Twistales

While drinking water at the head of a running brook, a wolf noticed a stray lamb some distance down the stream. Once he made up his mind to attack her, he began thinking of a plausible excuse for making her his prey “Scoundrel!” he cried, running up to her. “How dare you muddle the water that I am drinking!”

“Please forgive me,” replied the lamb meekly, “but I don’t see how I could have done anything to the water since it runs from you to me, not from me to you.

“Be that as it may,” the wolf retorted, “but you know it was only a year ago that you called me many bad names behind my back.

“Oh, sir,” said the lamb, “I wasn’t even born a year ago.

“Well,” the wolf asserted, “if it wasn’t you, it was your mother, and that’s all the same to me. Anyway, it’s no use trying to argue me out of my supper.”

And without another word, he fell upon the poor helpless lamb and tore her to pieces.

Old Learning: A tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.

So it is useless for the innocent to seek justice through reasoning when the oppressor intends to be unjust.