Fables of Æsop and other eminent mythologists with morals and reflexions / by Sir Roger L'Estrange, Kt.

A SUPPLEMENT OF FABLES, OUT OF Phaedrus; Avienus, Camerarius, Neveletus, Apththonius, Gabrias, Babrias, Abstemius, Alciatus, Boccalini, Baudoin, De la Fon∣taine, Aesope en Belle Humeur, Meslier, &c.

FAB. CCCLXXXIV. A Lamb, a Wolf and a Goat.

A Wolf overheard a Lamb Bleating among the Goats. D'ye hear Little One, (says the Wolf,) if it be your Dam you want, she's yonder in the Field. Ay (says the Lamb,) but I am not looking for her that was my Mother for her Own sake, but for her that Nurses me up, and Suckles me out of Pure Cha∣rity, and Good Nature. Can any thing be Dearer to you, says the Wolf, then she that brought you forth? Very Right, says the Lamb; and without knowing or caring what she did: And pray, what did she bring me forth for too; but to Ease her self of a Burden, and to deliver me out of her own Belly, into the Hands of the Butcher? I am more Beholden to her that took Pity of me when I was in the VVorld already, then to her that brought me into't, I know not how. 'Tis Charity, not Nature, or Necessity that does the Office of a Tender Mother.

The MORAL.

There's a difference betwixt Reverence and Affection; the one goes to the Character, and the other to the Person, and so distinguishes Duty from

Inclination. Our Mothers brought us into the World; a Stranger takes us up, and Preserves us in't. So that here's both a Friend and a Parent in the case, and the Obligation of the one, must not destroy the Respect I owe to the other; nor the Respect the Obligation: And none but an Enemy will advise us to quit either.

REFLEXION.

MEN are not so sensible of Laws and Duty, as they are of Kindness and Good Nature; beside, that the Wolf's Pretence of Care for the Poor Lamb, was a Charity that began at Home.

There is an Affection of Nature, and that which we call a Filial Duty; and there is an Affection that is grounded upon the Moral Considerations of Benevolence and Friendship. In the one, we lye under an Obligation of Reverence and Respect to a Parent, be the Father or Mother what they will; in the other, we pay a Regard to Civil Acknowledgments and Virtue. Nature, and the Principles of Nature must be kept Sacred; but Men cannot Love to what degree, or whom, or what they please: So that in many Cases, we pay a Veneration upon One Score, and an Affection upon Another; and this Fable does very well distinguish the Gratitude from the Respect. The Wolves Preaching to the Lamb, is no Ill Emblem of a Scandalous Minister, that Discredits a very Good Sermon with an Ill Life, and gives the Lye to his Doctrin, in his Practice. The Wolf took the same Care of the Lamb, that the Keepers of our Liberties in former days did of the Innocent People of England. They pretended to put us out of Harms way from others, that they might Devour us them∣selves.

FAB. CCCLXXXV. Iupiter's Altar Robb'd.

A Thief Kindled his Torch at Iupiter's Altar, and then Robb'd the Temple by the Light on't. As he was Packing away with his Sacrilegious Burden, a Voice, either of Heaven, or of Conscience, Pursu'd him. The Time will come (says that Voice) when this Impious Villany of Yours shall cost ye Dear; not for the Value of what you have Stoll'n, but for the Contempt of Heaven and Religion, that you ought to have a Veneration for. Iupiter has taken care however to prevent these Insolent Affronts for the Time to come, by an Express Prohibition of any Communication for the future, betwixt the Fire upon his Altars, and that of Com∣mon Use.

The MORAL.

Nothing more Familiar then to cover Sacrilege, Murder, Treason, &c. with a Text. And we are also to learn from hence, that we have no greater Enemies many times, then those we have Nurs'd and Bred up; and that Divine Vengeance comes sure at Last, though it may be long first.

REFLEXION.

THE Kindling of a Torch at the Altar, and then Robbing the Church by the Light on't, is an Old Invention contriv'd betwixt the World, the Flesh and the Devil; and will never be out of Date, so long as we hold any Intelligence with the Common Enemies of Mankind. There's nothing cuts Religion, like Religion it self: Texts are put up against Texts, and one Scripture made to fight against another; insomuch, that the Rule of Faith is Perverted into a Doctrin of Heresy and Schism; and the Gospel of Peace is made a Voucher for Sedition and Rebellion. There's nothing commoner then to cite Holy Writ for the Overturning of Religion, and to Over-rule one Divine Authority with another; nay, and when all is done, to Justifie the Sacrilege of Seizing and Employing the Revenues of the Church to Prophane Uses. And whence comes this Confusion and Self-Contradiction all this while? but that the Manage of Holy Matters falls many times into the Hands of Men of more Polite Curiosity and Skill, then Evangelical Zeal and Affection. The School-men have spun the Thread too fine, and made Christianity look liker a Course of Philo∣sophy, then a System of Faith, and Supernatural Revelation: So that the Spirit of it Evaporates into Niceties and Exercises of the Brain; and the Contention is not for Truth, but Victory. The whole Business in fine, is sour'd into Altercation and Cavil; but all must be Remitted to the Judgment of the Great Day, when every Man shall receive according to his Works: And Wo be then to the Church-Robbers that shall be found among them that serve at the Altar. But 'tis no New Thing for Men that call themselves Professors and Disciples, to Sell and to Betray their Lord and Master; For Men that wear the Livery of the Church, and Eat the Bread on't, to offer Sacrilegious Violence to their Holy Mother. And this is the case of Iupiter's Altar Robb'd by the Light of his own Torch: When the House of God is Rifl'd and Dishonour'd by his own Do∣mesticks; that is to say, when the Sacrilege is Countenanc'd by the Au∣thority of a Holy Character, and the Violence supported by a Text.

FAB. CCCLXXXVI. The Crows and the Pigeons.

THere happen'd a Suit in Law betwixt the Two Fami∣lies of the Crows and the Pigeons; but for Quietness sake, they agreed upon an Order of Reference, and the Kite

was to be Arbitrator. The Cause was Heard, and Judgment given for the Crows.

The MORAL.

Ask my Brother if I'm a Thief. One Criminal upon the Bench, will be sure to bring off another at the Barr.

REFLEXION.

INNOCENCY is almost sure to be worsted, wherever it may be A∣bus'd with Security and Advantage. Guilty or not Guilty, is not so much the Point in the Case here of the Crows and the Pigeons; for the matter in question, is the Person or Party, not the Fact. The One's in the Plot, let him be never so Innocent; and the other is as white as the Driven Snow, let him be never so Criminal. There are Cabals, Ignoramus's, False Witnesses, among Men, as well as among Birds, with all the Pompous Formalities of Countenancing Fraud and Corruption, with the Sacred Name of Iustice. Set a Kite upon the Bench, and 'tis Forty to one he'll bring off a Crow at the Barr. Briefly, there is nothing more in the Iniquity of this Fiction, then what we see every day made good in common Business and Practice. 'Tis but dressing up a Bird of Prey in his Cap and Furrs, to make a Judge of him; and so for a Knight of the Post, 'tis but dubbing him with the Title of a King's Evidence, and the Work is done: For in these Cases, Iudge, Iury and Witnesses are all of a Piece.

FAB. CCCLXXXVII. A Gard'ner and his Landlord

A Man that had made himself a very Fine Garden, was so Pester'd with a Hare, among his Roots, his Plants, and his Flowers, that away goes he immediately to his Landlord, (a great Huntsman it seems,) and tells him a Lamentable Story of the Havock that this poor Hare had made in his Grounds. The Gentleman takes Pity of his Tenant, and early the next Morn∣ing goes over to him with all his People and his Dogs about him: They call in the First Place for Breakfast, Eat up his Victuals, Drink him Dry, and Kiss his Pretty Daughter into the Bargain. So soon as they have done all the Mischief they can within Doors, out they march into the Gardens to Beat for the Hare: and there down with the Hedges; the Garden-Stuff goes all to Wreck, and not so much as a Leaf scapes 'em to∣ward the Picking of a Sallad. Well, (says the Gard'ner) this

is the way of the World, when the Poor sue for Relief to the Great. My Noble Friend here has done me more Damage in the Civility and Respect of these Two Hours, than the ut∣termost Spite of the Hare could have done me in twice as many Ages.

The MORAL.

Appeals are Dangerous from the Weaker to the Stronger, where the Remedy proves many times worse then the Disease.

REFLEXION.

HE that finds himself Uneasie, and proposes to mend his Condition in what case or in what manner soever, should do well to sit down and Compute within himself; What do I suffer by this Grievance? Can I Re∣move it or no? What will it Cost me? Shall I get or Lose by the Change? Will it be worth my while, or not? Now this is all matter of Course in our or∣dinary Dealings upon the Truck, and in common Bargains; and yet where the Peace and Liberty of the Mind, or the Character of a Wise or a Good Man lyes at Stake, we take up Resolutions Hand over Head, without Calculating upon the Profit or Loss of the Thing in Question; as in the Instance of the Poor Gard'ner here. He might have Treated a Brace of Hares sure, much Cheaper than a Troup of Horsemen, with so many Packs of Dogs, and such a Gang of Ruffians at the Heels of 'em. Had not he better have born Wat's Nibling of his Plants and Roots now, than the Huntsman's Fooling with his Daughter, and the Eating him out of House and Home? The Breaking down of his Fences; the Laying of his Garden Wast, and taking his Childrens Meat out of their Mouths, over and above? But all this Befel him for want of Deliberating before∣hand, and setting one thing against another. Now if the Allusion of this Fable be so Instructive to us, and so necessary to be well attended and apply'd, even in the common Affairs and Dealings of this World, what shall that Man say for himself, that's Guilty of the same Temerity and Imprudence over and over, in the case of Temporal and Eternal! Is it that we do not Believe the Doctrin of a Future State, or that we do not think on't; or (which is worst of all,) that we do not Mind it? for we Live as if we were more sensible of the Hares, then of the Devils.

FAB. CCCLXXXVIII. Iupiter's Two Wallets.

WHen Iupiter made Man, he gave him Two Satchels; one for his Neighbours Faults, 'tother for his Own. These Bags he threw over his Shoulders, and the Former he car∣ried Before him, the Other Behind. So that this Fashion

came up a great while ago it seems, and it has continued in the World ever since.

The MORAL.

Every Man Living is Partial in his own Case; but it is the Humour of Mankind to have our Neighbours Faults always in our Eye, and to cast our own over our Shoulders, out of Sight.

REFLEXION.

