“What foolishness,” cried one, “to walk when they might as well ride. The most stupid of the three is not the one you would expect it to be.” The Miller did not like to be laughed at, so he told his son to climb up and ride. They had gone a little farther along the road when three merchants passed by. “Oho, what have we here?” they cried. “Respect old age, young man! Get down, and let the old man ride.”

Though the Miller was not tired, he made the boy get down and climbed up himself to ride, just to please the Merchants. At the next turnstile, they overtook some women carrying market baskets loaded with vegetables and other things to sell. “Look at the old fool,” exclaimed one of them. “Perched on the Ass, while that poor boy has to walk.” The Miller felt a bit vexed, but to be agreeable, he told the Boy to climb up behind him.

They had no sooner started out again than a loud shout went up from another company of people on the road. “What a crime,” cried one, “to load up a poor dumb beast like that! They look more able to carry the poor creature, than he to carry them.” “They must be on their way to sell the poor thing’s hide,” said another.

The Miller and his Son quickly scrambled down, and a short time later, the marketplace was thrown into an uproar as the two came along carrying the Donkey slung from a pole. A great crowd of people ran out to get a closer look at the strange sight.

The Ass did not dislike being carried, but so many people came up to point at him and laugh and shout, that he began to kick and bray, and then, just as they were crossing a bridge, the ropes that held him gave way, and down he tumbled into the river.

The poor Miller now set out sadly for home. By trying to please everybody, he had pleased nobody, and lost his Ass besides.

If you try to please all, you please none.

“Let us agree”, said the Sun, “that he is the stronger who can strip that Traveler of his cloak.”

“Very well”, growled the North Wind, and at once sent a cold, howling blast against the Traveler.

With the first gust of wind the ends of the cloak whipped about the Traveler’s body. But he immediately wrapped it closely around him, and the harder the Wind blew, the tighter he held it to him. The North Wind tore angrily at the cloak, but all his efforts were in vain.

Then the Sun began to shine. At first his beams were gentle, and in the pleasant warmth after the bitter cold of the North Wind, the Traveler unfastened his cloak and let it hang loosely from his shoulders. The Sun’s rays grew warmer and warmer. The man took off his cap and mopped his brow. At last he became so heated that he pulled off his cloak, and, to escape the blazing sunshine, threw himself down in the welcome shade of a tree by the roadside.

Gentleness and kind persuasion win where force and bluster fail.