THE KID AND THE WOLF.THE KID AND THE WOLF.
Upona time, a neighing Steed,Who grazed among a numerous breed,With mutiny had fired the train,And spread dissension through the plain.
Upona time, a neighing Steed,Who grazed among a numerous breed,With mutiny had fired the train,And spread dissension through the plain.
On matters that concerned the stateThe council met in grand debate.A Colt, whose eye-balls flamed with ire,Elate with strength and youthful fire,In haste stepped forth before the rest,And thus the listening throng addressed:—"Good gods! how abject is our race!Condemned to slavery and disgrace!Shall we our servitude retain,Because our sires have borne the chain?Consider, friends, your strength and might;'Tis conquest to assert your right.How cumberous is the gilded coach!The pride of man is our reproach.Were we designed for daily toil,To drag the ploughshare through the soil;To sweat in harness through the road;To groan beneath the carrier's load?How feeble are the two-legged kind!What force is in our nerves combined!Shall, then, our nobler jaws submitTo foam and champ the galling bit?Shall haughty men my back bestride?Shall the sharp spur provoke my side?Forbid it, heavens! reject the rein,Your shame, your infamy disdain.Let him the Lion first control,And still the Tiger's famished growl!Let us, like them, our freedom claim;And make him tremble at our name."A general nod approved the cause,And all the circle neighed applause;When, lo! with grave and solemn pace,A Steed advanced before the race,With age and long experience wise;Around he casts his thoughtful eyes,And, to the murmurs of the train,Thus spoke the Nestor of the plain:—"When I had health and strength, like you,The toils of servitude I knew.Now, grateful man rewards my pains,And gives me all these wide domains.At will I crop the year's increase;My latter life is rest and peace.I grant, to man we lend our pains,And aid him to correct the plains.But doth not he divide the care,Through all the labours of the year?How many thousand structures rise,To fence us from inclement skies!For us he bears the sultry day,And stores up all our winter's hay.He sows, he reaps the harvest gain;We share the toil, and share the grain."The tumult ceased. The Colt submitted;And, like his ancestors, was bitted.
On matters that concerned the stateThe council met in grand debate.A Colt, whose eye-balls flamed with ire,Elate with strength and youthful fire,In haste stepped forth before the rest,And thus the listening throng addressed:—
"Good gods! how abject is our race!Condemned to slavery and disgrace!Shall we our servitude retain,Because our sires have borne the chain?Consider, friends, your strength and might;'Tis conquest to assert your right.How cumberous is the gilded coach!The pride of man is our reproach.Were we designed for daily toil,To drag the ploughshare through the soil;To sweat in harness through the road;To groan beneath the carrier's load?How feeble are the two-legged kind!What force is in our nerves combined!Shall, then, our nobler jaws submitTo foam and champ the galling bit?Shall haughty men my back bestride?Shall the sharp spur provoke my side?Forbid it, heavens! reject the rein,Your shame, your infamy disdain.Let him the Lion first control,And still the Tiger's famished growl!Let us, like them, our freedom claim;And make him tremble at our name."
A general nod approved the cause,And all the circle neighed applause;When, lo! with grave and solemn pace,A Steed advanced before the race,With age and long experience wise;Around he casts his thoughtful eyes,And, to the murmurs of the train,Thus spoke the Nestor of the plain:—
"When I had health and strength, like you,The toils of servitude I knew.Now, grateful man rewards my pains,And gives me all these wide domains.At will I crop the year's increase;My latter life is rest and peace.I grant, to man we lend our pains,And aid him to correct the plains.But doth not he divide the care,Through all the labours of the year?How many thousand structures rise,To fence us from inclement skies!For us he bears the sultry day,And stores up all our winter's hay.He sows, he reaps the harvest gain;We share the toil, and share the grain."
The tumult ceased. The Colt submitted;And, like his ancestors, was bitted.
MORAL.
Since every creature is decreedTo aid each other's mutual need;Submit with a contented mindTo act the part by heaven assigned.
Since every creature is decreedTo aid each other's mutual need;Submit with a contented mindTo act the part by heaven assigned.