THAT which Iupiter does in the Fable, Nature does in the Life. We are here admonish'd of a Double Fault; want of Charity and Justice to∣ward others, and want of a Christian Scrutiny and Examination into our Selves: So that here's the Sin of Detraction in making other People Worse then they are, and the Sin of Pride and Hypocrisy, in Boasting our selves to be Better. It were well if we could Place our Transgressions out of the Ken, as well of our Consciences as of our Eyes: But these are only A∣musements to put off the Evil Day a little longer, that will certainly o∣vertake us at last. The Mythologist does well enough however, in Assign∣ing that to Iupiter, which we our selves are but too prone to do, upon a Propension of Nature; that is to say, of Nature Corrupted; for there is both a Sin and a Frailty in't, to be over Censorious of our Neighbours, and as Partial to our selves.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind, they say; and at this rate one Fault is made use of to Excuse another. We do not Repent, because we do not Think on't; and so the Neglect is made an Excuse for the Impenitence. We live like Spendthrifts, that know themselves to be desperately in Debt, and dare not look into their Accounts to see how the Reck'ning stands. Nay 'tis the case of too many of us, that we keep no Books neither; or at the Best, do not know where to find them. Self-Love is still at∣tended with a Contempt of others, and a Common Mistake of Matters at Home as well as Abroad; for we keep Registers of our Neighbours Faults and none of their Good Deeds, and no Memorials all this while of what we do Amiss our Selves. But [I am not as this Publican] is the very Top of our Righteousness.

Thus goes the World, and a Lew'd Practice it is, for one Man to va∣lue himself upon the Wickedness of another: But the Worst of all is yet behind; that is to say, to think our selves safe, so long as we keep our Iniquities from the Knowledge of Men, and out of our own View and Memory, without any Awe of that Justice that never Sleeps, and of that All-seeing Eye and Wisdom that Observes all our Mis-doings, and has them perpetually in his Sight.

FAB. CCCLXXXIX. A King and a Rich Subject.

A Certain Prince that had a very Wealthy, Over-grown Sub∣ject, found it convenient to make a Traitor of him, provi∣ded it could but Handsomly be brought about: So the Man was taken into Custody, and the Kings Evidence produced against him for Consults at this Place, and at that, against the Life of the King, and the Peace of the Government; and for Receiving, Comforting, and Abetting the Enemies of the Crown. The Man had the Character of a very Loyal Person, and People were almost at their Wits end, to hear of so Horrid an Accu∣sation against him. But the Witnesses Swore Home, and one of them Extream Positive, that if his House at that very in∣stant were but narrowly Search'd for Men and Arms, they would find such a Provision, that the Modern Discoveries at Tichbourn and Flixham, were Nothing to't. The Pretended Criminal began now to Moralize upon the Story, and so away goes he to his Majesty; casts himself at his Feet, and promises that if he might but have as Ample a Pardon, as other Witnesses to Consults have had before him, he would shew him the very Bottom of the Plot. I cannot deny, says he, but I have a great many of the Enemies of your Royal Crown and Dignity at this time Conceal'd in my House; and if your Majesty shall be pleased to appoint any Person to make Seizure of them, they shall be immediately Delivered up. So the Prince Order'd a Squadron of his Guards, and a Trusty Officer in the Head of 'em, to go along with him. The Gentleman led them very Frankly to his Coffers, and shew'd them his Treasure. These are the Traytors, says he, that you are to take care of, and pray be pleas'd to see that they may be kept in safe Custody till they shall be Delivered by Due Course of Law.

The MORAL.

We may gather from hence, that Riches are many times but a Snare to us; and that Mony makes many a Man a Traytor: But if a Body will Com∣pound at last with his Estate to save his Life, when he has nothing left him, he may be at Rest. For a Certificate of Poverty is as good as a Protection.

REFLEXION.

THE Story of Ahab and Naboth comes directly to the Point of this Fable; that is to say, as to the King and Subject, with the Iniquity of the Subornation and Practice: Only the one was a Poor Subject, and the other a Rich, which does not one jot alter the Morality of the Case. The Old Saying, that [Mony does all things,] is not much wide of the Truth; for it gives, and it takes away; it makes Honest Men and Knaves; Fools and Philosophers; and so forward Mutatis Mutandis, to the End of the Chapter. There's not any Corruption in Nature, but Mony is at one end on't; The whole World is under the Dominion of it; for all things under the Sun are Bought and Sold. But as it gives Men Reputation, so it brings People into Snares and Dangers too; It exposes them to Factions, Robbers, Cheats, Knights of the Post, and the like: It fills their Heads and their Hearts with Cares and Disquiets. And what at last are all the Baggs and Possessions that Rich Men take so much Pride and Pleasure in, but Spunges Deposited in their own Hands, 'till there shall be occasion to Squeeze them for the Publick Use!

FAB. CCCXC. A Merchant and a Seaman.

A Merchant at Sea, was asking the Ships-Master, what Death his Father Dy'd? He told him that his Father, his Grandfather, and his Great Grandfather were all Drown'd. Well, says the Merchant, and are not you your self afraid of being Drown'd too? No, not I, says the Skipper. But Pray, says t'other again, what Death did Your Father, Grandfather, and Great Grandfather Dye? Why they Dy'd all in their Beds, says the Merchant. Very good, says the Skipper, and why should I be any more afraid of going to Sea, then you are of going to Bed?

The MORAL.

He that troubles his Head with drawing Consequences from meer Contin∣gencies, shall never be at rest: And this is further to mind us, that in an Honest Course of Life, we are not to fear Death.

REFLEXION.

'Tis much in our own Power how to Live, but not at all when or how to Dye: So that our part is only to Submit to Fate, and to bid Death Welcom at what Time, and in what Place or Manner soever it shall please God to send it The Reason and the Doctrin of this Fable

is Clear, Strong and Edifying: We are either not to Fear Death at all, or to Fear it every moment of our Lives; nay, and in all the Forms that ever it appear'd in, which will put us to such a stand, that we shall not dare even to Live for fear of Dying. We must neither Eat, nor Drink, nor Breathe, nor Sleep, if we come once to Boggle at Presidents, and at the doing of those things over again, that ever any Man dy'd of before. There is not one instant of Life in fine, but may be our Last. Beside, that we Live, not only in the daily Danger of Death, but in a continual Certainty of it: So that the Question is not how, or of what this or that Man Dy'd, but the Inevitable Fate and Mortality of Man∣kind. One Man dies in his Bed, another at Sea, a Third in the Field; this Man of one Accident, or Distemper, that of another: And what is there more in all this now, then so many several ways to the same Jour∣neys End? There is no such Preservative against the Fear of Death, as the Conscience of a Good Life; and if we would have it Easie, we must make the Thought of it Familiar to us.

FAB. CCCXCI. Mice, Cat and a Bell.

THere was a Devillish Sly Cat it seems, in a certain House, and the Mice were so Plagu'd with her at every turn, that they call'd a Court to Advise upon some way to prevent be∣ing surpriz'd. If you'll be Rul'd by me, (says a Member of the Board,) there's nothing like Hanging a Bell about the Cats Neck, to give Warning before-hand, when Puss is a coming. They all lookt upon't as the best Contrivance that the Case would bear. Well (says another) and now we are agreed upon the Bell, say who shall put it about the Cats Neck. There was no body in fine that would Undertake it, and so the Expedient fell to the Ground.

The MORAL.

The Boldest Talkers are not always the Greatest Doers.

REFLEXION.

THIS is the course of the World, to the very Life, we can never want Advisers and Councellors in Matters of the Greatest Hazzard: But let the Reason be never so clear, we are still at a Loss for an Instrument to put Dangerous Projects in Execution.

Desperate Cases require Desperate Remedies; but let the Hazzard of this or that Part of a Body be what it will, it is matter of Duty, Ju∣stice and Policy to consult the Good of the whole. It was the Interest of

the Mice to have a Bell put about the Cats Neck, and they all agreed upon't to be a very good Expedient: But when it came to the Issue, the Counsel fell to the Ground for want of one to put it in Execution. This is no more then what we see frequently in difficulties of State; but the true Reason of failing in that Case, proceeds rather from some Failings in the Administration, then from any want of necessary Instruments. As for the purpose, where Reward and Punishment are Inverted, and where Men of Faith and Zeal for the Honour and Service of the Common∣wealth are only made Sacrifices to the Passions and Interests of the Cor∣rupt and Fearful. Where Matters are thus Manag'd, I say, every Man is not of a Constitution to Leap a Gulf for the Saving of his Country: Es∣pecially, when over and above the certainty of Ruin, Men are no less sure of having their very Names and Memories abandon'd to Infamy and Contempt for their Pains: But on the other Hand, where Christian as well as Political Justice has its Course, every part of the Community suffers by Consent with the whole: And such a Government in the utter∣most of Extremities, shall never fail of Devotes.

FAB. CCCXCII. Usurers and Curriers.

A Parcel of Curriers fell into Company with a Gang of U∣surers, and past this Complement upon 'em; what a Bles∣sing they accounted it to meet with so many Worthy Men of their own Trade. One of the Usurers was a Head Man of the City, it seems, and took it a little in Dudgeon to be Rank'd Cheek by Joul with a Scab of a Currier; and so ask'd one of 'em what he meant, by saying they were all of a Trade? Nay, I must confess, says the Fell-monger, there is some Difference yet betwixt your Trade and ours; for we deal but in Flaying of Dead Horses, and Asses, and the People of your Trade Flay Li∣ving Men.

The MORAL.

A Reproof has more Effect when it comes by a side Wind, then if it were Levell'd directly at the very Vice or Person.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a very great Mistake in the World, to give Reputation to many Unconscionable and notorious Practices, that ought rather to be Punished. One would try all ways of setting People Right in their Wits and Man∣ners: Authority and Friendship works upon some; Dry and Sober Rea∣son works upon others: But these Means are only effectual, where there's Place for Modesty and Conscience. Some are reclaim'd by Punishment;

some by Example, and some again are set Right by Good Nature, or up∣on Second Thoughts: But there are a sort of Men that will not be Rea∣son'd into their Senses, and may yet be Laugh'd or Droll'd into them. A Iest works more many times then a Text. Every Man, in fine, has a Yield∣ing Side, if a Body could but hit upon't: The Figure of a Currier ap∣plied to an Usurer, sinks deeper with him, then all the Woes in Holy Scripture, upon the Topick of Grinding the Faces of the Poor. Men must Angle for Converts as they do for Fishes. There's no good to be done, without fitting the Bait to the liking of the Fish, and to the Course of the Season: As the Currier here struck the Usurer upon the Right Vein.

FAB. CCCXCIII. Two Travellers of Differing Humours.

