A Hundred Fables FROM LA FONTAINE THE ENGLISH BY PHILIP WAYNE A DOUBLEDAY ANCHOR ORIGINAL I 00/ A HUNDRED FABLES from LA FONTAINE j e a n d e l a f o n t a i n e was bom in 1621 at Chateau- Thierry in Champagne. He received part of his education at the Maison de l’Oratoire in Paris and contemplated enter­ ing the Church. Then he studied law, but showed a dis­ inclination for steady work and was content to spend ten years in idleness in his native town and most of the re­ mainder of his life as the pensioner of wealthy patrons. He married in 1647 and had a son, but later separated from his family. His most important works, the Contes and the Fables began to appear (when he was over forty) in 1664 and 1668 respectively. He continued to add to these until his death in 1695. P h i l i p w a y n e has translated Goethe’s Faust into English verse and is editor of the Everyman Wordsworth and of a critical anthology, The Heritage of Poetry. Besides ex­ perience in broadcasting, in several countries, he has acted a good deal on the stage producing Shakespeare as an amateur in European theatres. For many years Headmaster of St. Marylebone Grammar School, London, he has been active in music, as well as poetry and the theatre, all his life. A HUNDRED FABLES from LA FONTAINE The English by PHILIP W AYNE Anchor Books Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York 1961 COVER DESIGN BY ROBIN JACQUES TYPOGRAPHY BY SUSAN SIEN Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 61-9575 Copyright © 1961 by Philip Wayne All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America First Edition in the United States of America To my beloved Dorrit, who so lately shared my joy in this work. P. W. CONTENTS The numerals placed after the titles are those of La Fontaine’s Twelve “ Books” Page The Ant and the Grasshopper 1,1 l The Fox and the Crow I* 2 The Frog and the Ox l 3 3 The Wolf and the Dog 1 ,5 4 The Goat, the Heifer and the Sheep in Company with the Lion 1,6 6 The Wallet with two Pockets 1 ,7 7 The Wolf and the Lamb 1,10 9 Death and the Woodman I,i6 n The Fox and the Stork I,i8 12 The Boy and the Schoolmaster I ,i 9 14 The Cock and the Pearl 1,20 16 The Oak and the Reed 1,22 17 The Rats in Council 11,2 19 The Bird struck by an Arrow 11,6 21 The Setter and her Friend II, 7 22 The Lion and the Rat ) 11 ,11 23 The Dove and the Ant ) 11,12 23 The Hare and the Frogs 1 1 ,1 4 25 The Cock and the Fox I I,i5 27 The Crow who thought he would turn Eagle II,16 29 Juno and the Peacock II,i7 30 Cat into Lady II,18 31 The Lion and the Ass a-hunting II,i9 33 The Wolf turned Shepherd III, 3 34 The Fox and the Goat III, 5 36 The Drunkard and his Wife III, 7 38 xiii The Wolf and the Stork III, 9 4° The Vanquished Lion 111,10 41 The Fox and the Grapes III ,n 42 The Swan and the Cook 111,12 43 The Wolves and the Sheep H I,13 44 The Drowned Woman III,i6 46 The Gardener and the Lord of the Manor IV,4 48 The Donkey and the Lap-Dog IV , 5 50 The Ape and the Dolphin IV,7 52 The Jay and the Peacocks IV,9 54 The Camel and the Driftwood IV, 10 55 The Frog and the Rat IV, 11 5 6 The Fox and the Bust IV, 14 5 8 The Wolf, the Goat and the Kid IV ,15 5 9 A Saying of Socrates IV,17 61 The Old Man and his Sons IV, 18 62 The Miser who lost his Treasure IV,20 64 The Master’s Eye IV,21 66 The Lark and the Farmer IV,22 68 Mercury and the Woodman V,1 70 The Two Pots V,2 72 The Little Fish and the Angler V,3 74 The Fox who lost his Tail V ,5 75 The Horse and the Wolf V,8 76 The Yeoman and his Sons V ,9 78 The Mountain Lying-in V,io 79 Fortune and the Little Boy V ,n 80 The Two Doctors V ,12 81 The Ass who bore Relics V ,i4 82 The Eagle and the Owl V,i8 83 The Lion calls up the Troops V ,i9 85 The Bear and the Two Rascals V,20 86 The Ass in the Lion’s Skin V,21 88 Phoebus and Boreas VI, 3 89 The Hare and the Tortoise V I,10 9i The Sick Lion and the Fox V I,14 93 xxv The Horse and the Ass VI, 16 94 The Dog and the Shadow VI,17 95 The Waggoner stuck in the Mud V I,18 96 The Young Widow VI, 21 98 The Animals sick of the Pest VII, 1 100 The Hen-pecked Husband VII,2 103 The Rat withdrawn from the World VII,3 105 The Coach and the Fly VII,9 107 The Dairymaid and the Pot of Milk VII,10 109 The Cat, the Weasel and the Little Rabbit VII,16 1 1 1 The Head and the Tail of the Snake VII,17 1 1 3 Death and the Dying Man VIII,1 1 1 5 The Cobbler and the Financier VIII, 2 118 The Man and the Flea VIII,5 120 The Bear and the Garden-lover VIII,10 12 1 The Pig, the Goat and the Sheep V III,12 124 The Rat and the Elephant V III,15 126 The Ass and the Dog VIII, 17 128 The Cat and the Rat VIII,22 130 The Monkey and the Leopard IX,3 133 The Schoolboy, the Pedant and the Owner of a Garden IX,5 135 The Sculptor and the Statue of Jupiter IX,6 137 The Oyster and the Litigants IX,9 139 The Wolf and the Thin Dog IX ,10 140 Jupiter and the Traveller IX ,13 142 The Treasure and the Two Men IX,16 144 The Kite and the Nightingale IX ,18 146 The Shepherd and his Flock IX ,19 147 The Tortoise and the Two Ducks X,2 149 The Hoarder and his Crony X , 4 15 1 XV The Fishes and the Shepherd with his Flute X,io 153 The Rabbits | X ,i4 (i) 155 The Dogs | X ,i4 (ii) 157 The Fox, the Farmer and his Dog XI,3 159 The Two Goats XII, 4 162 The Invalid Stag XII, 6 164 Love and Folly XII, i 4 165 The Fox, the Wolf and the Horse X II,17 167 The Three Saints XII, 27 169 xvi A HUNDRED FABLES from LA FONTAINE.