The Ass, observing how great a favourite a little Dog was with his master, how much caressed, and fondled, and fed with good bits at every meal, and for no other reason, ashe could perceive, but skipping and frisking about, wagging his tail, and leaping up in his master's lap, was resolved to imitate the same, and see whether such behaviour would not procure him the same favours. Accordingly, the master was no sooner come home from walking about his fields and gardens, and was seated in his easy chair, than the Ass, who observed him, came gamboling and braying towards him, in a very awkward manner. The master could not help laughing aloud at the odd sight. But the jest soon became earnest, when he felt the rough salute of the fore-feet, as the Ass, raising himself upon his hinder legs, pawed against his breast with a most loving air, and would fain have jumped into his lap. The good man, terrified at this outrageous conduct, and unable to endure the weight of so heavy a beast, cried out; upon which one of his servants, running in with a good stick, and laying heartily upon the bones of the poor Ass, soon convinced him that everyone who desires it is not qualified to be a favourite.
MORAL.
All men have not the same gifts of pleasing. It will be well, therefore, to keep in our own place; and, in that condition of life, to do our duty. By which we shall be most likely to give satisfaction.
Four Bulls, which had entered into a very strict friendship, kept always near one another, and fed together. The Lion often saw them, and as often wished to make one of them his prey; but though he could easily have subdued any of them singly, yet he was afraid to attack the whole when together, knowing they would have been too hard for him; and, therefore, contented himself for the present with keeping at a distance. At last, perceiving no attempt was to be made upon them as long as their combination lasted, he took occasion, by whispers and hints, to foment jealousies and raise divisions among them.
This stratagem succeeded so well, that the Bulls grew cold and reserved towards one another, which soon after ripened into a downright hatred and aversion, and, at last, ended in a total separation. The Lion had now obtained his ends; and, as impossible as it was for him to hurt them while they were united, he found no difficulty, now they were parted, to seize and devour every Bull of them, one after another.
MORAL.
Union is strength. Jealousy and envy, especially when fomented by whisperers, will destroy gradually the ties that make us safe against enemies.
The Leopard one day took it into his head to value himself upon the great variety and beauty of his spots; and, truly, he saw no reason why even the lion should take place of him, since he could not show so beautiful a skin. As for the rest of the wild beasts of the forests, he treated them all, without distinction, in the most haughty and disdainful manner. But the Fox, being among them, went up to him with a great deal of spirit and resolution, and told him that he was mistaken in the value he was pleased to set upon himself, since people of judgment were not used to form their opinion of merit from an outside appearance, but by considering the good qualities and endowments with which the mind was stored within.
MORAL.
Haughty beauty is an ungraceful thing. True beauty is always found in a setting of modesty, and then only appears the bright jewel that it is.
THE LEOPARD AND THE FOX.THE LEOPARD AND THE FOX.
AyoungWolf said aloudTo the listening crowd,"I may well of my father's great courage be proud;Wherever he came,Flock, shepherd, or dame,All trembled and fled at the sound of his name.Did anyone spyMy papa coming by—Two hundred or more—Oh! he made them all fly!One day, by a blow,He was conquered, I know;But no wonder at last he should yield to a foe:He yielded, poor fellow!The conquering bellowResounds in my ears as my poor father's knell—Oh!"A Fox then replied,While, leering aside,He laughed at his folly and vapouring pride:"My chattering youth,Your nonsense, forsooth,Is more like a funeral sermon than truth.Let history tellHow your old father fell;And see if the narrative sounds as well.Your folly surpasses,Of monkeys all classes;The beasts which he frightened, or conquered, were asses,Except a few sheep,When the shepherd, asleep,The dog by his side for safety did keep.Your father fell back,Knocked down by a whackFrom the very first bull that he dared to attack.Away he'd have scoured,But soon overpowered,He lived like a thief, and he died like a coward."
AyoungWolf said aloudTo the listening crowd,"I may well of my father's great courage be proud;Wherever he came,Flock, shepherd, or dame,All trembled and fled at the sound of his name.Did anyone spyMy papa coming by—Two hundred or more—Oh! he made them all fly!One day, by a blow,He was conquered, I know;But no wonder at last he should yield to a foe:He yielded, poor fellow!The conquering bellowResounds in my ears as my poor father's knell—Oh!"A Fox then replied,While, leering aside,He laughed at his folly and vapouring pride:"My chattering youth,Your nonsense, forsooth,Is more like a funeral sermon than truth.Let history tellHow your old father fell;And see if the narrative sounds as well.Your folly surpasses,Of monkeys all classes;The beasts which he frightened, or conquered, were asses,Except a few sheep,When the shepherd, asleep,The dog by his side for safety did keep.Your father fell back,Knocked down by a whackFrom the very first bull that he dared to attack.Away he'd have scoured,But soon overpowered,He lived like a thief, and he died like a coward."
