第13章 FABLES 寓言故事
I. THE MONKEY AND THE CATS
Two hungry cats, having stolen some cheese, could not agree between themselves how to divide their booty. They therefore went to law, and a cunning monkey was to decide their cause.
“Let us see,” said the judge (with as arch a look as could be): “ay, ay, this slice truly outweighs the other;” and so saying he bit off a large piece, in order, as he told them, to make the shares equal.
The other scale had now become too heavy, which gave this upright judge a pretence to help himself to a mouthful from the second slice.
Hold! hold!” cried the two cats; “give each of us our share of what is left, and we shall be content.”
“If you are content,” said the monkey,“justice is not: the law, my friends, must take its course.”
Upon this, he nibbled first one piece and then the other, till the poor cats saw that their cheese was in a fair way to be all eaten up. They therefore most humbly begged him not to put himself to any further trouble, but to give them what was still left.
“Ha! ha! ha! not so fast, good ladies,” said the monkey; “we owe justice to ourselves as well as to you; and what remains is due to me as the lawyer.”
So he crammed the whole into his mouth at once, and very gravely broke up the court!
This fable teaches us that it is better to put up with a trifling loss, than to run the risk of losing all we have by going to law.
II. THE FOX WITHOUT A TAIL
A fox being caught in a trap, was glad to save his neck by leaving his tail behind him; but, upon going abroad into the world, he began to be so ashamed of his defect, that he almost wished he had died in the trap. However, resolving to make the best of a bad case, lie called a meeting of the rest of the foxes, and proposed that they should all follow his example.
“You have no notion,” said he, “of the ease and comfort with which I now move about. I could never have believed it if I had not tried it myself. But really, when one comes to think of it, a tail is such an ugly, useless thing, that one wonders how foxes have put up with it so long. I propose, therefore, my worthy brethren, that you should profit by my example, and that all foxes from this day forward should cut off their tails.”
Thereupon, one of the oldest stepped forward, and said, “I rather think, my friend, that you would not have advised us to part with our toils, if there had been any chance of recovering your own.”
III. MERCURY AND THE WOODMAN
A. woodman was felling a tree on the bank of a river, and by chance let slip his axe into the water, when it immediately sank to the bottom. In great distress for his loss, he sat down by the side of the stream, and lamented bitterly. But Mercury, whose river it was, taking pity on him, appeared before him. Hearing the cause of his sorrow, he dived to the bottom of the river, and bringing up a golden axe, asked the woodman if that was his.
Upon the man denying it, Mercury dived a second time, and brought up one of silver. Again the man denied that it was his. So diving a third time, he produced the very axe which the man had lost.
“That is mine.” said the woodman, glad to have recovered his own; and so pleased was Mercury with the fellow s truthfulness and honesty, that he at once made him a present of the other two.
When the man's companions heard this story, one of them determined to try whether he might not have the like good fortune. So going to the same place, as if for the purpose of cutting wood, he let his axe slip intentionally into the river, and then sat down on the bank, and made a great show of weeping.
Mercury appeared as before; and hearing from him that his tear's were caused by the loss of his axe, he dived into the stream, and bringing up a golden axe, asked him if that was the axe he had lost.
“Ay, surely!” said the man, eagerly; and he was about to grasp the treasure, when Mercury, to punish his impudence and lying, not only refused to give him that one, but would not so much as restore him his own axe again.
Honesty is the best policy.
Questions
Why did the two cats go to law? Who was the judge? How did he make the heavier slice lighter? What excuse had be for doing the same to the other piece? What did the cats then say? What did the monkey reply? And what became of all the cheese? What does this fable teach? —What led the fox to advise his neighbours to cut off their tails? What reason did he give for it? What did an old fox say? —Why did Mercury give the woodman the golden and the silver axe? What did one of his companions do? What did he say when he saw the golden axe? How was he punished?
