a flea thus questioned an ox: “what ails you, that being so huge and strong, you submit to the wrongs you receive from men and slave for them day by day, while i, being so small a creature, mercilessly feed on their flesh and drink their blood without stint?’ the ox replied: “i do not wish to be ungrateful, for i am loved and well cared for by men, and they often pat my head and shoulders.” “woe’s me!” said the flea; “this very patting which you like, whenever it happens to me, brings with it my inevitable destruction.”