A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant tohim: but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give himnothing more to eat, and said, «I want you no longer, so take yourselfoff out of my stable; I shall not take you back again until you arestronger than a lion.» Then he opened the door and turned him adrift.
The poor horse was very melancholy, and wandered up and down in thewood, seeking some little shelter from the cold wind and rain.Presently a fox met him: «What’s the matter, my friend?» said he,«why do you hang down your head and look so lonely and woe-begone?’«Ah!» replied the horse, «justice and avarice never dwell in onehouse; my master has forgotten all that I have done for him so manyyears, and because I can no longer work he has turned me adrift, andsays unless I become stronger than a lion he will not take me backagain; what chance can I have of that? he knows I have none, or hewould not talk so.»
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