Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)
119. THE ABBOT AND THE FLEA
(Odo 56a)
Against people who do not keep their promises.
This is the story of the flea that was caught by the abbot. The abbot
said, 'Now I've got you! You have bitten me many times, making it impossible
for me to get a good night's sleep. I will never let you go; in fact,
I am going to kill you right now!' The flea said, 'Holy Father, since
you intend to kill me, please hold me in the palm of your hand so that
I will be able to freely confess my sins to you. Let me make my confession,
and then you can kill me.' The abbot was moved by the flea's piety so
he placed the insect in the middle of his palm. The flea immediately leaped
up into the air and flew away. The abbot yelled loudly at the flea, but
the he refused to come back.
 Source:
Aesop's Fables. A new translation by Laura
Gibbs.
Oxford University Press (World's Classics): Oxford, 2002.
NOTE: New
cover, with new ISBN, published in 2008; contents of book unchanged.
|
