A man wished to purchase an Ass, and agreed with its owner that he should try out the animal before he bought him. He took the Ass home and put him in the straw-yard with his other Asses, upon which the new animal left all the others and at once joined the one that was most idle and the greatest eater of them all. Seeing this, the man put a halter on him and led him back to his owner. On being asked how, in so short a time, he could have made a trial of him, he answered, “I do not need a trial; I know that he will be just the same as the one he chose for his companion.”A man is known by the company he keeps. 有个人想买头驴，他和驴的主人约定他要在买之前试试那头驴。他带那头驴回家，将它和其他的驴一起放在马厩中，这个新来的驴子离开了其他所有的驴，立刻和那个最闲而且吃得最多的驴在一起。看见这一切，那人在它头上套上缰绳，带着它回到了它主人那里。当他被问到如何在这么短的时间里就对驴做了试验，他回答道：“我不需要试验了，我知道它会和那个它选作同伴的驴一模一样。”从一个人所结交的朋友就可以了解他。