fact he was their King, and they treated him as such.
The Shark's pride soon outgrew his position. "Why," he asked himself, "should I not extend my kingdom?"
Taking advantage of favourable circumstances he left the river and still intent on his plan of enlarging his kingdom, swam far out to sea. "I must," he told himself, "bring all the fishes in these broad waters under my control."
He was still dreaming of conquering the whole empire of the waves, when he encountered the Whale. Chilled with horror and trembling with fear, our would-be conqueror of the seas fled back at top speed, and shamefacedly regained the mouth of the river. Since then he has had no desire to stray from his home waters.
The wise man knows when he is well off and guards himself against foolish ambition.
(Abstemius, Fable 82.)
THE BEAR AND HIS MATE
A BEAR, quarrelling with his Mate, became so violent in his rage that with his claws he scratched out both her eyes. He was so sorry afterwards for having done this that he gnawed off all his claws with his teeth. Later, he came back to his cave and tried to make up the quarrel:
"My dear," he said, "for your sake I have deprived myself of my best weapons of war."
"What good does that do me?" answered his Mate, "now that you have scratched out my eyes, and I am blind!"
Repentance is powerless to undo injuries when once done.
(Abstemius, Fable 147.)
