Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-07-18
Three Ancient British Fables.

Thrse Ancient British Fables.
By THE AUTHOR OF "sroNE EDGE"
A curious resemblance has been dis
lar stories, aud beast-speaking fables
OF the different European nations and
those of 1ndia-another proof of our
common descent from that fur-off lin
every sense) ancestor. The stories vary.
with a local colouring peculiar to a
particular country in which they are
told, but there is a common ground.
work amongst them sufficient to iden-
tify their relationship. For instance,
the story Of Llewelyn shaving the faith
full bound Gelert, which has just saved
the life of the princes child from u
wolf, is paralleled in An Indian tale,
where, however, the foe is cobra. Else
where it is bear. The shot Of VII.
iam Tell ut a mark placed on his sons
head, and the second arrow which he
has put aside for the tyrant orderino
the deed, in case the boy had been in
jured, is repeated in Northern Sagas,
in the Rhine Legends, in an old Eng
Gsh ballad, "Clym of tie Clough,"
&C., &c. The Princess and the Frog
Nluk, Nuu VIC NAKlOuo Observation-Disclosures
of men into beasts and their restora-
ton to their proper form, arc common
to all countries. The play of "Punch I"
"a word which simply means five, a.
used in .'Punjaub, five rivers, and
the drink punch, composed of five in
gredients), has found its way every
where. the number of actors the same,
though the parsonage vary; e. g., the
dog IN England is cat in France and
q mongOOse in India. The proverb
not to count your chickens before they
are Matched, is illustrated in the Arabian
Nights by the man kicking over his
pots and pans, while milkmaid mp
setting her cans, or girl with q basket
Of eggs serves the purpose IN the north.
The beast.speaking fables, for the
most part originated in the east, before
Esog and Phedrus began to tell their
tales. Three very early British speci-
mems ofthe kind, belonging to differ
ent dates, are here given. Equivalents
of the two first will be recognized i'm
mediately. The third I confess to
have embroidered its original thread,
however, belongs to the twelfth cen.
tury.
The first is a sort of parable or HON.
lily, said to have been used by the
Druids to persuade their nation that it
was necessary to seek for better help
againstNthe invading hosts of the bar
barous Saxons than that of the feeble
and degenerate Armoricans from Brit.
tany."
THE FROG AND THE MOUSE.
The frog and the mouse made lea.
que of alliance together. The frog,
with much majesty, promised to help
his friend in all seasons of difficulty.
The mouse with equal dignity declared
that he might be relied on when ever
assistance should be needed. They
then set forth on a journey together,
and all went on prosperously until they
came to dangerous torrent which
must somehow be crossed. The frog
was accustomed to swim: the mouse
did not much like the water. The frog
therefore proposed to take his friend
upon his back and carry him across.
The mouse gladly consented, he
mounted upon the shoulders of his ally
and they were going merrily on thei,
way, when q tremendous water snake
suddenly came up out of the depths,
and greedy devoured the poor little
allies together.
MoaAL.-"To ally oneself with the
brave and powerful is wise, but witt
the weak is broken reed"
A very old Welsh fable is upon tn.
crow and the squirrel, where we fin,
the crow playing the part of the Gun
ming, cajoling temper, instead of til.
dupe, to which we are accustomed il
La Fontaine's " Moitre C0rbeuu su,
IN arbre Perche;" his useless prophe
teal qualities too are new. The moral
which comes first, is the same as tina
OF the ant and the grasshopper, and tn,
extremely pragmctical squirrel is a
contentious and disagreeable as tn
Frenchman's odious ant.
THE CROW AND THE SQUIRREL.
"sWfnter snow enshroud thu plain