<< Home Page | Townsend Index

Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)

218. The Fly and the Draught-Mule (Perry 498)

A FLY sat on the axle-tree of a chariot, and addressing the Draught-Mule said, 'How slow you are! Why do you not go faster? See if I do not prick your neck with my sting.' The Draught-Mule replied, 'I do not heed your threats; I only care for him who sits above you, and who quickens my pace with his whip, or holds me back with the reins. Away, therefore, with your insolence, for I know well when to go fast, and when to go slow.'


George Fyler Townsend's translation of the fables, first published in 1867, is in the public domain and can be found at many websites, including Project Gutenberg. Illustrations come from: Aesop's Fables, by George Fyler Townsend, with illustrations by Harrison Weir, 1867, at Google Books.