Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
44. The Cat and the Cock (Perry 16)
A CAT caught a Cock, and pondered how he might find a reasonable excuse
for eating him. He accused him of being a nuisance to men by crowing in
the nighttime and not permitting them to sleep. The Cock defended himself
by saying that he did this for the benefit of men, that they might rise
in time for their labors. The Cat replied, 'Although you abound in specious
apologies, I shall not remain supperless'; and he made a meal of him.
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. |