The conclusion drawn by Cleobulus is that "there is no measure of possessions that can be applied to a foolish and worthless man".

Cleobulus then goes on to liken such a foolish person to the improvident dog in a fable told by Aesop – who is also present at the feast.

[3] The earliest English account of the story as a separate fable appears in Roger L'Estrange's Fables of Aesop (1692) under the title "The Moon Begs a New Gown", but in his case the moral given is that "the Humour of many People [is] to be perpetually Longing for something or other that's not to be had", since "there is no Measure to be taken of an Unsteady Mind".

The fable's currency outside Britain is testified by an Italian version by Marcello Adriani the younger (1533–1604), later versified by the Rev.

[6] The fable is retold in only the first four lines of the poem, while the moral is drawn at length, based on Plutarch's account of the episode.