The Thief and His Mother

　　The Thief and His Mother
　　（小偷和他的母親）
　　"養不教，父之過。"兒子不學好，母親一味包庇縱容，反害了自己的孩子，行刑前兒子給母親吃的小小苦頭，縱令她醒悟，那已是悔之晚矣。
　　A schoolboy stole a horn-book from one of his schoolfellows, and brought it home to his mother. Instead of chastising him, she rather encouraged him in the deed. In course of time the boy, now grown into a man, began to steal things of greater value, till at length being caught in the very act , he was bound and led to execution . Perceiving his mother following among the crowd, wailing and beating her breast, he begged the officers to be allowed to speak one word in her ear. When she quickly drew near and applied her ear to her son's mouth, he seized the lobe of it tightly between his teeth and bit it off. Upon this she cried out lustily, and the crowd joined her in upbraiding the unnatural son, as if his former evil ways had not been enough, but that his last act must be a deed of impiety against his mother. But he replied: "It is she who is the cause of my ruin, for if when I stole my schoolfellow's horn-book and brought it to her, she had given me a sound flogging, I should never have so grown in wickedness as to come to this untimely end. "
　　Nip evil in the bud. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
　　注釋
　　1·horn-book n· 角貼書(紙頁上印有文字，其上蓋有透明角片的兒童識字書籍)
　　2·chastise v· 懲戒，懲罰
　　3·in course of time 終有一天
　　4·at length= at last最后
　　5·caught in the very act 當場被抓，very在這兒用來加強語氣。
　　6·was bound and led to execution 被捆，被帶上刑場。
　　7·wailing and beating her breast 一邊痛哭一邊捶打著胸，此現在分詞短語表伴隨狀況。
　　8·draw near靠近，挨近，走進
　　9·seized the lobe of it tightly between his teeth 他用牙齒緊緊地咬住(母親的)耳垂
　　10·lustily adv· 起勁地，拼命地
　　11·upbraid v· 責備，譴責
　　12·unnatural son 違背天理的兒子
　　13·a deed of impiety against 對……不孝的行為
　　14·It is she who... 這是一個強調句。
　　15·give sb· a sound flogging 把某人痛打一頓
　　16·come to this untimely end 過早就了此一生，死于非命。untimely這兒指年紀輕輕就被判死刑的結局。
　　17. Nip evil in the bud. 將罪惡扼殺在萌芽狀態。防患于未然。
　　18·Spare the rod and spoil the child 不打不成器.棍棒底下出孝子。不打不成器。