man and was
a professional public official. One day he was taken in the act and
condemned to die. While going to the place of execution he passed his
Mother and said to her:

"Behold your work! If you had not taught me to steal, I should not have
come to this."

"Indeed!" said the Mother. "And who, pray, taught you to be detected?"

The Archer and the Eagle

An Eagle mortally wounded by an Archer was greatly comforted to observe
that the arrow was feathered with one of his own quills.

"I should have felt bad, indeed," he said, "to think that any other eagle
had a hand in this."

Truth and the Traveller

A Man travelling in a desert met a Woman.

"Who art thou?" asked the Man, "and why dost thou dwell in this dreadful
place?"

"My name," replied the Woman, "is Truth; and I live in the desert in
order to be near my worshippers when they are driven from among their
fellows. They all come, sooner or later."

"Well," said the Man, looking about, "the country doesn't seem to be very
thickly settled here."

The Wolf and the Lamb

A Lamb, pursued by a Wolf, fled into the temple.

"The priest will catch you and sacrifice you," said the Wolf, "if you
remain there."

"It is just as well to be sacrificed by the priest as to be eaten by
you," said the Lamb.

"My friend," said the Wolf, "it pains me to see you considering so great
a question from a purely selfish point of view. It is not just as well
for me."

The Lion and the Boar

A Lion and a Boar, who were fighting for water at a pool, saw some
vultures hovering significantly above them. "Let us make up our
quarrel," said the Boar, "or these fellows will get one of us, sure."

"I should not so much mind that," replied the Lion, "if they would get
the right one. However, I am willing to stop fighting, and then perhaps
I can grab a vulture. I like chicken better than pork, anyhow."

The Grasshopper and the Ant

One day in winter a hungry Grasshopper applied to an Ant for some of the
food which they had stored.

"Why," said the Ant, "did you not store up some food for yourself,
instead of singing all the time?"

"So I did," said the Grasshopper; "so I did; but you fellows broke in and
carried it all away."

The Fisher and the Fished

A Fisherman who had caught a very small Fish was putting it in his basket
when it said:

"I pray you put me back into the stream, for I can be of no use to you;
the gods d