The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
The Herdsman and the Lost Bull
The Pomegranate, Apple-Tree, and Bramble
The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
The Bear and the Two Travelers
The Piglet, the Sheep, and the Goat
The Lion, the Mouse, and the Fox
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
The Man and His Two Sweethearts
The Old Woman and the Physician
The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle
The Widow and Her Little Maidens
The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf
The Father and His Two Daughters
The Swallow, the Serpent, and the Court of Justice
The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk
The Huntsman and the Fisherman
The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar
The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons
The Ass, the Cock, and the Lion
The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat
The Fisherman and the Little Fish
The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock
The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox
The Philosopher, the Ants, and Mercury
The Image of Mercury and the Carpenter
The Lion, the Fox, and the Ass
The Bull, the Lioness, and the Wild-Boar Hunter
The Stag, the Wolf, and the Sheep
The Eagle, the Cat, and the Wild Sow
The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
The Apes and the Two Travelers
The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape
The Wasps, the Partridges, and the Farmer
The Gamecocks and the Partridge
The Lion, the Wolf, and the Fox
The Birds, the Beasts, and the Bat
The Spendthrift and the Swallow
Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, and Momus
The Peasant and the Apple-Tree
The Two Soldiers and the Robber
The Trees Under the Protection of the Gods
The Buffoon and the Countryman
The King’s Son and the Painted Lion
The She-Goats and Their Beards
The Miller, His Son, and Their Ass
The Travelers and the Plane-Tree
The Lion, Jupiter, and the Elephant
The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea
A MILLER and his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking and laughing. “Look there,” cried one of them, “did you ever see such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?’ The old man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk along merrily by his side. Presently they came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. “There,” said one of them, “it proves what I was a-saying. What respect is shown to old age in these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk? Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs.” Upon this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself. In this manner they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children: “Why, you lazy old fellow,” cried several tongues at once, “how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can hardly keep pace by the side of you?’ The good-natured Miller immediately took up his son behind him. They had now almost reached the town. “Pray, honest friend,” said a citizen, “is that Ass your own?’ “Yes,” replied the old man. “O, one would not have thought so,” said the other, “by the way you load him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he you.” “Anything to please you,” said the old man; “we can but try.” So, alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance to the town. This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell into the river. Upon this, the old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in the bargain.