The Man, The Horse, The Ox, And The Dog
Aesop Fable: The Man, The Horse, The Ox, And The Dog
A horse, ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold,
sought shelter and protection from Man. He received them
kindly, lighted a fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse
make free with his oats, gave the Ox an abundance of hay,
and fed the Dog with meat from his own table.
Grateful for
these favors, the animals determined to repay him to the
best of their ability. For this purpose, they divided the term
of his life between them, and each endowed one portion of
it with the qualities which chiefly characterized himself.
The Horse chose his earliest years and gave them his own
attributes: hence every man is in his youth impetuous, headstrong,
and obstinate in maintaining his own opinion.
The
Ox took under his patronage the next term of life, and
therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted
to labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his
resources.
The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore
the old man is often snappish, irritable, hard to please,
and selfish, tolerant only of his own household, but averse
to strangers and to all who do not administer to his comfort
or to his necessities.
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