January 10
Your fear has more messengers than reality does. Rumour is a poor witness — test it before you tremble.
Letters to Lucilius, Letter 13 (freely rendered)
Who Saw It?
Your fear has more messengers than reality does. Rumour is a poor witness — test it before you tremble.
A hare lay under a young palm, thinking that one day the earth might break apart. Just then a wood apple fell onto a palm leaf. The hare leapt up and ran. The earth was breaking apart, he cried. Other hares ran with him, then deer, buffalo, tigers and elephants.
A lion stood in their way. Who had seen the earth break apart? The elephants pointed to the lions, the lions to the tigers. So the question of who had seen it passed from animal to animal until only the first hare was left.
The lion took him on his back and carried him back. The hare would not go near the place. He pointed to it from some distance away. Under the tree lay the fruit, on the palm leaf.
