In Athens a debtor, pressed by his creditor to pay, first begged for more time, pleading hardship. When that failed, he brought out the one sow he owned and put it up for sale in front of the creditor. A buyer asked whether the sow was fertile. "Wonderfully so," he said. "At the Mysteries she bears females, and at the Panathenaea, males." As the buyer marvelled, the creditor put in, "Don't be surprised; at the Dionysia she'll give you kid goats as well."
When their own interest is at stake, many people will swear to things that are flatly impossible.
Nº 41The Fox Without a TailA fox whose tail had been cut off by a trap was so ashamed that she thought her life unbearable; so she resolved to persuade the other foxes to dock…Read the fable →
Nº 2The Statue SellerA man carved a wooden statue of the god Hermes and took it to the market, but no buyer came near. Hoping to attract one, he began to call out that he…Read the fable →
Nº 12The Weasel and the CockA weasel caught a cock and looked for some plausible excuse to eat him. She charged him with annoying people by crowing at night and robbing them of…Read the fable →