A very young Fox, who had never before seen a Lion, happened to meet one in the forest. My gold!, O my gold!, cried the Miser, wildly, someone has robbed me! So he commanded that all animals with horns should leave his domains within twenty-four hours. To the Cat it was almost as if he already had a plump young Mouse under his claws, when an old Rat, who had had much experience with Cats and traps, and had even lost a part of his tail to pay for it, sat up at a safe distance from a hole in the wall where he lived. He was very angry to think that any animal that he chose for a meal, should be so brazen as to wear such dangerous things as horns to scratch him while he ate. Just then they heard a shout of Stop, thief! No, answered the honest Woodman, that is not my axe. The road led across a treeless plain where the Sun beat down fiercely. With that he let go, and the foolish Ass tumbled head over heels down the mountain side.
Flattery is not a proof of true admiration.