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flatterers; for they often betray themselves by their own words, no matter how artfully they conceal their meaning.

(Fables de Mkhithar Goch, Journal Asiatique, Ser. 9, Vol. 19.)

THE PLUM, THE PRUNE AND THE APRICOT

HE Plum, the Prune and the Apricot were once reproached for setting on edge the teeth of those who eat them. They answered: "You do not know what you are talking about. All doctors know that we often upset the stomach. Nevertheless people insist upon eating us. Now if we make trouble in spite of our acid taste, think what endless mischief we would cause if we didn't set teeth on edge. You ought to be grateful rather than reproach us."

Forbidden pleasures leave a bitter taste.

(Fables de Mkhithar Goch, Journal Asiatique, Ser. 9, Vol. 19.)

THE PLANTER AND THE POMEGRANATE

N inexperienced Planter once asked a Pomegranate Tree: "Why do you produce so many blossoms, and then let so large a number of them fall to the ground without producing fruit?" The Pomegranate replied: "The eye of the Planter is greedy. My branches are slender and my fruit is heavy, and if I did not bend easily I could not sustain the weight of it. That is why I let many of the blossoms fall, so as not to be broken by more fruit than I can bear."

This fable is a reproof to masters who tax the strength of their servants beyond the limits ordained by Providence.

(Fables de Mkhithar Goch, Journal Asiatique, Ser. 9, Vol. 19.)