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Section 273

The Rogue and the Oracle explained simply

Aesop's Fables by Aesop

Original excerpt

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A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself. So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small bird in his hand, which he concealed under the folds of his cloak, and aske...
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Public-domain original

A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself. So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small bird in his hand, which he concealed under the folds of his cloak, and asked whether what he held in his hand were alive or dead. If the Oracle said "dead," he meant to produce the bird alive: if the reply was "alive," he intended to wring its neck and show it to be dead. But the Oracle was one too many for him, for the answer he got was this: "Stranger, whether the thing that you hold in your hand be alive or dead is a matter that depends entirely on your own will."

Public-domain original text shown for study context. Underlined terms can be tapped for simple reader notes.

What happens here

A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the Oracle at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself.

Why this scene matters

This fable matters because it turns a common human habit into a short lesson about judgment and consequences.

Characters in this scene

  • The Rogue: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.
  • The Oracle: A figure in the fable whose choice helps reveal the lesson.

Simple story version

A Rogue laid a wager that he would prove the Oracle at Delphi to be untrustworthy by procuring from it a false reply to an inquiry by himself. So he went to the temple on the appointed day with a small bird in his hand, which he concealed under the folds of his cloak, and asked whether what he held in his hand were alive or dead.