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Fable / The Snipe ShooterTHE SNIPE SHOOTER A huntsman trying to shoot both a snipe and partridges at the same time, misses both; his faithful spaniel admonishes him
Fable / Vice & FortuneVICE AND FORTUNE A fable of Plutarch in which Vice and Fortune argue over who has the most power to make mankind unhappy
The Snail and the StatueTHE SNAIL & THE STATUE A statue of the Medicean Venus is defaced by the slime of a snail jealous of the admiration the statue attracted Date: 1761
The Spider & SilkwormTHE SPIDER & THE SILKWORM A spider boasts she can spin much more quickly than the silkworm; the silkworm replies her labours endure & are valued unlike the spiders web
The Wolf & the MastiffTHE WOLF AND THE MASTIFF A hungry wolf asks a dog how he stays so well-fed; the dog says obedience to his master is enough; the wolf values his freedom over easy meals
Prometheus Forms ManPrometheus forms man of clay and against the wishes of Jupiter steals fire from heaven to animate his work
Nightingale & BullfinchTHE NIGHTINGALE & BULLFINCH Two birds occupied cages together; the nightingale varied her tunes, the bullfinch always sang the same & wondered why it was derided
Fable / Partial JudgeTHE PARTIAL JUDGE After an incident with an oxen and a bull, a farmer finds that a lawyer is keener to see justice done when its in his favour rather than against him
Fable / Two LizardsTHE TWO LIZARDS: two lizards were bemoaning their fate as lowly creatures, & wishing they d been born proud stags, when hounds tore apart the very stag they d admired
The Mimick & CountrymanTHE MIMICK & THE COUNTRYMAN A man imitating the sound of a pig is judged more realistic than an actual pig concealed beneath the cloak of another man
Fable / the SorceressTHE SORCERESS An evil sorceress casts a spell and conjures up a demon
Fable / the SpectaclesTHE SPECTACLES Jupiter makes a present to mankind of pairs of spectacles; Momus is sent to deliver them
Man Eaten by CrocodileTHE TENTYRITES AND THE ICHNEUMON A huge crocodile seizes a man in its jaws on the island of Tentyra
Fable / the Mock-BirdTHE MOCK-BIRD The mock-bird is chastised by a little warbler for imitating and ridiculing their songs without adding any original strains of his own
Fable / MomusJUPITER, NEPTUNE, MINERVA AND MOMUS: Momus found fault with everything made by the gods including man, so much so that Jupiter drove him from his office of judge
Farmer, Cranes & StorkTHE FARMER, THE CRANES & THE STORK: A stork, caught by a farmer, begs that his life be spared as he is not like the thieving cranes; he has been caught with them however
The Pasha & the MerchantTHE PASHA AND THE MERCHANT A Greek merchant agrees that he will pay three Turks to protect his goods, as they will do this at a cheaper rate than the pasha
Swallow & Little BirdsTHE SWALLOW AND THE LITTLE BIRDS: The swallow tries to warn the birds of the dangers of letting the farmer sow seeds but they do not heed her advice
Countryman and the SnakeTHE COUNTRYMAN AND THE SNAKE A charitable man finds a frozen serpent and warms it in front of the fire, but the snake bites him: a wretched creature cannot be raised up
Fable / Lion, Wolf & FoxTHE LION, THE WOLF AND THE FOX: An old lion, wishing to find a cure, summons his animals. The wolf slanders the fox, but finds he comes off worst in the end
The Two Rats, Fox & EggTHE TWO RATS, THE FOX AND THE EGG: To save the egg they ve found from a fox, one rat ingeniously grips the egg, the other drags him to safety by his tail
Fable / Frogs & StorkFROGS PETITION JUPITER FOR A KING: the frogs think they should be ruled, so Jupiter sends a log; some complain, so Jupiter sends a stork which eats them all up
Philomel and ProcnePHILOMEL AND PROCNE Procne tries to persuade her sister Philomel to come back to the city, but she prefers to remain in solitude (from Greek mythology)
Fable / the Fox and GoatTHE FOX AND THE GOAT A fox and goat, feeling very thirsty, jump into a well to drink; unable to escape, the fox suggests he climb upon the goat, only to then run off
