A Bee made Jupiter a present of
a pot of
honey, which was so kindly taken
that he
bade her ask what she would in exchange.
The Bee, who was
nursing a private spite
for the loss of some of her winter's store, de-
sired of Jupiter that wherever she should set
her sting it might be mortal.
Jupiter was loth to leave
mankind at the
mercy of a little spiteful
insect, and was
annoyed at the ill-nature shown in her wish.
He said, therefore, that while, for his
prom-
ise's sake, he would give her the power to
harm, she must be careful how she used the
power, for where she planted her sting, she
would leave it, and would thereby lose her
own life.
Ill will often does greater harm to
the one
who acts from it, than to the one on whom it
falls.
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