The Fables are not just an allegorical and satirical painting of the court of Louis XIV. They present humanity that is unjust and corrupted by the arbitrary use of force and power, and where cunning and lies often prevail over honesty and sincerity. But the whole art of La Fontaine is to transform the indictment into a pleasant lesson in wisdom. Prudence and moderation are mothers of all virtues, insists the fabulist, who never hesitates to call a dumbfounded and conquered reader to witness.