Fable / Fox and TurkeysTHE FOX & THE TURKEYS Some turkeys who have escaped from a fox into a tree, are unable to sleep for the foxs tricks and contrivances, and eventually fall to the ground
Lark, Brood & FarmerTHE LARK, HER BROOD & THE FARMER: A lark & her young ones, nesting in a field, flee when the owner of the wheat comes to take the harvest in
Little Fish & the FisherTHE LITTLE FISH AND THE FISHERMAN: a tiddler tries to persuade a fisher to let him grow into a big trout, worth catching, but the man prefers to keep what he has
Fable / Lion & GnatTHE LION AND THE GNAT Human version of animal fable: a prince who despised a mere peasant is now at his mercy, pummelled by stones thrown from the mans sling
Fable / Farmer & StagA stag speaks to a farmer
The Vultures & PigeonsTHE VULTURES AND THE PIGEONS The vultures fight each other and tear with beak and talon; the pigeons attempt to be peacemakers and succeed, but then are themselves attacked
Death & the WoodcutterDEATH AND THE WOODCUTTER A wretched woodman, worn down by lifes woes and the weight of his load of sticks, calls on Death to relieve him of his suffering
The Fish & the CormorantTHE FISH AND THE CORMORANT An elderly cormorant, unable to see, tricks the fish into being borne by him to a safe place, a shallow pond from where he can eat his fill
Fortune and the ChildFORTUNE & THE CHILD or Traveller: A boy sleeps on the brink of a deep well; Fortune wakes him, not wanting the blame for the boys folly if he should fall
Fable / the RabbitsTHE RABBITS Rabbits flee at danger, but when it has been forgotten return to the same risk: a metaphor for human behaviour
Fable / Elm and VineThe vine needs the elm tree to support it; the elm needs the vines grapes to enhance it
Fable / the MaidenTHE MAIDEN: A beautiful but proud maid turns down her many suitors for not matching up to her standards; in time her beauty fades and the suitors fade away
The Old Man & 3 YouthsTHE OLD MAN & THREE YOUTHS Three young men question why an old man is planting saplings whose fruit he won t live to enjoy; life is uncertain, he may outlive them
Fishing & Flute-PlayingA shepherd plays a flute on the banks of a river while his companion fishes (illustration to the fable The Fish & the Shepherd Flute-Player )
Fable / the Two DovesTHE TWO DOVES (human version of animal fable): A couple love each other, but the young man wants to see the world; he is pleaded with and warned of the dangers facing him
Fable / Horse and WolfTHE HORSE & THE WOLF The wolf attempts to beguile the horse to find an opportunity to eat him, but the horse is suspicious and kicks the wolf in the jaw
Miser who Lost FortuneTHE MISER WHO LOST HIS FORTUNE: A miser finds that the gold he had buried in a hole in the ground has been taken
The Shepherd & the SeaTHE SHEPHERD AND THE SEA A shepherd cannot be tempted again by the promise of riches as a sea merchant, having suffered shipwreck; he prefers to be content with his flock
Fable / the Two CocksTHE TWO COCKS (Human Version of animal fable): two men fight over a woman; the victors arrogance in his triumph leads finally to his defeat
The Stag and the VineTHE STAG AND THE VINE A stag is hidden from the hunters and their dogs by a thick vine, but is then tempted to eat the grapes and the rustling gives him away
Fable / the Masters EyeTHE EYE OF THE MASTER A stag hides from the hunt in a stable of oxen; he is safe until the master, whose eye is keener than the others, comes in; the stag is then caught
The Cobbler & FinancierTHE COBBLER AND THE RICH MAN A rich financier gives a frugal cobbler a large sum of money; previously happy, the cobbler now finds he can t sleep for fear of thieves Date: circa 1870
Fable / Two GoatsTHE TWO GOATS: two goats meet on a narrow bridge over a river, each wanting to pass; as stubborn as the other, they test their strength until both fall in the water
2 Adventurers & TalismanTHE TWO ADVENTURERS AND THE TALISMAN: one knight takes up the profferred task of fording the river, lifting a stone elephant and carrying it to the mountain top