Prevod
A fox fleeing from hunters caught sight of a woodcutter and begged him to hide her. He told her to go into his hut and conceal herself. Before long the hunters arrived and asked the woodcutter whether he had seen a fox passing that way. He denied having seen her, but with his hand he pointed out where she was hiding. The hunters paid no attention to his gestures, however, and believed what he said. When the fox saw that they had gone, she came out and began to leave without a word. The woodcutter reproached her for not so much as speaking to him after he had saved her life. “I would indeed have thanked you,” she replied, “if the deeds of your hands and your conduct had matched your words.”
This fable may be applied to those who openly promise good things but do evil deeds.
Izvirnik
Ἀλώπηξ κυνηγοὺς φεύγουσα ὡς ἐθεάσατό τινα δρυτόμον, τοῦτον ἱκέτευε κατακρύψαι αὐτήν· ὁ δʼαὐτῃ παρῄνεσεν, εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καλύβην εἰσελθοῦσαν κρυβῆναι. Μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ παραγενομένων τῶν κυνηγῶν καὶ τοῦ δρυτόμου πυνθανομένων, εἰ τεθέατα ἀλώπεκα τῇδε παριοῦσαν, ἐκεῖνος τῇ μὲν φωνῇ ἡρνεῖτο ἑωρακέναι, τῇ δὲ χειρὶ νεύων ἐσήμαινεν ὅπου κατεκέκρυπτο. Τῶν δὲ οὐχ οἷς ἔνευε προςσχόντων, ἀλλʼ οἷς ἔλεγε πιστευσάντων, ἡ ἀλώπηξ ἰδοῦσα αὐτοὺς ἁπαλλαγέντας, ἐξελθοῦσα ἀπροσφωνητὶ ἐπορεύετο· μεμφομένου δʼ αὐτὴν τοῦ δρυτόμου, εἴγε διασωθεῖσα ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ οὐδὲ φωνῆς αὐτὸν ἠξίωσεν, ἔφη· „ἀλλʼ ἔγωγε ηὐχαρίστησα ἄν σοι, εἰ τοῖς λόγοις ὅμοια τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τοὺς τρόπους εἶχες.
Τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ χρήσαιτʼ ἄν τις πρὸς ἐκείνους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἵτινες τὰ μὲν χρηστὰ σαφῶς ἐπαγγέλλονται, ἔργα δὲ φαῦλα δρῶσιν.
