Horace Elisha Scudder

The Tortoise and the Eagle

A Tortoise seeing an Eagle in flight wanted much to fly like him. So she went to him when he was by and asked him if he would not teach her to fly, if she would pay him well for the lesson. He told her it was impossible, but as she still persisted and begged him, he seized her, bore her aloft, and then let her drop upon a rock, but the blow knocked the breath out of her body.

The fable teaches that men who are envious and refuse to take the advice of those who know more than themselves are apt to get into trouble.


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