A FLEA1 thus questioned an Ox: "What ails2 you, that being so huge

　　and strong, you submit to the wrongs you receive from men and

　　slave for them day by day, while I, being so small a creature,

　　mercilessly feed on their flesh and drink their blood without

　　stint?' The Ox replied: "I do not wish to be ungrateful, for I am

　　loved and well cared for by men, and they often pat my head and

　　shoulders." "Woe's me!" said the flea; "this very patting which

　　you like, whenever it happens to me, brings with it my inevitable

　　destruction."