The Brahmin's Revenge on the Monkeys

Once upon a time when Brahmadatta was king in
Benares, the Bodhisatta was born as a monkey, and lived
in the king's garden with a retinue of five hundred monkeys.
Devadatta 1 was also born as a monkey, and lived there
also with a retinue of five hundred monkeys. Then one
day when the king's family priest had gone to the garden,
bathed and adorned himself, one tricky monkey going
ahead of him sat above the gateway arch of the garden,
and let excrement fall on the priest's head as he went out.
When the priest looked up, he let it fall again in his mouth.
The priest turned back, saying in threat to the monkeys,
" Very well, I shall know how to deal with you," and went
away after washing. They told the Bodhisatta that he
had been angry and threatened the monkeys. He made
announcement to the thousand monkeys, "It is not well
to dwell near the habitation of the angry ; let the whole
troop of monkeys flee and go elsewhere." A disobedient
monkey took his own retinue and did not flee, saying,
" I will see about it afterwards." The Bodhisatta took his
own retinue and went to the forest. One day a female
slave pounding rice had put some rice out in the sun and
a goat was eating it: getting a blow with a torch and
running away on fire, he was rubbing himself on the wall
of a grass-hut near an elephant-stable. The fire caught
the grass-hut and from it the elephant-stable; in it the
elephants' backs were burnt, and the elephant doctors
were attending the elephants. The family priest was
always going about watching for an opportunity of catch-
ing the monkeys. He was sitting in attendance on the
king, and the king said, " Sir, many of our elephants have
been injured, and the elephant doctors do not know how
to cure them ; do you know any remedy ? " "I do, great
king." " What is it ? " " Monkey's fat, great king." " How
shall we get it?" "There are many monkeys in the
garden." The king said, "Kill monkeys in the garden
and get their fat." The archers went and killed five
hundred monkeys with arrows. One old monkey fled
although wounded by an arrow, and though he did not
fall on the spot, fell when he came to the Bodhisatta's
place of abode. The monkeys said, " He has died when
he reached our place of abode," and told the Bodhisatta
that he was dead from a wound he had got. He came
and sat down among the assembly of monkeys, and spoke
these stanzas by way of exhorting the monkeys with the
exhortation of the wise, which is " Men dwelling near their
enemies perish in this way " :

Let not the wise man dwell where dwells his foe:
One night, two nights, so near will bring him woe.

A fool's a foe to all who trust his word :
One monkey brought distress on all the herd.

A foolish chief, wise in his own conceit,
Comes ever, like this monkey, to defeat.

A strong fool is not good to guard the herd,
Curse to his kindred, like the decoy-bird.

One strong and wise is good the herd to guard,
Like Indra to the Gods, his kin's reward.

"Who virtue, wisdom, learning, doth possess,
His deeds himself and other men will bless.

Therefore virtue, knowledge, learning, and himself let him regard,
Either be a lonely Saint or o'er the flock keep watch and ward.

So the Bodhisatta, becoming king of monkeys, explained
the way of learning the Discipline.