The Wolf and the Fox (Book XI)

The poem questions why Aesop grants the palm of cunning to Renard Fox rather than to Sir Wolf, who also shows skill in harming prey and defending himself. It then tells of a night when the hungry fox sees the moon’s reflection in a well and mistakes it for a large cheese. He descends in one of two balanced buckets, lifting the other empty bucket, but soon discovers his error and realizes he cannot escape unless another creature is tempted to descend. After two days, as the moon wanes and Renard’s courage declines, his hungry crony wolf appears. The fox persuades him that the supposed cheese is a divine delicacy, claiming to have tasted it and inviting him to take the bucket down for his share. The wolf believes him and descends, his weight raising Renard safely to the top. The poem refuses to mock the wolf alone, observing that people likewise believe what they strongly desire or fear.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1678 · Genre: Fable, Animal Fable, Didactic Literature · 599 words

First lines

Why Aesop gave the palm of cunning, / O'er flying animals and running, / To Renard Fox, I cannot tell, / Though I have search'd the subject well. / Hath not Sir Wolf an equal skill / In tricks and artifices shown, / When he would do some life an ill, / Or from his foes defend his own? / I think he hath; and, void of disrespect, / I might, perhaps, my master contradict: / Yet here's a case, in which the burrow-lodger / Was palpably, I own, the brightest dodger. / One night he spied within a well, / Wherein the fullest moonlight fell, / What seem'd to him an ample cheese. / Two balanced buckets took their turns / When drawers thence would fill their urns. / Our fox went down in one of these, / By hunger greatly press'd to sup, / And drew the other empty up. / Convinced at once of his mistake, / And anxious for his safety's sake, / He saw his death was near and sure, / Unless some other wretch in need / The same moon's image should allure / To take a bucket and succeed / To his predicament, indeed. / Two days pass'd by, and none approach'd the well; / Unhalting Time, as is his wont, / Was scooping from the moon's full front, / And as he scoop'd Sir Renard's courage fell. / His crony wolf, of clamorous maw, / Poor fox at last above him saw, / And cried, 'My comrade, look you here! / See what abundance of good cheer! / A cheese of most delicious zest! / Which Faunus must himself have press'd, / Of milk by heifer Io given. / If Jupiter were sick in heaven, / The taste would bring his appetite. / I've taken, as you see, a bite; / But still for both there is a plenty. / Pray take the bucket that I've sent ye; / Come down, and get your share. ' / Although, to make the story fair, / The fox had used his utmost care, / The wolf (a fool to give him credit) / Went down because his stomach bid it -- / And by his weight pull'd up / Sir Renard to the top. / We need not mock this simpleton, / For we ourselves such deeds have done. / Our faith is prone to lend its ear / To aught which we desire or fear.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Horse And The Wolf by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Fishes And The Cormorant by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Monkey And The Cat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat And The Old Rat by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Wolf And The Lean Dog by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Fox And The Turkeys by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — The poem uses talking animal characters in a brief narrative designed to illustrate a moral lesson about credulity, desire, fear, and deception.
• Animal Fable — The fox and wolf behave as human-like figures whose contrasting cunning and foolishness dramatize recognizable human faults.
• Didactic Literature — Its closing observation explicitly generalizes the wolf's mistake into a lesson about people's readiness to believe what they want or fear.
• Moral Tale — The plot centers on the moral consequences of greed, gullibility, and manipulation, ending with a direct ethical reflection.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · animal allegory · seventeenth-century literature · moral satire · cunning · deception · gullibility · hunger · greed · desire and belief · fear and belief

What this Textopian page supports

The Wolf and the Fox (Book XI) is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1678 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1678 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Animal Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale, Allegory
• Length: 599 words
• Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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• Work identity for The Wolf and the Fox (Book XI) by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine