Section 202
The Ass and his Masters explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
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A Gardener had an which had a very hard time of it, what with scanty food, heavy loads, and constant beating. The Ass therefore begged to take him away from the Gardener and hand him over to another master. So Jupiter sent to the Gardener to bid him sell th...
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A Gardener had an which had a very hard time of it, what with
scanty food, heavy loads, and constant beating. The Ass therefore
begged to take him away from the Gardener and hand him over
to another master. So Jupiter sent to the Gardener to bid
him sell the Ass to a Potter, which he did. But the Ass was as
discontented as ever, for he had to work harder than before: so he
begged Jupiter for relief a second time, and Jupiter very obligingly
arranged that he should be sold to a Tanner. But when the Ass saw what
his new master's trade was, he cried in despair, "Why wasn't I content
to serve either of my former masters, hard as I had to work and badly
as I was treated? for they would have buried me decently, but now I
shall come in the end to the tanning-vat."
Servants don't know a good master till they have served a worse.
Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.
What happens here
A Gardener had an Ass which had a very hard time of it, what with scanty food, heavy loads, and constant beating.
Why this scene matters
This fable matters because it turns the lesson “Servants don't know a good master till they have served a worse.” into a compact story about everyday judgment.
Characters in this scene
- The Ass: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
- his Masters: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
Simple story version
A Gardener had an Ass which had a very hard time of it, what with scanty food, heavy loads, and constant beating. The Ass therefore begged Jupiter to take him away from the Gardener and hand him over to another master.