In former days, when the Belly and the other parts of the body enjoyed the faculty of speech, and had separate views and designs of their own; each part, it seems, in particular, for himself, and in the name of the whole, took exception atthe conduct of the Belly, and were resolved to grant him supplies no longer.
They said they thought it very hard that he should lead an idle, good-for-nothing life, spending and squandering away upon his own vile appetites all the fruits of their labour; and that, in short, they were resolved for the future to strike off his allowance, and let him shift for himself as well as he could.
The hands protested they would not lift a finger to keep him from starving; and the mouth wished he might never speak again if he took in the least bit of nourishment for him as long as he lived; and the teeth said, "May we be rotten if ever we chew a morsel for him for the future!" This solemn league and covenant was kept so long, until each of the rebel members pined away to the skin and bone, and could hold out no longer. Then they found there was no doing without the Belly, and that, as idle and insignificant as he seemed, he contributed as much to the maintenance and welfare of all the other parts as they did to his.
MORAL.
Men are dependent upon their fellow-creatures, and it is foolish to expect we can do without the help of others.
AVillageCur, of snappish race,The pertest puppy in the place,Imagined that his treble throatWas blessed with music's sweetest note;In the mid road he basking lay,The yelping nuisance of the way;For not a creature passed along,But had a sample of his song.Soon as the trotting steed he hears,He starts, he cocks his dapper ears;Away he scours, assaults his hoof;Now near him snarls, now barks aloof;With shrill impertinence attends;Nor leaves him till the village ends.It chanced, upon his evil day,A Pad came pacing down the way;The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue,Upon the passing traveller sprung.The Horse, from scorn provoked to ire,Flung backward; rolling in the mire,The Puppy howled, and bleeding lay;The Pad in peace pursued his way.A Shepherd's Dog, who saw the deed,Detesting the vexatious breed,Bespoke him thus: "When coxcombs prate,They kindle wrath, contempt, or hate;Thy teasing tongue, had judgment tied,Thou hadst not like a Puppy died."
AVillageCur, of snappish race,The pertest puppy in the place,Imagined that his treble throatWas blessed with music's sweetest note;In the mid road he basking lay,The yelping nuisance of the way;For not a creature passed along,But had a sample of his song.
Soon as the trotting steed he hears,He starts, he cocks his dapper ears;Away he scours, assaults his hoof;Now near him snarls, now barks aloof;With shrill impertinence attends;Nor leaves him till the village ends.
It chanced, upon his evil day,A Pad came pacing down the way;The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue,Upon the passing traveller sprung.The Horse, from scorn provoked to ire,Flung backward; rolling in the mire,The Puppy howled, and bleeding lay;The Pad in peace pursued his way.
A Shepherd's Dog, who saw the deed,Detesting the vexatious breed,Bespoke him thus: "When coxcombs prate,They kindle wrath, contempt, or hate;Thy teasing tongue, had judgment tied,Thou hadst not like a Puppy died."
MORAL.
Too late the forward youth will findThat jokes are sometimes paid in kind;Or, if they canker in the breast,He makes a foe who makes a jest.
Too late the forward youth will findThat jokes are sometimes paid in kind;Or, if they canker in the breast,He makes a foe who makes a jest.
An Eagle flew down from the top of a high rock, and settled upon the back of a lamb, and then, instantly flying up into the air again, bore his bleating prize aloft in his talons. A Jackdaw, who sat upon an elm, and beheld his exploit, resolved to imitate it. So, flying upon the back of a ram, and entangling his claws in the wool, he fell a-chattering and attempting to fly; by which means he drew the observation of the shepherd upon him, who, finding his feet hampered in the fleece of the ram, easily took him, and gave him to his boys for their sport and diversion, saying, "The silly bird thought he was an Eagle; but, no doubt, by this time he has found out he is but a Jackdaw."
MORAL.
A false estimate of our own abilities ever exposes us to ridicule, and often to danger.
THE JACKDAW AND THE EAGLE.THE JACKDAW AND THE EAGLE.
The Lion took a fancy to hunt in company with the Ass; and, to make him the more useful, gave him instructions to hide himself in a thicket, and then to bray in the most frightful manner that he could possibly contrive. "By this means," says he, "you will rouse all the beasts within hearing of you, while I stand at the outlets and take them as they are making off." This was done; and the stratagem took effect accordingly. The Ass brayed most hideously, and the timorous beasts, not knowing what to make of it, began to scour off as fast as they could; when the Lion, who was posted at a convenient place, seized and devoured them as he pleased.
