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Aesop, in Rhyme

THE LION AND THE FLY.

Reading edition

THE LION AND THE FLY.

A lion by a gad-fly worried,

Half maddened by his sting,

Exclaimed, "Be off, vile fly—

Mean, pitiful, base thing!"

After the fly had ended his repast,

Fully exhausted feels the beast at last,

And roared so that he shook the earth,

While the victorious fly

Met in the spider's web his destiny.

MORAL.

Two morals draw I from this tale:

First, We should fear the smallest enemy;

And second, We may escape great perils,

And from a trifling cause may die.

Illustration 254
Illustration 254
Illustration 255
Illustration 255
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