The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog

英语自学网

The Man, the Horse, the Ox, and the Dog
        A HORSE, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought
        shelter and protection from Man.  He received them kindly,
        lighted a fire, and warmed them.  He let the Horse make free with
        his oats, gave the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with
        meat from his own table.  Grateful for these favors, the animals
        determined to repay him to the best of their ability.  For this
        purpose, they divided the term of his life between them, and each
        endowed one portion of it with the qualities which chiefly
        characterized himself.  The Horse chose his earliest years and
        gave them his own attributes:  hence every man is in his youth
        impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate in maintaining his own
        opinion.  The Ox took under his patronage the next term of life,
        and therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted to
        labor, and resolute to amass wealth and to husband his resources.
        The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man
        is often snappish, irritable, hard to please, and selfish,
        tolerant only of his own household, but averse to strangers and
        to all who do not administer to his comfort or to his
        necessities.