Going Up a Tree and Coming Down

There was a boy who had climbed a tree, and who then came tumbling down, landing hard on the ground.
A passing shepherd heard him fall and came running up to lend his aid.
"Thank you, sir," said the boy. "I seem to be unharmed."
The old shepherd grinned, and then said to the boy, "Let me offer you some advice for future trees. Climbing up is the easy part. The key thing is not to come down faster than when you went up. And that applies to more than just tree-climbing: do nothing too quickly."


Inspired by: Fables of Aesop and Other Eminent Mythologists by Roger L'Estrange, 369.
Notes: This fable is not part of the classical Aesop tradition; find out more here.

Here is an illustration for an edition of Sebastian Brant's Aesop:




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