A Miller, accompanied by his young Son, was driving his Ass to market in hopes of finding a purchaser for him. On the road they met a troop of girls, laughing and talking, who exclaimed, “Did you ever see such a pair of fools? To be trudging along the dusty road when they might be riding!” The Miller thought there was sense in what they said;so he made his Son mount the Ass, and himself walked at the side. Presently they met some of his old cronies, who greeted them and said, “You'll spoil that Son of yours, letting him ride while you toil along on foot! Make him walk, young lazybones! It'll do him all the good in the world.” The Miller followed their advice, and took his Son's place on the back of the Ass while the boy trudged along behind. They had not gone far when they overtook a party of women and children, and the Miller heard them say, “What a selfish old man! He himself rides in comfort, but lets his poor little boy follow as best he can on his own legs!” So he made his Son get up behind him. Further along the road they met some travellers, who asked the Miller whether the Ass he was riding was his own property, or a beast hired for the occasion. He replied that it was his own, and that he was taking it to market to sell. “Good heavens!” said they, “with a load like that the poor beast will be so exhausted by the time he gets there that no one will look at him. Why, you'd do better to carry him!” “Anything to please you,” said the old man, “we can but try.” So they got off, tied the Ass's legs together with a rope and slung him on a pole, and at last reached the town, carrying him between them. This was so absurd a sight that the people ran out in crowds to laugh at it, and chaffed the Father and Son unmercifully, some even calling them lunatics. They had then got to a bridge over the river, where the Ass, frightened by the noise and his unusual situation, kicked and struggled till he broke the ropes that bound him, and fell into the water and was drowned. Whereupon the unfortunate Miller, vexed and ashamed, made the best of his way home again, convinced that in trying to please all he had pleased none, and had lost his Ass into the bargain.
有一个磨坊主，带着小儿子，赶着驴去市场，希望能够把驴卖掉。走在路上，他们遇到了一群女孩，女孩们笑着说：“你们见过这样的两个傻瓜吗？明明可以骑驴，却还在这么一条沙尘滚滚的路上艰难跋涉！”磨坊主觉得她们说得有道理，便让儿子骑到了驴背上，他自己走在一边。不久，他们又遇到了他的几个朋友，他们跟他打招呼，然后说：“你这样会把你儿子宠坏的，你居然让他骑在驴背上，自己在费力走路！让他下来走路，让这年轻的懒骨头动一动！这对他只有好处。”磨坊主又采纳了他们的建议，自己骑上了驴，让孩子跟在后面走。没走多远，他们又遇到了一群带着孩子的女人。磨坊主听到她们说：“真是个自私的老家伙！自己舒舒服服地骑驴，却让可怜的小男孩在后面用尽力气全速跟着跑！”于是，他让儿子也上了驴。再往前走，他们又遇到了一些旅行者，旅行者问磨坊主，这头驴是他自己的财产，还是租来的。磨坊主说，驴是他自己的，他要带去市场上卖掉。旅行者们说：“天啊！这可怜的牲口负重那么多，到了市场肯定精疲力竭，没有人愿意看他一眼的。哎呀，你们最好还是扛着驴吧。”“只要如你们所愿，”老人说，“我们很愿意尝试。”于是，他和儿子从驴背上下来，用绳子绑住了驴的腿，然后用一根杆子穿起来，两个人抬着，终于到了镇上。这情形引来了很多人的关注，人们都跑来笑话他们，无情地嘲笑这对父子，有些人甚至叫他们疯子。他们正在过桥，驴因为周围的噪音和自己不寻常的处境而惊慌不已，便猛烈地踢腾，挣脱了绑着他的绳子，结果落入河里淹死了。于是，不幸的磨坊主又羞又恼，只好回家了。他才明白，他想努力去讨所有人的欢心，结果谁的欢心也没有讨到，最后还损失了驴。