Fame as Left-over

9.
One day Xeno found Aesop upset. The cynic wanted to know why. They were before a bookshop. He pointed to the wares on display. There were many books supposedly by Aesop and were being sold like hot cakes. “Look at this, ‘Aesop’s Tables.’ Does it look like my work?” “Or this, ‘Aesop Tells It All’.”
A little further down he saw a baker’s shop where the signboard screamed in bold letters Aesop’s Dozen. The board unfortunately was in danger of falling. Spotting the owner Aesop pointed to the sign. The baker immediately called two slaves to attend to it.
Aesop later in the night returned along the same way and Xeno drew his attention to the signboard that now stood in place; it carried some inscription beneath the sign Aesop’s Dozen. It read: Freshly Baked Loaves. Aesop stops here.
Aesop winced in utter embarrassment. Xeno explained it as the price he had to pay for fame. Aesop asked his friend if he would drink somebody else’s leftover. “Never,” Xeno was sure. “If it comes in the shape of fame, there are those who lap it up!”
benny
(selected: The Life of Aesop www.lulu.com/content/344881)