A Flea once said to an Ox, “How comes it that a big strong fellow like you is content to serve mankind, and do all their hard work for them, while I, who am no bigger than you see, live on their bodies and drink my fill of their blood, and never do a stroke for it all?” To which the Ox replied, “Men are very kind to me, and so I am grateful to them: they feed and house me well, and every now and then they show their fondness for me by patting me on the head and neck.” “They'd pat me, too,” said the Flea, “if I let them: but I take good care they don't, or there would be nothing left of me.”
跳蚤对公牛说：“你这么高大强壮，为什么还甘于为人们服务，替他们做所有的累活呢？你看我，小小的，你几乎都看不到，却能以人的身体为食，喝他们的血，却从来都不用做什么。”公牛回答说：“人对我很友善，所以我很感激他们，他们喂养我，给我住的地方，还时不时地爱抚我的头和脖子表达对我的喜爱。”“如果我允许的话，他们也会拍我，”跳蚤说，“但是我不让他们拍，要是被他们一拍，我就剩不下什么了。”