Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
77. The Ox and the Frog (Perry 376)
AN OX drinking at a pool trod on a brood of young frogs and crushed one
of them to death. The Mother coming up, and missing one of her sons, inquired
of his brothers what had become of him. 'He is dead, dear Mother; for
just now a very huge beast with four great feet came to the pool and crushed
him to death with his cloven heel.' The Frog, puffing herself out, inquired,
'if the beast was as big as that in size.' 'Cease, Mother, to puff yourself
out,' said her son, 'and do not be angry; for you would, I assure you,
sooner burst than successfully imitate the hugeness of that monster.'
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. |