are in the world [only] to serve me as food; do you not know, base creature, that next winter you will be food and prey for the Fire?” To which words the tree listened patiently, and not without tears.  After a short time the blackbird was taken in a net and boughs were cut to make a cage, in which to imprison her.  Branches were cut, among others from the pliant privet, to serve for the small rods of the cage; and seeing herself to be the cause of the Blackbird’s loss of liberty it rejoiced and spoke as follows:  “O Blackbird, I am here, and not yet burnt by fire as you said.  I shall see you in prison before you see me burnt.”

A FABLE.

The laurel and the myrtle seeing the pear tree cut down cried out with a loud voice:  “O pear-tree! whither are you going?  Where is the pride you had when you were covered with ripe fruits?  Now you will no longer shade us with your mass of leaves.”  Then the pear-tree replied:  “I am going with the husbandman who has cut me down and who will take me to the workshop of a good sculptor who by his art will make me take the form of Jove the god; and I shall be dedicated in a temple and adored by men in the place of Jove, while you are bound always to remain maimed and stripped of your boughs, which will be placed round me to do me honour.

A FABLE.

The chesnut, seeing a man upon the fig-tree, bending its boughs down and pulling off the ripe fruits, which he put into his open mouth destroying and crushing them with his hard teeth, it tossed its long boughs and with a noisy rustle exclaimed:  “O fig! how much less are you protected by nature than I. See how in me my sweet offspring are set in close array; first clothed in soft wrappers over which is the hard but softly lined husk; and not content with taking this care of me, and having given them so strong a shelter, on this she has placed sharp and close-set spines so that the hand of man cannot hurt me.”  Then the fig-tree and her offspring began to laugh and having laughed she said:  “I know man to be of such ingenuity that with rods and stones and stakes flung up among your branches he will bereave you of your fruits; and when they are fallen, he will trample them with his feet or with stones, so that your offspring will come out of their armour, crushed and maimed; while I am touched carefully by their hands, and not like you with sticks and stones.”

1279.

The hapless willow, finding that she could not enjoy the pleasure of seeing her slender branches grow or attain to the height she wished, or point to the sky, by reason of the vine and whatever other trees that grew near, but was always maimed and lopped and spoiled, brought all her spirits together and gave and devoted itself entirely to imagination, standing plunged in long meditation and seeking, in all the world of plants, with which of them she might ally herself and which could not need the help of her withes.  Having stood for some time in this prolific imagination, with