THere were Two Men together upon a Journy, of very Differing Humours; one of them went Slugging on, with a Thousand Cares and Troubles in his Head, Exclaiming over and over, Lord, what shall I do to Live! 'Tother Jogg'd Mer∣rily away, and left his Matters to Providence and Good For∣tune. Well Brother (says the Sorrowful Wight,) How can you be so Frolick now? As I am a Sinner, my Heart's e'en ready to break for fear I should want Bread. Come, come, says tother, Fall Back, Fall Edge, the Resolution's taken, and my Mind's at Rest. What Resolution, says his Companion? why a Resolution, says he, to make the best Shift I can, and commit my self to Heaven for the Rest. Ay, but for all that, says 'tother again, I have known as Resolute People as your self, that their Con∣fidence has Deceiv'd them in the Conclusion; and so the Poor Man fell into another Fit of Doubting, and Musing, 'till he started out of it all on a sudden: Good Lord, says he, what if I should fall Blind! and so he walk'd a good way before his Com∣panion with his Eyes shut, to try how 'twould be, if that Misfortune should befall him. In this Interim his Fellow-Tra∣veller that follow'd him, found a Purse of Mony upon the way, which made good his Doctrin of leaving things to Providence; whereas the other miss'd that Encounter, as a Punishment of his Distrust; for the Purse had been His, if he had not put himself out of condition of Seeing it.

The MORAL.

He that commits himself to Providence, is sure of a Friend in time of need; while an Anxious Distrust of the Divine Goodness, makes a Man more

and more Unworthy of it; and Miserable beforehand, for fear of being so afterward.

REFLEXION.

THE Two opposite Humours of a Chearful Trust in Providence, and a Suspicious Diffidence of it, with the ordinary Effects and Consequences of the one and the other, are very well set forth here for our Instruction and Comfort. The Divine Goodness never fails those that Depend up∣on it, provided that according to the Advice of Hercules to the Carter, they put their own Shoulders to the Work.

The most Wretched sort of People under the Sun, are your Dreamers upon Events; your Foreboders, Supposers, and Putters of Cases: They are still Calculating within Themselves, What if this, or that Calamity, Judg∣ment or Disaster should befall them; and so they form it in their own Imagination, for fear it should come another way. It is most certain, that what we Fear, we Feel; beside that Fancy breeds Misery as Natu∣rally as it does the Small Pox. Set a Whimsical Head agog once upon Sprights and Goblins, and he'll be ready to Squirt his Wits at his own Shadow. I'le suppose my self Blind,) says one of the Travellers,) and try what will come on't: And what is this more then the Experiment ma∣ny and many a Man makes in the World? Well, I shut my Eyes, I stumble, I Lose my Way, Break a Leg or an Arm perhaps; step over a Bag of Mo∣ny, for him to find that comes after me with his Eyes open: In one Word, I slip my Fortune in a Fantastical Freak, to no manner of Purpose but for my own Ruin. There is no surer Remedy for this Superstitious and Desponding Weakness, then first to Govern our selves by the best Im∣provement of that Reason which Providence has given us for a Guide; and then when we have done our own Parts, to commit all Chearfully for the rest, to the good Pleasure of Heaven, with Trust and Resignation. Why should not I as well Comfort my self with the Hope of what may be, as Torment my self with the Fear on't? He that Distrusts God's Pro∣vidence, does effectually put himself out of his Protection.

FAB. CCCXCIV. An Agreement between the Wolves and the Dogs.

THe Wolves found themselves in a great Straight once how to deal with the Dogs; they could do well enough with 'em one by one they saw, but were still worsted and overborn by Numbers. They took the Matter into Debate, and came at last to this conclusion, That unless they could make a Party among them, and by a Parcel of Fair Words and Pretences, engage them in a Confederacy against their Masters and Them∣selves, there was no good to be done in the matter. Upon this, they sent out their Spies among the Dogs, with Instructions

to go to those among them that were nearest their own Make, Size and Colour, and to reason the matter with them, after this or the like manner. [Why should not we that are all of a Colour, and in a manner all of a Kind, be all of a Party too, and all of an Interest? You'll say perhaps, that your Masters, and your Fellows may take it Ill, and pick a Quarrel with ye. Well, and what will they be able to make on't then, against You and Us to∣gether? If it comes to that once, 'twill be but One Push for all, and the Work is done.] This Discourse wrought as well as Heart could wish; for a great many of the Wolf-Colour'd-Dogs cry'd out, Well Mov'd upon't, and so went over to the other side: And what came on't at last, but that after the Dogs had Deserted, the Wolves Worry'd one Part of their Enemies by the help of the Currs that went over to them; and they were then strong enough to destroy the Revolters themselves.

The MORAL.

A House divided against itself, cannot stand.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fiction may be matched with a Thousand common Cases, where Parties are divided with Factions from Abroad, into Feuds and Animo∣sities among themselves. 'Tis an easie matter to form and to invent Spe∣cious Colours and Arguments to all manner of Purposes, and to Paradox the Multitude into what Opinion any Man pleases, that is but a Master of Art, and Address, and in any sort of Credit with the Mobile; for 'tis not the Reason of the thing in Question, but Passion and Prejudice that Governs in the Case. What will not Ignorance and Credulity swallow, if they can be but once prevail'd upon to Believe, that it is the common Interest of all the Dogs, for one part of them to enter into an Alliance with the Wolves against the other; and to draw Inferences from the Complexion of the Ministers, to the Reason of the Government; as the Wolf-Colour of the Dog is made an Argument for a Resemblance in the Nature of them: But the very Proposition points out the ready way to Destruction: and the dividing of the Guards, leads manifestly, First to the Worrying of one another; and Secondly to the utter Ruin of the whole: Only the Dogs of the Conspiracy are to be Last Eaten. The Wolves Proposal was Practicable and Natural enough, and a Perfect Emblem of the Confusions and Politicks abroad in the World. The Wolves sit in Counsel, and so does the Cabal; and the Subject matter of Both their Debates is Division. The one sends out their Spies and their Agents, to Tamper and Seduce the Dogs from their Faith and Duty: The other have their Instruments at work too, in their Clubs and Pulpits, and to stagger the People in their Allegiance. The Dogs are to be Debauch'd; that is to say, the Guards are to be Corrupted: The Wolf-Colour'd Curs to be dealt with in the First Place; that is to say, those Courtiers, Officers, Soldiers, and

others that have somewhat of Agreement in Principle and Persuasion with the Common Enemy. Nay, and the very same Argument is put in their Mouths too, We are all of a Colour: And what's the Issue of all this at last, but the same Fate to the People where these Liberties are taken, that at∣tended the Dogs and the Sheep here in the Fable?

FAB. CCCXCV. A Wolf turn'd Shepherd.

THere was a Crafty Wolf that Dress'd himself up like a Shep∣herd, with his Crook, and all his Trade about him, to the very Pipe and Posture. This Masquerade succeeded so well with him, that in the Dead of the Night once, when the Men and their Dogs were all fast Asleep, he would be offering at the Shepherd's Voice and Call too: But there was somewhat of a Howle in the Tone, that the Country presently took an Alarm at; and so they fell in upon him in his Disguise; when he was so Shackled and Hamper'd, that he could neither Fight nor Fly.

The MORAL.

'Tis the highest Pitch of a Publick Calamity, when the People are Worry'd and Seduc'd by those that should Protect and Instruct them. No Impostor is so Exquisite, as not to lye open some way or other to a Discovery.

REFLEXION.

'THIS is in some sort the Reverse of Boccalini's Advice from the West-Indies; that the Spaniards Dogs there that were sent to Preserve their Flocks from Wolves, were grown Wolves themselves. Now here's a Wolf turn'd Shepherd, with the same Design, only better Dress'd up: For there is no Treachery so Plausible, as that which is cover'd with the Robe of a Guide or Governor. Nothing like a Mercenary Bar-Gown to make a Sedition Warrantable; nothing like an Assembly of Pye-Bal'd Divines, to make it a Point of Conscience; and nothing again like a Popular Ordi∣nance, to make it both Law and Gospel. There are hardly any more Dangerous Instruments of Mischief, then Corrupt Officers and Ministers, that Abuse their Authority, commit Publick Violence in their Masters Name, and do Wrong under a colour of Right and Justice. But this does not come up yet to the Force and Point of the Fiction; for 'tis one thing to abuse a Lawful Authority, to the Degree of Tyranny and Oppression; and it is another thing to exercise a worse Tyranny and Op∣pression, without any Authority at all. The Wolf turn'd Shepherd, is on∣ly an Usurper in the Shape of a Protector; a Persecutor under the Cloak of a Governor; a Creature that's Cruel and False by Nature, in Opposi∣tion to all the Methods of Piety and good Manners: So that here's all

summ'd up in a few Words, to make the case Miserable and Shameful. The Morality in fine, of this Fable, may be fairly enough apply'd to the Errors on Both Hands: That is to say, of those that put a Lawful Autho∣rity upon the Stretch, to the Abuse of that Power, under the Colour of Prerogative; and of those that take upon them to Exercise the Offices of Power, without any Right to't at all. But the Sheep however are well Guarded in the mean time, that have a Wolf for their Keeper.

FAB. CCCXCVI. An Ass and a Lion.

IN Old Time, when a Generous Beast made more Conscience of his Word then many a Modern Christian has done of an Oath; a Lion shook Hands with an Ass, and so they agreed upon't to Jog on up and down in the Woods, Lovingly and Peaceably together. As they were upon this Adventure, they discover'd a Herd of Wolves; the Ass immediately sets up a Hi∣deous Bray; and fetches a Run at them Open Mouth, as if he would have Eaten 'em. The Wolves only Snear'd at him for his Pains, but Scamper'd away however as hard as they could drive. By and by comes the Ass back again, Puffing and Blow∣ing from the Chase. Well, says the Lion, and what was that Horrid Scream for, I prithee? Why (says 'tother,) I frighten'd 'em all away, you see. And did they run away from you, says the Lion, or from me, d'ye think?

The MORAL.

Noise and Bluster is so far from doing Business, that instead of Awing and Frighting People, it serves only to make them Sport, when the Vanity of it comes to be Discover'd.

REFLEXION.

THERE are Braying Men in the World, as well as Braying Asses; for what's Loud and Senseless Talking, Huffing, Damming and Blas∣pheming, any other then a more fashionable way of Braying? Only the one is that to the Ear, which the other is to the Mind, and a Man may better endure the Shocking of his Sense, then the Affronting of his Rea∣son. The Lion, 'tis true, might have kept better Company; but so long as it was only for his Diversion, it gives us to Understand how far Great Men may be allow'd to make themselves Merry with Buffoons. The Wolves running away from the Ass, while the Lion was looking on, tells us in the Allegory, that Favourite Asses have the Privilege of Favorite Dogs; they may Snap and Snarl where they please, Gratis: But 'tis for their Master's

sake at last, that they come off with a whole Skin. And what's the Issue now of all this Noise in the Conclusion, but the making of the Noise-Maker still the more Ridiculous?

