A Wolf came upon a Lamb straying from the flock, and felt some compunction about taking the life of so helpless a creature without some plausible excuse; so he cast about for a grievance and said at last, “Last year, sirrah, you grossly insulted me.” “That is impossible, sir,” bleated the Lamb, “for I wasn’t born then.” “Well,” retorted the Wolf, “you feed in my pastures.” “That cannot be,” replied the Lamb, “for I have never yet tasted grass.” “You drink from my spring, then,” continued the Wolf. “Indeed, sir,” said the poor Lamb, “I have never yet drunk anything but my mother’s milk.” “Well, anyhow,” said the Wolf, “I’m not going without my dinner”: and he sprang upon the Lamb and devoured it without more ado.

For the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down, nor indeed any good to have been carried up.

From Alexander the Platonic, not frequently nor without necessity to say to anyone, or to write in a letter, that I have no leisure; nor continually to excuse the neglect of duties required by our relation to those with whom we live, by alleging urgent occupations.

Entre nous, et l’enfer ou le ciel, il n’y a que la vie entre deux, qui est la chose du monde la plus fragile.

A Dog was lying in the sun before a farmyard gate when a Wolf pounced upon him and was just going to eat him up; but he begged for his life and said, “You see how thin I am and what a wretched meal I should make you now: but if you will only wait a few days my master is going to give a feast. All the rich scraps and pickings will fall to me and I shall get nice and fat: then will be the time for you to eat me.” The Wolf thought this was a very good plan and went away. Some time afterwards he came to the farmyard again, and found the Dog lying out of reach on the stable roof. “Come down,” he called, “and be eaten: you remember our agreement?” But the Dog said coolly, “My friend, if ever you catch me lying down by the gate there again, don’t you wait for any feast.” Once bitten, twice shy.

A Slave, being discontented with his lot, ran away from his master. He was soon missed by the latter, who lost no time in mounting his horse and setting out in pursuit of the fugitive. He presently came up with him, and the Slave, in the hope of avoiding capture, slipped into a treadmill and hid himself there. “Aha,” said his master, “that’s the very place for you, my man!”

Preuve des deux Testaments à la fois. — Pour prouver tout d’un coup les deux, il ne faut que voir si les prophéties de l’un sont accomplies en l’autre. Pour examiner les prophéties, il faut les entendre ; car, si on croit qu’elles n’ont qu’un sens, il est sûr que le Messie ne sera point venu ; mais si elles ont deux sens, il est sûr qu’il sera venu en Jésus-Christ. Toute la question est donc de savoir si elles ont deux sens. Que l’Écriture a deux sens, que Jésus-Christ et les apôtres ont donnés, dont voici les preuves : 1o Preuve par l’Écriture même ; 2o Preuve par les Rabbins : Moïse Maymon dit qu’elle a deux faces, et que les prophètes n’ont prophétisé que de Jésus-Christ ; 3o Preuve par la Cabale ; 4o Preuve par l’interprétation mystique que les Rabbins mêmes donnent à l’Écriture ; 5o Preuve par les principes des Rabbins, qu’il y a deux sens, qu’il y a deux avènements, glorieux ou abject, du Messie, selon leur mérite, que les prophètes n’ont prophétisé que du Messie — la loi n’est pas éternelle, mais doit changer au Messie — qu’alors on ne se souviendra plus de la mer Rouge, que les juifs et les gentils seront mêlés ; [6o Preuves par la clé que Jésus-Christ et les apôtres nous en donnent.]

At a gathering of all the animals the Monkey danced and delighted them so much that they made him their King. The Fox, however, was very much disgusted at the promotion of the Monkey: so having one day found a trap with a piece of meat in it, he took the Monkey there and said to him, “Here is a dainty morsel I have found, sire; I did not take it myself, because I thought it ought to be reserved for you, our King. Will you be pleased to accept it?” The Monkey made at once for the meat and got caught in the trap. Then he bitterly reproached the Fox for leading him into danger; but the Fox only laughed and said, “O Monkey, you call yourself King of the Beasts and haven’t more sense than to be taken in like that!”

A farmer’s daughter had been out to milk the cows, and was returning to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head. As she walked along, she fell a-musing after this fashion: “The milk in this pail will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter and take to market to sell. With the money I will buy a number of eggs, and these, when hatched, will produce chickens, and by and by I shall have quite a large poultry-yard. Then I shall sell some of my fowls, and with the money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown, which I shall wear when I go to the fair; and all the young fellows will admire it, and come and make love to me, but I shall toss my head and have nothing to say to them.” Forgetting all about the pail, and suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air vanished in a moment! Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

Enough of this wretched life and murmuring and apish tricks. Why art thou disturbed? What is there new in this? What unsettles thee? Is it the form of the thing? Look at it. Or is it the matter? Look at it. But besides these there is nothing. Towards the gods, then, now become at last more simple and better. It is the same whether we examine these things for a hundred years or three.

[35] Imperfecta necesse est labent et modo prodeant, modo sublabantur aut succidant. Sublabentur autem, nisi ire et niti perseveraverint; si quicquam ex studio et fideli intentione laxaverint, retro eundum est. Nemo profectum ibi invenit ubi reliquerat.

[15] Ergo in homine quoque nihil ad rem pertinet quantum aret, quantum feneret, a quam multis salutetur, quam pretioso incumbat lecto, quam perlucido poculo bibat, sed quam bonus sit. Bonus autem est si ratio eius explicita et recta est et ad naturae suae voluntatem accommodata.

司馬牛問「君子」。子曰：「君子不憂不懼。」曰：「不憂不懼，斯謂之『君子』矣夫？」子曰：「內省不疚，夫何憂何懼！」

[3] Tam ridicule facio, si hoc fine quasi bona valetudine delector, quam ille, quisquis vicisse se putat cum vadimonium distulit.

Mais ce n’était pas assez que les prophéties fussent ; il fallait qu’elles fussent distribuées par tous les lieux et conservées dans tous les temps. Et afin qu’on ne prît point ce concert pour un effet du hasard, il fallait que cela fût prédit. Il est bien plus glorieux au Messie qu’ils soient les spectateurs, et même les instruments de sa gloire, outre que Dieu les a réservés.

[7] 'Quid ergo?' inquis 'labor frivolus et supervacuus et quem humiles causae evocaverunt non est malus?' Non magis quam ille qui pulchris rebus impenditur, quoniam animi est ipsa tolerantia quae se ad dura et aspera hortatur ac dicit, 'quid cessas? non est viri timere sudorem'.

Two Pots, one of earthenware and the other of brass, were carried away down a river in flood. The Brazen Pot urged his companion to keep close by his side, and he would protect him. The other thanked him, but begged him not to come near him on any account: “For that,” he said, “is just what I am most afraid of. One touch from you and I should be broken in pieces.” Equals make the best friends.

Bad deeds, and deeds hurtful to ourselves, are easy to do; what is beneficial and good, that is very difficult to do.

子在齊聞韶，三月不知肉味，曰：「不圖爲樂之至於斯也！」

[2] Quotiens quid fugiendum sit aut quid petendum voles scire, ad summum bonum, propositum totius vitae tuae, respice. Illi enim consentire debet quidquid agimus: non disponet singula, nisi cui iam vitae suae summa proposita est. Nemo, quamvis paratos habeat colores, similitudinem reddet, nisi iam constat quid velit pingere. Ideo peccamus quia de partibus vitae omnes deliberamus, de tota nemo deliberat.