Coquette, 130
• Fox and the Crow, The, 31
• Fox and the Hedgehog, The, 73
• Fox and the Stork, The, 99
• France, Maria de, 127
• French fabulists, 128
• French writers on fable, 61
• Frogs and Jupiter, The, 74
• Furia, Francisco de, on Babrius, 66

• Gaspey's fables, 127
• Gāthas, or moral verses, 14
• Gay, John, 17;
  • his fables, 96;
  • sketch of, 103;
  • lines of Gay which have become widely popular, 104;
  • Pope's epitaph on, 105
• Geese, The, 121
• Gellert, 129;
  • The Land of the Halt, 132
• Gentleman's, Francis, royal fables, 127;
  • The Beau and Butterfly, 133
• German fabulists, 129;
  • writers on fable, 61
• 'Gesta Romanorum,' 89;
  • a rich storehouse for the poets, 95
• Godolphin, Mary, her fables, 128
• Goldsmith on L'Estrange as a writer, 61
• Grecian heroes and gods, 1
• Greedy and Ambitious Cat, The, 81
• Green Man, The, 140

• Hall-Stevenson's, John, 'Fables for Grown Gentlemen,' 126
• Harrison's, J. Henry, translation of Krilof's fables, 119;
  • The Man with Three Wives, 123
• Heidelberg Library, collection of fables in the, 59
• Herodotus on the building of the Lesser Pyramid, 38
• Hesiod and Homer, the mythical stories of, 26;
  • The Nightingale and the Hawk, 54, 58
• Hindoo fables, 80
• Horse and the Stag, The, 77
• Humour of fables, 22, 58
• Hyampia, the rock whence Æsop was precipitated, 35

• Idmon, or Jadmon, Æsop's third master, 34;
  • his grandson claims reparation for Æsop's death, 36
• Indian birth story, 141
• Indian fables, 130
• Ineradicable impression produced by certain fables, 32
• Iriarte, or Yriarte, Don Tomas de, Spanish fabulist, 117
• Italian fabulists, 129;
  • writers on fable, 61

• Jacobs, Joseph, definition of fable by, 4;
  • on the added morals to fables, 13;
  • 'History of the Æsopic Fable,' 62;
  • Maria de France, 128
• James's, Rev. Thomas, fables of Æsop, 9, 60, 143
• Jameson, Mrs., relates a tradition of our Lord, 87
• Jātakas, 14, 53, 87
• Jewish writers on fables, 61
• Johnson, Dr., definition of fable by, 3

• Krilof, or Krilov, Ivan Andreivitch, Russian fabulist, 19, 96, 97;
  • characteristics of his fables, 119;
  • sketch of his life, 120;
  • Ralston's translation, 119;
  • Harrison's translation, 119;
  • The Leaves and the Roots, 120;
  • The Geese, 121;
  • The Man with Three Wives, 123

• Lady fabulists, 127
• La Fontaine, Jean de, on fables, 13, 17;
  • the morals of his fables, 27;
  • his fable of The Old Woodcutter and Death, 58;
  • his fables, 96, 144;
  • sketch of, 97;
  • Matthews' translation, 99
• La Motte, 17, 60
• Land of the Halt, The, 132
• Leaves and the Roots, The, 120
• Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim:
  • his fables, 96, 97;
  • sketch of, 115;
  • his fables of Æsop and the Ass, 115;
  • The Shepherd and the Nightingale, 116;
  • Solomon's Ghost, 116
• Lessons taught by fables, 25
• L'Estrange, Sir Roger, 16, 59, 60;
  • as a writer, 61;
  • his version of Æsop, 125
• Lewis, Sir George Cornewall, edited first English edition of Babrius in the original Greek text, 67
• Locman, the Oriental fabulist, 37, 80, 85, 86
• Lowell's 'Fable for Critics,' 145
• Lysippus' statue of Æsop, 39
• Lytton's, Lord, 'Fables in Song,' 145

• Magpie and Stump, The, 140
• Man and his Goose, The, 10
• Man and the Lion, The, 9
• Mandeville's 'Fable of the Bees,' 144
• Mastiff and his Puppy, The, 126
• Men loath to apply the moral of a fable to their own case, 22
• Menas, M. Minoides, discovers a copy of Babrius, 66
• Menenius recites the fable of The Belly and the Members, 69
• Mercury and the Sculptor, 57
• Mercury bestows the invention of the apologue on Æsop, 43
• Miser and the Magpie, The, 109
• Miser and Plutus, The, 106
• Mixed fables, 11
• Modern fabulists, 96, 108, 115, 125
• Montaigne on Æsop's fables, 14
• Moore's, Edward, 'Fables for the Fair Sex,' 126;
  • The Nightingale and the Glow-worm, 135
• Moore's, Thomas, 'Political Fables,' 145
• Moral and application of fables, 13;
  • whether the moral should be placed at the beginning or end of a fable, 16

