There were once four learned and accomplished men. One day they said to themselves, "Of what use is all our learning if we do not seek the employment of a great king?" Accordingly, they set out for the capital.

Now among these four, three were particularly brilliant. The fourth was far inferior to the others in intellect, but he was the one with the most sense.

On the road, they came upon the skeleton of a lion. "Let us bring this lion back to life," proposed the first. "Yes, this will bring us great fame," agreed the second and third. The fourth one said, "If you bring this lion back to life, he will attack and devour you."

"Don't interrupt!" cried the first, who already used his superior knowledge to put flesh on the bones. The second quickly introduced blood, and the third was about to breathe life into the lion.

"We should think of safety," said the fourth.

"Quiet!" said the third from the depths of his labor.

"Well, then, I shall go sit in this tree," said the fourth. "Just in case."

The lion came back to life and killed the wise men. The only one who survived was the man with common sense.