Aesop's Fables (Joseph Jacobs)
Jacobs 23. Androcles and the Lion (Perry
563)
A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the
forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down
moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but finding that the
Lion did not pursue him, he turned back and went up to him. As he came
near, the Lion put out his paw, which was all swollen and bleeding, and
Androcles found that a huge thorn had got into it, and was causing all
the pain. He pulled out the thorn and bound up the paw of the Lion, who
was soon able to rise and lick the hand of Androcles like a dog. Then
the Lion took Androcles to his cave, and every day used to bring him meat
from which to live. But shortly afterwards both Androcles and the Lion
were captured, and the slave was sentenced to be thrown to the Lion, after
the latter had been kept without food for several days. The Emperor and
all his Court came to see the spectacle, and Androcles was led out into
the middle of the arena. Soon the Lion was let loose from his den, and
rushed bounding and roaring towards his victim. But as soon as he came
near to Androcles he recognised his friend, and fawned upon him, and licked
his hands like a friendly dog. The Emperor, surprised at this, summoned
Androcles to him, who told him the whole story. Whereupon the slave was
pardoned and freed, and the Lion let loose to his native forest.
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.
The
Fables of Aesop, by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by
Richard Heighway (1894). The page images come from Google
Books. The digitized text comes from Project
Gutenberg. You can purchase this inexpensive Dover edition, The
Fables of Aesop by Joseph Jacobs from amazon.com.
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