A deadly pestilence, a plague, in fact, waged war against the animals. Not all were killed, but all were stricken in some way. Life being cheap, few bothered to sustain it: food excited appetite no more; nor wolves nor foxes stalked their guileless prey; and even turtledoves eschewed their mates—for love and joy become unknown where death holds sway.
The lion called a meeting. “Friends,” he said, “I think the gods are angry; this calamity is punishment for sins. The guiltiest among us should, to save the others, sacrifice himself, and so appease the heavens’ wrath. Such things were done in olden times, and efficaciously. Let therefore each inspect his conscience; let us practice, honestly and ruthlessly, self-criticism. I’ll begin.
“I ate a lot of sheep who hadn’t done me wrong. I even gluttonously ate, at times, a shepherd. So. I’ll sacrifice myself, if necessary. First, let everyone confess, as I have done; then will we know the worst offender.”
“O too regal king!” the fox declaimed. “Your scruples honor you, but eating sheep’s no crime; indeed, my lord, you do them honor when you deign to eat such filthy, foolish riffraff. Neither can we fault you for dispatching shepherds, who deserve whatever ills befall them, being slave-drivers and exploiters all.”
This speech was much applauded by the royal claque. The tigers, bears, and other predators were also perfect saints; in any case, there wasn’t anyone who dared rebuke their smallest peccadilloes even.
Next the donkey spoke. “One time I passed a field belonging to a monastery. Urged by hunger, opportunity, the grass itself, some devil maybe too, I munched a mouthful. It was wrong. I had no right.”
These words were greeted with an outraged outcry. The clever wolf denounced the ass, and proved by rhetoric magniloquent that this contemptible and mangy creature was the cause of all their sorrows. His misdeed was deemed a hangable offense. To eat another’s grass! Abominable crime, which only death could expiate!—and did.
Whether in court you’re painted white or black depends on power and money, or their lack.