A HORSE, Ox, and Dog, driven to great straits by the cold, sought

　　shelter and protection from Man. He received them kindly,

　　lighted a fire, and warmed them. He let the Horse make free with

　　his oats, gave the Ox an abundance of hay, and fed the Dog with

　　meat from his own table. Grateful for these favors, the animals

　　determined to repay him to the best of their ability. For this

　　purpose, they divided the term of his life between them, and each

　　endowed one portion of it with the qualities which chiefly

　　characterized himself. The Horse chose his earliest years and

　　gave them his own attributes: hence every man is in his youth

　　impetuous, headstrong, and obstinate1 in maintaining his own

　　opinion. The Ox took under his patronage2 the next term of life,

　　and therefore man in his middle age is fond of work, devoted3 to

　　labor, and resolute4 to amass5 wealth and to husband his resources.

　　The end of life was reserved for the Dog, wherefore the old man

　　is often snappish, irritable6, hard to please, and selfish,

　　tolerant only of his own household, but averse7 to strangers and

　　to all who do not administer to his comfort or to his

　　necessities.