Having got his belly full, he called out to the Ass, and bid him leave off braying, as he had had enough. Upon this the lop-eared brute came out of his ambush, and, approaching the Lion, asked him, with an air of conceit, "how he liked his performance." "Prodigiously," says he; "you did it so well, that I protest, had I not known your nature and temper, I might have been frightened myself."
MORAL.
Boastful cowards may impose upon those who do not know them, but are held to be only ridiculous by those who do. Pompous persons who would wish themselves thought perfect Lions, when known are mostly found arrant Asses.
AWolfclothing himself in the skin of a Sheep, and getting in among the flock, by this means took the opportunity to devour many of them. At last, the Shepherd discovered him, and cunningly fastened a rope about his neck, tying him up to a tree which stood hard by.
Some other Shepherds happening to pass that way, and observing what he was about, drew near, and expressed their wonder at it. "What," says one of them, "Brother, do you hang Sheep?" "No," replies the other; "I hang a Wolf whenever I catch him, though in the habit and garb of Sheep." Then he showed them their mistake, and they applauded the justice of the execution.
MORAL.
Those who try to seem what they are not will not always thereby escape the punishment of what they are.
On a fine morning in May, two Bees set forward in quest of honey; the one, wise and temperate; the other, careless and extravagant. They soon arrived at a garden enriched with aromatic herbs, the most fragrant flowers, and the most delicious fruits. They regaled themselves for a time on the various dainties that were set before them: the one loading his thigh at intervals with provisions for the hive against the distant winter, the other revelling in sweets, without regard to anything but his present gratification.
At length, they found a wide-mouthed vial, that hung beneath the bough of a peach-tree, filled with honey ready tempered, and exposed to their taste in the most alluring manner. The thoughtless Epicure, spite of all his friend's remonstrances, plunged headlong into the vessel, resolving to indulge himself in all the pleasures of sensuality. The Philosopher, on the other hand, sipped a little with caution, but, being suspicious of danger, flew off to fruits and flowers; where, by the moderation of his meals, he improved his relish for the true enjoyment of them.
In the evening, however, he called upon his friend, to inquire whether he would return to the hive, but found him surfeited in sweets, which he was as unable to leave as to enjoy. Clogged in his wings, enfeebled in his feet, and his whole frame totally enervated, he was but just able to bid his friend adieu, and to lament, with his latest breath, that though a taste of pleasure may quicken the relish of life, an unrestrained indulgence is inevitable destruction.
MORAL.
Moderation rewards and intemperance punishes itself.
ATurkey, tired of common food,Forsook the barn, and sought the wood;Behind her ran her infant train,Collecting here and there a grain."Draw near, my birds," the mother cries,"This hill delicious fare supplies;Behold the busy negro race,See millions blacken all the place.Fear not: like me, with freedom eat;An Ant is most delightful meat.How blessed, how envied were our life,Could we but 'scape the poulterer's knife!But man, cursed man, on Turkeys preys,And Christmas shortens all our days.Sometimes with oysters we combine;Sometimes assist the savoury chine:From the low peasant to the lord,The Turkey smokes on every board;Sure, men for gluttony are cursed,Of the seven deadly sins, the worst."An Ant, who climbed beyond her reach,Thus answered from the neighbouring beech:"Ere you remark another's sin,Bid thy own conscience look within;Control thy more voracious bill,Nor, for a breakfast, nations kill."
ATurkey, tired of common food,Forsook the barn, and sought the wood;Behind her ran her infant train,Collecting here and there a grain."Draw near, my birds," the mother cries,"This hill delicious fare supplies;Behold the busy negro race,See millions blacken all the place.Fear not: like me, with freedom eat;An Ant is most delightful meat.How blessed, how envied were our life,Could we but 'scape the poulterer's knife!But man, cursed man, on Turkeys preys,And Christmas shortens all our days.Sometimes with oysters we combine;Sometimes assist the savoury chine:From the low peasant to the lord,The Turkey smokes on every board;Sure, men for gluttony are cursed,Of the seven deadly sins, the worst."
An Ant, who climbed beyond her reach,Thus answered from the neighbouring beech:"Ere you remark another's sin,Bid thy own conscience look within;Control thy more voracious bill,Nor, for a breakfast, nations kill."
