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A Dog was crossing a plank bridge over a stream with a piece of

meat in his mouth, when he happened to see his own reflection in

the water. He thought it was another dog with a piece of meat

twice as big; so he let go his own, and flew at the other dog to

get the larger piece. But, of course, all that happened was that

he got neither; for one was only a shadow, and the other was

carried away by the current.

MERCURY AND THE TRADESMEN

When Jupiter was creating man, he told Mercury to make an

infusion of lies, and to add a little of it to the other

ingredients which went to the making of the Tradesmen. Mercury

did so, and introduced an equal amount into each in turn--the

tallow-chandler, and the greengrocer, and the haberdasher, and

all, till he came to the horse-dealer, who was last on the list,

when, finding that he had a quantity of the infusion still left,

he put it all into him. This is why all Tradesmen lie more or

less, but they none of them lie like a horse-dealer.