Æsop's Fables

A new translation.
By V. S. Vernon Jones.

With an introduction by G. K. Chesterton.
With pictures by Arthur Rackham.

This book came out in 1912.

About the Introduction

Long ago, there lived a man named Æsop.
People say he told many fables.
A fable is a short story with a lesson.

Æsop may have been a slave.
He may have come from a place called Phrygia.
He lived a very long time ago.
That was about 600 years before Jesus was born.
It was the time of a king named Croesus.

Some old stories say Æsop was thrown off a cliff.
The cliff was at a place called Delphi.
No one knows if this is true.

Many of these fables were not made up by Æsop alone.
People told stories like these for a very long time.
Æsop just helped collect them.
That is why we still say his name today.

Fables are different from fairy tales.
Fairy tales are about people.
Fables are about animals.

In a fable, animals do not change.
A lion is always strong.
A fox is always sly.
A sheep just walks along.

This is why fables can teach us true lessons.
The lessons are simple and clear.
People all over the world tell fables like these.
They all teach kind of the same lesson.
The lesson is this: don't be too proud.
Being too clever can get you in trouble.

Contents

Here are the story titles from this book:

• The Fox and the Grapes
• The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs
• The Cat and the Mice
• The Mischievous Dog
• The Charcoal-Burner and the Fuller
• The Mice in Council
• The Bat and the Weasels
• The Dog and the Sow
• The Fox and the Crow
• The Horse and the Groom
• The Wolf and the Lamb
• The Peacock and the Crane
• The Cat and the Birds
• The Spendthrift and the Swallow
• The Old Woman and the Doctor
• The Moon and Her Mother
• Mercury and the Woodman
• The Ass, the Fox, and the Lion
• The Lion and the Mouse
• The Crow and the Pitcher
• The Boys and the Frogs
• The North Wind and the Sun
• The Mistress and Her Servants
• The Goods and the Ills
• The Hares and the Frogs
• The Fox and the Stork
• The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
• The Stag in the Ox-Stall
• The Milkmaid and Her Pail
• The Dolphins, the Whales, and the Sprat
• The Fox and the Monkey
• The Ass and the Lap-Dog
• The Fir-Tree and the Bramble
• The Frogs' Complaint Against the Sun
• The Dog, the Cock, and the Fox
• The Gnat and the Bull
• The Bear and the Travellers
• The Slave and the Lion
• The Flea and the Man
• The Bee and Jupiter
• The Oak and the Reeds
• The Blind Man and the Cub
• The Boy and the Snails
• The Apes and the Two Travellers
• The Ass and His Burdens
• The Shepherd's Boy and the Wolf
• The Fox and the Goat
• The Fisherman and the Sprat
• The Boasting Traveller
• The Crab and His Mother
• The Ass and His Shadow
• The Farmer and His Sons
• The Dog and the Cook
• The Monkey as King
• The Thieves and the Cock
• The Farmer and Fortune
• Jupiter and the Monkey
• Father and Sons
• The Lamp
• The Owl and the Birds
• The Ass in the Lion's Skin
• The She-Goats and Their Beards
• The Old Lion
• The Boy Bathing
• The Quack Frog
• The Swollen Fox
• The Mouse, the Frog, and the Hawk
• The Boy and the Nettles
• The Peasant and the Apple-Tree
• The Jackdaw and the Pigeons
• Jupiter and the Tortoise
• The Dog in the Manger
• The Two Bags
• The Oxen and the Axletrees
• The Boy and the Filberts
• The Frogs Asking for a King
• The Olive-Tree and the Fig-Tree
• The Lion and the Boar
• The Walnut-Tree
• The Man and the Lion
• The Tortoise and the Eagle
• The Kid on the Housetop
• The Fox Without a Tail
• The Vain Jackdaw
• The Traveller and His Dog
• The Shipwrecked Man and the Sea
• The Wild Boar and the Fox
• Mercury and the Sculptor
• The Fawn and His Mother
• The Fox and the Lion
• The Eagle and His Captor
• The Blacksmith and His Dog
• The Stag at the Pool
• The Dog and the Shadow
• Mercury and the Tradesmen
• The Mice and the Weasels
• The Peacock and Juno
• The Bear and the Fox
• The Ass and the Old Peasant
• The Ox and the Frog
• The Man and the Image
• Hercules and the Waggoner
• The Pomegranate, the Apple-Tree, and the Bramble
• The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox
• The Blackamoor
• The Two Soldiers and the Robber
• The Lion and the Wild Ass
• The Man and the Satyr
• The Image-Seller
• The Eagle and the Arrow
• The Rich Man and the Tanner
• The Wolf, the Mother, and Her Child
• The Old Woman and the Wine-Jar
• The Lioness and the Vixen
• The Viper and the File
• The Cat and the Cock
• The Hare and the Tortoise
• The Soldier and His Horse
• The Oxen and the Butchers
• The Wolf and the Lion
• The Sheep, the Wolf, and the Stag
• The Lion and the Three Bulls
• The Horse and His Rider
• The Goat and...