A frog saw two bulls fighting but wasn’t worried. Another frog said he should be as the loser might come to live in the area. The loser did and frogs died.
Watch out for unintended consequences.
Aesop For Children
Two Bulls were fighting furiously in a field, at one side of which was a marsh. An old Frog living in the marsh, trembled as he watched the fierce battle.
“What are you afraid of?” asked a young Frog.
“Do you not see,” replied the old Frog, “that the Bull who is beaten, will be driven away from the good forage up there to the reeds of this marsh, and we shall all be trampled into the mud?”
It turned out as the Frog had said. The beaten Bull was driven to the marsh, where his great hoofs crushed the Frogs to death.
Moral
When the great fall out, the weak must suffer for it.
JBR Collection
A Frog one day peeping out of a lake, saw two Bulls fighting at some distance off in the meadow. Calling to his companions, “My dear friends,” said he, “whatever will become of us?” “Why, what are you frightened at?” asked one of the Frogs; “what can their quarrels have to do with us? They are only fighting which shall be master of the herd.” “True,” answered the first, “and it is just that which causes my fear, for the one that is beaten will take refuge here in the marshes, and will tread us to death.” And so it happened; and many a Frog, in dying, had sore proof that the fears which he had thought to be groundless were not so in fact.
Samuel Croxall
A FROG, one day, peeping out of the lake, and looking about him, saw two Bulls fighting at some distance off in the meadow, and, calling to one of his acquaintance, Look, says she, what dreadful work is yonder! Dear Sirs, what will become of us? Why, pray thee, says the other, do not frighten yourself so about nothing; how can their quarrels affect us! They are of a different kind and way of living, and are at present only contending which shall be master of the herd. That is true, replies the first, their quality and station in life is, to all appearance, different enough from ours: but, as one of them will certainly get the better, he that is worsted, being beat out of the meadow, will take refuge here in the marshes, and may possibly tread out the guts of some of us: so you see we are more nearly concerned in this dispute of theirs than at first you were aware of.
THE APPLICATION
This poor timorous frog had just reason for its fears and suspicions; it being hardly possible for great people to fall out, without involving many below them in the same fate; nay, whatever becomes of the former, the latter are sure to suffer; those may be only playing the fool, while these really smart for it.
It is of no small importance to the honest, quiet part of mankind, who desire nothing so much as to see peace and virtue flourish, to enter seriously and impartially into the consideration of this paint: for, as significant as the quarrels of the great may sometimes be, yet they are nothing without their espousing and supporting them, one way or other. What is it that occasions parties, but the ambitious or avaricious spirit of men in eminent stations, who want to engross all power in their own hands? Upon this they foment divisions, and form factions, and excite animosities between well-meaning, but undiscerning people, who little think that the great aim of their leaders is no more than the advancement of their private self-interest. The good of the public is always pretended upon such occasions, and may sometimes happen to be tacked to their own; but then it is purely accidental, and never was originally intended. One knows not what remedy to prescribe against so epidemical and frequent a malady, but only that every man who has sense enough to discern the pitiful private views that attend most of the differences between the great ones, instead of aiding and abetting either party, would, with an honest courage, heartily and openly oppose both.
Thomas Bewick (The Frogs and The Fighting Bulls)
A Frog, one day, peeping out of the lake, and looking about him, saw two Bulls fighting at some distance off in the meadow, and calling to his associates, Look, says he, what dreadful work is yonder! Dear sirs, what will become of us? Tush, said one of his companions, do not frighten yourself so about nothing; how can their quarrels affect us? They are of a different kind, and are at present only contending which shall be master of the herd. That is true, replies the first, their quality and station in life are different from ours; but as one of them will certainly prove conqueror, he that is worsted, being beaten out of the meadow, will take refuge here in the marshes, and possibly tread some of us to death; so you see we are more nearly concerned in this dispute of theirs, than you were at first aware.
APPLICATION.
A wise man, however low his condition in life, looks forward through the proper and natural course and connection of causes and effects; and in so doing, he fortifies his mind against the worst that can befal him. It is of no small importance »to the honest and quiet part of mankind, who desire nothing so much as to see peace and virtue flourish, to consider well the consequences that may arise to them out of the quarrels and feuds of the great, and to endeavour, by every means in their power, to avoid being in any way drawn in by their influence to become a party concerned in their broils and disputes: for no matter in which way the strife between the high contending parties may terminate, those who may have had the misfortune to be concerned with them, ought to think themselves well off if they do not smart for it severely in the end. How often has it happened, that men in eminent stations, who want to engross all power into their own hands, begin, under the mask of patriotism, to foment divisions and form factions, and excite animosities between well-meaning, but undiscerning people, without whose aid in one way or another they could not succeed; but who, at the same time, little think that the great aim of their leaders is nothing more than the advancement of their own private interest, or ambitious ends. The good of the public is always pretended upon such occasions, and may sometimes happen to be tacked to their own; but then it is purely accidental, and never was originally intended.
Caldecott
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A Frog in his marsh looking at some Bulls fighting, exclaimed: “O dear! what sad destruction threatens us now!” Another Frog asked him why he said that, seeing that the Bulls were only fighting for the first place in the herd, and that they lived quite remote from the Frogs. “Ah,” said the first, “it is true that our positions are wide apart, and we are different kinds of things, but still, the Bull who will be driven from the rule of the pasture will come to lie in hiding in the marsh, and crush us to death under his hard hoofs, so that their raging really does closely concern the lives of you and me.”
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Ranae et Taurorum Proelia
Rana, e palude pugnam taurorum intuens, “Heu,” ait, “quanta nobis instat pernicies!” Interrogata ab alia cur hoc diceret, cum boves de gregis principatu certarent longeque ab ipsis degerent vitam, “Sit statio separata,” inquit, “ac diversum genus, qui expulsus nemoris regno profugerit, in secreta paludis latibula veniet et proculcatas pede duro obteret. Ita furor illorum caput ad nostrum pertinet.”
Moral
Humiles laborant ubi potentes dissident.
Perry #485
