THE FARMER AND HIS SONS

農夫和兒子

A Farmer，being at death's door，and desiring to impart to his Sons a secret of much moment，called them round him and said，"My sons，I am shortly about to die；I would have you know，therefore，that in my vineyard there lies a hidden treasure.Dig，and you will find it."As soon as their father was dead，the Sons took spade and fork and turned up the soil of the vineyard over and over again，in their search for the treasure which they supposed to lie buried there.They found none，however：but the vines，after so thorough a digging，produced a crop such as had never before been seen.

｛中文閱讀｝

有個農夫已經奄奄一息，但還想告訴兒子們一個秘密，便叫來他們，說：“孩子們，我快要死了，但我還想讓你們知道，葡萄園里有一個埋藏著的寶貝。挖出來，你們就知道是什么了！”父親去世之后，他們用鐵鍬和鏟子把那葡萄園的地翻了好幾遍，到處尋找埋藏在那里的寶物。雖然什么都沒找到，但是葡萄園的地經過此番挖掘，卻比以往豐收了更多。

THE DOG AND THE COOK

狗和廚師

A rich man once invited a number of his friends and acquaintances to a banquet.His dog thought it would be a good opportunity to invite another Dog，a friend of his；so he went to him and said，"My master is giving a feast：there'll be a fine spread，so come and dine with me to-night."The Dog thus invited came，and when he saw the preparations being made in the kitchen he said to himself，"My word，I'm in luck：I'll take care to eat enough to-night to last me two or three days."At the same time he wagged his tail briskly，by way of showing his friend how delighted he was to have been asked.But just then the Cook caught sight of him，and，in his annoyance at seeing a strange Dog in the kitchen，caught him up by the hind legs and threw him out of the window.He had a nasty fall，and limped away as quickly as he could，howling dismally.Presently some other dogs met him，and said，"Well，what sort of a dinner did you get？"To which he replied，"I had a splendid time：the wine was so good，and I drank so much of it，that I really don't remember how I got out of the house！"

Be shy of favours bestowed at the expense of others.

｛中文閱讀｝

有一次，一個富翁設宴招待親朋好友。這家的狗以為是個好機會，也高興地跑去邀請自己的朋友——另一只狗，他跑過去對朋友說：“我的主人在擺宴席，那里肯定有很多好吃的，快來，和我一起去赴宴吧。”受邀的狗于是欣然前往，見到廚房里擺著如此豐盛的飯菜，他就自言自語道：“我太幸運了！這次一定要飽餐一頓，把明天和后天的飯都吃掉。”與此同時，他不停地搖著尾巴，告訴朋友多么高興受到了他的邀請。就在這時，廚師看見了他，見到一條陌生的狗在廚房里讓廚師很生氣，于是馬上抓住他的后腿，扔到了窗外。那條狗狠狠地摔了一跤，趕緊鬼哭狼嚎般地落荒而逃。在路上遇見的其它幾條狗都問他：“你參加的宴會怎么樣呀？”他竟然回答道：“我很好，那酒實在太好喝了，我已經醉了，完全不記得如何回家了！”

享用借花獻佛的恩惠是要付出代價的。

THE MONKEY AS KING

當上國王的猴子

At a gathering of all the animals the Monkey danced and delighted them so much that they made him their King.The Fox，however，was very much disgusted at the promotion of the Monkey：so having one day found a trap with a piece of meat in it，he took the Monkey there and said to him，"Here is a dainty morsel I have found，sire；I did not take it myself，because I thought it ought to be reserved for you，our King.Will you be pleased to accept it？"The Monkey made at once for the meat and got caught in the trap.Then he bitterly reproached the Fox for leading him into danger；but the Fox only laughed and said，"O Monkey，you call yourself King of the Beasts and haven't more sense than to be taken in like that！"

｛中文閱讀｝

有一次，猴子在動物大聚會時跳起舞來，贏得了大家的好感，故而被選為動物之王。然而，狐貍十分嫉妒猴子當選為王。有一天，當他發現一個捕獸夾子里有一塊肉時，便把猴子帶過去說：“我發現這里有些好吃的東西，陛下，但是我沒敢動用，因為我認為應該留給國王享用。您能親自去取嗎？”猴子立刻跑過去拿，結果卻被夾子夾住了。他斥責狐貍陷害他，而狐貍卻笑著說：“猴子，你這種笨蛋竟然還想做萬獸之王！”

THE THIEVES AND THE COCK

小偷和公雞

Some Thieves broke into a house，and found nothing worth taking except a Cock，which they seized and carried off with them.When they were preparing their supper，one of them caught up the Cock，and was about to wring his neck，when he cried out for mercy and said，"Pray do not kill me：you will find me a most useful bird，for I rouse honest men to their work in the morning by my crowing."But the Thief replied with some heat，"Yes，I know you do，making it still harder for us to get a livelihood.Into the pot you go！"

｛中文閱讀｝

幾個小偷悄悄地溜進一戶人家里，那家人除了一只公雞之外什么也沒有，于是，小偷便偷走了那只公雞。當小偷們要殺雞吃肉時，其中一個小偷抓住了公雞，準備割斷他的脖子，這時，公雞可憐巴巴地說：“求求你別殺我，你會發現我是一只很有用的雞，我會忠誠地在清晨叫醒人類。”但是，小偷們回答說：“我當然知道你的作用了，就是因為你把人們都叫醒了，才讓我們難以生存。你就快點下油鍋吧！”