to him, and they were soon followed by the rest; and
when they saw that he did not move but lay quite still, they leaped upon
his back, and sprang and sang on him, and cried out that he was no King
but a log. Such a King did not at all please them; so they sent a fresh
prayer to Jove to beg him for a King who had some life, and would move.
Then Jove sent a Stork, and said he thought this would suit them. The
Stork had but just come to the Frogs than he set to work to eat them up
as fast as he could. Of course the Frogs did not like this new King even
as well as King Log, and they sent at once to Jove and prayed to him to
take away the Stork. They would rather have no King at all than all be
eaten up. But Jove would not grant their prayer this time. "No," said
he, "it was your own wish, and if you will be so vain and foolish, you
must pay the cost." _It is better to bear the ills we have than fly to
those we know not of._

[Illustration]

THE OX AND THE FROG

An ox, drinking at a pool, trod on a brood of young frogs, and crushed
one of them to death. The mother coming up, and missing one of her sons,
inquired of his brothers what had become of him.

"He is dead," said they; "for just now a very huge beast with four great
feet came to the pool and crushed him with his cloven heel."

The frog, puffing herself out, inquired, "Was the beast as big as _that_
in size?"

"Cease mother, to puff yourself out," said her son, "and do not be
angry; for you would, I assure you, sooner burst than successfully
imitate the hugeness of that monster."

_To know the limitations of our nature, and act accordingly, is the part
of wisdom._

[Illustration]

THE HERON WHO WAS HARD TO PLEASE

A heron having bolted down too large a fish, burst its deep gullet-bag
and lay down on the shore to die. A kite seeing it, exclaimed: "You
richly deserve your fate; for a bird of the air has no business to seek
its food from the sea."

_Everyone should be content to mind his own business._

[Illustration]

THE SHEPHERD BOY AND THE WOLF

A Shepherd Boy, who tended his sheep in a field near a village, used to
make fun of his friends by crying out now and then, "A Wolf! a Wolf!" as
if a Wolf were at the heels of his sheep. This trick did well more than
once. The men who were in the village would leave their work, and come
in hot haste to the boy's help, each man with an axe or a club with
which to kill the Wolf. Bu