A Wild Ass envied the pasture and care given a Tame Ass until, one day, he came upon the Tame Ass pulling a cart and being whipped. Wild savored freedom.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
L’Estrange version
As a tame ass was airing himself in a pleasant meadow, with a coat and carcass in very good plight, up comes a wild one to him from the next wood, with this short greeting. Brother (says he) I envy your happiness; and so he left him. It was his hap some short time after this encounter, to see his tame brother groaning under a unmerciful pack, and a fellow at his heels goading him forward. He rounds him in the ear upon’t, and whispers him, My friend (says he) your condition is not, I perceive, what I took it to be, for a body may buy gold too dear: and I am not for purchasing good looks and provender at this rate.
Moral
Betwixt envy and ingratitude, we make our selves twice miserable; out of an opinion, first, that our neighbor has too much; and secondly, that we our selves have too little.
Gherardo Image from 1480
Onager Asino Invidens
Onager, prostratum in sole mansuetum asinum cernens, beatum illum iudicabat animo suo, qui et cute nitida et bene habito corpore esset. Mox videns eundem et onera ferre et ab agitatore fustibus caedi, “Non ego te,” inquit, “magis beatum esse duco; intellego enim cum quanta calamitate tua bona confusa sint.”
Perry #183
