One evening a fox, who was as hungry as a dog, happened to see the round reflection of the moon in a well, and he believed it to be a fine cheese. There were two pails which alternately drew up the water. Into the uppermost of these the fox leapt, and his weight caused him to descend the well, where he at once discovered his mistake about the cheese.
He became extremely worried and fancied his end approaching, for he could see no way to get up again but by some other hungry one, enticed by the same reflection, coming down in the same way that he had.
Two days passed without any one coming to the well. Time, which is always marching onward, had, during two nights, hollowed the outline of the silvery planet, and Reynard was in despair.
At last a wolf, parched with thirst, drew near, to whom the fox called from below, “Comrade, here is a treat for you! Do you see this? It is an exquisite cheese, made by Faunus from milk of the heifer Io. If Jupiter were ill and lost his appetite he would find it again by one taste of this. I have only eaten this piece out of it; the rest will be plenty for you. Come down in the pail up there. I put it there on purpose for you.”
A rigmarole so cleverly told was easily believed by the fool of a wolf, who descended by his greater weight, which not only took him down, but brought the fox up.
We ought not to laugh at the wolf, for we often enough let ourselves be deluded with just as little cause. Everybody is ready to believe the thing he desires.
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anger is a feeling that makes your mouth work faster than your mind!
may your day be filled with wisdom
Β
5 comments
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April 30, 2012 at 4:40 am
stuartart
Excellent reminders. Thanks, π
April 30, 2012 at 8:18 am
erranttranscendentalist
I’m laughing at how many times I have been the wolf in the pail!! Thanks for a fun and instructive fable!!
April 30, 2012 at 4:46 pm
eof737
So true and we fall for something everyday! π
May 1, 2012 at 9:50 am
funny life
best one is a clever person solve a problem but a wise one left it .
May 7, 2012 at 6:24 pm
granbee
Art, very wonderful reminder of how little it takes sometimes to entice us into such follies as brought that wolf down! I will keep the image of the fox going up and the wolf going down as an excellent reminder to carefully “weigh” my options before leaping into anything that looks enticing!