Four friends set out to make their fortune. Three were very learned in books; the fourth had little learning but plenty of common sense.

In a forest they found a lion's bones. "Let's test our knowledge!" said the scholars. The first put the skeleton together. The second added flesh and skin. The third prepared to bring it to life.

"Stop!" cried the fourth. "That's a lion — it will kill us all!" They laughed at him. "Then let me climb a tree first," he said. The third scholar chanted his spell. The lion came alive — and killed the three learned men. The sensible friend climbed down and went home safely.