Fables of La Fontaine Part 4

III.--THE FROG THAT WISHED TO BE AS BIG AS THE OX.[3]

The tenant of a bog, An envious little frog, Not bigger than an egg, A stately bullock spies, And, smitten with his size, Attempts to be as big.

With earnestness and pains, She stretches, swells, and strains, And says, 'Sis Frog, look here! see me!

Is this enough?' 'No, no.'

'Well, then, is this?' 'Poh! poh!

Enough! you don't begin to be.'

And thus the reptile sits, Enlarging till she splits.

The world is full of folks Of just such wisdom;-- The lordly dome provokes The cit to build his dome; And, really, there is no telling How much great men set little ones a swelling.

[3] The story of this fable is given in Horace, _Satires_, II. 3, Phaedrus and Corrozet have also versions of it. For an account of Phaedrus and his Fables see the Translator's Preface. Gilles Corrozet was one of the French fabulists immediately preceding La Fontaine.

He was a Parisian bookseller-author who lived between 1516 and 1568.

IV.--THE TWO MULES.

Two mules were bearing on their backs, One, oats; the other, silver of the tax.[4]

The latter glorying in his load, March'd proudly forward on the road; And, from the jingle of his bell, 'Twas plain he liked his burden well.

But in a wild-wood glen A band of robber men Rush'd forth upon the twain.

Well with the silver pleased, They by the bridle seized The treasure-mule so vain.

Poor mule! in struggling to repel His ruthless foes, he fell Stabb'd through; and with a bitter sighing, He cried, 'Is this the lot they promised me?

My humble friend from danger free, While, weltering in my gore, I'm dying?'

'My friend,' his fellow-mule replied, 'It is not well to have one's work too high.

If thou hadst been a miller's drudge, as I, Thou wouldst not thus have died.'

[4] _The silver of the tax_.--An allusion to the French _gabelle_, or old salt tax, which, like all taxes levied upon the ma.s.s of the people, was a very productive one. Its collection caused several peasants' insurrections.

V.--THE WOLF AND THE DOG.[5]

A prowling wolf, whose s.h.a.ggy skin (So strict the watch of dogs had been) Hid little but his bones, Once met a mastiff dog astray.

A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray, No human mortal owns.

Sir Wolf in famish'd plight, Would fain have made a ration Upon his fat relation; But then he first must fight; And well the dog seem'd able To save from wolfish table His carca.s.s snug and tight.

So, then, in civil conversation The wolf express'd his admiration Of Tray's fine case. Said Tray, politely, 'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly; Quit but the woods, advised by me.

For all your fellows here, I see, Are shabby wretches, lean and gaunt, Belike to die of haggard want.

With such a pack, of course it follows, One fights for every bit he swallows.

Come, then, with me, and share On equal terms our princely fare.'

'But what with you Has one to do?'

Inquires the wolf. 'Light work indeed,'

Replies the dog; 'you only need To bark a little now and then, To chase off duns and beggar men, To fawn on friends that come or go forth, Your master please, and so forth; For which you have to eat All sorts of well-cook'd meat-- Cold pullets, pigeons, savoury messes-- Besides unnumber'd fond caresses.'

The wolf, by force of appet.i.te, Accepts the terms outright, Tears glistening in his eyes.

But faring on, he spies A gall'd spot on the mastiff's neck.

'What's that?' he cries. 'O, nothing but a speck.'

'A speck?' 'Ay, ay; 'tis not enough to pain me; Perhaps the collar's mark by which they chain me.'

'Chain! chain you! What! run you not, then, Just where you please, and when?'

'Not always, sir; but what of that?'

'Enough for me, to spoil your fat!

It ought to be a precious price Which could to servile chains entice; For me, I'll shun them while I've wit.'

So ran Sir Wolf, and runneth yet.

[5] Phaedrus, III. 7.--The references to the Fables of Phaedrus are to Bohn's edition, which is from the critical edition of Orellius, 1831.

VI.--THE HEIFER, THE GOAT, AND THE SHEEP, IN COMPANY WITH THE LION.[6]

The heifer, the goat, and their sister the sheep, Compacted their earnings in common to keep, 'Tis said, in time past, with a lion, who sway'd Full lordship o'er neighbours, of whatever grade.

The goat, as it happen'd, a stag having snared, Sent off to the rest, that the beast might be shared.

All gather'd; the lion first counts on his claws, And says, 'We'll proceed to divide with our paws The stag into pieces, as fix'd by our laws.'

This done, he announces part first as his own; ''Tis mine,' he says, 'truly, as lion alone.'

To such a decision there's nought to be said, As he who has made it is doubtless the head.

'Well, also, the second to me should belong; 'Tis mine, be it known, by the right of the strong.

Again, as the bravest, the third must be mine.

To touch but the fourth whoso maketh a sign, I'll choke him to death In the s.p.a.ce of a breath!'

[6] Phaedrus, I. 5. From this fable come the French proverbial expression, _la part du lion_, and its English equivalent, the "lion's share."

VII.--THE WALLET.[7]

From heaven, one day, did Jupiter proclaim, 'Let all that live before my throne appear, And there if any one hath aught to blame, In matter, form, or texture of his frame, He may bring forth his grievance without fear.

Redress shall instantly be given to each.

Come, monkey, now, first let us have your speech.

You see these quadrupeds, your brothers; Comparing, then, yourself with others, Are you well satisfied?' 'And wherefore not?'

Says Jock. 'Haven't I four trotters with the rest?

Is not my visage comely as the best?

But this my brother Bruin, is a blot On thy creation fair; And sooner than be painted I'd be shot, Were I, great sire, a bear.'

The bear approaching, doth he make complaint?

Not he;--himself he lauds without restraint.

The elephant he needs must criticize; To crop his ears and stretch his tail were wise; A creature he of huge, misshapen size.

The elephant, though famed as beast judicious, While on his own account he had no wishes, p.r.o.nounced dame whale too big to suit his taste; Of flesh and fat she was a perfect waste.

The little ant, again, p.r.o.nounced the gnat too wee; To such a speck, a vast colossus she.

Each censured by the rest, himself content, Back to their homes all living things were sent.

Such folly liveth yet with human fools.

For others lynxes, for ourselves but moles.

Great blemishes in other men we spy, Which in ourselves we pa.s.s most kindly by.

As in this world we're but way-farers, Kind Heaven has made us wallet-bearers.

The pouch behind our own defects must store, The faults of others lodge in that before.

[7] One of Aesop's: Phaedrus also gives it, Book IV. 10.