June 9
The flatterer has no shape of his own; he takes on whatever shape pleases you. The friend, however, contradicts where it is necessary.
Moralia (freely rendered)
The Gift from the Tree
The flatterer has no shape of his own; he takes on whatever shape pleases you. The friend, however, contradicts where it is necessary.
A raven carried a piece of meat up into an old oak. A gardener had poisoned it to get rid of his neighbour's cats.
A fox appeared beneath the tree and greeted him as the bird of Jupiter. Who did he take him for, the raven asked. For the eagle, of course, the fox replied: after all, he was bringing him, as he did every day, a gift from his god.
The raven was pleased to be taken for an eagle. He had no wish to correct this mistake. He let the meat fall and flew proudly away.
The fox caught it and ate it with relish. Then the poison began to work. He died.
