There was a foolish old widowed She-Ape, who had two young Monkeys of twins. She doted upon one of them, while she only noticed the other to punish him bitterly.
Clothed in the Lion's skin, the young Ass strutted forth believing himself a very Lion, and causing men to flee before him in terror.
A vulgar Daw tricked herself out in all the gay feathers which fell from the fashionable Peacocks and valued herself above all the birds of the air.
The Crow, tickled with the very civil language of the Fox, nestled and wriggled about, and hardly knew where she was.
It was so uncouth a sight for a Fox to appear without this distinguishing ornament of his race, that the very thought of it made him weary of his life.
The Lion, finding the insect would not be brushed away, was fain to accept the challenge; so to it they went.
‘Behold,’ the Lobsyer said, ‘the beauty and splendour of one of our family, thus decked out in glorious scarlet.’rr
‘What do you mean,’ said the Wolf, glaring upon the Lamb with his fierce eyes, ‘by taking up so much of the path where I am walking?’
‘Oh, gently! gently!’ replied the Ass, as the Wolves proceeded to feel his pulse.