Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
230. The Wasps, the Partridges, and the Farmer (Perry
215)
THE WASPS and the Partridges, overcome with thirst, came to a Farmer
and besought him to give them some water to drink. They promised amply
to repay him the favor which they asked. The Partridges declared that
they would dig around his vines and make them produce finer grapes. The
Wasps said that they would keep guard and drive off thieves with their
stings. But the Farmer interrupted them, saying: 'I have already two oxen,
who, without making any promises, do all these things. It is surely better
for me to give the water to them than to you.'
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. |