Aesop & Son (un-restored) "The Lion and the Mouse"

All set for today's lesson, Junior? Yeah, Pop. And here it comes, right over the old place. A monarch cannot hope to please everyone. Got it? Oh yeah, Pop. And that brings us to our story, which is, how shall I put it? A gazzer? The cat's meow. And it's all about, oh, trouble here. You brought the wrong scroll, Junior. This one is in Sanskrit. Can't read Sanskrit, boy. It's upside down, Pop. Oh, of course, good eye, son. Now, today we hear all about the lion and the mouse. The lion, you know, is the king of the beasts, monarch of all he surveys, or at any rate he was, until one day. Hey, who did that? I did. Oh. Hey, did you do that again? Yeah, and I'm going to keep right on doing it. What for? Because as the king of the beasts, you're a flop. Oh. Look at you. You're a mess. Look at that. Your hair is coming out by the hands full. And your teeth will be doing the same thing any day. Let me hear you roar. Just as I thought, only 30 feet. You win this shot. You're a disgrace. What should I do? What else? Abdicate. Abdicate? What's that mean? Roughly translated, it means, get another job. But the only thing I know is kinging. Look, Simba, let's face it. Everybody knows that a king is supposed to be king. You're supposed to be brave. I got you there. Because when it comes to fear, I don't know the meaning of the word. Is that so? That is so. Well, see about that. You see the big gorilla over there? See the gorilla? You go over and, like, kick him. All right. You just watch this. Hey, listen, buddy. I'm going to play a joke on a friend. Here's the plan. I'm going to kick you just a little, see? But don't you get mad, because I'm only kidding. I'm going to kick you just a little, see? Funny, funny. No! No, please! It was just a joke! It's a joke! Don't you get it? Eh? He didn't hear you, fearless leader. All right, all right. Just give me one more chance. That's all. Just one. Okay. Well, remember, you asked for it. Kings are supposed to be kind. Stop right there. You have found the real me. I'm the real me. Oh, look. A tiny baby eagle has fallen from its nest. Well, there's your chance to be kind. Take the baby eagle and return it to its nest. Where is the nest? Up there. Up there? Wouldn't it be kinder to let him grow up here and fly back? I thought you was that kind. Determined to prove that he was not that kind, the lion picked up the baby eagle and started off to climb the mountain. The climb was a little difficult for him, but he finally reached the nest at the tip top of the mountain. There you go, little fellow. Kindest acts I've ever seen. Oh, you sure surprised me. Yeah, I'm a little surprised myself. Well, I guess that does it. Are you ready to admit that you're not fit to be a king? Look here, mouse, I may not be wise and all that other stuff, but I got one quality you have not touched upon. I am generous. Big-hearted, huh? I got a heart as big as all our boys. Bigger. Okay, here's your chance to prove it. Look. Let's go home, Freddy. Two months we've been out here, we still haven't been able to trap one lion. I hate to go home empty-handed, Bounty, but I guess you're right. Well, are you really generous? To a fault! To a fault! Now, is this generous or is this generous? Okay, you're generous. But, of course, you realize that, uh, now that you're leaving, you can no longer be king of the jungle. I know. And, boy, it's the smartest thing I ever done. So, we'll, uh, need another king right away. Any suggestions? Just one, Leo, baby. Yes, sirree, Bob. In two minutes, the animals had a new king, and in three minutes, he was in trouble, too. You lazy louse! You quit the slobbing around! You get back to work right away! You hear me? And so, from that time on, it was bim-bang-boom for the poor mouse of a king. He never had another peaceful day. Pretty meaningful, huh? Oh, yeah, Pop. The moral of the story is... Yeah, go ahead, boy. If you're gonna be king, you gotta expect to get crowned. Gotta expect... Ho-ho-ho-ho! You're a good boy, Junior.