Pronunciation
hun'-gry re-mained' be-lieved' Mer'-cu-ry
cun'-ning law'-yer in-con-ve'-ni-ent de-ny'-ing
de-cide' sen'-si-ble un-nec'-es-sar-y de-ter'-mined
bal'-ance dis-grace' ex-pe'-ri-ence in-ten'-tion-al-ly
pre-tence' pro-posed' re-cov'-er-ing im'-pu-dence1.猴子和猫
两只饥肠辘辘的猫偷了一些奶酪，不知道怎么分它们的战利品。所以它们去了法庭，一只狡猾的猴子决定给它们做出评判。
“让我看看，”法官说道（它尽量弓着身子）, “哎呀，哎呀，这片确实比另一片重，它边说边咬下一大块，它告诉两只猫这样一来两片的分量就一样了。
秤的另一边明显变沉了，这位正直的法官有了新的借口，在另一片上也咬了一大口。
“停下，停下！”两只猫喊道，“把剩下的留给我们，我们就很满足了。”
“如果你们满足了，”猴子说，“就没有公平可言了。我的朋友，让法律来决定。”
说完这些，它先咬了一块，接着又咬了另一块，直到两只可怜的猫看着它们的奶酪就快要以一种公平的方式被猴子全吃光了。因此，它们谦卑地恳求法官不要再为难它们，把剩下的留给它们。
“哈！哈！哈！别着急，善良的女士们，”猴子说，“我和你们一样要求公平，剩下的是作为律师的我应得的酬劳。
于是它把整个奶酪一股脑全塞到了自己嘴里，面色凝重地结束了审判。
这则寓言故事告诉我们要忍受微不足道的损失，因为这比冒着失去一切的风险来付诸法律要好得多。
2.没有尾巴的狐狸
一只狐狸被困在陷阱里，它因为舍弃尾巴而脱险感到非常高兴。但是它从陷阱里出来重返这个世界以后，开始为自己的缺陷感到非常羞愧。它甚至希望自己当初死在陷阱里。但是，它下定决心充分利用自己的缺陷，它将所有的狐狸召集在一起开会，建议它们都效仿自己。
“你们不知道，”它说，“我现在行动起来轻松自如。如果不是亲自体验，我根本就不会相信。但是现在想想，尾巴是多么丑陋、多么没有用处的东西，有人很好奇为什么狐狸能够容忍它这么长时间。因此我提议，根据我受益的经验，从今天起，所有的狐狸都应该以我为榜样砍掉自己的尾巴。”
接着，一只最年长的狐狸走上前，说道：“朋友，我认为，如果你有任何可以让自己的尾巴复原的机会，你都不会如此这般苦口婆心地劝说我们。”
3.樵夫和河伯
一个樵夫在河岸边砍树，他的斧子意外地掉进了水里，很快就沉到了水底。他因为斧头丢了而无比伤心，坐在岸边，悲痛地哀叹。但是，河里的河伯可怜他，出现在他的面前。河伯听了他悲伤的原因，潜入河底，拿上来一把金斧头，问樵夫是不是他的。
听到樵夫说不是他的，河伯再一次潜入河底，拿上来一把银斧头。樵夫说这也不是他的。河伯第三次潜入河底，这回他拿出来的正是樵夫所丢失的那把斧头。
“这把是我的。”樵夫说，他高兴地拿过自己的斧子，河伯看到这个樵夫如此真诚和正直，高兴极了，立刻决定把另外两把斧头送给樵夫作为礼物。
当樵夫的同伴们听完这个故事，其中一个也决定试试自己是否也有这样的好运。他也去了相同的地方，假装要去砍木头，他故意把斧头滑落到河里，然后坐在岸边，装作痛哭流涕的样子。
河伯像以前一样出现，听说他因为把斧子弄丢了伤心不已，河伯潜入河底，带上来一把金斧头，问是不是他的。
“当然是！”这个人急切地回答道。他要伸手去拿这个宝贝，河伯知道他在撒谎，打算惩罚他的厚颜无耻和不诚实，不仅拒绝给他金斧头，还没收了他原先那把斧头。
诚实才是上策。