A Lion and a Bear seized upon a kid at the same moment, and fought fiercely for its possession. When they had fearfully lacerated each other, and were faint from the long combat, they lay down exhausted¹ with fatigue². A Fox who had gone round them at a distance several times, saw them both stretched on the ground, and the Kid lying untouched in the middle, ran in between them, and seizing the Kid, scampered³ off as fast as he could. The Lion and the Bear saw him, but not being able to get up, said: "Woe⁴ betide us, that we should have fought and belabored⁵ ourselves only to serve the turn of a Fox!"

It sometimes happens that one man has all the toil⁶, and another all the profit.