The Hares and the Frogs

2.08. De leporibus et ranis
Caxton: Of the hares and of the frogges
Men say comynly that after that the tyme goth / so must folke go / For yf thow makest distinction of the tyme thow shalt wel accord the scryptures / wherof Esope reherceth to vs suche a fable / And sayth thus / that he whiche beholdeth the euylle of other / must haue pacyence of the euylle that maye come vpon hym / For somtyme as a hunter chaced thurgh the feldes and woodes / the hares beganne to flee for fere And as they ranne / they adressyd them in to a medowe fulle of frogges / And whanne the frogges herd the hares renne they beganne also to flee and to renne fast / And thenne a hare whiche perceyued them so ferdfull sayd to alle his felawes / Lete vs no more be dredeful ne doubtuous / for we be not alone that haue had drede / For alle the frogges ben in doubte / and haue fere and drede as we haue / Therfore we ought not to despayre / but haue trust and hope to lyue / And yf somme aduersyte cometh vpon vs / we must bere it pacyently / For ones the tyme shalle come that we shalle be oute of payne and oute of all drede /
Therfore in the vnhappy and Infortunat tyme men ought not be despayred / but oughte euer to be in good hope to haue ones better in tyme of prosperyte / For after grete werre cometh good pees / And after the rayne cometh the fair weder
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The Hares and the Frogs

070. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. Once upon a time, the Hares, driven desperate by the many enemies that compassed them about on every side, came to the sad resolution that there was nothing left for them but to make away with themselves, one and all. Off they scudded to a lake hard by, determined to drown themselves as the most miserable of creatures. A shoal of Frogs seated upon the bank, frightened at the approach of the Hares, leaped in the greatest alarm and confusion into the water. “Nay, then, my friends,” said a Hare that was foremost, “our case is not so desperate yet; for here are other poor creatures more faint-hearted than ourselves.”
Take not comfort, but courage, from another’s distress; and be sure, whatever your misery, that there are some whose lot you would not exchange with your own. [more info]

The Forest and the Hares

THE FOREST AND THE HARES. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

053. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Hares Tired of Life

6.02. THE HARES TIRED OF LIFE. He who cannot endure his own misfortune, let him look at others, and learn patience.
On one occasion, the Hares being scared in the woods by a great noise, cried out, that, on account of their continued alarms, they would end their lives. So they repaired to a certain pond, into which, in their despondency, they were going to throw themselves. Alarmed at their approach, some Frogs fled distractedly into the green sedge. “Oh!” says one of the hares, “there are others too whom fear of misfortune torments. Endure existence as others do.” [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

030. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. Upon a great storm of wind that blew among the trees and bushes, and made a rustling with the leaves, the hares in a certain park (where there happened to be plenty of them) were so terribly frighted, that they ran like mad all over the place, resolving to seek out some retreat of more security, or to end their unhappy days by doing violence to themselves.
With this resolution, they found an outlet where a pale had been broken down; and, bolting forth upon an adjoining common, had not run far before their course was stopped by that of a gentle brook, which glided across the way they intended to take. This was so grievous a disappointment that they were not able to bear it, and they determined rather to throw themselves headlong into the water, let what would become of it, than lead a life so full of dangers and crosses.
But upon their coming to the brink of the river, a parcel of frogs, which were sitting there, frightened at their approach, leapt into the stream in great confusion, and dived to the very bottom for fear: which a cunning old puss observing, called to the rest, and said, “Hold! Have a care what you do; here are other creatures, I perceive, which have their fears as well as us; don't then let us fancy ourselves the most miserable of any upon earth; but rather, by their example, learn to bear patiently those inconveniences which nature has thrown upon us.” [more info]

The Hares and Frogs in a Storm

041. THE HARES AND FROGS IN A STORM. Upon a great storm of wind that blew among the trees and bushes, and made a rustling with the leaves, the hares in a certain park (where there happened to be plenty of them) were so terribly frighted, that they ran like mad all over the place, resolving to seek out some retreat of more security, or to end their unhappy days by doing violence to themselves.
With this resolution, they found an outlet where a pale had been broken down; and, bolting forth upon an adjoining common, had not run far before their course was stopped by that of a gentle brook, which glided across the way they intended to take. This was so grievous a disappointment that they were not able to bear it, and they determined rather to throw themselves headlong into the water, let what would become of it, than lead a life so full of dangers and crosses.
But upon their coming to the brink of the river, a parcel of frogs, which were sitting there, frightened at their approach, leapt into the stream in great confusion, and dived to the very bottom for fear: which a cunning old puss observing, called to the rest, and said, “Hold! Have a care what you do; here are other creatures, I perceive, which have their fears as well as us; don't then let us fancy ourselves the most miserable of any upon earth; but rather, by their example, learn to bear patiently those inconveniences which nature has thrown upon us.” [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

