A Lion found a Hare sleeping in her form，and was just going to devour her when he caught sight of a passing stag.Dropping the Hare，he at once made for the bigger game；but ？nding，after a long chase，that he could not overtake the stag，he abandoned the attempt and came back for the Hare.When he reached the spot，however，he found she was nowhere to be seen，and he had to go without his dinner.“It serves me right，”he said；“I should have been content with what I had got，instead of hankering after a better prize.”
｛中文阅读｝
一只狮子发现一只兔子正在窝里睡觉，便想趁机吃掉她。这时，他又看见旁边有一只鹿经过。狮子立刻丢下兔子，去追赶个头更大的鹿。然而，追了一阵子后，狮子发现根本追不上鹿，于是就放弃了目标，又回过头来找兔子。可是，等他回到兔窝时，却发现兔子早已逃之夭夭。这下，他的晚餐全都泡汤了。狮子说：“我真活该！我应该满足于唾手可得的东西，而不应贪心去追求更大的奖励。”
THE WOLVES AND THE DOGS
一群狼和一群狗
Once upon a time the Wolves said to the Dogs，“Why should we continue to be enemies any longer？You are very like us in most ways：the main difference between us is one of training only.We live a life of freedom；but you are enslaved to mankind，who beat you，and put heavy collars round your necks，and compel you to keep watch over their ？ocks and herds for them，and，to crown all，they give you nothing but bones to eat.Don’t put up with it any longer，but hand over the ？ocks to us，and we will all live on the fat of the land and feast together.”The Dogs allowed themselves to be persuaded by these words，and accompanied the Wolves into their den.But no sooner were they well inside than the Wolves set upon them and tore them to pieces.
Traitors richly deserve their fate.
｛中文阅读｝
从前，有一群狼对一群狗说：“为什么我们要一直成为敌人呢？从各方面来看，你们和我们都很相像，咱们之间唯一的区别仅仅是受驯不同而已。我们过着自由自在的日子，而你们却成了人类的奴隶，他们不仅鞭打你们，还给你们套上沉重的颈圈，迫使你们去看守羊群和牲畜。总而言之，除了让你们啃骨头之外，人类什么也没给你们。别再忍受他们的折磨了，直接把羊群交给我们，我们一起到肥沃的草场里生活吧，我们一起去享受。”那群狗被狼的一番话说动了心，跟随狼群来到他们的窝里。结果，刚一进去，狼群就向狗群发起进攻，杀得他们片甲不留。
背叛者通常都没有好下场。
THE BULL AND THE CALF
公牛和小牛
A full-grown Bull was struggling to force his huge bulk through the narrow entrance to a cow-house where his stall was，when a young Calf came up and said to him，“If you’ll step aside a moment，I’ll show you the way to get through.”The Bull turned upon him an amused look.“I knew that way，”said he，“before you were born.”
｛中文阅读｝
一头公牛竭尽全力要挤过一道窄门到牛棚里去，他的牛栏就在棚里。这时，一头小牛犊走了过来，对公牛说：“如果你能闪到一边去，我就告诉你怎么过去。”公牛开心地看了他一眼，说：“你还没出世之前，我就早已知道那个办法了。”
THE TREES AND THE AXE
树和斧头
A Woodman went into the forest and begged of the Trees the favour of a handle for his Axe.The principal Trees at once agreed to so modest a request，and unhesitatingly gave him a young ash sapling，out of which he fashioned the handle he desired.No sooner had he done so than he set to work to fell the noblest Trees in the wood.When they saw the use to which he was putting their gift，they cried，“Alas！alas！We are undone，but we are ourselves to blame.The little we gave has cost us all：had we not sacri？ced the rights of the ash，we might ourselves have stood for ages.”
