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Aesop's Fables, translated by Laura Gibbs (2002)

379. THE FARMER, THE CATTLE AND THE MANURE
Perry 657 (Romulus Mon. 18)

A certain farmer was using his cattle to haul manure out of the stables. The cattle complained to the farmer that their labour allowed him to harvest his wheat and barley crops, supplying his household with ample food year in and year out. Therefore, said the cattle, it was hardly fair for them to have to perform the vile task of hauling manure out of the stables. The farmer then asked, 'Is it not the case that you yourselves are the source of the substance which you are now carrying away?' The cattle replied, 'Yes, that is true.' The farmer then concluded, 'So, since you are the ones who made a mess of the stable in your spare time, it is only right that you should also make some effort to clean it up!'
The same is true of grumbling, arrogant servants: they never stop reproaching their master if they have done him some good service, heedless of the rewards that have been bestowed on them, and they would like it if all of their failures were passed over in silence.


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.