English Original
Demades the orator was once speaking in the assembly at Athens, but the people were very inattentive. He stopped and said, "Gentlemen, I should like to tell you one of Aesop's fables." This made everyone listen intently.
Then Demades began: "Demeter, a swallow, and an eel were once travelling together and came to a river without a bridge. The swallow flew over it, and the eel swam across." Then he stopped.
"What happened to Demeter?" cried several people in the audience.
"Demeter," he replied, "is very angry with you for listening to fables when you ought to be minding public business."
中文翻译
演说家狄马德斯曾在雅典的集会上演讲，但听众们心不在焉。于是他停下来，说道：“先生们，我想给你们讲一个伊索寓言。” 这话立刻吸引了所有人的注意。
接着，狄马德斯开始讲述：“有一次，农业女神德墨忒尔、一只燕子和一条鳗鱼结伴旅行，遇到了一条没有桥的河。燕子飞了过去，鳗鱼游了过去。” 讲到这里，他便停了下来。
听众中有几个人喊道：“那德墨忒尔怎么样了？”
他回答说：“德墨忒尔对你们非常生气，因为你们本该关心公共事务，却一心只想听寓言故事。”