FAB. CCCXCVII. An Ape and a Mountebank.

THere was a Mountebank Trick'd up as Fine as a Lord; a certain Ape, that had a Mind to set up for a Beau, spies him out, and nothing would serve him, but he must have a Suit and Dress after the same Pattern; he press'd the Quack so hard for't, that at last he told him plainly, Upon condition, says he, that you shall wear a Silver Chain about your Neck, I'll give ye the very Fellow on't; for you'll be running away with your Livery else. Iack agrees to't, and is presently rigg'd out in his Gold and Silver Lace, with a Feather in's Cap, and as Figures go now a-days, a very pretty Figure he made in the World, I can assure ye; though upon Second Thoughts, when the heat of the Vanity was over, he grew Sick of his Bargain; for he found that he had sold hs Liberty for a Fools Coat.

The MORAL.

'Tis with us in our Lives, as with the Indians in their Trade, that truck Gold and Pearl, for Beads and Glasses. We part with the Blessings of Both Worlds for Pleasures, Court-Favours, and Commissions; and at last, when we have sold our selves to our Lusts, we grow Sick of our Bargain.

REFLEXION.

A Vain Fool can hardly be more Miserable then the Granting of his own Prayers and Wishes would make him. How many Spectacles does every Day afford us, of Apes and Mountebanks in Gay-Coats, that pass in the World for Philosophers, and Men of Honour; and it is no wonder for one Fool to value himself upon the same Vanity, for which he esteems another. He that Judges of Men and of things by Sense, Governs him∣self by Sense too; and he that well considers the Practices and Opinions of the Age he lives in, will find, that Folly and Passion have more Disci∣ples then Wisdom and Vertue. The Feather in a Fools Cap, is a Fools Inclination; nay, it is his Ambition too; for he that measures the Cha∣racter of another Man by his Outside, seldom looks further then the Bus'ness of Dress and Appearance in himself. Beside, that Ill Examples work more upon us then Good, and that we are Forwarder to imitate the one, then to Emulate the other. This now is the Highest Pitch of

Infelicity, when we do not only square our Lives in General, according to Vicious Presidents, but set our Hearts in particular (with the Fanta∣stical Ape here,) upon this or that Extravagance. No other Sort of Fool would please him, then the very Counter-part of this Quack. His Mistake was double; First, he plac'd an Opinion of Happiness where there was no Ground at all to expect it. Secondly, he parted with his Liberty in Exchange for't; which is the same thing with Trucking the Greatest Bles∣sing of Human Nature for the Handy-Work of a Taylor.

FAB. CCCXCVIII. Boys and Frogs.

A Company of Waggish Boys were Watching of Frogs at the side of a Pond, and still as any of 'em put up their Heads, they'd be Pelting them down again with Stones. Chil∣dren, (says one of the Frogs,) you never Consider, that though this may be Play to you, 'tis Death to us.

The MORAL.

Hard-heartedness and Cruelty is not only an Inhuman Vice, but worse then Brutal: For such Men take Delight in Blood, which Beasts spill only in Self-Defence, or in case of Necessity to satisfy Hunger.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a Dangerous and an Ill Natur'd Liberty, the Wonting or the Suf∣fering of Children to play with Birds and Flies. The Cudgelling of Shroving-Cocks is a Barbarous Custom; and so is the common License that Roguy Boys take in the Streets, of Tearing and Tormenting of Puppies and Kitlings. The very Sport is Cruelty; for 'tis no longer a Laughing Matter, when the Life of a Creature comes to be concern'd. This is a Freedom not to be endur'd, so much as in the Spectacle, but much less to be Approv'd or Practic'd, especially by those that are Born and Train'd up to any considerable Figure in a Government: For Hard-heartedness in Boys, will be Brutality and Tyranny in Men. Softness and Tender∣ness of Nature, are the Seeds of a Generous Humanity: Provided al∣ways that Children be taught to distinguish betwixt a Benignity and a Facility of Disposition, and that they may not confound Gracious with Effeminate. By this means there may be a Foundation laid of worthy Thoughts, which will ripen in due time into Glorious Actions and Ha∣bits, to qualify Men for the Honour and Service of their Country. This Foundation, I say, of a Pious and a Virtuous Compassion, will Dispose Men afterward, instead of adding Affliction to Affliction, and of Grinding the Faces of the Weak and Innocent, to Minister Protection to those that are Oppressed.

FAB. CCCXCIX. A Council of Beasts.

THe Beasts (a great while ago,) were so harass'd out with Perpetual Feuds and Factions, that they call'd a General Council, in the nature of a Committee of Grievances, to Advice up∣on some way for the Adjusting of Differences, in order to a Publick Peace. After a great many Notable things said upon the Debate, Pro and Con, the Hares at last, (according to the Printed Votes of those Days,) Deliver'd their Sense to this Effect: There can never be any Quiet in this World, so long as one Beast shall be Allow'd Nails, Teeth, or Horns, more then A∣nother; but the Weaker will be still a Prey to the Stronger: Wherefore we humbly propose an Universal Parity, and that we may be all upon the same Level, both for Dignity and Power; for we may then, and not till then, promise our selves a Blessed State of Agreement, when no one Creature shall be able to Hurt another.

The MORAL.

The Mobile are still for Levelling; that is to say, for Advancing them∣selves: For 'tis as Broad as 'tis long, whether they Rise to others, or bring others down to them. Beside, that the Doctrin of Levelling strikes at the very Order of Providence.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a Foolish thing for People to talk Boldly, without a Power to Execute; for upon the Upshot, they serve only for sport to their Supe∣riors. The World is like to be well Govern'd, where those that have neither Resolution nor Courage, shall take upon them to give Laws to't: When Fools shall correct the Works of the Heavenly Wisdom, and pass Reviews upon the Order of the Universe. It might be every jot as Cheap, New-made as Mended; and the whole Creation taken to Pieces and Rebuilt, as any part of the Work of Providence Improv'd. If God Pronounc'd upon every thing that he made, that it was Good, who shall presume to think he can make it Better?

The Question is the Procuring of an Universal Peace; and the Hares are of Opinion that the Disarming of Lions, Tigers, &c. and the bringing of Matters to a Level, would do the Work. Let it be now consider'd, that there is an Ambition in the very Affectation of that Equality; for 'tis as Broad as 'tis long, whether the other shall be brought down, or they themselves Advan'd. 'Tis Sottish, I say, to offer at things that can∣not be brought about; it is Wicked to meddle towards the Altering or

Unsetling of Things Sacred; and it is a Madness for the Weaker to talk of Binding the Hands of the Stronger. The Simple are not to direct the Wise, nor the Inferiors to impose upon those that are Above them. 'Tis Nonsense to suppose a Level in the several Parts of the Universe, when the very Frame of it is only an Orderly Pile, or Scale of one thing a∣bove another.

Now there are Hares in Councils and in Commissions of State, as well as in Fields, and in Fables, where the Multitude are for Levelling too, and for Paring the Claws, and Drawing the Teeth of Governors, as well as of Beasts. The True English of leaving no Power to do Hurt, is the leaving no Power to do Good neither; and to make short Work on't, the leaving no Power at all. 'Tis a Iuggle of the Levellers, (says Mr. Selden,) They would have no body Above them, they say, but they do not tell ye they'd have no body Under them.

FAB. CCCC. A Cock and a Fox-Case.

THere was a Fox-Case set up near a Hen-Roost, to hold forth the Doctrin of Terror and Example. A Cock spy'd it, and scour'd away from't, as fast as his Legs and his Wings could carry him, and the Birds hooted at him for't. Hark ye my Masters, (says he,) there are Live-Foxes as well as Dead Ones, by the Token one of 'em had me by the Back but t'other day, and a Thousand Pound to a Nut-shell I had never got off again. And pray tell me now, if any of you had but been in my condition, whether the very Print of a Foxes Foot would not have started ye; and much more the Image of him in his Skin.

The MORAL.

The Burnt Child Dreads the Fire.

REFLEXION.

WE find this to be true upon daily Experience, that narrow Escapes out of great Dangers, make People take Alarums at less; especially of the same Kind. One had better be Laugh'd at for taking a Fox-Case for a Fox, then be Destroy'd by taking a Live-Fox only for a Case. The very Fancy has somewhat of Reason in't, for 'tis but a Measuring Cast, upon such a Supposition as this, whether it proves the one or the other. A Lark we see will Dare at a Painted Hobby. I sing'd the Toes of an Ape through a Burning Glass my self once, and he would never be brought to Endure the sight of a Burning-Glass after. I knew another Ape that was Shot behind his Master in the Long Rebellion here, and would never

after that, Endure the sight of a Pistol. Now there's no more in all this, then what's Natural, Reasonable and Familiar.

FAB. CCCCI. A Cobler turn'd Doctor.

A Bungling Cobler that was ready to Starve at his own Trade, changes his Quarter, and sets up for a Doctor; and by the Force of Sour Looks, and Hard Words, Conjures himself into some sort of Reputation with the Common People. His Master∣piece was a Composition that he Bill'd about, under the Name of a Sovereign Antidote. This Physician came in time to fall Sick himself, and the Governor of the Place gave him a Visit. He calls for a Cup, and a Dose of his Antidote, puts a little Fair Water in't, under a Pretence of so much Poison; stirs it together, and gives it his Patient. This (says he) is only to try the Force of your Medicine, and if you outlive it, I'le give ye a considerable Sum of Mony for your Receit. The poor Quack had more care of his Life then of his Credit, and so for fear of being Poyson'd, told the whole Truth of the Matter, and how he came to be a Physician. The Governour upon this Discovery, call'd the People together, and bad them consider the Folly and Madness of their Confidence, that would venture the Patching up of their Carcases, upon the Skill of an Igno∣rant Fellow, that no body that knew him would trust so much as with the Mending of a pair of Old Shoes.

The MORAL.

There's Quacking in all Trades: Bold Ignorance passes upon the Multitude for Science; and it is with Men as 'tis with Brutes, some are to Eat, and others to be Eaten. Confident Knaves, live upon Credulous Fools.

REFLEXION.

