The Frogs and the Fighting Bulls

08. THE FROGS AND THE FIGHTING BULLS. A Frog, sitting at the edge of a swamp, was watching a battle between two Bulls in an adjoining field. "Alas! what deadly danger threatens us," he said. Another Frog, overhearing him, asked what he meant, when the Bulls were merely fighting to decide which should lead the herd, and the cattle passed their lives quite apart from the home of the Frogs. "It is true," rejoined the first Frog, "that they are a different race and live apart from us. But whichever Bull is beaten and driven from his leadership in the woods will come to find some secret hiding place; and I fear that many of us will be trampled to pieces under his hard hoofs. That is why I say that their battle means death and destruction to us." When the mighty quarrel, the humble pay the cost. [more info]

The Frogs and the Fighting Bulls

015. THE FROGS AND THE FIGHTING BULLS.  A frog, one day peeping out of the lake, and looking about him, saw two bulls fighting at some distance off in the meadow, and calling to one of his acquaintance, “Look,” says he, “what dreadful work is yonder! Dear sirs, what will become of us?”
“Why, pray thee,” says the other, “do not frighten yourself so about nothing; how can their quarrels affect us? They are of a different kind and way of living, and are at present only contending which shall be master of the herd.”
“That is true,” replies the first, “their quality and station in life, is to all appearance, different enough from ours; but as one of them will certainly get the better, he that is worsted, being beat out of the meadow, will take refuge here in the marshes, and may possibly tread out the guts of some of us: so you see we are more nearly concerned in this dispute of theirs than at first you were aware of.” [more info]

The Frogs Frightened at the Battle of the Bulls

1.30. THE FROGS FRIGHTENED AT THE BATTLE OF THE BULLS. When the powerful are at variance, the lowly are the sufferers.
A Frog, viewing from a marsh, a combat of some Bulls: “Alas!” said she, “what terrible destruction is threatening us.” Being asked by another why she said so, as the Bulls were contending for the sovereignty of the herd, and passed their lives afar from them: “Their habitation is at a distance,” said she, “and they are of a different kind; still, he who is expelled from the sovereignty of the meadow, will take to flight, and come to the secret hiding-places in the fens, and trample and crush us with his hard hoof. Thus does their fury concern our safety.” [more info]

The Frogs and Bulls

1.28. THE FROGS AND BULLS.
Men of low life are in distress
When great ones enmity profess.
There was a Bull-fight in the fen,
A Frog cried out in trouble then,
“Oh, what perdition on our race!”
“How,” says another, “can the case
Be quite so desp’rate as you’ve said?
For they’re contending who is head,
And lead a life from us disjoin’d,
Of sep’rate station, diverse kind.”—
“But he, who worsted shall retire,
Will come into this lowland mire,
And with his hoof dash out our brains,
Wherefore their rage to us pertains.” [more info]

The Two Bulls and the Frog

02.04: THE TWO BULLS AND THE FROG.
Two bulls engaged in shocking battle,
Both for a certain heifer's sake,
And lordship over certain cattle,
A frog began to groan and quake.
'But what is this to you?'
Inquired another of the croaking crew.
'Why, sister, don't you see,
The end of this will be,
That one of these big brutes will yield,
And then be exiled from the field?
No more permitted on the grass to feed,
He'll forage through our marsh, on rush and reed;
And while he eats or chews the cud,
Will trample on us in the mud.
Alas! to think how frogs must suffer
By means of this proud lady heifer!'
This fear was not without good sense.
One bull was beat, and much to their expense;
For, quick retreating to their reedy bower,
He trod on twenty of them in an hour.
Of little folks it oft has been the fate
To suffer for the follies of the great.
[more info]

The Two Bulls and the Frog

032. THE TWO BULLS AND THE FROG.
Two bulls engaged in shocking battle,
Both for a certain heifer's sake,
And lordship over certain cattle,
A frog began to groan and quake.
'But what is this to you?'
Inquired another of the croaking crew.
'Why, sister, don't you see,
The end of this will be,
That one of these big brutes will yield,
And then be exiled from the field?
No more permitted on the grass to feed,
He'll forage through our marsh, on rush and reed;
And while he eats or chews the cud,
Will trample on us in the mud.
Alas! to think how frogs must suffer
By means of this proud lady heifer!'
This fear was not without good sense.
One bull was beat, and much to their expense;
For, quick retreating to their reedy bower,
He trod on twenty of them in an hour.
Of little folks it oft has been the fate
To suffer for the follies of the great.
[more info]

The Frogs and the Fighting Bulls

09. THE FROGS AND THE FIGHTING BULLS. A FROG in his marsh, looking at some Bulls fighting, exclaimed, "O dear, what sad destruction threatens us now!" Another Frog asked him why he said that, seeing that the Bulls were only fighting for the first place in the herd and that they lived quite remote from the Frogs. "Ah," said the first, "it is true that our positions are wide apart and we are different kinds of things, but still the Bull who will be driven from the rule of the pasture will come to lie in hiding in the marsh and crush us to death under his hard hoofs, so that their raging really does closely concern the lives of you and me." [more info]

The Fighting Bulls and the Frog

THE FIGHTING BULLS AND THE FROG. Two Bulls were fighting furiously in a field, at one side of which was a marsh. An old Frog living in the marsh, trembled as he watched the fierce battle.
"What are you afraid of?" asked a young Frog.
"Do you not see," replied the old Frog, "that the Bull who is beaten, will be driven away from the good forage up there to the reeds of this marsh, and we shall all be trampled into the mud?"
It turned out as the Frog had said. The beaten Bull was driven to the marsh, where his great hoofs crushed the Frogs to death.
When the great fall out, the weak must suffer for it. [more info]