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The Fables of Æsop, and Others / With Designs on Wood cover

The Fables of Æsop, and Others / With Designs on Wood

Chapter 159: APPLICATION.
By Aesop
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Classics of LiteratureMythology, Legends & Folklore

About This Book

A series of short allegorical tales uses animals and everyday situations to dramatize human virtues and vices, offering concise moral conclusions. Each entry presents a simple incident—often involving cunning, pride, greed, generosity, or prudence—and concludes with a pointed lesson or aphorism. Themes include the consequences of folly and deceit, the rewards of wisdom and honesty, and the value of moderation. The collection is arranged as brief, easily memorizable fables intended for instruction and reflection, pairing narrative economy with direct ethical guidance.

THE WOLF AND THE CRANE.

A Wolf, after devouring his prey, happened to have a bone stick in his throat, which gave him so much pain, that he went howling up and down, and importuning every creature he met to lend him a kind hand in order to his relief; nay, he promised a reasonable reward to any one who should perform the operation with success. At last, the Crane undertook the business, ventured his long neck into the rapacious felon’s throat, plucked out the bone, and asked for the promised reward. The Wolf, turning his eyes disdainfully towards him, said, I did not think you had been so unconscionable: I had your head in my mouth, and could have bit it off whenever I pleased, but suffered you to take it away without any damage, and yet you are not contented!

Who serves a villain, might as wisely free
 The hardened murderer from the fatal tree.

APPLICATION.

There are people in the world to whom it may be wrong to do services, upon a double score: first, because they never deserve to have a good office done them; and secondly, because when once engaged, it is so hard a matter to get well rid of their acquaintance. We ought to consider what kind of people they are, to whom we are desired to do good offices, before we do them: for he that grants a favour, or even confides in a person of no honour, instead of finding his account in it, comes off well, if he be no sufferer in the end.