English Original
A snake suffered a great deal from being constantly trodden upon by humans and beasts. This was partly due to the length of his body and partly because he could not raise himself above the ground. So, he went to complain to Jupiter about the dangers he faced.
Jupiter, however, had little sympathy for him. "I dare say," Jupiter remarked, "if you had bitten the first one who stepped on you, the others would have taken more care about where they placed their feet."
中文翻译
一条蛇因频繁遭受人类和野兽的踩踏而痛苦不堪。部分原因在于他身体过长，部分原因在于他无法离开地面。于是，他跑去向朱庇特抱怨自己所面临的危险。
然而，朱庇特对他并无多少同情。朱庇特说道：“我敢说，如果你咬了第一个踩到你的人，其他人就会更加注意自己的落脚之处了。”