No Fable can be Pleasant, Profitable or Instructive in Emblem, that is not drawn to the very Life of Nature; and we have a Horror for the Monstrous Productions of the Brain, as well as for those of the Body. Wherefore the Test of an Edifying Parable, is a Congruity of the Moral to the Lines of Practice, and to the Image of Truth. The Resemblance must be Touching, and a Man must have a Feeling of it to be Mov'd with it. 'Tis never right, 'till I can say to my self, How many Instances have I seen in the World of this Cobler turn'd Doctor? How many Underlayers,

that when they could not live upon their Trade, have rai'sd themselves from Cobbling to Fluxing, and taken upon them to cast the Water of a Body Politick, as well as of a Body Natural? This minds me of a Cob∣bling Colonel of Famous Memory, (and he was a States-man too of the Long Parliament Edition,) to a Lady of Quality in Ireland. She had been so terribly Plunder'd, that the Poor Woman went almost Barefoot: And as she was Warming her Feet once in the Chimny Corner, the Colonel took notice that her Shoes wanted Capping; Lord, Madam, (says he,) Why d'ye wear no Better Shoes? Why truly Sir, says she, all the Coblers are turn'd Colonels, and I can get no body to Mend 'em. Now to do Right to the Apologue; there are several Remarkable Innuendo's in't: Here's First a Coxcomb that Commences Doctor. Secondly, A kind of an Individuum Va∣gum, dress'd up in the Character of a Man of Quality. Thirdly, From being ready to Starve, Himself, he makes a very good Living out of the Privilege of Poysoning and Destroying other People. Fourthly, It gives us to Understand the Force of Impudence on the one hand, and of Ig∣norance on the other; for what was it but the Brazen Face of the Quack, assisted by the Silliness of the Mobile, that Advanc'd this Upstart from the Stall to the Stage? It is not to be Imagin'd the Power of Tumour and Pretence, Bold Looks, Hard Words, and a Supercilious Brow, upon the Passions of the Multitude. To say the Truth on't, we are impos'd upon by Botchers, and Men of Forehead, without Common Sense, in all Trades and Professions, even to the Venturing of Soul, Body, Life and Estate upon their Skill, Honesty and Credit. Can any Man look about him in the World now, and cast his Eye and Thought upon Every-days Instances of some of these wonderful Improvements and Conversions, without Saying to Himself, The Mythologist Pointed at all these Men in this Fable? For it holds as well from Foppery to Policy; from Baseness to Honour, and from Beggery to Superfluity, as from Patching to Purging, and from the Stall to the Urinal. But a Tryal of Skill at last puts him past his Latin; and when it comes to that once, he'll have more Wit then to Venture his Life upon his Antidote.

FAB. CCCCII. A Cobler and a Financier.

THere was a Droll of a Cobler that led a Life as Merry as the Day was Long, and Singing and Joking was his De∣light. But it was not altogether so well with a Neighbour of his, though a Great Officer in the Treasury; for there was no Singing, nor hardly any Sleeping under his Roof: Or if he happen'd to Doze a little now and then in a Morning, 'twas Forty to One the Jolly Cobler Wak'd him. How often would he be Wishing to Himself that Sleep were to be bought in the Market as well as Meat and Drink! While his Head was working upon this Thought, the Toy took him in the Crown

to send for the Songster. Come Neighbour, says he, thou liv'st like a Prince here, How much a Year canst thou get by thy Trade? Nay, Faith Master, says the Cobler, I keep no 'Count-Books; but if I can get Bread from Hand to Mouth, and make Even at the Years End; I never trouble my self for to Morrow. Well, says the Officer, but if you know what you can Earn by the Day, you may easily cast up what that comes to a Year: Ay, says he, but that's more or less as it falls out; for we have such a World of Holy-Days, Festivals, and New Saints, that 'tis a Woundy Hindrance to a Poor Man that Lives by his Labour. This Dry, Blunt Way, took with the Officer, and so he went on with him: Come my Friend, says he, You came into my House a Cobler, what will you say now, if I send you out on't an Emperor? and so he put a Purse of a Hundred Crowns into his Hand. Go your ways, says he, there's an Estate for ye, and be a Good Husband of it. Away goes the Cobler with his Gold, and in Conceit as Rich as if the Mines of Peru had been empty'd into his Lap. Up he Locks it immediately, and all the Comforts of his Life together with his Crowns in the same Chest. From the time that he was Master of this Treasure, there was no more Singing or Sleep∣ing at our House; not a Cat stirr'd in the Garret, but an Out∣cry of Thieves; and his Cottage was so haunted with Cares, Jealousies, and Wild Alarums, that his very Life was become a Burden to him. So that after a short time, away trudges he to the Officer again; Ah Sir says he, if you have any Charity for a Miserable Creature, do but let me have my Songs and my Sleep again, and do you take back your Hundred Crowns, with a Hundred Thousand Thanks into the Bargain.

The MORAL.

The Poor Man that has but from Hand to Mouth, passes his Time Merrily, and without any Fear or Danger of Thieves, Publick or Private; but the House that has Mony In't, is as good as Haunted.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable makes Riches to be a great Enemy to our Repose, and tells us that the Cares of Mony lye heavier upon a Good Man, then the Inconveniences of an Honest Poverty. He that sets the Anxiety, Fears and Dangers that accompany Riches, against the Chearful and the Easie Security of a Private Fortune and Condition, may very well be Thankful for the One, without Repining at the other. He that sets his Heart up∣on any thing in this World, makes himself a Slave to his Hopes and

Fears, and is as sure of being Disappointed, as he is of the Uncertainty of Human Affairs. Let it be Love, Preferment, Court-Favours, Popu∣larity, or what else it will, some Rival or other he must expect to meet with in all his Pretensions. The Proud Man's Inclination is Glory, High Place in the World, and the Applause of the People. The Envious Man's Heart is set upon doing Shrew'd Turns, Defamatory Calumnies and Revenge. In few Words, Violent Affections never fail of being Un∣easie and Importune: But of all Extravagant Passions, the Love of Mo∣ny is the most Dangerous, in regard of the greatest Variety of Difficul∣ties that attend it. There may be some few Pretenders to a Beautiful Lady; some few Candidates for the favour of a Popular Choice. But these are Competitions that Intermit, and go off and on as it happens, upon this or that Occasion. But Mony is an Universal Mistress; Men are always Watching, Spying, and Designing upon't; and all the En∣gines of Worldly Wisdom are perpetually at Work about it: So that whosoever is Possess'd of, and Sollicitous for that Interest, shall never Close his Eyes, so long as Craft, Violence, or Conspiracy, shall be able to keep them Waking.

FAB. CCCCIII. The Eagle, Cat and Sow.

THere was an Eagle, a Cat and a Sow that bred in a Wood together. The Eagle Timber'd upon the top of a High Oak; the Cat Kitten'd in the Hollow Trunck of it, and the Sow lay Pigging at the Bottom. The Cat's Heart was set upon Mis∣chief, and so she went with her Tale to the Eagle. Your Ma∣jesty had best look to your self, says Puss; for there is most certainly a Plot upon ye, and perchance upon Poor me too; for yonder's a Sow lies Grubbing Every Day at the Root of this Tree; Shee'll bring it down at last, and then your Little Ones and mine are all at Mercy. So soon as ever she had Hammer'd a Jealousie into the head of the Eagle, away to the Sow she goes, and Figs her in the Crown with another Story; Little do you think what a Danger your Litter is in; there's an Eagle Watching constantly upon this Tree to make a Prey of your Pigs, and so soon as ever you are but out of the way, she will certainly Execute her Design. The Cat upon this, goes pre∣sently to her Kittens again, keeping her self upon her Guard all Day, as if she were afraid; and steals out still at Night to Provide for her Family. In one Word, the Eagle durst not stir for fear of the Sow; and the Sow durst not budge for fear of the Eagle: So that they kept themselves upon their Guard

till they were both Starv'd, and left the Care of their Children to Puss and her Kittens.

The MORAL.

There can be no Peace in any State or Family, where Whisperers and Tale∣bearers are Encouraged.

REFLEXION.

Busie-Bodies and Intermedlers, are a Dangerous sort of People to have to do withal; for there's no Mischief that may not be wrought by the Craft and Manage of a Double Tongue, with a Foolish Credulity to work upon. There's hardly a Greater Pest to Government, Conversation, the Peace of Societies, Relations and Families, then Officious Tale-bearers, and Bufie-Intermedlers. These Pick-thanks are enough to set Mankind together by the Ears; they live upon Calumny and Slander, and cover themselves too under the Seal of Secresy and Friendship: These are the People that set their Neighbours Houses afire to Roast their own Eggs. The Sin of Traducing is Diabolical, according to the very Letter; and if the Office be Artificially Manag'd, 'tis enough to put the whole World into a Flame, and no body the Wiser which way it came. The Mischief may be Promoted, by Misrepresenting, Misunderstanding, or Misinterpreting our Neighbours Thoughts, Words and Deeds; and no Wound so Mortal as that where the Poison works under a Pretence of Kindness. Nay, there are ways of Commendation and Insinuations, of Affection and E∣steem, that Kill a Man as sure as a Gun. This Practice is the Bane of all Trust and Confidence; and it is as frequent in the Intrigues of Courts and States, as in the most Ordinary Accidents of Life. 'Tis enough to break the Neck of all Honest Purposes, to Kill all Generous and Publick-Spirited Motions, and to stifle all Honourable Inclinations in the very Concep∣tion. But next to the Practice of these Lewd Offices, Deliver all Ho∣nest Men from lying at the Mercy of those that Encourage and Entertain them.

FAB. CCCCIV. The Frogs and the Bulls.

THere happen'd a Desperate Duel betwixt a Couple of Bulls, upon a Point of Honour; for the Quarrel was about a Mistriss. There was a Frog at the same time upon the Bank of a Lake, looking on to see the Combat. Ah, says the Frog, what will become of Us now? Why prithee, says one of his Com∣panions, what are the Bulls to the Frogs, or the Lakes to the Meadows? Very much I can assure ye, says the Frog again, for

he that's Worsted, will be sure to take Sanctuary in the Fens, and then are we to be trod to Pieces.

The MORAL.

Delirant Reges, Plectuntur Achivi. When Princes fall out, the Commo∣nalty Suffers, and the Little go to Wreck for the Quarrels of the Great.

REFLEXION.

LET Ill Consequences be never so Remote, 'tis good however, with the Frogs here in the Fable, to have the Reason of Things at Hand. The Design of many Actions looks one way, and the Event works another; as a Young Gamester's Couzen'd with a Bricole at Tennis. But Mischiefs, whether meant or not, are to be Provided against and Prevented, with as much Care and Industry as if they had been designed from the Begin∣ning; and the Application of Foresight in the one Case, must supply the want of Foresight in the other. 'Tis the Fool that lives ex Tempore, and from Hand to Mouth, as we say, without carrying his Thoughts into the Future. But a Wise Man looks forward, thorough the proper and natural Course and Connexion of Causes and Effects; and in so doing, he Fortifies Him∣self against the Worst that can Befall him. The Frogs Case, in some Re∣spect, is that of a Civil War; where the People must expect to be Crush'd and Squeez'd in the Consequence, toward the Charge and Burden on't. The Lords make Merry, but 'tis the Commons must pay the Piper.

FAB. CCCCV. The Frogs and the Sun.