MORAL.
In other folks we faults can spy,And blame the mote that dims their eye;Each little speck and blemish find:To our own stronger errors blind.
In other folks we faults can spy,And blame the mote that dims their eye;Each little speck and blemish find:To our own stronger errors blind.
Alean, hungry, half-starved Wolf happened, one moonshiny night, to meet a jolly, plump, well-fed Mastiff; and after the first compliments were passed, says the Wolf, "You look extremely well; I protest, I think I never saw a more graceful, comely person; but how comes it about, I beseech you, that you should live so much better than I? I may say, without vanity, that I venture fifty times more than you do, and yet I am almost ready to perish with hunger." The Dog answered very bluntly, "Why, you may live as well, if you do the same for it as I do." "Indeed! what is that?" says he. "Why," says the Dog, "only to guard the house at night, and keep it from thieves." "With all my heart," replies the Wolf, "for at present I have but a sorry time of it; and I think to change my hard lodging in the woods, where I endure rain, frost, and snow, for a warm roof over my head and enough of good victuals, will be no bad bargain." "True," says the Dog; "therefore you have nothing to do but to follow me."
THE HOUSE DOG AND THE WOLF.THE HOUSE DOG AND THE WOLF.
Now, as they were jogging on together, the Wolf spied acrease in the Dog's neck, and having a strange curiosity, could not forbear asking him what it meant! "Pugh! nothing," says the Dog. "Nay, but pray," says the Wolf. "Why," says the Dog, "if you must know, I am tied up in the day-time, because I am a little fierce, for fear I should bite people, and am only let loose at nights. But this is done with a design to make me sleep by day, more than anything else, and that I may watch the better in the night time; for, as soon as ever the twilight appears, out I am turned, and may go where I please. Then my master brings me plates of bones from the table with his own hands; and whatever scraps are left by any of the family, all fall to my share; for, you must know, I am a favourite with everybody. So you see how you are to live.—Come, come along; what is the matter with you?" "No," replied the Wolf, "I beg your pardon; keep your happiness all to yourself. Liberty is the word with me; and I would not be a king upon the terms you mention."
MORAL.
The lowest condition of life, with freedom, is happier than the greatest without it. The bird of the air, though he roosts on a bough, has more real joy than the well-fed captive in a gilded cage.
ASatyr, as he was ranging the forest in an exceedingly cold, snowy season, met with a Traveller half starved with the extremity of the weather. He took compassion on him, and kindly invited him home to a warm, comfortable cave he had in a hollow of a rock. As soon as they had entered and sat down, notwithstanding there was a good fire in the place, the chilled Traveller could not forbear blowing his finger-ends.
Upon the Satyr asking him why he did so, he answered that he did it to warm his hands. The honest Sylvan having seen little of the world, admired a man who was master of so valuable a quality as that of blowing heat; and, therefore, was resolved to entertain him in the best manner he could. He spread the table before him with dried fruits of several sorts, and produced a remnant of cold cordial wine, which, as the rigour of the season made very proper, he mulled with some warm spices, over the fire, and presented to his shivering guest. But this the Traveller thought fit to blow likewise; and upon the Satyr's demanding the reason why he blowed again, he replied, to cool the dish.
This second answer provoked the Satyr's indignation, as much as the first had kindled his surprise; so, taking the man by the shoulder, he thrust him out, saying he would have nothing to do with a wretch who had so vile a quality as to blow hot and cold with the same mouth.
MORAL.
Double dealing is always detestable. The man that blows hot and cold at the same time is not worthy to be trusted; the sooner we part from him the better.
As 'crosshis yard, at early day,A careful farmer took his way,He stopped, and leaning on his fork,Observed the flail's incessant work.In thought he measured all his store;His geese, his hogs, he numbered o'er;In fancy weighed the fleeces shorn,And multiplied the next year's corn.A Barley-Mow, which stood beside,Thus to its musing master cried:"Say, good sir, is it fit or right,To treat me with neglect and slight?Me, who contribute to your cheer,And raise your mirth with ale and beer!Why thus insulted, thus disgraced,And that vile Dunghill near me placed?Are those poor sweepings of a groom,That filthy sight, that nauseous fume,Meet objects here? Command it hence:A thing so mean must give offence."The humble Dunghill thus replied:"Thy master hears, and mocks thy pride.Insult not thus the meek and low;In me thy benefactor know:My warm assistance gave thee birth,Or thou hadst perished low in earth:But upstarts, to support their station,Cancel at once all obligation."