2.05. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. Once upon a time the Hares found themselves mightily unsatisfied with the miserable condition they lived in. "Here we live," says one of them, "at the mercy of men, dogs, eagles, and I know not how many other creatures, which prey upon us at pleasure; perpetually in frights, perpetually in danger; and therefore I am absolutely of opinion, that we had better die once for all, than live at this rate in a continual dread that's worse than death itself." The motion was seconded and debated, and a resolution immediately taken, by one and all, to drown themselves. The vote was no sooner passed, but away they scudded with that determination to the next lake. Upon this hurry there leapt a whole shoal of Frogs from the bank into the water, for fear of the Hares. "Nay then, my masters," says one of the gravest of the company, "pray let's have a little patience. Our condition, I find, is not altogether so bad as we fancied it; for there are those, you see, that are as much afraid of us as we are of others."
MORAL. There is no contending with the Orders and Decrees of Providence. He that makes us, knows what is fittest for us; and every man's own lot (well understood and managed) is undoubtedly the best. [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

136. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. THE HARES, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles by jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake below. As they scampered off in large numbers to carry out their resolve, the Frogs lying on the banks of the lake heard the noise of their feet and rushed helter-skelter to the deep water for safety. On seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs, one of the Hares cried out to his companions: “Stay, my friends, do not do as you intended; for you now see that there are creatures who are still more timorous than ourselves.” [more info]

The Hare and the Frogs

02.14: THE HARE AND THE FROGS.
Once in his bed deep mused the hare,
(What else but muse could he do there?)
And soon by gloom was much afflicted;—
To gloom the creature's much addicted.
'Alas! these constitutions nervous,'
He cried, 'how wretchedly they serve us!
We timid people, by their action,
Can't eat nor sleep with satisfaction;
We can't enjoy a pleasure single,
But with some misery it must mingle.
Myself, for one, am forced by cursed fear
To sleep with open eye as well as ear.
"Correct yourself," says some adviser.
Grows fear, by such advice, the wiser?
Indeed, I well enough descry
That men have fear, as well as I.'
With such revolving thoughts our hare
Kept watch in soul-consuming care.
A passing shade, or leaflet's quiver
Would give his blood a boiling fever.
Full soon, his melancholy soul
Aroused from dreaming doze
By noise too slight for foes,
He scuds in haste to reach his hole.
He pass'd a pond; and from its border bogs,
Plunge after plunge, in leap'd the timid frogs,
'Aha! I do to them, I see,'
He cried, 'what others do to me.
The sight of even me, a hare,
Sufficeth some, I find, to scare.
And here, the terror of my tramp
Hath put to rout, it seems, a camp.
The trembling fools! they take me for
The very thunderbolt of war!
I see, the coward never skulk'd a foe
That might not scare a coward still below.'
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The Hares and the Frogs

26. THE HARES AND THE FROGS.
Once all the Hares in Haredom got
Together to bewail their lot,
And one and all agreed that, what
With being hounded, snared and shot,
And chased and worried, life was not
Worth living. So, lest worse befall,
Resolved at once to end it all,
They rushed up a steep rock to throw
Themselves into the lake below.
Hearing them come, the Frogs beside
The water's edge leapt, terrified,
Into the lake. Seeing their fright,
A Hare exclaimed, "Brothers, our plight
Is not so bad; now we have found
A folk who fear the very sound
Of our approach, let us," said he,
"Take courage in the thought that we,
The scorn of Man and Bird and Beast,
Are heroes to the Frogs at least!" [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

15. THE HARES AND THE FROGS. The Hares were so persecuted by the other beasts, they did not know where to go. As soon as they saw a single animal approach them, off they used to run. One day they saw a troop of wild Horses stampeding about, and in quite a panic all the Hares scuttled off to a lake hard by, determined to drown themselves rather than live in such a continual state of fear. But just as they got near the bank of the lake, a troop of Frogs, frightened in their turn by the approach of the Hares scuttled off, and jumped into the water. "Truly," said one of the Hares, "things are not so bad as they seem: there is always someone worse off than yourself." [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

54. THE HARES AND THE FROGS.
Timid Hares, from the trumpeting wind,
Fled as swift as the fear in their mind;
Till in fright from their fear,
From the green sedges near,
Leaping Frogs left their terror behind.
OUR OWN ARE NOT THE ONLY TROUBLES
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The Hares and Storm

041. THE HARES AND STORM. You will find the fable in English on this page; scroll down to see if there are multiple English versions. [more info]

The Hares and the Frogs

THE HARES AND THE FROGS. Hares, as you know, are very timid. The least shadow, sends them scurrying in fright to a hiding place. Once they decided to die rather than live in such misery. But while they were debating how best to meet death, they thought they heard a noise and in a flash were scampering off to the warren. On the way they passed a pond where a family of Frogs was sitting among the reeds on the bank. In an instant the startled Frogs were seeking safety in the mud.
"Look," cried a Hare, "things are not so bad after all, for here are creatures who are even afraid of us!"
However unfortunate we may think we are there is always someone worse off than ourselves. [more info]