One day a flea leapt onto the toe of an ailing athlete and bit him. The athlete, in anger, made his nails ready to crush it; but with one of its accustomed leaps it sprang away and escaped. Then the athlete said with a sigh, "O Heracles, if this is how you help me against a flea, what aid can I expect from you against my adversaries?"
Do not call on the gods over every harmless trifle; reserve such appeals for genuine need.
Nº 8The Nightingale and the HawkA nightingale was singing high in an oak when a hungry hawk swooped and seized her. Facing death, she begged him to let her go, pleading that she was…Read the fable →
Nº 21The Cocks and the PartridgeA man who kept cocks found a tame partridge for sale, bought her, and brought her home to feed with the cocks. But they pecked and chased her, and…Read the fable →
Nº 58The Man and the FoxA man bore a grudge against a fox that was doing him damage. He caught it, and, to take ample revenge, tied to its tail some tow soaked in oil and…Read the fable →