IN the Innocent Age of the World, when there were no Children in Nature, but those that were begot in Lawful Wedlock, it was in every Bodies Mouth, that the Sun was a∣bout to Marry. The Frogs in General were ready to Leap out of their Skins for Joy at it; 'till one Crafty Old Slut in the Company, advis'd 'em to Consider a little Better on't, before they appointed a Day of Thanksgiving for the Blessing. For (says she) if we are almost Scorch'd to Death already, with One Sun, what will become of us when that Sun shall have Children, and the Heat Encrease upon us with the Family!

The MORAL.

We take many things at First Blush, for Blessings, that upon Second Thoughts we find would be most Pernicious to us.

REFLEXION.

IT requires Great Care and Circumspection, that we Weigh and Bal∣lance things before we pronounce them to be either Good or Evil: For Men are Thankful many times for direct Maledictions, and Mortify them∣selves upon the Mistake of Imaginary Blessings. 'Twas a Wise Frog that Advis'd her Fellows to think well on't, before they rung the Bells for the Sun's Wedding. This Fancy looks toward the Case of a Republican Humour that has got a-head in a Monarchial State, Now Empire is not to be shar'd in Consort; and when Sovereignty Marries, 'tis no longer Single but Popular; and still the Greater the Number of Governors, the Hea∣vier is the Height of the Government. Now though the Order of Supe∣riority and Subjection be of Absolute Necessity for the good of Mankind, this does not yet hinder it in many respects, from being Grievous to those that live under it; every common Man would be Free, and thinks him∣self Wrong'd if he be not so. Now this is for want of Understanding the True and Natural Reason of the Matter; which is, that when One Go∣vernment comes to be Dissolv'd, the First thing to be done is to fall to Cutting of Throats toward the setting up of Another.

FAB. CCCCVI. The Fox Condemn'd.

THere was a Fox (as the Story has it) of a very Lewd Life and Conversation, that happen'd at last to be Catch'd in his Roguery, and call'd to Account for the Innocent Blood he had spilt of Lambs, Pullets and Geese without Number, and without any Sense either of Shame or of Conscience. While he was in the hands of Justice, and on his way to the Gibbet, a Freak took him in the Head to go off with a Conceit. You Gentlemen, the King's Officers, says he, I have no Mind in the World to go to the Gallows by the Common Road; but if you'll carry me through the Little Wood there on the Right Hand, I should take it very kindly. The People fancy'd a Trick in't at First, and that there might be some Thought of a Rescue, or an Escape in the Case; till Reynard Assur'd them upon his Honour, that he had no such Design: Only he was a great Lover of Musick, and he had rather have one Chirping Madrigal in the Woods, then Forty from Turks and Popes upon the Ladder.

The MORAL.

Many People are so Harden'd in an Habitual Defiance of Heaven and Hell, that they'l sport with them at the very Gallows; and value them∣selves upon Living and Dying all of a piece.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable hits the Humour of a great many loose People in the World, that are so Wicked as to value themselves upon their Ill Man∣ners, and the contempt of all Goodness; nay, to the degree even of ta∣king a Pride in their Iniquity, and affecting a Reputation by it, in pro∣portion to the Measure of the Extravagance. Some Men are so Harden'd in Lewdness, that they make it a Point of Honour to be True to't, and to go to the Devil with a Frolick betwixt their Teeth. They have got∣ten a Habit of Laughing Honesty and Good Manners out of Countenance, and a Reprobated Hardness of Heart, does them the Office of Philoso∣phy towards a Contempt of Death. Our common Executions yield but too many Instances of this Kind; and it helps mightily to keep up the Hu∣mour, that instead of Owning and Professing an Abhorrence for these Af∣fronts upon God and Nature, the Impiety is celebrated for a Jest. And whence comes it now, that Men should be so Insensible, either of a Pre∣sent Calamity, or of a Future Judgment, but stom the Custom of a Scof∣fing Atheistical Life; where Licentiousness has so long pass'd for Sharp∣ness of Wit, and Greatness of Mind, that the Conscience is grown Cal∣lous; and after this, it is but a Natural Congruity for Men to Dye as they have Liv'd. Now a Liberty in this Latitude is not more Execrable, then the Example is Pernicious; especially where it is attended with the Plea∣sure of a Frothy and a Surprizing Wit to Recommend the Wickedness.

FAB. CCCCVII. A Man at a Fish-Dinner.

A Certain Prince took a Learn'd Man to Dinner with him: It was a Fasting-Day it seems, and a great deal of Large Grown Fish there was at the Table; only at the Lower End, where the Philosopher sat, there were none but Little Ones. He took out several of them One by One, and first put his Mouth to the Fishes Ear, and then the Fishes Mouth to his own Ear, and so laid 'em in whole again, without so much as Tasting one Bit of 'em. Come Sir, says the Master of the Feast, You have some Pleasant Thought or other in your Head now, Pray let the Company take part with ye. Why Sir, says he, My Father had the Ill-Fortune about Two Years ago

to be Cast away upon this Coast; and I was asking these Little Fishes if they could tell me what became of his Body: They said No, they could not, for 'twas before their Time: But if I Examin'd the Great Ones, 'tis possible they might be able to say somewhat to't. The Prince was so well pleas'd with the Fancy, that he Order'd his Mess to be Chang'd, and from that Time forward, no body Welcomer to the Table then this Man.

The MORAL.

It is a Master-piece in Conversation, to intermix Wit and Liberty so Dis∣creetly, that there may be nothing in't that's Bitter, Course, or out of Season.

REFLEXION.

THIS is to tell us, that Good Humour goes further many times in the Reputation of the World, then Profound Learning; though Undoubted∣ly both together are Best. There is a certain Knack in the Art of Con∣versation, that gives a good Grace to many things, by the Manner and Address of Handling 'em, which in the ordinary way of bringing Mat∣ters about, would give great Offence to the Common Rules, even of Civility and Discretion. The Skill on't lyes in the Nicety of Distinguish∣ing, First, What Liberty is necessary in such and such a Case. And Se∣condly, How to Temper and Accommodate that Freedom to a Consistence with Good Manners: And this must be done too without Formality and Affectation; for a Studied and a Labour'd Forecast toward the Setting of such a Humour Abroach, is Putid and Nauseous to the Highest De∣gree; and better Fifty such Conceits were Lost, then that any thing of Contrivance or Premeditation should appear in't. There are a sort of People, that when they have once hit upon a Thought that Tickles them, will be still bringing it in by Head and Shoulders, over and o∣ver in several Companies, and upon several Occasions; but 'tis below the Dignity of a Man of Weight, to value himself upon such a Levity; for it makes him look as if Trifling were his Master-piece. Now these Turns of Fancy and Entertainment, should pass off as they came on, Carelesly and Easily, without laying any stress upon them; for they are then only Happy and Agreeable, when they are Play'd off at Volly, and pro Re Nata, and only made use of, in fine, as a Sawce to the Conversation. The Philosopher in this Instance, was not without some Difficulty how to gain his Point: There were better Fish at the Table, and the Question was how to come at them, without being either Rude or Importune; and yet if he were not clear enough to be Understood, he was in danger still to lose his Longing. So that he found out such a way of Asking, as to Provoke a Question without Speaking a Word to't; and he did it in such a Fashion of Respect too, that it might not look like Begging on the one Hand, or Reproaching on the other. And he was much in the Right once again too, when the Riddle was already set afoot, rather to wait till the Explanation should be Desir'd, then to Prompt the Master of the Feast to Call for't.

FAB. CCCCVIII. Two Laden-Asses.

AS Two Asses were Fording a River, the one Laden with Salt, the other with Sponge: The Salt-Ass fell down under his Burden, but quickly got up again, and went-on the Merrier for't. The Sponge-Ass found it agreed so well with his Companion, that down lyes he too, upon the same Experiment; but the Water that Dissolv'd the Salt, made the Sponge Forty times Heavier then it was before; and that which Eas'd the One, Drown'd the Other.

The MORAL.

The Deceiver may be Deceived: Many People take false Measures for their own Relies, without considering that what's Good in One Case, may be Bad in Another.

REFLEXION.

A Wise Man lives by Reason, not by Example; or if he does, 'tis odds, he goes out of his Way. We have a Common Saying that holds in a Thousand Ordinary Cases, where the same thing Ruins one, that Saves another. It is the part also of an Honest Man to deal Above-Board, and without Tricks. The Ass with the Sponge fail'd in both; for First, he would be trying Conclusions, without Examining either the Nature of the thing in Question, or what the Matter would bear. Secondly, He was false to his Master too, in Abusing a Trust for the Easing of his own Carcass; and then it cost him his Life Over and Above, which was both his Mishap and his Punishment.

FAB. CCCCIX. A Black-Bird afraid of a Kyte.

A Poor Simple Black-Bird was Frighted almost to Death with a Huge Flopping Kyte that she saw over her Head, Screaming and Scouring about for her Prey. Come Sister, says a Thrush to her, Pluck up a Good Heart; for all this Flut∣tering and Scrieking is but Fooling; and you shall see this La∣zy Buzzard at last, e'en take up with some Pitiful Frog or Mouse to her Supper, and be Glad on't too. No, no, the

Hawks are the Dangerous Birds Child, that Bite, as they say, without Barking, and do Execution in Silence.

The MORAL.

The more Noise and Flutter, the less Danger.

REFLEXION.

THERE'S no great Danger in Men of Huff and Bluster: Noise and Pretence without Execution, is only much ado about Nothing; and yet this way of Trifling, is the very Bus'ness and Practice of many that pass in the World for Great Men, though they are much Mistaken that think them so. But there are Reverend Appearers in all manner of Glorious Professions and Adventures, as in Arms, Letters, Religion Law, Policy, &c. There are Quacks, in short, of all sorts, as Bullies, Pedants, Hypo∣crites, Empyricks, Law-Jobbers, Politicasters, and the like; and there are Men as well as Black-Birds that are Silly enough not to Distinguish be∣twixt a Hawk and a Buzzard.

FAB. CCCCX. A Fox and Wolf.

AN Unlucky Fox dropt into a Well, and cry'd out for Help: A Wolf overheard him, and looks down to see what the Matter was. Ah, (says Reynard,) Pray lend me your Hand Friend, or I'm lost else. Poor Creature! says the Wolf, Why comes this about? Prithee how long hast thou been here? Thou canst not but be mighty Cold sure. Come, come, this is no Time for Fooling, says the Fox; set me upon Terra Firma first, and then I'll tell ye the History.

The MORAL.

When a Man is in Misery, there must be no Trifling in the Case. 'Tis a Barbarous Humour to stand Bantering out of Season. 'Tis no Time or Place for Raillery, when a Life's at Stake.

REFLEXION.

