Fable 329 - The Sow and the Dog Insulting One Another

The sow and the dog were outdoing each other with insults. The sow swore by Aphrodite that she would tear the dog to pieces.
The dog replied ironically:
‘It’s all very well for you to swear by Aphrodite. It’s evident she loves you with all her tenderness, she who absolutely refuses to admit to her temple anyone who has tasted of your impure flesh.’
‘That is even more proof that the goddess cherishes me, since it means that she simply throws out anyone who kills me or maltreats
me in any way at all. As for you, you smell bad – worse when you’re alive than when you’re dead.’

This fable shows that prudent rhetors skillfully turn the insults of their enemies into commendation.