Demades the orator was once speaking in the Assembly at Athens; but the people were very inattentive to what he was saying, so he stopped and said, “Gentlemen, I should like to tell you one of Aesop's fables.” This made every one 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.” And 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.”
演说家德玛德斯有一次在雅典的议会演讲，但是人们一点也不关心他到底说了什么，于是他便停下来，说：“先生们，我要跟你们说一个伊索的寓言。”所有的人开始专心地听了起来。然后德玛德斯说：“得墨忒耳、一只燕子和一条鳗鱼一起旅行，他们来到一条没有桥的河边，燕子飞了过去，鳗鱼游了过去。”说到这里，他停了下来。“得墨忒耳呢？”观众中有好几个人问道。他回答说：“得墨忒耳很生气，因为你们在该关注公共事务的时候却只想着听寓言。”