batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3359-l3376
---
record_id: batch.motif.greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg-l3359-l3376
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
passage_locator:
label: THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANTS / THE FARMER AND THE VIPER / THE TWO FROGS /
THE COBBLER TURNED DOCTOR; lines 3359-3376
start: '3359'
end: '3376'
translation: Aesop's Fables; a new translation
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: An unskilful cobbler abandons his trade and claims to possess a universal
antidote against poison. The king tests him by pretending to mix poison into the
remedy, whereupon the cobbler confesses that he knows nothing of medicine and
that the antidote is worthless. The king rebukes the people for trusting with
their lives someone they would not trust with their boots.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A cobbler who cannot make a living at his trade gives up mending boots and
begins doctoring.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The cobbler claims to have the secret of a universal antidote against all
poisons.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The cobbler gains reputation through self-promotion.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The king decides to test the cobbler's remedy when the cobbler becomes ill.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The king pours a dose of antidote into a cup, pretends to mix poison with
it, adds water, and commands the cobbler to drink it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: The cobbler, fearing poison, confesses that he knows nothing about medicine
and that his antidote is worthless.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The king summons his subjects and rebukes them for entrusting their lives
to a man they would not entrust with their boots.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: the Cobbler
description: An unskilful cobbler who abandons boot-mending, poses as a doctor,
claims a universal antidote, and later confesses his ignorance of medicine.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: the King
description: The ruler of the country who tests the claimed antidote and rebukes
his subjects.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: the King's subjects
description: The people addressed by the king as those who entrusted their lives
to the cobbler.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
roles:
- id: role:1
label: unskilful tradesman
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He is described as an unskilful cobbler unable to make a living at his trade.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: false doctor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: He claims a universal antidote but confesses he knows nothing about medicine
and that the antidote is worthless.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: tester and judge
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The king devises a test of the remedy and publicly judges the people's folly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: misled public
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The king says they entrusted their lives to the cobbler despite not trusting
him with boots.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: claimed antidote
literal_form: A supposed universal antidote against all poisons.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: sym:2
label: cup
literal_form: A cup used by the king in the test of the antidote.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: water
literal_form: Water added by the king while pretending to mix poison into the antidote.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: boots
literal_form: Boots used in the king's rebuke as the cobbler's neglected and mistrusted
proper trade.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: The cobbler becomes a doctor
summary: An unskilful cobbler abandons his trade, begins doctoring, and advertises
a universal antidote against poison.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: The king tests the remedy
summary: When the cobbler falls ill, the king tests the claimed antidote by preparing
it in a cup, pretending to add poison, adding water, and ordering the cobbler
to drink.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Confession and rebuke
summary: The frightened cobbler admits his remedy is worthless, and the king rebukes
the subjects for trusting him with their lives.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: False healer exposed by a practical test
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The cobbler claims medical power, but the king's staged test causes him to
admit that he knows nothing about medicine and that the antidote is worthless.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: This is a fable motif rather than a mythic motif; no broader comparative
claim is made from the passage alone.
- id: motif:2
label: Public folly in trusting an unqualified pretender
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The king's final speech emphasizes the folly of entrusting lives to someone
not trusted even with his own trade.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The taxonomy reference to wisdom is broad and didactic; it should be reviewed
by a human.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 3359-3365
quote_or_summary: The cobbler is unskilful, abandons mending boots, takes up doctoring,
claims a universal antidote against poisons, and gains reputation through self-promotion.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 3365-3371
quote_or_summary: When the cobbler becomes ill, the king tests the remedy by placing
the antidote in a cup, pretending to mix poison, adding water, and ordering him
to drink.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 3371-3373
quote_or_summary: Fearing that he will be poisoned, the cobbler confesses that he
knows nothing about medicine and that his antidote is worthless.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: quote
locator: lines 3373-3376
quote_or_summary: '"Here is this Cobbler to whom no one will send his boots to be
mended, and yet you have not hesitated to entrust him with your lives!"'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/greek/project-gutenberg/aesops-fables-vernon-jones.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is short and literal details are clear. Motif classification
is limited because the supplied taxonomy is broad and the passage itself does
not support external comparison claims.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Only the supplied passage text was used. No comparison claims were added because the passage does not itself support them.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:greek-aesop-fables-vernon-jones-gutenberg__l3359-l3376
passage_sha256=d792e67fad2dacf05d06c75fe73f75ea7b7058c162d3fbee56dcf55a5dd8062e