Folk Tale
The Swallow, the Serpent, and the Court of Justice
| Author | George Fyler Townsend | 
|---|---|
| Book Title | Aesop's Fables | 
| Publication Date | 1867 | 
| Language | English | 
| Origin | Greece | 
A SWALLOW, returning from abroad and especially fond of dwelling with men, built herself a nest in the wall of a Court of Justice and there hatched seven young birds. A Serpent gliding past the nest from its hole in the wall ate up the young unfledged nestlings. The Swallow, finding her nest empty, lamented greatly and exclaimed: "Woe to me a stranger! that in this place where all others' rights are protected, I alone should suffer wrong."
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