As 'crosshis yard, at early day,A careful farmer took his way,He stopped, and leaning on his fork,Observed the flail's incessant work.In thought he measured all his store;His geese, his hogs, he numbered o'er;In fancy weighed the fleeces shorn,And multiplied the next year's corn.
A Barley-Mow, which stood beside,Thus to its musing master cried:
"Say, good sir, is it fit or right,To treat me with neglect and slight?Me, who contribute to your cheer,And raise your mirth with ale and beer!Why thus insulted, thus disgraced,And that vile Dunghill near me placed?Are those poor sweepings of a groom,That filthy sight, that nauseous fume,Meet objects here? Command it hence:A thing so mean must give offence."
The humble Dunghill thus replied:"Thy master hears, and mocks thy pride.Insult not thus the meek and low;In me thy benefactor know:My warm assistance gave thee birth,Or thou hadst perished low in earth:But upstarts, to support their station,Cancel at once all obligation."
AcertainShepherd had a Dog, upon whose fidelity he relied very much; for whenever he had occasion to be absenthimself, he committed the care and tuition of the flock to the charge of his Dog; and, to encourage him to do his duty cheerfully, he fed him constantly with sweet curds and whey, and sometimes threw him a crust or two. Yet, notwithstanding this, no sooner was his back turned, but the treacherous cur fell foul of the flock, and devoured the sheep, instead of guarding and defending them. The Shepherd being informed of this, was resolved to hang him; and the Dog, when the rope was about his neck, and he was just going to be hung, began to expostulate with his master, asking him, why he was so unmercifully bent against him, who was his own servant and creature, and had only committed two or three crimes, and why he did not rather execute vengeance upon the Wolf, who was a constant and declared enemy? "Nay," replies the Shepherd, "it is for that very reason that I think you ten times more deserving of death than he. From him I expected nothing but hostilities; and therefore could guard against him. You I depended upon as a just and faithful servant, and fed and encouraged you accordingly; and therefore your treachery is the more notorious, and your ingratitude the more unpardonable."
MORAL.
A known enemy is better than a treacherous friend.
AStagthat had been drinking at a clear spring, saw himself in the water; and, pleased with the sight, stood long contemplating and surveying his shape and features from head to foot. "Ah!" says he, "what a glorious pair of branching horns are there! How gracefully do those antlers hang over my forehead, and give an agreeable turn to my whole face! If some other parts of my body were but in proportion to them, I would turn my back to nobody; but I have a set of such legs as really make me ashamed to see them. People may talk what they please of their conveniences, and what great need we stand in of them, upon several occasions; but, for my part, I find them so very slender and unsightly that I had as lief have none at all."
While he was giving himself these airs, he was alarmed with the noise of some huntsmen and a pack of hounds that had been just laid on upon the scent, and were making towards him.
THE STAG AT THE POOL.THE STAG AT THE POOL.
Away he flees in some consternation, and, bounding nimbly over the plain, threw dogs and men at a vast distance behind him. After which, taking a very thick copse, he had the ill-fortune to be entangled by his horns in a thicket,where he was held fast, till the hounds came in and pulled him down. Finding now how it was likely to go with him, in the pangs of death, he is said to have uttered these words:—"Unhappy creature that I am! I am too late convinced that what I prided myself in has been the cause of my undoing, and what I so much disliked was the only thing that could have saved me."
MORAL.
Beauty often becomes a snare and ruin, while solid virtue, though unadorned, gains respect. The latter, too, will mature with age, while the former will surely fade.
ASwallow, observing a husbandman employed in sowing hemp, called the little Birds together, and informed them what the farmer was about. He told them that hemp was the material from which the nets, so fatal to the feathered race, were composed; and advised them unanimously to join in picking it up, in order to prevent the consequences.
The Birds, either disbelieving his information, or neglecting his advice, gave themselves no trouble about the matter. In a little time, the hemp appeared above the ground. The friendly Swallow again addressed himself to them—told them it was not yet too late, provided theywould immediately set about the work, before the seeds had taken too deep root. But, they still rejecting his advice, he forsook their society; repaired, for safety, to towns and cities; there built his habitation, and kept his residence.
