Mercury And The Woodman

by Aesop

　　A poor Woodman was cutting down a tree near the edge of a deeppool in the forest. It was late in the day and the Woodman wastired. He had been working since sunrise and his strokes were notso sure as they had been early that morning. Thus it happenedthat the axe slipped and flew out of his hands into the pool.

　　The Woodman was in despair. The axe was all he possessed withwhich to make a living, and he had not money enough to buy a newone. As he stood wringing his hands and weeping, the god Mercurysuddenly appeared and asked what the trouble was. The Woodmantold what had happened, and straightway the kind Mercury divedinto the pool. When he came up again he held a wonderful goldenaxe.

　　"Is this your axe?" Mercury asked the Woodman.

　　"No," answered the honest Woodman, "that is not my axe."

　　Mercury laid the golden axe on the bank and sprang back into thepool. This time he brought up an axe of silver, but the Woodmandeclared again that his axe was just an ordinary one with awooden handle.

　　Mercury dived down for the third time, and when he came up againhe had the very axe that had been lost.

　　The poor Woodman was very glad that his axe had been found andcould not thank the kind god enough. Mercury was greatly pleasedwith the Woodman's honesty.

　　"I admire your honesty," he said, "and as a reward you may haveall three axes, the gold and the silver as well as your own."

　　The happy Woodman returned to his home with his treasures, andsoon the story of his good fortune was known to everybody in thevillage. Now there were several Woodmen in the village whobelieved that they could easily win the same good fortune. Theyhurried out into the woods, one here, one there, and hiding theiraxes in the bushes, pretended they had lost them. Then they weptand wailed and called on Mercury to help them.

　　And indeed, Mercury did appear, first to this one, then to that.To each one he showed an axe of gold, and each one eagerlyclaimed it to be the one he had lost. But Mercury did not givethem the golden axe. Oh no! Instead he gave them each a hardwhack over the head with it and sent them home. And when theyreturned next day to look for their own axes, they were nowhereto be found.

　　Honesty is the best policy.