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Androcles and the Lion

HE story of An- him. Androcles gave himself up for lost; drocles and the but the lion, instead of treating him as lion is told by he expected, laid his right paw on his lap, Dion Cassius, and with a low moan of pain licked his a Roman his-hand. Androcles, after having recovered torian of himself a little from his fright, plucked. undoubted up courage enough to look at the paw veracity. An- which was laid on his lap, and observed drocles was a large thorn in it. He immediately the slave of a pulled it out, and by squeezing it very noble Roman, gently made a great deal of poisonous who was pro- blood and matter run out, which probably consul of Af- freed the lion from the great pain he was ric, or Africa. He had been found in. The lion again licked his hand, and guilty of a fault for which his master with a brighter look in his eyes left him, was going to put him to death, but soon returning, however, with a fawn he he found an opportunity to escape, and had just killed. This he laid down at the fled into the deserts of Numidia. As feet of his benefactor, and went off again he was wandering among the barren in pursuit of more prey, not limping now sands, and almost dead with heat and as he did when Androcles first saw him, thirst, he saw a cave in a rock. Finding but bounding along as if his paw had. just at the entrance a stone to sit upon, never had anything the matter with it. which was shaded from the fierce heat of Androcles, after having subsisted upon the sun, he rested for some time. the fawn and other food which the lion At length, to his great surprise, a huge brought him for several days, at length overgrown lion stood before him, and got tired of this frightful solitude and seeing him, immediately walked towards savage companionship, expecting that at: (69) any moment the lion might forget his act having been once kindly treated, had of kindness and devour him. So he re- saved his benefactor's life. solved to deliver himself into his master's hand and suffer the worst effects of his displeasure.

The Lion is named the king of beasts.