The Russian peasant is far from sparing, in his criticism, the rich and great, from whom he bears so much, although conscious of its injustice. In one of these fables a nobleman gives a box on the ear to one of liis serfs, who has just saved his fife from the attack of a bear, and cries out, " Stupid rascal, to tear the bear's skin so carelessly with thy clumsy axe ! Why didst not stun him with a stone, or strangle him with a rope ? What is liis skin now worth to me at the fm-rier's ? Oidy wait, rascal, and I'll take an opportunity of reckoning with thee for the value of it."
In another, a rich man announces in the newspapers that, moved by compassion and the love of God, he has resolved on a certain day to clothe, feed, and provide with all necessaries, all the poor who shall apply to him. Hereupon he receives the praises of all his friends, of the pious, and the public ; but on the appointed day his courtyard is fidl of fierce dogs, whose teeth effectually bar all entrance to it.
The cunning of the Mushiks, in eluding the laws and the ordinances of religion, surpasses the art of the devil himself. It is said, " Ye shall eat no flesh on fast-days ; ye shall not boil eggs in water on your heartlu, nor cat of any such eggs." A peasant, not inclined to forego the enjoyment of eggs on a fast-day, knocks a nail into the wall, suspends the egg from it by a wire, and placing his lamp underneath, contrives to cook it in this manner. He defends himself to a priest who has caught him in the fiict by the asstu^nce that he did not tliink that any breach of the commandment. " Ah, the devil himself nmst have taught thee that !" cries the priest in high displea sure. " Well then, yes, father, I nmst confess itit was the devil wlio taught me." ' No, that is not true," erics tlic devil, who, unobserved, is one of the party sitting on the stove, and laughing heartily as he looks at the cunningly -placed egg. " It is not I that taught him this trick, for I see it now for the first time myself."
" There is no knowing how to get on in this world. Do a thing one way and it fails — try it another and that fails also," said one peasant to another. " A year ago I went a little tipsy into the loft with a hght in my hand, and, not taking heed, I set the hay on fire, and my house was burnt to the ground. Yesterday I went into the loft again, not quite sober ; but this time I put the light carefully out : and now, while I was feeling about and forgot the door, I tumbled through, and have unluckily sprained my foot, and broken two of my teeth out. You are a piudent man, lubesnoi hum (dear cousin), give me your advice — shall I go with or without a light another time ?" " My advice is, dear cousin, another time not to get drunlv."
What the Russians think of authors is shown in another picture, representing a part of hell. There are two caldrons hanging in the foreground ; in one sits a robber, in the other a wdcked author. Under the caldron of the latter the devil is busily employed in feeding a large fire ; while under the robber's kettle there is only a little dry wood, which seems to emit a very agreeable warmth. The author, who has hfted the lid of his kettle to look over at the thief, complains to the devil that he is worse treated than so notorious a rogue ; but the devil gives him a knock on the head, and says, '• Thou wast worse than he ; his sins have died with liim, but thine will remain indestructible for asres."
.... The presumption of mankind in striving to attain the impossible, and at the same time the ready behef of the public in boasters and charlatans, is weU satirized. A magpie gives notice that on such a day she wiU set fire to the sea with a lighted match, and men and animals have crowded to the coast to see. The magpie flies with the kindled match to the sea, and as soon as she has touched it, what follows? — simply that the water extinguishes the fire, and the sea is not burnt. " Did not I tell you it would be so ?"
says a lapdog hereupon to his neighbour the sheep.
The ass comes in for his share. The animals are assembled to try the pike for liis crimes ; and the ass, with universal applause, pronounces sentence, that the pike shall be drowned. The pike is carried with great rejoicing to a deep pond, where, after getting rid of the other animals, he finds liimself extremely comfortable.
Again : tlie pig and the cat swear friendship, and conspire against the mice. The cat gets many a good dinner thereby, but the mice eat the bacon off the pig's back.