Click here for a SLIDESHOW of all the Rabier images; as you can see, it is from an edition of La Fontaine in French.
M0024 = Perry481. Source: Sheppey 40. This is Perry 481. For other stories about the old age of the animals, see the old horse in #275 or the old dog in #377. In other versions of this fable a special emphasis is put on the disgrace of being attacked by a donkey, who is a far less dignified opponent than the boar or the bull.
24. The Old Lion who Groaned. A lion, weighed down by old age and fevers, lay on the ground, drawing his last breath. A boar came upon him, foaming at the mouth and venting his long-standing anger with his tusks. A bull used his horns to pierce the lion's body all over. The donkey pounded the lion with his hooves. And scarcely able to breathe, the lion said with a groan, "Alas! When there was strength, there was honor, and there was also fear; my reputation alone was enough to terrify most animals. Now that my strength is going, all honor is gone also."
