Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Ass and His Burdens explained
A Pedlar's Ass learns to lighten his load by falling in a stream, but when his master tricks him with sponges, the Ass ends up with an even heavier burden.
What happens
A Pedlar's Ass learns to lighten his load by falling in a stream, but when his master tricks him with sponges, the Ass ends up with an even heavier burden.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The Ass uses deception to lighten his load, but his master counters with a clever trick of his own.
Justice and Consequence
The Ass's repeated deceit leads to a heavier burden, illustrating that actions have consequences.
Characters to notice
- The Ass
The Ass repeatedly lies down in the stream to lighten his salt load, but is outwitted when his master replaces the salt with sponges.
- The Farmer
The Pedlar (master) detects the Ass's trick and retaliates by loading sponges, causing the Ass to carry a heavier burden.
Key passages
“You may play a good card once too often.”
A clever trick can succeed only so many times before it backfires.
The moral warns against overusing a successful deception.