Aesop's tales #
21 - The Miller, his son and their Ass
A Miller and
his son were driving their Ass to a neighboring fair to sell him. They had not
gone far when they met with a troop of women collected round a well, talking
and laughing. "Look there,"cried one of them, "did you ever see
such fellows, to be trudging along the road on foot when they might ride?” The
old man hearing this, quickly made his son mount the Ass, and continued to walk
along merrily by his side.
Presently they
came up to a group of old men in earnest debate. “There," said one of
them, "it proves what I was a-saying.What respect is shown to old age in
these days? Do you see that idle lad riding while his old father has to walk?
Get down, you young scapegrace, and let the old man rest his weary limbs."
Upon this the old man made his son dismount, and got up himself.
In this manner
they had not proceeded far when they met a company of women and children.
"Why, you lazy old fellow," cried several tongues at once,
"how can you ride upon the beast, while that poor little lad there can
hardly keep pace by the side of you?” The good-natured Miller immediately took
up his son behind him.
They had now
almost reached the town. "Pray, honest friend," said a citizen,
"is that Ass your own?” "Yes," replied the old man. "Oh,
one would not have thought so," said the other, "by the way you load
him. Why, you two fellows are better able to carry the poor beast than he
you." "Anything to please you," said the old
man; "we
can but try."
So, alighting
with his son, they tied the legs of the Ass together and with the help of a
pole endeavored to carry him on their shoulders over a bridge near the entrance
to the town. This entertaining sight brought the people in crowds to laugh at
it, till the Ass, not liking the noise nor the strange handling that he was
subject to, broke the cords that bound him and, tumbling off the pole, fell
into the river.
Upon this, the
old man, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that
by endeavoring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass in
the bargain.
Moral: Try to please all and you end up pleasing none.
