Tag Archives: The Cock and the Jewel

69.The Cock and the Jewel

A COCK, scratching for food for himself and his hens, found a precious stone and exclaimed:

“If your owner had found you, and not I, he would have taken you up and set you where you were placed before; but I have found you for no good reason. Someone like me would rather have one barleycorn than all the jewels in the world.”

Any isolated country cook might also exclaim these and similar things.