 |
 |
Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)55. The Oxen and the Butchers (Perry 290) THE OXEN once upon a time sought to destroy the Butchers, who practiced
a trade destructive to their race. They assembled on a certain day to
carry out their purpose, and sharpened their horns for the contest. But
one of them who was exceedingly old (for many a field had he plowed) thus
spoke: 'These Butchers, it is true, slaughter us, but they do so with
skillful hands, and with no unnecessary pain. If we get rid of them, we
shall fall into the hands of unskillful operators, and thus suffer a double
death: for you may be assured, that though all the Butchers should perish,
yet will men never want beef.'
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. |
