a Fox once saw a Crow fly off

with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree. ”That's for me, as I am a Fox," said

Master Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. "Good day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How

well you are looking today: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must

surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet

you as the Queen of Birds." The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment

she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox.

"That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of

advice for the future: "Do not trust flatterers." The Fox and the Crow, a short story from Aesop’s Fables.