遵照朱庇特的命令，普罗米修斯创造了人和其他动物。其中，只有人是理性的生灵，朱庇特看到不理性的动物数量远远超过了人，便命令他更改一下比例，把一部分动物变成人。普罗米修斯奉命行事。因此，正是这个原因，有些人虽然有着人的外形，内心却仍与动物一样。
THE SWALLOW AND THE CROW
燕子和乌鸦
A Swallow was once boasting to a Crow about her birth.“I was once a princess，”said she，“the daughter of a King of Athens，but my husband used me cruelly，and cut out my tongue for a slight fault.Then，to protect me from further injury，I was turned by Juno into a bird.”“You chatter quite enough as it is，”said the Crow.“What you would have been like if you hadn’t lost your tongue，I can’t think.”
｛中文阅读｝
有一次，燕子冲着乌鸦吹嘘自己的出生多么显赫。“我曾经是一个公主，”燕子说，“是雅典国王的女儿，但是我的丈夫却因为我的一个小过失而割掉了我的舌头。为了以免再次受到伤害，朱诺就把我变成了一只鸟。”“你可真会搬弄是非，”乌鸦说，“要是你没有损失舌头，又会变成什么样呢？我简直不敢想象。”
THE HUNTER AND THE HORSEMAN
猎人和骑手
A Hunter went out after game，and succeeded in catching a hare，which he was carrying home with him when he met a man on horseback，who said to him，“You have had some sport I see，sir，”and offered to buy it.The Hunter readily agreed；but the Horseman had no sooner got the hare in his hands than he set spurs to his horse and went off at full gallop.The Hunter ran after him for some little distance；but it soon dawned upon him that he had been tricked，and he gave up trying to overtake the Horseman，and，to save his face，called after him as loud as he could，“All right，sir，all right，take your hare：it was meant all along as a present.”
｛中文阅读｝
有个猎人出外打猎后，扛着一只兔子归来，途中遇见一个骑马的人，那人停下来说：“你已经收获猎物回来了，先生。”而且还假装要买兔子。猎人很高兴地同意了，可是骑马人一拿到兔子，立刻就用鞭子抽了马一下，飞奔而去。猎人拼命地在后面追赶了一阵子，但是很快就明白自己上当了，不再去追骑马人。为了挽回自己的颜面，猎人在骑马人身后大声喊道：“好吧，好吧，拿走吧！那只兔子送给你了。”
THE GOATHERD AND THE WILD GOATS
牧羊人和野山羊
A Goatherd was tending his goats out at pasture when he saw a number of Wild Goats approach and mingle with his ？ock.At the end of the day he drove them home and put them all into the pen together.Next day the weather was so bad that he could not take them out as usual：so he kept them at home in the pen，and fed them there.He only gave his own goats enough food to keep them from starving，but he gave the Wild Goats as much as they could eat and more；for he was very anxious for them to stay，and he thought that if he fed them well they wouldn’t want to leave him.When the weather improved，he took them all out to pasture again；but no sooner had they got near the hills than the Wild Goats broke away from the ？ock and scampered off.The Goatherd was very much disgusted at this，and roundly abused them for their ingratitude.“Rascals！”he cried，“to run away like that after the way I’ve treated you！”Hearing this，one of them turned round and said，“Oh，yes，you treated us all right—too well，in fact；it was just that that put us on our guard.If you treat newcomers like ourselves so much better than your own ？ock，it’s more than likely that，if another lot of strange goats joined yours，we should then be neglected in favour of the last comers.”
｛中文阅读｝
牧羊人赶着羊群去牧场吃草，他看到几只野山羊混进了羊群里。傍晚，他将所有的羊都赶回家，关进了羊圈。第二天，天气很不好，无法像往常那样到牧场里去放牧了，于是，他只好让羊群待在羊圈里，在那里喂它们吃草。他只给自己的羊一点点刚够果腹的草，却给那些野山羊更多的草吃，因为他希望让那些野山羊留下来。他心想，只要给它们多吃点草，野山羊可能就不想离开他了。等天气转好，牧羊人又赶着所有的羊来到了牧场。刚来到山下，那些野山羊立刻冲出羊群，四散而逃。牧羊人十分生气，指责它们忘恩负义。“你们这些混蛋！”他喊道，“我对你们那么好，竟然以这种方式纷纷逃跑了！”野山羊听到他的话，回过头来说：“是的，你对我们很好，实际上是太好了，正因如此，我们才会更加小心。你对待我们这些新来的羊比你自己的羊群还要好，那么很有可能，当另外一群陌生的羊再加入进来时，我们也会受到冷落，而你却只偏爱它们了。”
THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE SWALLOW
夜莺和燕子
A Swallow，conversing with a Nightingale，advised her to quit the leafy coverts where she made her home，and to come and live with men，like herself，and nest under the shelter of their roofs.But the Nightingale replied，“Time was when I too，like yourself，lived among men：but the memory of the cruel wrongs I then suffered makes them hateful to me，and never again will I approach their dwellings.”
The scene of past sufferings revives painful memories.
｛中文阅读｝
一只燕子在和一只夜莺聊天，燕子劝她不要在茂密的树丛上做窝了，像自己一样与人住在一起。可是，夜莺却回答说：“我过去也曾像你一样和人住在一起，但是我所遭受的那份痛苦回忆让他们都不喜欢我，我永远都不想再接近他们的住所。”
痛苦的回忆使得过去的痛苦体验历历在目。
THE TRAVELLER AND FORTUNE
旅人和命运女神
A Traveller，exhausted with fatigue after a long journey，sank down at the very brink of a deep well and presently fell asleep.He was within an ace of falling in，when Dame Fortune appeared to him and touched him on the shoulder，cautioning him to move further away.“Wake up，good sir，I pray you，”she said；“had you fallen into the well，the blame would have been thrown not on your own folly but on me，Fortune.”
｛中文阅读｝
经过一段长途跋涉，一个疲劳过度的旅行者倒在一口深井的边缘，酣然入睡。他差一点就掉到井里去，这时，命运女神出现在他面前，并且摸着他的肩膀，提醒他离井远一点。“朋友，拜托你，快醒醒，”女神说，“你若是掉到井里去，一定会责怪我，而不会责怪自己的愚蠢。”
