Prevod
A lion, grown old and no longer able to get his food by strength, decided he must do so by cunning. So he went into a cave, lay down there, and pretended to be ill. Then he seized and devoured the animals that came to visit him. After many beasts had perished, a fox who had seen through his trick came and, standing some distance from the cave, asked how he was. “Poorly,” he replied, and asked why she did not come inside. “I would have come in,” she said, “if I had not seen the tracks of many going in, but none coming out.” So it is that wise people foresee dangers from the signs and escape them.
Izvirnik
Λέων γηράσας καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος διʼ ἀλκῆς ἑαυτῷ τροφὴν πορίζειν, ἔγνω δεῖν διʼ ἐπινοίας τοῦτο πρᾶξαι. Καὶ δὴ παραγενόμενος εἴς τι σπήλαιον, καὶ ἐνταῦθα κατακλιθεὶς προσεποιεῖτο τὸν νοσοῦντα· καὶ οὕτω τὰ παραγενόμενα πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς ἐπίσκεψιν ζῶα συλλαμβάνων κατήσθιε. Πολλῶν δὲ θηρίων καταναλωθέντων, ἀλώπηξ τὸ τέχνασμα αὐτοῦ συνεῖσα παρεγένετο, καὶ στᾶσα ἄπωθεν τοῦ σπηλαίου ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτοῦ, πῶς ἔχοι· τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος „κακῶς“ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐρο μένου, διʼ ἣν οὐκ εἴσεισιν, ἔφη· „ἀλλʼ ἔγωγε εἰσῆλ θον ἄν, εἰ μὴ ἑώρων πολλῶν εἰσιόντων ἴχνη, ἐξιόντος δὲ οὐδενός.“
Οὕτως οἱ φρόνιμοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκ τεκμηρίων προορώμενοι τοὺς κινδύνὸυς ἐκφεύγουσι.
