Of the foxe and of the raysyns

4.01. De vulpe et uva
Caxton: Of the foxe and of the raysyns
He is not wyse / that desyreth to haue a thynge whiche he may not haue / As reciteth this fable Of a foxe / whiche loked and beheld the raysyns that grewe vpon an hyghe vyne / the whiche raysyns he moche desyred for to ete them / And whanne he sawe that none he myght gete / he torned his sorowe in to Ioye / and sayd these raysyns ben sowre / and yf I had some I wold not ete them /
And therfore this fable sheweth that he is wyse / whiche fayneth not to desyre that thynge the whiche he may not haue /
[more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

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

The Fox and the Grapes

001. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES A Fox just at the time of the vintage stole into a vineyard where the ripe sunny Grapes were trellised up on high in most tempting show. He made many a spring and a jump after the luscious prize but failing in all his attempts he muttered as he retreated "Well, what does it matter? The Grapes are sour!" [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

12. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A lonely She-Fox was fascinated by some grapes which hung high in a certain Vineyard, and, in order to obtain which, she for some time fatigued herself in leaps, friskings, and contortions, more or less graceful, until her joints grew stiff and her bones fairly ached again. But at last, finding her agility decrease, and the grapes farther from her reach than ever, "Let who will, take them," said she, "as for me, I would none of them as a gift, for I am sure they are as sour as vinegar."
MORAL. It is natural that we should affect to defspise what we cannot obtain. In the ballroom of life, the unfortunate "Wallflower," who has wearied herself out with jumping up in the vain hope of catching a partner, will be found, towards the close of the entertainment, expressing herself in the severest terms on the folly and impropriety of Dancing. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

005. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. It was a sultry day, and a Fox was almost famishing with hunger and thirst. He was just saying to himself that anything would be acceptable to him, when, looking up, he spied some great clusters of ripe, black grapes hanging from a trellised vine.
"What luck!" he said; "if only they weren't quite so high, I should be sure of a fine feast. I wonder if I can get them. I can think of nothing that would so refresh me."
Jumping into the air is not the easiest thing in the world for a Fox to do; but he gave a great spring and nearly reached the lowest clusters.
"I'll do better next time," he said. He tried again and again, but did not succeed so well as at first. Finding that he was losing his strength and that he had little chance of getting the grapes, he walked slowly off, grumbling as he did so: "The grapes are sour, and not at all fit for my eating. I'll leave them to the greedy birds. They eat anything." [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

4.03. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. Urged by hunger, a Fox, leaping with all her might, tried to reach a cluster of Grapes upon a lofty vine. When she found she could not reach them, she left them, saying: “They are not ripe yet; I don’t like to eat them while sour.”
Those who disparage what they cannot perform, ought to apply this lesson to themselves. [more info]

Perry 15: The Fox and the Grapes

I've created an animated gif with the illustrations I've found so far for the fable of The Fox and the Grapes. Use this link to find out more about these illustrations and the English versions of the fables that go with them:

The Fox and the Grapes

022. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a vineyard, where hung branches of charming ripe grapes, but nailed up to a trellis so high, that he leaped till he quite tired himself, without being able to reach one of them. At last, “Let who will take them,” says he, “they are but green and sour, so I’ll even let them alone.” [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

4.02. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
An hungry Fox with fierce attack
Sprang on a Vine, but tumbled back,
Nor could attain the point in view,
So near the sky the bunches grew.
As he went off, “They’re scurvy stuff,”
Says he, “and not half ripe enough—
And I’ve more rev’rence for my tripes
Than to torment them with the gripes.”
For those this tale is very pat
Who lessen what they can’t come at. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

28. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A fox who was very hungry, as he had been looking for food for several days and had found none, came at last to a vineyard. There he saw beautiful purple grapes hanging from a high trellis. He leapt up to snatch at them, but he did not leap high enough. He tried again and again and yet again until he was quite tired out, and still he could not reach even one of them. At last, seeing that he would have to go without, he passed on, muttering, "Well, what does it matter? The grapes are sour." [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

093. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a vineyard, where hung branches of charming ripe grapes, but nailed up to a trellis so high, that he leaped till he quite tired himself, without being able to reach one of them. At last, “Let who will take them,” says he, “they are but green and sour, so I’ll even let them alone.” [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

2.49. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A Fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a Vineyard, where there hung many bunches of charming ripe grapes; but nailed up to a trellis so high, that he leaped till he quite tired himself without being able to reach one of them. At last, Let who will take them! says he; they are but green and sour; so I'll even let them alone.
MORAL. When a man finds it impossible to obtain the things he longs for, it is a mark of sound wisdom and discretion to make a virtue of necessity. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

192. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A FAMISHED FOX saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them. At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying: “The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought.” [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

10. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A Fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a vineyard, where there hung many bunches of charming ripe grapes; but nailed up to a trellis so high, that he leaped till he quite tired himself without being able to reach one of them. At last, "Let who will take them!" says he; "they are but green and sour; so I'll even let them alone." [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

03.11: THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
A fox, almost with hunger dying,
Some grapes upon a trellis spying,
To all appearance ripe, clad in
Their tempting russet skin,
Most gladly would have eat them;
But since he could not get them,
So far above his reach the vine—
'They're sour,' he said; 'such grapes as these,
The dogs may eat them if they please!'
Did he not better than to whine?
[more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

03. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
A Fox, one lovely Autumn day,
With thoughts of dinner in his mind;
Went prowling forth, to look for prey,
And much to grapes, he felt inclined -
And soon, upon a trellis wide,
A rich, and fruitful vine, espied.
It grew upon a lofty wall,
O'er which the purple clusters hung;
And after many a grievous fall,
As upward to the fruit he sprung;
He paused awhile, with lolling tongue;
While high above, the bunches swung.
When suddenly, among the leaves,
Appears a mastiff, fierce and grim;
Who soon espies the thieving Fox,
And points a blunderbuss at him.
(The Farmer-dog, who owned the vine,
And meant to press the grapes for wine.)
"Get out," he cried, "you thieving rogue,
Or you shall have a taste of lead!"
Then Reynard sprang behind a tree,
And carefully concealed his head;
And as the mastiff, left the wall,
In sneering tones, aloud did call;
"Your wretched grapes, are green and sour,
And only fit for stupid hogs;
Henceforth, I'll carefully avoid,
All selfish, greedy, farmer-dogs."
So saying, Reynard left the place,
With ears erect, but hungry face. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

18. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
A thirsty Fox once saw some fine
Ripe Grapes that hung on a tall vine.
"Just what I'm longing for!" cried he,
And sprang to get them eagerly.
Alas! the clusters hung so high
He could not reach them. By and by,
Finding his efforts all in vain,
His longing turned into disdain;
"They're only fit," snarled he, "for Apes.
What do I want with Sour Grapes!" [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

296. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A famished Fox saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them. At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying: “The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought.”
Moral. Out of reach is not worth having. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

31. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. One hot summer's day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of Grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. "Just the thing to quench my thirst," quoth he. Drawing back a few paces, he took a run and a jump, and just missed the bunch. Turning round again with a One, Two, Three, he jumped up, but with no greater success. Again and again he tried after the tempting morsel, but at last had to give it up, and walked away with his nose in the air, saying: "I am sure they are sour."
It is easy to despise what you cannot get. [more info]

The Fox and the Grapes

03. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A hungry Fox found some bunches of grapes upon a vine high up a tree. He tried to get at them, but could not. So he left them hanging there and went off, saying to himself:—"They are sour grapes."
That is what people sometimes do when they cannot get what they want—they make believe that what they want is good for nothing. [more info]