HERE are Three Calamities in One: First, The Foxes falling into a Pit, and not being able to get out again. Secondly, The Misery of be∣ing put to beg Relief of an Enemy, for want of a Friend. Thirdly, The Affront of the Refusal, as it was accompanied with Raillery and Scorn. 'Twere well if we had not too many of these Brutal Mockeries in our

Daily Conversations; for we have Banterers in Religion, in Point of Ho∣nour, and upon all the Distresses of Human Life. He that has no Pity or Compassion for the Miserable, is not in Truth of a Reasonable Make; for Tenderness of Nature is but a kind of Lay-Charity; and a Body can be no more a Good Man without the One, then a Good Christian with∣out the Other. Let a Man be never so Wicked, 'tis a Base and an Un∣manly thing to Insult upon him in his Calamity. His Punishment may be Just; and when he suffers Justice, 'tis all that a Good and a Generous Man can wish for in the Case.

The S•…•…omms of Great Men, or Buffoons of Quality, are every jot as Wolvish in Conversation, as they are here in the Fable; though 'tis look'd upon, I know, as •…•… Mark of Breeding, and the Indication of a Man that has Notable Skill in the World, to turn the Earnest of all Things and Du∣ties, Sacred and Civil, into a Jest, and to put the Common Principles of Faith, Truth, Justice and Respect, out of Countenance. Now in all these Cases, the President is as Dangerous, as the Practice is Odious, where the Quality of the Droll serves to Authorise the Indignity: But from a Fox, that's made up of Trick and Treachery, there's no better to be Ex∣pected.

FAB. CCCCXI. Two Travellers find an Oyster.

AS Two Men were Walking by the Sea-Side, at a Low∣water, they saw an Oyster, and they both Pointed at it together: The One Stoops to take it up; the other gives him a Push, and tells him, 'tis not yet Decided whether it shall be Yours or Mine. In the Interim, while they were Disputing their Title to't, comes a Passenger that way, and to him they referr'd the Matter by Consent, which of the Two had the Better Right to the Oyster. The Arbitrator very Gravely takes out his Knife, and Opens it; the Plaintiff and Defendant at the same time Gaping at the Man, to see what would come on't. He Loosens the Fish, Gulps it down, and so soon as ever the Morsel was gone the way of all Flesh, wipes his Mouth, and Pronounces Judgment. My Masters, (says he, with the Voice of Authority,) The Court has Order'd each of ye a Shell, without Costs; and so pray go Home again, and Live Peaceably among your Neighbours.

The MORAL

Referrees and Arbitrators seldom forget Themselves.

REFLEXION.

THE Scope of this Fable, is to divert People from Contentious, Ex∣pensive and Vain Law Suits. Agree, Agree, (says the Old Saw,) the Law is Costly: The whole Bus'ness of the World is about Meum & Tuum; either by Right, in Good Earnest, or by Wrong, under the colour of Right: And while the Clients are Contending about the Title, the Council runs away with the Estate. This Litigious Humour, where Men are as well Stubborn and Wilful, as Captious and Quarrelsome, burns like the Fire of Hell; for 'tis never to be Quench'd: Beside, that whoever is given to Wrangling, can never want Matter or Occasion for't. And this is not on∣ly the Case in Matters of Propriety, and in Legal Claims before a Bench of Justice, but it works in a Thousand Instances of Vain Disputations, Competitions, and other Tryals of Mastery and Skill, where there's little more then Pride, Stomach, Will and Vanity, to uphold the Contest. Nay, and he that has the better on't at last, is only the more Fortunate Fool of the Two. Let but any Man set before him the Vexatious Delays, Quirks and Expences of most of our Barretry Suits at Law, and 'tis odds he finds at the Foot of the Account, the Play not worth the Candle.

FAB. CCCCXII. A Raging Lion▪

THere was a Lion ran Stark Mad, and the very Fright on't put all the Beasts of the Forrest out of their Wits for Company. Why what a Condition are we in, they cry'd, to fall under the Power of a Mad Lion; when a Lion at the very Soberest, is little better then Frantick?

The MORAL.

Rage upon Rage is a Double Madness.

REFLEXION.

Governors had need be very well Principled, and good Natur'd, to keep their Passions in Order and Obedience: But when an Absolute Power shall come to be put upon the Stretch by an Outragious Humour, there's no Living under it. By a Raging Lion, is meant an Unruly and a Cruel Governor, which is a sad Calamity, but not without somewhat of Dignity yet in the Misfortune; for 'tis a Lion still, how Mad soever. Now if it had been a Raging Ape, the Fancy had been Ridiculous and Scanda∣lous to the Last Degree; and therefore the Moral is Restrain'd to the True and Genuine Character of Sovereignty, without Descending to the Counterfeit.

The Moralists that make this Raging of a Lion to be a Surcharge of One Madness upon another, must not be Understood Simply, as if they took Government for a Burden and an Oppression; but it refers to the Infelicity of that State where an Impotent Will puts an Unbounded Power upon the Tenter. But let the Oppression be never so Sanguinary, there's no Appeal left from the Tyranny; for if a General Insurrection had been thought Lawful, the Fable would not have made the Case so Desperate: So that this is only to Insinuate the Sacredness of Power, let the Administration of it be what it will: And the Reason of it is so plain, that it is impossible for Human Frailty to be better Secur'd then it is by the Determinations of Providence in this Particular. An Unlimited Power 'tis true is a strong Temptation, and where 'tis Screw'd up to the Highest Pitch, 'tis a great Unhappiness; but it is not for Men that have their Fortunes and their Stations in this World Assign'd them, to take up∣on themselves to be their own Carvers, and to Grumble at the Orders and Resolutions of their Masters and Rulers. 'Tis a Great Unhappiness to lye at the Mercy of a Raging Lion; but it is a Christian Duty never∣theless to suffer Patiently under the Justice of such a Judgment.

FAB. CCCCXIII. The Kingdom of Apes.

TWo Men took a Voyage together into the Kingdom of Apes; the one a Trimmer, the other a Plain Dealer. They were taken into Custody, and carried to the Prince of the Country, as he sat in State, and a Mighty Court about him. Well, says the King to the Trimmer, Look me in the Face now, and say, what do you take me to be? A Great Emperor, Un∣doubtedly, says the Trimmer. Well, says his Majesty once a∣gain, and what d'ye take all these People about me for? Why Sir, says he, I take them for your Majesties Nobility and Great Officers. The Prince was wonderfully pleas'd with the Civi∣lity and Respect of the Man, and Order'd him a Bushel of Pippins, as a singular Mark of his Royal Favour. His Ma∣jesty after this, put the same Questions to the Plain Dealer, who fell to computing with Himself, that if his Companion had gotten a Reward for a Damn'd Lye, certainly he should have twice as much for a Plain Honest Truth; and so he told the King Bluntly, that he took him for a very Extraordinary Ape, and all those People about him for his Trusty and Well-beloved Counsellors and Cozens: But the Poor Man Paid dearly for his Simplicity; for upon a Signal from the Emperor, the whole

Band of Apes fell Tooth and Nail upon him, and tore him one Limb from another.

The MORAL▪

Where the Rules and Measures of Policy are Perverted, there must needs Ensue a Failure of Iustice, and a Corruption of Manners: And in a Kingdom of Apes, Buffoons may well put in for Commission-Officers.

REFLEXION.

THIS (says Camerarius,) is to reprove the Practices of perverse Courts, and Extravagant Princes.

It is the proper Bus'ness of Mythology to Point out, and Represent the Images of Good and Evil, and under those Shadows to Teach us what we ought to do, and what not, either Severally and Apart, or as Members of a Society; that is to say, Simply, as Men in a State of Right Nature, or as Parents, or Children, Masters, or Servants, Husbands or Wives, Rulers or Subjects, Friends, Countrymen, Relations, and the like. Now as there are Good and Bad of all sorts; so their Virtues and their Vices, their good Behaviour and their Misdemeanors are to be set forth, Circumstanc'd and Distinguish'd in such sort, as by Rewards or Punishments, to Encourage the One, and to Discountenance the Other, in proportion to the Dignity of the Action, or the Degree of the Offence; by Conferring Marks and Characters of Honour, Offices of Trust, or Beneficial Commissions on the one hand, and by inflicting Sentences of Shame, Infamy, Pains Corporal, or Pecuniary on the other. Without this Distribution, one main end of Emblem is lost; neither is it the true Figure of Life. For Wicked Men, False Brethren, Unnatural Parents, Disobedient Children, Barbarous Husbands, Undutiful Wives, Tyrannical, Weak or Fantastical Governors; Rebellious Subjects, Cruel Masters, Faith∣less Servants, Perfidious Kindred and Acquaintance: All these Lewd Characters are as Absolutely necessary to the Perfecting of the Design, as the most Laudable Excellencies in Nature.

In this Fable of the Kingdom of Apes, the Author according to Came∣rarius, intended the Picture of an Extravagant Government, where he gives Flattery and Corruption the Advantages that in Policy and Justice belong to Services of Honour and of Truth: And at the same time De∣livers up a Man of Honesty, Justice and Plain Dealing to be torn to Pieces. This Kingdom of Apes has been Moralliz'd a Thousand and a Thousand times over in the Practice of the World, and such as the Foun∣tain is, such will be the Stream. Let Government it self be never so Sacred, Governors are still but Men; and how necessary and Beneficial soever the Order is at all Hands Confess'd to be, the Officers yet, and the Administrators are but Flesh and Blood, and liable to the Passions and Frailties of other Mortals.

There are in fine, many Distempers, Errors, and Extravagances, that shew themselves in the Exercise of Political Powers; as an inexorable Rigour for the Purpose, or as Lasche a Demission of Sovereign Authori∣ty. There are Cases of Sensuality, Pleasure, and Appetite, where Go∣vernours have only the Name of Rulers, while some over-grown Subject perhaps Usurps upon the Prerogative in effect, and does the worst things

imaginable in the Name of the Publick. But this rarely happens, save where the Master wants Resolution to check the License and Presumption of a Daring Servant.

There is also a certain Manage that leaves all at Six and Seven, and thinks to support Greatness without either Rule, Weight or Measure; and that's a dangerous Point, when Prudence and Fidelity shall turn to Loss, and Wickedness be supported by the Reputation of Favour and Applause. The Misery of these false Measures is excellently well Pointed out to us in this Fable; and consequently the Blessings of a steddy Ad∣ministration, where the Ends of Government are Conscientiously observ'd, and the Divine Priviledges of Power maintain'd; and where Truth and Justice are impartially Asserted and Administer'd, and as resolutely De∣fended.

FAB. CCCCXIV. An Als made a Iudge of Musick.

THere was a Question started betwixt a Cuckow and a Nightingale, which of the Two had the Better Voice, and the better way of Singing. It came at last to a Tryal of Skill, and an Ass was to be the Judge; who upon Hearing both Sides, gave it clearly for the Cuckow.

