The Goat and the Ass

Summary

This story is about a Goat and an Ass, exploring themes of envy and unintended consequences. The Goat, feeling jealous of the Ass's food supply, suggests that the Ass pretend to be ill to avoid work. The Ass follows this advice and falls into a ditch, injuring himself badly. In an ironic twist of fate, the master decides to heal the Ass's wounds by sacrificing the Goat, who inadvertently becomes the cause of his own demise. The narrative delivers a moral lesson about the dangers of jealousy and the unintended harm that can result from deceitful advice.

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A Man once kept a Goat and an Ass. The Goat, envying the Ass on account of his greater abundance of food, said, “How shamefully you are treated: at one time grinding in the mill, and at another carrying heavy burdens;” and he further advised him to pretend to be epileptic and fall into a ditch and so obtain rest. The Ass listened to his words, and falling into a ditch, was very much bruised. His master, sending for a leech, asked his advice. He bade him pour upon the wounds the lungs of a Goat. They at once killed the Goat, and so healed the Ass.