An ox, grazing in a swampy¹（沼泽的） meadow, chanced to set his foot among a parcel of young frogs, and crushed nearly the whole brood to death.

 

One that escaped ran off to his mother with the dreadful news. "Oh, mother!" said he ,"It was a beast - such a big four footed beast! That did it." "Big?" quoth the old frog, "How big? Was it as big" -- and she puffed² herself out to a great degree- "as big as this?" "Oh!" said the little one, "a great deal bigger than that." "well, was it so big?" and she swelled³ herself out yet mere⁴. "Indeed, mother, but it was, and of you were to burst yourself you would never reach half its size." Provoked at such a disparagement⁵ of her powers, the old frog made one more trial, and burst herself indeed.

 

So men are ruined by attempting greatness to which they have no claim.

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