The Fox Who Lost His Tail

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The Fox Who Lost His Tail

Distrust advice from someone who stands to gain.

Eliot/Jacobs Version

A Fox caught its tail in a trap, and lost all of it but a stump. He determined to put a bold face upon his misfortune, and gathered all the foxes to a general meeting. When they had assembled the Fox proposed that they should all do away with their tails. He pointed out how inconvenient a tail was when they were pursued by the dogs and how much it was in the way when they desired to sit down. "That is all very well," said one of the older foxes; "but I do not think you would have recommended we dispense with our chief ornament if you had not happened to lose it yourself."

Townsend version

A Fox caught in a trap escaped, but in so doing lost his tail. Thereafter, feeling his life a burden from the shame and ridicule to which he was exposed, he schemed to convince all the other Foxes that being tailless was much more attractive, thus making up for his own deprivation. He assembled a good many Foxes and publicly advised them to cut off their tails, saying that they would not only look much better without them, but that they would get rid of the weight of the brush, which was a very great inconvenience. One of them interrupting him said, "If you had not yourself lost your tail, my friend, you would not thus counsel us."

L'Estrange version

There was a Fox taken in a trap, that was glad to compound for his neck by leaving his tayle behind him. It was so uncouth a sight, for a fox to appear without a tayle, that the very thought on't made him e'en weary of his life; for 'twas a loss never to be repair'd: but however for the better countenance of the scandal, he got the Master and Wardens of the Foxes Company to call a Court of Assistants, where he himself appear'd, and made a learned discourse upon the trouble, the uselessness, and the indecency of foxes wearing tayles. He had no sooner say'd out his say, but up rises a cunning snap, then at the bord, who desir'd to be enform'd, whether the worthy member that mov'd against the wearing of tayles, gave his advice for the advantage of those that had tayles, or to palliate the deformity and disgrace of those that had none.

Moral

When a man has any notable defect, or infirmity about him, whether by nature, or by chance, 'tis the best of his play, to try the humour, if he can turn it into a fashion.

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