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Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)

290. The Flea and the Man (Perry 272)

A MAN, very much annoyed with a Flea, caught him at last, and said, 'Who are you who dare to feed on my limbs, and to cost me so much trouble in catching you?' The Flea replied, 'O my dear sir, pray spare my life, and destroy me not, for I cannot possibly do you much harm.' The Man, laughing, replied, 'Now you shall certainly die by mine own hands, for no evil, whether it be small or large, ought to be tolerated.'


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.