The Wolf Accusing the Fox before the Monkey

Name: The Wolf Accusing the Fox before the Monkey
Author: Jean de La Fontaine

A wolf, believing himself injured by a thief, brings his neighbour the fox to court. The fox’s bad character is widely acknowledged, while a monkey serves as judge despite seeming ill suited to the office of justice. Both wolf and fox argue fiercely, appeal to the laws, and leave the monkey perplexed. When their dispute is finished, the judge declares that he knows both their characters and fines them both: the wolf for making a groundless accusation, and the fox for being guilty of the charge. He concludes that only a villain could be fined, whether rightly or wrongly.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Allegory · 365 words

First lines

A wolf, affirming his belief / That he had suffer'd by a thief, / Brought up his neighbour fox -- / Of whom it was by all confess'd, / His character was not the best -- / To fill the prisoner's box. / As judge between these vermin, / A monkey graced the ermine; / And truly other gifts of Themis[1] / Did scarcely seem his; / For while each party plead his cause, / Appealing boldly to the laws, / And much the question vex'd, / Our monkey sat perplex'd. / Their words and wrath expended, / Their strife at length was ended; / When, by their malice taught, / The judge this judgment brought: / 'Your characters, my friends, I long have known, / As on this trial clearly shown; / And hence I fine you both -- the grounds at large / To state would little profit -- / You wolf, in short, as bringing groundless charge, / You fox, as guilty of it.'

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Similar titles

Genres

Fable — The work is a concise animal tale in which speaking animals enact a moral conflict, ending with an explicit lesson about dishonesty, accusation, and justice.
Didactic Literature — Its central purpose is instructional: the story warns that people of notoriously bad character may be judged through their established reputations rather than the uncertain facts of a dispute.
Allegory — The wolf, fox, and monkey function as human social types—the aggressive accuser, the suspected rogue, and the inept or cynical judge—making the animal action an allegory of human legal and moral behavior.
Satire — The poem satirizes legal proceedings and judicial reasoning through a monkey judge who resolves uncertainty by punishing both disreputable parties.

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The Wolf Accusing the Fox before the Monkey is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

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Work type: Fable
Author: Jean de La Fontaine
Date: 1668 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Allegory, Satire, Verse Narrative
Length: 365 words
Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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