to the lion, king of the forests, was given a son.
among us, a child a year old, even if it belong to a royal family, is small and weak. but, by the time it has lived a twelve-month, a lion-cub has long ago left off its baby-clothes.
so, at the end of a year, the lion began to consider that he must not allow his royal son to remain ignorant, that the dignity of the kingdom be not degraded, and that when the son's turn should come to govern the kingdom the nation should have no cause to reproach the father on his account.
but whom should he entreat, or compel, or induce by rewards, to instruct the czarevitch to become a czar?
the fox is clever, but it is terribly addicted to lying, and a liar is perpetually getting into trouble. "no," thought the lion, "the science of falsehood is not one which princes ought to study."
should he trust him to the mole? all who speak of that animal say that it is an extreme admirer of order and regularity; that it never takes a step till it has examined the ground before it, and that it cleans and shells with its own paws every grain of corn that comes to its table. in fact, the mole has the reputation of being very great in small affairs; but, unfortunately, it cannot see anything at a distance. the mole's love of order is an excellent thing for animals of its own kind, but the lion's kingdom is considerably more extensive than a mole-run.
should he choose the panther? the panther is brave and strong, and is, besides, a great master of military tactics; but the panther knows nothing of politics, is ignorant of everything that belongs to civil affairs. a king must be a judge and a minister as well as a warrior. the panther is good for nothing but fighting; so it, too, is unfit to educate royal children.
to be brief, not a single beast, not even the elephant himself, who was as much esteemed in the forest as plato used to be in greece, seemed wise enough to satisfy the lion.
by good fortune, or the opposite—we shall find out which—another king, the king of birds, the eagle, an old acquaintance and friend of the lion, heard of that monarch's difficulty, and, wishing to do his friend a great kindness, offered to educate the young lion himself.
the lion felt a great weight removed from his shoulders. what could be better than a king as the tutor for a prince? so the lion-cub was got ready, and sent off to the eagle's court, there to learn how to govern.
and now two or three years go by. ask whom you will, meanwhile, you hear nothing but praise of the young lion; and all the birds scatter throughout the forests the wonderful stories of his merits.
at last the appointed time comes, and the lion sends for his son. the prince arrives, and all the people are gathered together, great and small alike.
the king embraces his son before them all, and thus addresses him: "my beloved son, you are my only heir. i am looking forward to the grave, but you are just entering upon life. before i make over my sceptre to you, tell me, in the presence of this assembly, what you have been taught, and in what manner you propose to make your people happy."
"papa," exclaimed the prince, "i know what no one here knows. i can tell where each bird, from the eagle to the quail, can most readily find water, on what each of them lives, and how many eggs it lays; and i can count up the wants of every bird, without missing one. here is the certificate my tutor gave me. it was not for nothing that the birds used to say that i could pick the stars out of the sky. when you have made up your mind to transfer the kingdom to me, i will immediately begin to teach the beasts how to make nests."
on this the king and all his beasts howled aloud; the members of the council hung their heads; and, too late, the lion perceived that the young lion had learned nothing of what was wanted, that he was acquainted with birds only, not knowing anything of the nature of beasts, although he was destined to rule over them, and that he was destitute of that which is most requisite in kings—the knowledge of the wants of their own people and the interests of their own country.
