A Wolf accused a Fox of theft, but the Fox entirely denied the charge. An Ape undertook to adjudge the matter between them. When each had fully stated his case the Ape announced this sentence: “I do not think you, Wolf, ever lost what you claim; and I do believe you, Fox, to have stolen what you so stoutly deny.”
Credits
Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller, believed to have lived around the 6th century BCE, whose fables have been retold across cultures for over two thousand years. His short moral tales typically feature animals whose behaviour satirises human vice and folly. "The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape" is a particularly concise example, delivering its lesson about guilt and credibility in a single sharp exchange.
