In the teachings of all these apologues there may be seen the same features of languid and unresisting acquiescence in things as they are, with a skit here and there on the oppression and ingratitude of those in power. Yet they bear a reality about them which is lacking in the artificial productions of Gay and Lessing. They come from the heart and go to the heart of the people, and some of them are neat and pointed, if not beautiful, in structure and expression. A collection of examples from Turkish literature would be quite incomplete without these specimens of the Turkish apologues, which reflect so plainly the ethical standard and general opinions of those to whom they were addressed. [Illustration: Signature of Epiphanius Wilson.] CONTENTS TURKISH FABLES: PAGE The Gardener and His Wife 3 The Fly 4 The Widow and Her Friend 4 The Two Young Men and the Cook 5 The Buffaloes and the Log 5 The Old Man and His Son 5 The Bird-catcher and the Blackbird 6 The Hens and the Eagles 6 The Pigeon and the Painting 7 The Lion and the Man 7 The Compliment to the Vezir 7 The Ass and the Frogs 8 The Tortoise and the King of Animals 8 The Fox and the Lion 8 The Farmer and His Hounds 9 The Bear and His Mate 9 The Eel and the Serpent 9 The Sailors in Distress 10 The Father and Son 10 The Poet and the Clown 10 The Shark 11 The Wolf, the Nurse, and the Child 11 The Candle 12 The Clown, Turned First Soldier, Then Merchant 12 The Two Kings at War 13 The River and Its Source 13 The Hunter and His Hounds 14 The Fool Who Sells Wisdom 14 The Dicer 15