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Aesop's Fables, Part 116 summary

Part 116 of 284 · 1 min to read the part

In The Cat and the Cock, a Cat seizes a Cock and accuses him of disturbing people at night, seeking an excuse to eat him. The Cock explains that his crowing helps men start work on time, but she kills and eats him anyway, showing that a villain needs no sound excuse.

What happens

  1. A Cat pounces on a Cock and seeks an excuse to eat him, knowing she should not.
  2. She accuses him of waking people at night and threatens to kill him.
  3. The Cock argues that his crowing helps men wake and reach work on time.
  4. The Cat dismisses his defence, insists on having dinner, and kills and eats him.
  5. The closing moral states that a villain commits crime even without good excuses.

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What to notice

The moral explains why the Cock’s defence fails. The Cat’s appetite, not the strength of her accusation, determines her action.

Quick check

How does the Cock defend his crowing?

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