aesopica.
ENFRESDEITPT
FableNº 289

The Serpent, the Weasel, and the Rats

A serpent and a weasel were fighting in a house. The rats of the house, always devoured by both, seeing them fight, came quietly out of their holes. At the sight of the rats, the combatants, giving up fighting each other, turned against them.

It is the same in states: those who get mixed up in the quarrels of demagogues become, without realising it, the victims of both parties.
Moral

Similar fables

  1. Illustration for Aesop’s fable “The Weasel and the File”Nº 77The Weasel and the FileAfter slipping into a blacksmith's workshop, began to lick the file that lay there. As it happened, her tongue was worn away and a great deal of…Read the fable →
  2. Illustration for Aesop’s fable “The Wasp and the Serpent”Nº 331The Wasp and the SerpentOne day a wasp settled on a serpent's head and tormented it, stinging it relentlessly with its sting. The serpent, mad with pain and unable to be…Read the fable →
  3. Illustration for Aesop’s fable “The Woman and Her Servants”Nº 89The Woman and Her ServantsA hardworking widow had young servant girls whom she woke at night, at cockcrow, to set them to work. Constantly worn out with fatigue, they decided…Read the fable →
The newsletter

One fable, every Sunday, in your inbox.