Prevod
A shepherd who drove his flock some distance from a village used to amuse himself with the following trick. He would call to the villagers for help, saying that wolves had attacked his sheep. Two or three times the villagers rushed out in alarm, only to go away amid laughter. At last, however, wolves really did attack. As they ravaged his flock, he cried out for help, but the villagers, supposing he was playing his usual trick, paid little heed. And so he lost his sheep.
The story shows that liars gain this much: they are not believed even when they tell the truth.
Izvirnik
Ποιμὴν, ἐξελαύνων αὑτοῦ τὴν ποίμνην ἀπό τινος κώμης ποῤῥωτέρω, διετέλει τοιαύτῃ παιδιᾷ χρώμενος. Ἐπιβοώμενος γὰρ τοὺς πολίτας ἐπὶ βοήθειαν, ἔλεγεν, ὡς λύκοι τοῖς προβάτοις ἐπήλθοσαν. Δὶς καὶ τρὶς τῶν ἐκ τῆς κώμης ἐκπλαγέντων καὶ ἐκπηδησάντων, εἶτα μετὰ γέλωτος ἀπαλλαγέντων, συνέβη τὸ τελευταῖον τῇ ἀληθείᾳ λύκους ἐπελθεῖν. Ἀποτεμνομένης δὲ αὐτοῦ τῆς ποίμνης, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπιβοῶντος ἐπὶ βοηθείᾳ, ἐκεῖνοι ὑπολαβόντες αὐτὸν παίζειν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος, ἧττον ἐφρόντιζον. Καὶ οὕτως συνέβη αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι τὰ πρόβατα.
Ὁ λόγος δηλοῖ, ὅτι τοῦτο κερδαίνουσιν οἱ ψευδόμενοι, τὸ μηδὲ ὅταν ἀληθεύωσι πιστεύεσθαι.
