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

129. THE CAT AND THE ROOSTER
Perry 16 (Chambry 12 *)

A cat had seized a rooster and wanted to find a reasonable pretext for devouring him. He began by accusing the rooster of bothering people by crowing at night, making it impossible for them to sleep. The rooster said that this was actually an act of kindness on his part, since the people needed to be woken up in order to begin their day's work. The cat then made a second accusation, 'But you are also a sinner who violates nature's own laws when you mount your sisters and your mother.' The rooster said that this also was something he did for his masters' benefit, since this resulted in a large supply of eggs. The cat found himself at a loss and said, 'Well, even if you have an endless supply of arguments, I am still going to eat you anyway!'
The fable shows that when someone with a wicked nature has set his mind on committing some offense, he will carry out his evil acts openly even if he cannot come up with a reasonable excuse.

Note: The cat's last words in L'Estrange are especially delightful: 'Come, come, says Puss, without any more ado, 'tis time for me to go to Breakfast, and Cats don't live upon Dialogues.'


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.