'The Fox and the Goat'

'The Fox and the Goat', an illustration by John Vernon Lord in Aesop's Fables, Jonathan Cape, 1989.

The Text:

The Fox and the Goat at the Well

A FOX once journey’d and for company

A certain bearded, horned goat had he;

Which goat no further than his nose could see.

The fox was deeply versed in trickery.

These travellers did thirst compel

To seek the bottom of a well.

There, having drunk enough for two,

Says fox, ‘My friend, what shall we do?

’Tis time that we were thinking

Of something else than drinking.

Raise you your feet upon the wall,

And stick your horns up straight and tall;

Then up your back I’ll climb with ease,

And draw you after, if you please.’

‘Yes, by my beard,’ the other said,

‘’Tis just the thing. I like a head

Well stock’d with sense, like thine.

Had it been left to mine,

I do confess,

I never should have thought of this.’

So Renard clamber’d out,

And, leaving there the goat,

Discharged his obligations

By preaching thus on patience: -

‘Had Heaven put sense thy head within,

To match the beard upon thy chin,

Thou wouldst have thought a bit,

Before descending such a pit.

I’m out of it; goodbye:

With prudent effort try

Yourself to extricate.

For me, affairs of state

Permit me not to wait.’

Whatever way you wend,

Consider well the end.

Moral: Look before you leap.

Text: Elizur Wright (La Fontaine 3/5, 1841).

Selected Parallels: Phaedrus 4/9. Crusius 182 (Babrius paraphrase). La Fontaine 3/5. Chambry 40. Perry 9.  TMI K652.