A shepherd, having found some wolf cubs, reared them with great care, in the hope that, once grown, they would not only guard his own sheep, but also carry off others and bring them to him. But as soon as they had finished growing, they seized an occasion when they had nothing to fear and began by ravaging his flock. When he realised the disaster, he groaned and said, "I richly deserve it; why did I save, as cubs, animals that ought to be killed even when full-grown?"
To save wicked people is to give them, without our realising it, strength that they will turn first of all against us.
Nº 98Diogenes on a JourneyDiogenes the Cynic, on a journey, came to a river running full to its banks, and stopped on the bank, at a loss. A man who was in the habit of…Read the fable →
Nº 297The Child BathingOne day a child bathing in a river found himself in danger of drowning. On seeing a traveller, he called on him for help. The traveller reproached…Read the fable →
Nº 314The Shepherd and the Wolf Reared with the DogsA shepherd, having found a newborn wolf cub, took it away and reared it with his dogs. When the cub had grown big, if sometimes a wolf carried off a…Read the fable →