BOOK IV
LOSS OF GAINS
Here, then, begins Book IV, called "Loss of Gains." The first verse runs:
Blind folly always has to pay
For giving property away
Because of blandishments and guile—
The monkey tricked the crocodile.
"How was that?" asked the princes. And Vishnusharman told the story of
THE MONKEY AND THE CROCODILE
On the shore of the sea was a great rose-apple tree that was never without fruit. In it lived a monkey named Red-Face.
Now one day a crocodile named Ugly-Mug crawled out of the ocean under the tree and burrowed in the soft sand. Then Red-Face said: "You are my guest, sir. Pray eat these rose-apples which I throw you. You will find them like nectar. You know the proverb:
A fool or scholar let him be,
Pleasant or hideous to see,
A guest, when offerings are given,
Is useful as a bridge to heaven.
Ask not his home or education,
His family or reputation,
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