The Labrador and the Viper

Václav Hollar: The Labrador and the Viper.

The labrador and the viper (Γεωργὸς καὶ ὄφις ὑπὸ κρύους πεπηγώς) is a fable attributed to Aesop and later rewritten by other fabulists of different eras.

In it a labrador when walking in the forest in winter finds a moribund viper because of the cold. He takes pity on her and decides to take her home so she can recover. He places it next to the fire and the son of the farmer adopts it as a pet. When feeling revived with the heat the viper attacks and tries to bite the son. The farmer intervenes in time and kills the vermin.

The moral of the story is that "it is useless to do good with those who are only predisposed to return evil." This teaching is repeated in other fables like that of the scorpion and the frog or even in the Bible: Do not give the holy thing to the dogs, nor throw your pearls before the pigs, lest they trample them, and turn and tear you apart (Matthew 7: 6).

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