A Goat hid in a vineyard until danger passed. He then nibbled on the vines who got indignant and made noises to bring the hunters back. Bye-bye Goat!
Ingratitude is dangerous.
A Goat found need to hide in a vineyard. Picking a luxuriant Vine to hide behind the Goat remained until danger had passed, at which time he started to nibble on the Vine that had protected him. The Vine became indignant and was delighted when the noise of eating brought back the hunters of the Goat who quickly shot him.
Townsend version
A Vine was luxuriant in the time of vintage with leaves and grapes. A Goat, passing by, nibbled its young tendrils and its leaves. The Vine addressed him and said: “Why do you thus injure me without a cause, and crop my leaves? Is there no young grass left? But I shall not have to wait long for my just revenge; for if you now should crop my leaves, and cut me down to my root, I shall provide the wine to pour over you when you are led as a victim to the sacrifice.”
L’Estrange version
A goat that was hard press’d by the huntsmen, took sanctuary in a vineyard, and there he lay close, under the covert of a vine. So soon as he thought the danger was over, he fell presently to browzing upon the leaves; and whether it was the rustling, or the motion of the boughs, that gave the huntsmen an occasion for a stricter search, is uncertain: but a search there was, and in the end discover’d the goat, and shot him. He dy’d in fine, with this conviction upon him, that his punishment was just, for offering violence to his protector.
Moral
Ingratitude perverts all the measures of religion and society, by making it dangerous to be charitable and good natur’d.
[Note: These fables are basically the same as The Hart and The Vine except for the animal involved.]
