A stag, driven by thirst, came to a spring. After drinking, he saw his own reflection in the water. He felt proud of his antlers, seeing how large and many-branched they were; but he was unhappy with his legs, since they were thin and weak. He was still lost in these thoughts when a lion appeared and gave chase. The stag fled and pulled far ahead, for a stag's strength is in its legs, a lion's in its heart. As long as the plain was open, he kept the lead that saved him; but when he reached a wooded place, his antlers caught in the branches, and, unable to run any longer, he was caught by the lion. As he was about to die, he said to himself, "Wretch that I am! My legs, which I thought would betray me, were saving me; and my antlers, in which I put all my trust, are my undoing."
In danger, those we distrust may save us, while those we rely on may betray us.
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