THE LIFE OF AESOP
Translated by Sir Roger L'Estrange
CHAPTER XVII
AEsop adopts ENNUS. ENNUS'S Ingratitude and
Falseness, and AEsop's Good-Nature
IT was the fashion in those days for Princes to exercise Tryals of
Skill in the putting and resolving of Riddles and intricate Ques-
tions; and he that was the best at the clearing or untying of
knotty Difficulties, carried the Prize. AEsop's Faculty lay notably
that way, and render'd him so serviceable to the King, that it
brought him both Reputation and Reward. It was his unhappi-
ness to have no Children, for the Comfort and Support of his old
Age; so that with the King's Consent he adopted a young Man,
who was well born, and ingenious enough, but poor; his Name
was Ennus. AEsop took as much care of his Institution as if he
had been his own Child, and train'd him up in those Principles
of Virtue and Knowledge that might most probably render him
great and happy. But there's no working upon a flagitious and
perverse Nature, by Kindness and Discipline, and 'tis time lost to
think of mastering so incurable an Evil: So that Ennus, after the
manner of other wicked Men, heaping one Villany upon another,
counterfeits his Father's Name and Hand to certain Letters,
where he promises his Assistance to the Neighbour Princes against
Labynetus. These Letters Ennus carries to the King, and charges
his Father with Treason, though in Appearance with all the
Trouble and Unwillingness that was possible, only a Sense of his
Duty to his King and his Country swallow'd up all other Respects
of Reverence and Modesty that a Son owes to a Father. The King
took all these Calumnies for Instances of Ennus's Affections to
him, without the least Suspicion of any Fraud in the Matter: So
that without any further Enquiry, he order'd AEsop to be put to
death. The Persons to whom the Care of his Execution was com-
metted, being well assured of his Innocence, and of the King's
ungovernable Passions, took him out of the way, and gave it out
that he was dead. Some few Days after this, there came Letters
to Labynetus from Amasis the King of AEgypt, wherein Labynetus
was desir'd by Amasis to send him a certain Architect that could
raise a Tower that should hang in the Air, and likewise resolve
all Questions. Labynetus was at a great loss what Answer to
return; and the Fierceness of his Displeasure against AEsop being
by this time somewhat abated, he began to enquire after him
with great Passion, and would often profess, that if the parting
with one half of his Kingdom could bring him to life again, he
would give it. Hermippus and others that had kept him out of
the way, told the King, upon the hearing of this, that AEsop was
yet alive: So they were commanded to bring him forth, which
they did in all the Beastliness he had contracted in the Prison.
He did no sooner appear, but he made his Innocence so manifest,
that Labynetus in extreme Displeasure and Indignation com-
manded the false A ccuser to be put to death with most exquisite
Torments; but AEsop, after all this, interceded for him, and
obtain'd his Pardon, upon a charitable Presumption, that the
Sense of so great a Goodness and Obligation would yet work
upon him. Herodotus tells the Story of Cambyses the Son of
Cyrus, and Croesus, and with what Joy Cambyses receiv'd Croesus
again, after he was supposed to be put to death by his own Order;
but then it varies in this, that he caused those to be put to death,
that were to have seen the Execution done, for not observing his
Command.