The Fox and the Crow
A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree. ‘That’s for me, as I am a Fox,’ said Master Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. ‘Good-day, Mistress Crow,’ he cried. ‘How well you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.’ The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox. ‘That will do,’ said he. ‘That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future .’Do not trust flatterers.
一次，一个狐狸看到一只乌鸦嘴里衔着一块奶酪飞过并停在了树枝上。“那是给我的，因为我是一只狐狸。”狐狸说道，然后便走到树脚边。“早安，乌鸦女主人,”他哭着说“你今天看上去很好，你的羽毛很有光泽，你的眼睛也闪着光芒，我相信你的歌喉一定比其他鸟儿都好，就像你的羽毛一样;请让我聆听你的歌声，仅仅一首，也许我会把你尊为鸟中之后。”乌鸦听了很高兴，于是就开始展现自己最棒的一面，但是正当她张开嘴，那块奶酪就落到了地上，没想到竟被狐狸抢走了。“行了,”他说道“那是我想要的。那就用这奶酪交换一条对你未来的建议吧。”不要相信奉承者。
不要轻易相信一个人所说的话。世界上没有什么比直言不讳更难，也没有什么比阿谀奉承更容易的了。直言不讳，即使其中只有百分之一的音调是假的，那么立刻就会产生不和谐，随之而来的是争吵。而阿谀奉承，即使从头至尾全部音调都是虚假的，可还是让人高兴，听着不会觉得不愉快，哪怕这愉快有点儿肉麻，可还是感到愉快。而且不管阿谀奉承多么肉麻，其中却至少有一半让人觉得好像是真实的。
