The Farmer and the Snake

One winter, a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. The Farmer had a kind heart and, taking pity on the creature, picked it up and placed it inside his coat to warm it against his chest.

The warmth soon revived the Snake, and it began to stir. But the moment it was fully recovered, it turned and bit the Farmer with its deadly fangs. The Farmer fell to the ground, the poison spreading through his veins, and realized that he was dying.

You have killed me, he said to the Snake with his last breath. I saved your life, and you have taken mine. The Snake simply slithered away. No good deed goes unpunished when the recipient is evil by nature. Kindness cannot change the fundamental character of the wicked.