A trickster had wagered someone that he would prove the oracle of Delphi a liar. On the appointed day he took a little sparrow in his hand and, hiding it under his cloak, went to the temple. There, standing before the oracle, he asked whether the thing he held in his hand was alive or lifeless. He meant, if the god answered "lifeless," to show the living sparrow; if it said "living," to produce the sparrow after strangling it. But the god, seeing through his crafty intent, replied, "Enough, man; for it rests with you whether what you hold is dead or alive."
Nº 1The Blessings and the MisfortunesThe misfortunes, too weak to stand alone, once drove the blessings up into the sky. From there the blessings asked Zeus how they ought to reach human…Read the fable →
Nº 10The Athenian DebtorIn 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…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 →