One day, as he was skimming along the streets, he happened to see a great number of these very Birds, imprisoned in a cage, on the shoulders of a bird-catcher. "Unhappy wretches!" said he, "you now feel the punishment of your former neglect. But those who, having no foresight of their own, despise the wholesome admonition of their friends, deserve the mischiefs which their own obstinacy or negligence bring upon their heads."
MORAL.
This Fable teaches thoughtless youthA most important moral truth:—The seeds, which proved the young birds' ruin,Are emblems of their own undoing,Should they neglect, while yet 'tis time,To pluck the early shoots of crime;Or, in their own opinions wise,The counsel of their friends despise.For evil habits, left to grow,Are ever sure to lead to woe;But checked in time with vigorous hand,Will bend to virtue's firm command.
This Fable teaches thoughtless youthA most important moral truth:—The seeds, which proved the young birds' ruin,Are emblems of their own undoing,Should they neglect, while yet 'tis time,To pluck the early shoots of crime;Or, in their own opinions wise,The counsel of their friends despise.For evil habits, left to grow,Are ever sure to lead to woe;But checked in time with vigorous hand,Will bend to virtue's firm command.
The rain so soft had made the road,That, in a rut, a waggon-load,The poor man's harvest, (bitter luck!)Sank down a foot, and there it stuck.He whipped his horses, but in vain;They pulled and splashed, and pulled again,But vainly still; the slippery soilDefied their strength, and mocked their toil.Panting they stood, with legs outspread;The driver stood, and scratched his head:(A common custom, by-the-bye,When people know not what to try,Though not, it seems, a remedy).A Butterfly, in flower concealed,Had travelled with them from the field;Who in the waggon was thrown up,While feasting on a buttercup.The panting of each labouring beastDisturbed her at her fragrant feast;The sudden stop, the driver's sigh,Awoke her generous sympathy.And, seeing the distressing caseShe cried, while springing from her place,(Imagining her tiny freightA vast addition to the weight,)"I must have pity—and be gone,Now, master Waggoner, drive on."
The rain so soft had made the road,That, in a rut, a waggon-load,The poor man's harvest, (bitter luck!)Sank down a foot, and there it stuck.He whipped his horses, but in vain;They pulled and splashed, and pulled again,But vainly still; the slippery soilDefied their strength, and mocked their toil.Panting they stood, with legs outspread;The driver stood, and scratched his head:(A common custom, by-the-bye,When people know not what to try,Though not, it seems, a remedy).
A Butterfly, in flower concealed,Had travelled with them from the field;Who in the waggon was thrown up,While feasting on a buttercup.The panting of each labouring beastDisturbed her at her fragrant feast;The sudden stop, the driver's sigh,Awoke her generous sympathy.And, seeing the distressing caseShe cried, while springing from her place,(Imagining her tiny freightA vast addition to the weight,)"I must have pity—and be gone,Now, master Waggoner, drive on."
MORAL.
Do not admire this Butterfly,Young reader; I will tell you why.At first, goodnature seems a cause,Why she should merit your applause;But 'twas conceit that filled her breast:Her self-importance made a jestOf what might otherwise have claimedYour praise,—but now she must be blamed.Should any case occur, when youMay have some friendly act to do;Give allyour feeble aid—as such,But estimate it not too much.
Do not admire this Butterfly,Young reader; I will tell you why.At first, goodnature seems a cause,Why she should merit your applause;But 'twas conceit that filled her breast:Her self-importance made a jestOf what might otherwise have claimedYour praise,—but now she must be blamed.Should any case occur, when youMay have some friendly act to do;Give allyour feeble aid—as such,But estimate it not too much.
ALionand a Bear quarrelling over the carcase of a Fawn, which they found in the forest, their title to him had to be decided by force of arms. The battle was severe and tough on both sides, and they fought it out, tearing and worrying one another so long, that, what with wounds and fatigue, they were so faint and weary, that they were not able to strike another stroke. Thus, while they lay upon the ground, panting and lolling out their tongues, a Fox chanced to pass by that way, who, perceiving how the case stood, very impudently stepped in between them, seized the booty which they had all this while been contending for, and carried it off. The two combatants, who lay and beheld all this, without having strength to stir and prevent it, were only wise enough to make this reflection:—"Behold the fruits of our strife and contention! That villain, the Fox, bears away the prize, and we ourselves have deprived each other of the power to recover it from him."
MORAL.
When fools quarrel, knaves get the prize of contention.
