Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
68. The Fox and the Monkey (Perry 81)
A MONKEY once danced in an assembly of the Beasts, and so pleased them
all by his performance that they elected him their King. A Fox, envying
him the honor, discovered a piece of meat lying in a trap, and leading
the Monkey to the place where it was, said that she had found a store,
but had not used it, she had kept it for him as treasure trove of his
kingdom, and counseled him to lay hold of it. The Monkey approached carelessly
and was caught in the trap; and on his accusing the Fox of purposely leading
him into the snare, she replied, 'O Monkey, and are you, with such a mind
as yours, going to be King over the Beasts?'
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. |