Felix and the spider
[1515-1587]
Felix broke out of prison, but two Roman soldiers followed in hot pursuit. He ran this way and that, around a corner, past an old crumbling wall. There happened to be a Felix-sized hole in it, so in he squeezed, deep into a hollow place among the stones.
When the guards got to the wall, they argued whether he’d gone right or left. One of them noticed the hole and said, “Ah, the perfect hiding place!” But a glorious spider web now covered the opening. “You dunce,” said the other guard, “if he’d gone in, he would’ve broken the web,” and away they ran, leaving Felix and his eight-legged friend.