A Man was engaged in digging over his vineyard，and one day on coming to work he missed his Spade.Thinking it may have been stolen by one of his labourers，he questioned them closely，but they one and all denied any knowledge of it.He was not convinced by their denials，and insisted that they should all go to the town and take oath in a temple that they were not guilty of the theft.This was because he had no great opinion of the simple country deities，but thought that the thief would not pass undetected by the shrewder gods of the town.When they got inside the gates the first thing they heard was the town crier proclaiming a reward for information about a thief who had stolen something from the city temple.“Well，”said the Man to himself，“it strikes me I had better go back home again.If these town gods can’t detect the thieves who steal from their own temples，it’s scarcely likely they can tell me who stole my Spade.”
｛中文阅读｝
一个人在他的葡萄园里掘土，有一天，要开始工作时发现铁锹没了。他以为可能是被某个工人偷走了，就过去质问他们，但工人们一个个都否认偷了铁锹。尽管工人都否认了，可他依然不相信，一再坚持所有人都应该到城里的寺庙去发誓，自己没有犯盗窃罪。这是因为他对小镇上的神灵没有什么概念，以为小偷逃不过城里寺庙精明神灵的检测。他们刚走进大门，就听到了悬赏缉拿从寺庙偷东西的小偷。“好吧，”这人自言自语地说，“我最好还是赶快回家吧。如果这些庙里的神都无法找到盗窃寺庙东西的贼，他们也不太可能告诉我是谁偷了我的铁锹。”
THE PARTRIDGE AND THE FOWLER
鹧鸪和捕鸟人
A Fowler caught a Partridge in his nets，and was just about to wring its neck when it made a piteous appeal to him to spare its life and said，“Do not kill me，but let me live and I will repay you for your kindness by decoying other partridges into your nets.”“No，”said the Fowler，“I will not spare you.I was going to kill you anyhow，and after that treacherous speech you thoroughly deserve your fate.”
｛中文阅读｝
有个捕鸟的人在网里捉到一只鹧鸪，正要拧断他的脖子时，鹧鸪带着可怜的表情求他饶了自己的命，并说：“不要杀死我，让我活着吧，我会诱骗其他鹧鸪到你的网里来，以此来回报你对我的仁慈。”捕鸟人说：“不，我不能饶了你，无论如何都要杀了你。尤其是听了你这番背叛同类的宣言，你更应该去死了。”
THE HUNTER AND THE WOODMAN
猎人和樵夫
A Hunter was searching in the forest for the tracks of a lion，and，catching sight presently of a Woodman engaged in felling a tree，he went up to him and asked him if he had noticed a lion’s footprints anywhere about，or if he knew where his den was.The Woodman answered，“If you will come with me，I will show you the lion himself.”The Hunter turned pale with fear，and his teeth chattered as he replied，“Oh，I’m not looking for the lion，thanks，but only for his tracks.”
｛中文阅读｝
一个猎人正在森林里搜寻狮子的踪迹，不久，他看到一个樵夫正在砍树，于是便走上前问他有没有注意到狮子的足迹，或者是否知道狮子躲在了哪里。樵夫回答说：“要是你和我一起去，就能亲自看到狮子了。”猎人吓得脸色惨白，牙齿打着颤说道：“我只想搜寻它的踪迹，并不是在找狮子本身。”
THE SERPENT AND THE EAGLE
毒蛇和鹰
An Eagle swooped down upon a Serpent and seized it in his talons with the intention of carrying it off and devouring it.But the Serpent was too quick for him and had its coils round him in a moment；and then there ensued a life-and-death struggle between the two.A countryman，who was a witness of the encounter，came to the assistance of the Eagle，and succeeded in freeing him from the Serpent and enabling him to escape.In revenge the Serpent spat some of his poison into the man’s drinking-horn.Heated with his exertions，the man was about to slake his thirst with a draught from the horn，when the Eagle knocked it out of his hand，and spilled its contents upon the ground.
One good turn deserves another.
｛中文阅读｝
一只老鹰朝着一条毒蛇俯冲下来，用鹰爪抓住了蛇，想要把他带走并吃掉。可是，毒蛇却迅速缠住了老鹰，接着展开了一场生死搏斗。一个农夫看到了整个过程，走过来帮老鹰解开了蛇的缠绕，让他重新获得了自由。为了报复农夫，蛇便将自己的毒液注进了农夫喝水的角杯里。忙活了半天的农夫正想去解解渴，便拿起角杯要喝水，这时，老鹰飞过来撞掉了他手中的角杯，杯子里的水全都洒在了地上。
善有善报。
THE ROGUE AND THE ORACLE
无赖和圣人
A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the Oracle at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself.So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small bird in his hand，which he concealed under the folds of his cloak，and asked whether what he held in his hand were alive or dead.If the Oracle said “dead，”he meant to produce the bird alive：if the reply was “alive，”he intended to wring its neck and show it to be dead.But the Oracle was one too many for him，for the answer he got was this：“Stranger，whetherthe thing that you hold in your hand be alive or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will.”
｛中文阅读｝
一个狡猾的人下赌注，他能让德尔斐（希腊古都）的圣人用错误的回答来证明自己不值得信赖。于是，到了约定好的那一天，他来到了庙里，手里拿着一只小麻雀，并将它藏在外衣里面。他问圣人自己手中拿着的东西是活的还是死的。如果圣人说“是死的”，他便把活着的麻雀拿出来；如果圣人说“是活的”，他就捏死麻雀，然后再将死的拿出来。可是，圣人远比他更高明，说道：“陌生人，不管你手里的东西是死是活，完全取决于你自己的意愿！”
