Arabian Ass And Ox

tale:arabian_ass_and_ox

An ox, worn out by the plow, takes the ass's advice to refuse its food and feign sickness for a day's rest. Pleased with the result, the ox does it again — but the farmer, told the ox is ill, yokes the idle ass to the plow in its place. The ass, now laboring under its own clever counsel, hastens to advise the ox to recover at once. Moral: advice given to spare another may fall back upon the giver. — Thousand and One Nights