In days of yore, when a young Fox would take more pains to get a bunch of grapes than a plump, fat goose, an arch young thief cast his eyes on a fine bunch which hung on the top of a poor man's vine, and made him lick his lips like a hound at the sight of a joint of meat. "Oh," said he, "how nice they look! I must have a taste of them, if I die for it;" and with that, up he jumped with all his might, but had the ill-luck not to reach the grapes; yet, as he could not find in his heart to leave them, he tried for them as long as he was able; so he leaped and jumped, and jumped and leaped, till at last he was glad to rest. But when he found all his pains were in vain, "Hang them!" said he, "I am sure they are not fit to eat, for they are as sour as crabs, and would set my teeth on edge for a whole week; and so I shall leave them for the next fool who may chance to come this way."
MORAL.
Some men make light of that which is out of their reach, though at the same time in their hearts they know not what to do for want of it.
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.
AHare, who, in a civil way,Complied with everything, like Gay,Was known by all the bestial train,Who haunt the wood, or graze the plain.As forth she went, at early dawn,To taste the dew-besprinkled lawn,Behind she hears the hunter's cries,And from the deep-mouthed thunder flies.She starts, she stops, she pants for breath;She hears the near approach of death;She doubles, to mislead the hound,And measures back her mazy round;Till, fainting in the public way,Half dead with fear, she gasping lay:—What transport in her bosom grew,When first the Horse appeared in view!"Let me," says she, "your back ascend,And owe my safety to a friend;You know my feet betray my flight;To friendship, ev'ry burthen's light."The Horse replied,—"Poor, honest Puss!It grieves my heart to see thee thus:Be comforted,—relief is near;For all our friends are in the rear."She next the stately Bull implored,And thus replied the mighty lord:—"Since every beast alive can tell,That I sincerely wish you well,I may, without offence, pretendTo take the freedom of a friend.Love calls me hence; a favourite cowExpects me near yon barley-mow;And when a lady's in the case,You know, all other things give place.To leave you thus may seem unkind;But see,—the Goat is just behind."The Goat remarked her pulse was high;Her languid head, her heavy eye;"My back," says she, "may do you harm;The Sheep's at hand, and wool is warm."The Sheep was feeble, and complained,His sides a load of wool sustained;Said he was slow; confessed his fears;For Hounds eat Sheep as well as Hares.She now the trotting Calf addressed,To save from death a friend distressed."Shall I," says he, "of tender age,In this important care engage?Older and abler pass you by;How strong are those! how weak am I!Should I presume to bear you hence,Those friends of mine may take offence.Excuse me, then,—you know my heart;But dearest friends, alas! must part.How shall we all lament!—Adieu!For see, the Hounds are just in view."
AHare, who, in a civil way,Complied with everything, like Gay,Was known by all the bestial train,Who haunt the wood, or graze the plain.
As forth she went, at early dawn,To taste the dew-besprinkled lawn,Behind she hears the hunter's cries,And from the deep-mouthed thunder flies.She starts, she stops, she pants for breath;She hears the near approach of death;She doubles, to mislead the hound,And measures back her mazy round;Till, fainting in the public way,Half dead with fear, she gasping lay:—What transport in her bosom grew,When first the Horse appeared in view!
"Let me," says she, "your back ascend,And owe my safety to a friend;You know my feet betray my flight;To friendship, ev'ry burthen's light."
The Horse replied,—"Poor, honest Puss!It grieves my heart to see thee thus:Be comforted,—relief is near;For all our friends are in the rear."
She next the stately Bull implored,And thus replied the mighty lord:—"Since every beast alive can tell,That I sincerely wish you well,I may, without offence, pretendTo take the freedom of a friend.Love calls me hence; a favourite cowExpects me near yon barley-mow;And when a lady's in the case,You know, all other things give place.To leave you thus may seem unkind;But see,—the Goat is just behind."
The Goat remarked her pulse was high;Her languid head, her heavy eye;"My back," says she, "may do you harm;The Sheep's at hand, and wool is warm."
The Sheep was feeble, and complained,His sides a load of wool sustained;Said he was slow; confessed his fears;For Hounds eat Sheep as well as Hares.
She now the trotting Calf addressed,To save from death a friend distressed."Shall I," says he, "of tender age,In this important care engage?Older and abler pass you by;How strong are those! how weak am I!Should I presume to bear you hence,Those friends of mine may take offence.Excuse me, then,—you know my heart;But dearest friends, alas! must part.How shall we all lament!—Adieu!For see, the Hounds are just in view."
MORAL.