• Neveletus' collection of fables, 59;
  • on Babrius, 66
• Nightingale and the Glow-worm, The, 135, 136
• Nightingale and the Hawk, The, 54, 58
• Nightingale, Cuckoo, and Ass, The, 142
• Nivernois, 128;
  • The Farmer, Horseman, and Pedestrian, 131
• Northcote, R.A., James:
  • his fables of The Elephant and the Fox, 29;
  • The Trooper and his Armour, 113;
  • his fables, 96, 97, 112;
  • sketch of his life, 112

• Of Perfect Life, from 'The Gesta Romanorum,' 90
• Old Woodcutter and Death, The, 58

• Parables, 5, 6;
  • Nathan and the ewe lamb, 6;
  • of the Gospels, 6
• Parodies on Æsop's fables, 127
• Pater, Walter, definition of fable by, 2
• Pathos in fables, 58
• Perfect Life, Of, from 'The Gesta Romanorum,' 90
• Periander, 34
• Persian fables, 80
• Phædrus, 3, 17, 55;
  • his view of the origin and purpose of fables, 20, 26;
  • on Æsop's statue, 39;
  • sketch of his life, 63;
  • prologue to his third book, 64
• Philostratus on a picture of Æsop and the geniuses of fable, 40;
  • mythical account of the youthful Æsop, 43
• Pictures illustrating fables, 143
• Pilpay's fables, 80
• Piper turned Fisherman, The, 76
• Pittacus, 34
• Planudes confounds Locman with Æsop, 37;
  • his stories of Æsop, 42
• Plato advises the use of fables, 26;
  • citation from the 'Phædo' of, 59
• Plutarch on Æsop at the Court of Crœsus, 49;
  • on Hesiod's fable of the nightingale, 54
• Poggio, 128
• Pope's epitaph on Gay, 105
• Prosser's, Mrs., fables, 128

• Quintilian recommends the learning of fables, 26

• Ralston's, W. R. S., translation of Krilof's fables, 119;
  • The Geese, 121
• Ramsay's, Allan, fables, 126
• Rankine's, Professor W. J. Macquorn, fables on well-known signboards, 130;
  • The Magpie and Stump, 140;
  • The Green Man, 140;
  • The Bull and Mouth, 141
• Rational fables, 11
• Reflection, the, appended to fables, 15
• Remark, the, appended to fables, 15
• Rhodope, the reputed wife of Æsop, 38;
  • said to have built the Lesser Pyramid, 38
• Richer, 60
• Romulus, 128
• Rousseau, Jean Jacques, on fables, 25, 27
• Rowe, Rev. Henry: his fables, 127
• Rufus, 128
• Russian fabulists, 129

• Scandinavian heroes and gods, 1
• Seven sages of Greece, the, 34
• Shakespeare's 'Coriolanus,' fable of The Belly and the Members from, 69
• Shepherd and the Nightingale, The, 116
• Sidney, Sir Philip, on Æsop's fables, 145
• Smart's, Christopher, translation of Phædrus, 64
• Snake and the Hedgehog, The, 56
• Socrates and Æsop's fables, 59
• Solomon's Ghost, 116
• Solon, 34;
  • at the Court of Crœsus, 49
• Spanish fabulists, 129
• Staite's, W. E., fables, 127
• Steele's definition of fable, 4;
  • fable of The Mastiff and his Puppy, 126
• Stephens', Robert, edition of the fables, 59
• Stories related of Æsop, 43
• Successful villain, the, in the fable, 28
• Suidas quoted, 59
• Swift quoted, 23

• 'Tatler,' the, quoted, 4
• Temple, Sir William, on Æsop, 60
• Thales, 34
• Toad and the Ephemeron, The, 110
• Trees in Search of a King, The, the oldest fable in Holy Scripture, 71
• Trimmer's, Mrs., fables of Æsop, 128
• Trooper and his Armour, The, 113
• Two Thrushes, The, 118
• Tyrwhitt on Babrius, 66

• Universality of the effect of fables, 28

• Vanbrugh, Sir John, 129
• Vavassor on Babrius, 66
• Viper and the File, The, 102

• Westmacott's, Charles, 'Fables for Mankind,' 127, 143
• Wilkie, D.D., William:
  • his fables, 127;
  • The Boy and the Rainbow, 127, 137
• Willans', Leonard, collection of fables, 60
• Wilson, Sheridan, 'The Bath Fables,' 127
• Wolf and the Lamb, The, 58
• Wolf and the Shepherds, The, 55
• Wolves and the Sheep, The, 78

• Xanthus, or Zanthus, Æsop's second master, 33;
  • his foolish wager, 46;
  • his wife restored, 46

• Yriarte, or Iriarte, Don Tomas de, Spanish fabulist, 117;
  • characteristics of his fables, 117;
  • The Two Thrushes, 118