｛中文阅读｝
一个樵夫走进森林里，请求树给他一根木头做斧柄。树的首领马上就答应了樵夫那温和谦逊的请求，毫不犹豫地给了他一根小树枝。樵夫用小树枝做成了自己想要的斧柄。刚一完成这个任务，他接着就在森林里用斧头砍起其中最贵重的一棵大树。当树看到樵夫用的正是自己给他的礼物时，说：“哎呀，哎呀！我们是自己葬送了自己。给他的那一根小树枝，竟然葬送了我们大家的命。要是我们没给它，也许我们还能在这里多站几年。”
THE ASTRONOMER
天文学家
There was once an Astronomer whose habit it was to go out at night and observe the stars.One night，as he was walking about outside the town gates，gazing up absorbed into the sky and not looking where he was going，he fell into a dry well.As he lay there groaning，some one passing by heard him，and，coming to the edge of the well，looked down and，on learning what had happened，said，“If you really mean to say that you were looking so hard at the sky that you didn’t even see where your feet were carrying you along the ground，it appears to me that you deserve all you’ve got.”
｛中文阅读｝
有一个天文学家养成了晚上出去观察星象的习惯。有一个夜晚，当他走出城门来到郊外后，便聚精会神地观察着天空，一不小心掉进一口枯井里。当他正坐在井里呻吟时，一个刚好从旁经过的人听到了，便走到井边向下看，待了解了事情经过后，对他说：“如果真如你所说，只是一味地努力向上看，而没有看清楚脚下的路况，那么在我看来，你就活该待在这里。”
THE LABOURER AND THE SNAKE
工人和蛇
A Labourer’s little son was bitten by a Snake and died of the wound.The father was beside himself with grief，and in his anger against the Snake he caught up an axe and went and stood close to the Snake’s hole，and watched for a chance of killing it.Presently the Snake came out，and the man aimed a blow at it，but only succeeded in cutting off the tip of its tail before it wriggled in again.He then tried to get it to come out a second time，pretending that he wished to make up the quarrel.But the Snake said，“I can never be your friend because of my lost tail，nor you mine because of your lost child.”
Injuries are never forgotten in the presence of those who caused them.
｛中文阅读｝
工人的小儿子被一条毒蛇咬了一口，并且死于蛇伤。悲痛气愤之余，工人抓起一把斧头，气冲冲地跑到蛇洞外，等待机会砍死蛇。不久，蛇从洞里出来了，工人立即一斧头砍过去，可是只砍断了它的尾巴尖。随后，工人还想再如法炮制，便假装想与蛇和解。可是，蛇却说：“我永远也无法成为你的朋友，因为我丢了自己的尾巴，而你却丢失了儿子。”
在造成创伤的双方心里，永远无法忘却伤痛。
THE CAGE-BIRD AND THE BAT
笼子里的鸟与蝙蝠
A Singing-bird was confined in a cage which hung outside a window，and had a way of singing at night when all other birds were asleep.One night a Bat came and clung to the bars of the cage，and asked the Bird why she was silent by day and sang only at night.“I have a very good reason for doing so，”said the Bird：“it was once when I was singing in the daytime that a fowler was attracted by my voice，and set his nets for me and caught me.Since then I have never sung except by night.”But the Bat replied，“It is no use your doing that now when you are a prisoner：if only you had done so before you were caught，you might still have been free.”
Precautions are useless after the event.
｛中文阅读｝
一只画眉鸟被囚禁在窗外挂着的一个笼子里，当其他鸟儿都酣睡时，她却在夜里歌唱。有一个夜晚，蝙蝠飞过来，抓住鸟笼的栅栏，问她为什么白天默默无声，却在夜间放声歌唱。小鸟回答说：“我这样做是有道理的，曾经有一次，当我在白天唱歌时，一个捕鸟人被我的歌声吸引，就用鸟笼子捉住了我。从此我只在夜里唱歌。”可是，蝙蝠却说：“你现在这样做根本没用了，因为你已经成为了阶下囚。若是在被捉住之前这样做就好了，那样或许你依然是自由之身！”
待事件发生之后再预防，为时已晚。
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THE ASS AND HIS PURCHASER
驴和他的买主
