An Ass found a Lion's skin left in the forest by a hunter. But it was served in a tall jar with a very narrow neck. As he stood wringing his hands and weeping, the god Mercury suddenly appeared and asked what the trouble was. If that Lion had been alive, he said, it would have been a very different story. What is it?, he asked very respectfully, that has given you such beautiful voices? As soon as he saw the meat he grasped eagerly for it, only to find himself held fast in the trap. Son, said the Boy's mother, when she had comforted him, the next time you come near a Nettle, grasp it firmly, and it will be as soft as silk.
Better to bear a lesser evil than to risk a greater in removing it.