The spider wishing to take flies in her treacherous net, was cruelly killed in it by the hornet.

An eagle wanting to mock at the owl was caught by the wings in bird-lime and was taken and killed by a man.

Fables on lifeless objects (1271—­1274).

1271.

The water finding that its element was the lordly ocean, was seized with a desire to rise above the air, and being encouraged by the element of fire and rising as a very subtle vapour, it seemed as though it were really as thin as air.  But having risen very high, it reached the air that was still more rare and cold, where the fire forsook it, and the minute particles, being brought together, united and became heavy; whence its haughtiness deserting it, it betook itself to flight and it fell from the sky, and was drunk up by the dry earth, where, being imprisoned for a long time, it did penance for its sin.

1272.

A FABLE.

The razor having one day come forth from the handle which serves as its sheath and having placed himself in the sun, saw the sun reflected in his body, which filled him with great pride.  And turning it over in his thoughts he began to say to himself:  “And shall I return again to that shop from which I have just come?  Certainly not; such splendid beauty shall not, please God, be turned to such base uses.  What folly it would be that could lead me to shave the lathered beards of rustic peasants and perform such menial service!  Is this body destined for such work?  Certainly not.  I will hide myself in some retired spot and there pass my life in tranquil repose.”  And having thus remained hidden for some months, one day he came out into the air, and issuing from his sheath, saw himself turned to the similitude of a rusty saw while his surface no longer reflected the resplendent sun.  With useless repentance he vainly deplored the irreparable mischief saying to himself:  “Oh! how far better was it to employ at the barbers my lost edge of such exquisite keenness!  Where is that lustrous surface?  It has been consumed by this vexatious and unsightly rust.”

The same thing happens to those minds which instead of exercise give themselves up to sloth.  They are like the razor here spoken of, and lose the keenness of their edge, while the rust of ignorance spoils their form.

A FABLE.

A stone of some size recently uncovered by the water lay on a certain spot somewhat raised, and just where a delightful grove ended by a stony road; here it was surrounded by plants decorated by various flowers of divers colours.  And as it saw the great quantity of stones collected together in the roadway below, it began to wish it could let itself fall down there, saying to itself:  “What have I to do here with these plants?  I want to live in the company of those, my sisters.”  And letting itself fall, its rapid course ended among these longed for companions.  When it had been there sometime it began to find itself constantly toiling under the wheels of the carts the iron-shoed feet of horses and of travellers.  This one rolled it over, that one trod upon it; sometimes it lifted itself a little and then it was covered with mud or the dung of some animal, and it was in vain that it looked at the spot whence it had come as a place of solitude and tranquil place.