The MORAL.

'Tis a Hard Case for Philosophers to be Try'd by Fools, and the Multitude to sit Iudges upon the Niceties of Honour and Government.

REFLEXION.

THE Old Adage of Asinus ad Lyram, answers this Figure to the very Letter. The Fable extends to all Incompetent Judges, Umpires, or Ar∣bitrators, in what Case or Matter, or under what Incapacity or Disabi∣lity soever. It Points at the Folly and Scandal of the Choice too, as well as the Iniquity of the Sentence; for the Honour of the Governor, and the Well being of the Government, depend in a great Measure upon the Fitness of the Officer, let his Commission be Ecclesiastical, Civil, Mi∣litary, or what else it will. Here's an Ass made a Judge of Musick; a Faculty that he neither Loves nor Understands; for there's no Song to One Ass, like the Braying of Another. Let any Man fancy to Himself, how it would look to put a Law-Case to a Iack-Pudding; a Question of State to a Corn-Cutter; a Point of Conscience to a Knight of the Post. In short, let every Man be Consulted and Credited in his own Way and Trade. Neither can it be Expected that a Fool should judge according to Wis∣dom, Truth, Reason and Justice. There may be very proper Exceptions too upon the Matter, as well of Morals, as of Abilities. One would

not Trust a Covetous Man in Mony Matters, where there's any thing to be Gotten, either by Fraud or Corruption; nor a Vain Man, where there's a Temptation to Popularity. False Men are not to be taken into Confidence; nor Fearful Men into a Post that requires Resolution; nor Cruel, Insolent Men, into a Station where Power may be Abus'd to Op∣pression. All these Absurdities fall within the Dint of this Fable; for want of Honesty makes a Judge as Incompetent, as want of Under∣standing.

FAB. CCCCXV. An Ape Iudge betwixt a Fox and a Wolf.

A Wolf charges a Fox with a piece of Pilfery. The Fox Denies it. The Ape tryes the Cause, and upon a fair Hear∣ing, Pronounces them both to be Guilty. You (says the Judge to the Wolf,) have the Face to Challenge that which you never Lost; and you (says he to the Fox,) have the Confidence to Deny that which you have certainly Stoll'n.

The MORAL.

When both Plaintiff and Defendant happen to be a Couple of Crafty Knaves, there's Equity against them Both.

REFLEXION.

'THIS Fable tells us what Credit is to be given to Witnesses of a False and Lewd Conversation, and that a known Liar is of no Authority in a Judgment of Law, even when he speaks Truth. Where a Brace of Sharp∣ers will be going to Law, none so fit as an Ape to try the Cause; and it was a Sentence worthy of such a Judge, to pronounce them both Guil∣ty; which in Equity they were, with a respect to their Character and Reputation; though in Law they could not be so, upon the Fact in Question. If the Ape in this Fable had too little regard to the Letter of the Law, we have seen some Cases where more stress has been laid upon the rigour and strictness of it, then Conscientiously did belong to't: For when one Man of an Exemplary Improbity, Charges another of the same Stamp, in a Court of a Justice, he lies under the Disadvantage of a strong Suspicion, even before he is Heard; and People are Prepar'd to Believe the Worst of him by Anticipation, and before his Case is Known. So that the Bare Prejudice is sufficient to turn the Scale, where it was Gold-weight before; unless we Ballance the Improbity of the one, with the Improbity of the other, as the Ape did here in the Fable.

We are to understand upon the whole matter, that it is more Advisable to give too Little Credit in a Court of Judicature to Men of Profli∣gate Lives, then too Much: For 'tis a Scandal to Publick Justice, to make use of such Instruments for the Supporters of a State.

FAB. CCCCXVI. An Ape and a Lion in his Kingdom.

WE are told of a Lion, that (after the Laudable Example of other Princes,) pass'd an Act of Grace upon his Accession to the Crown, wherein he was pleas'd to Declare himself wonderfully in favour of the Liberties and Properties of his Subjects. He did not hold in this Mind long; and yet he could not think it convenient neither, to make any Attempts upon the Beasts by open Force; so that he chose rather to take them One by One in Private to him, and to sift them all upon this General Question; Put your Nose just to my Mouth, says he, when I Gape, and then tell me truly, is my Breath Sweet or no? Some told him that it was not Sweet, others that it was; and so he pick'd a Quarrel with them Both: The one Sort went to Pot for their Hypocrisie; and the other for their In∣solence. It came to the Ape at last, to deliver his Opinion upon the Matter; the Ape Smelt and Snuffled, and consider'd on't: Why certainly Sir, says he, You have some Rich Per∣fume in Your Mouth, for I never smelt any thing so fragrant since I was Born. The Roguy Ape in fine, Wheedled him so Artificially, that the Lion had not the Face to Chop him up immediately upon the Spot, and yet he was Resolv'd he should not Scape neither: So the Lion Counterfeited Sick, and there was notable Puzzling among the Doctors I warrant ye, about his Pulse and his Water: But they told him however upon due consideration, that they found no Mortal Symptoms about him, only a kind of Heavy Indisposition, that might be easily Rectified by a Careful Diet; and so they Desir'd him by all means to bethink himself what Flesh he lov'd best, and e'en make a Hearty Meal on't. Why then (says the Lion) I have a strange Fancy for a Mouthful of Good Sound Apes-Flesh, if you find it proper for me: Nothing like it, they cry'd; and so the Poor Flattering Ape was presently Taken up, Dress'd and Eaten by way of Prescription.

The MORAL.

There's no Hope for an Honest Man, where Flattery is Encourag'd and Re∣warded, and Plain-Dealing Punish'd.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable gives to Understand, that where Men of Power happen to be Unjust and Cruel, all the Prudence and Innocency in the World will not save a Man: He that would Thrive in such a Court, must Go∣vern himself betwixt Sincerity and Adulation. The Art of Pleasing is not every Man's Talent, neither will the same way of Manage work up∣on all Humours alike. The Art of Pleasing, is in Truth but the Art of Living; and the Skill of Cutting to a Thrid, betwixt Flattery and Ill Manners; but so as to Accommodate the Method and the Application, to the Genius of the Man, or of the People, and to the Quality of the Bus'ness in Hand: Not but that there are some Cases and Natures that a Man cannot so much as Touch, without Burning his Fingers, and where Truth, Flattery, and Trimming are all Mortal.

We may learn from hence also, that Justice is so Awfully Sacred, that the most Faithless of Men have a secret Veneration for it; for their Uttermost Cruelties are cover'd with the semblance of it; and in the ve∣ry Exercise of the Vice, they Affect the Reputation of the Vertue. 'Tis neither Prudent nor safe, in fine, to Provoke great Men, or indeed to have any thing to do with them, if they be not Men of Honour, as well as of Power; for though their Hands seem to be Bound, they can yet Untye themselves, by Virtue of a Certain Prerogative they have to Play Fast or Loose at Pleasure.

FAB. CCCCXVII. Two Laden Asses.

THere's an Old Story of Two Asses Travelling upon the Road, the One Laden with Oats, the other with Mony: The Mony-Merchant I Warrant ye, was so Proud of his Trust, and of his Bell, that he went Juking and Tossing of his Head, and Tabring with his Feet all the way, as if no Ground would hold him. The other Plodding on with his Nose in the Breech of his Leader, as Gravely as One Foot could follow another. While they were Jogging on thus upon the Way, out comes a Band of Highway-Men from the next Wood, and falls upon the Ass that carried the Treasure. They Beat, Wound and Rifle him, and so leave him, without so much as taking the least Notice of his Fellow. Well, (says the King's Ass,) and for all this Mischief I may e'en thank my Mony. Right, says the other; and it has been my Happiness that I was not thought worth the Robbing.

The MORAL.

Poverty is both Safe and Easie; and Riches a Great Snare to People in ma∣ny Cases: As it far'd worse here with the State-Ass then with the Mu∣letiers.

REFLEXION.

THE Poor Peaceable Man has nothing to Fear, but does his Bus'ness, and takes his Rest, without the Trouble either of Thieves or of Alarums. 'Tis the Booty, not the Man, (save only for the Booty's Sake,) that is in Danger. There's either Mony or Monys-worth, in all the Controver∣sies of Life; for we live in a Mercenary World, and 'tis the Price, in some sort or other, of all things that are in it; but as it certainly draws Envy and Hazzard after it, so there are great Advantages go a∣long with it, and great Blessings that attend the right use of it. And so for Poverty too; a narrow Fortune is undoubtedly a Cramp to a great Mind, and lays a Man under a Thousand Incapacities of serving either his Country or his Friend; but it has the Comforts yet of being free from the Cares and Perils that accompany great Masses of Treasure and Plentiful Estates. Beside, that the Virtue of a Generous and a Charitable Tenderness of Nature, is never the less Acceptable to him that takes the Will for the Deed, for want of Ability to put those good Inclinations in Execution. This Fable in short, makes good the old Saying,

No Man Sings a Merrier Note Then he that cannot change a Groat.

FAB. CCCCXVIII. A Boar Challenges an Ass.

THere pass'd some Hard Words betwixt a Boar and an Ass, and a Challenge follow'd upon't. The Boar depended upon his Tusks, and computed within himself, that Head to Head the 'tother could never be able to Encounter him. So he Advanc'd upon his Adversary: And the Ass, so soon as ever he had him within Distance, turn'd Tayl upon him, and gave him such a Lash over the Chops with his Iron Hoof, that he made him stagger again. The Boar after a little Pause; Re∣cover'd himself. Well, (says he) I was not aware of such an Attack from that End.

The MORAL.

No great Enterprize should be Undertaken without considering beforehand the Good or the Ill that may come of it.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable shews the great Oversight of Engaging in Quarrels, with∣out Considering from what Quarter the Danger may come. Where Ad∣versaries are unequally Match'd, it will behove the Weaker to supply the want of Force and Courage, by Invention and Address. Presump∣tion can never Justify either Temerity or Carelessness; for every Crea∣ture has its Weak Side, and lies open to be Impos'd upon by Craft or Surprize. There's an Infamy in the very Challenge of so Base and Ti∣merous a Creature; but then to be Worsted by an Animal that's the Scorn of all the Rest, is Shameful and Ridiculous to the Highest De∣gree.

FAB. CCCCXIX. A Cuckow and Little Birds.

A Cuckow was asking several Little Birds, what made them so Shy of coming into her Company. They told her, that she was so like a Hawk, they did not care to have any thing to do with her.

The MORAL.

A Wise Man Searches into the Nature of Things, and does not Govern himself by outward Semblances and Appearances.

REFLEXION.

THERE should a Regard be had in all our Actions and Counsels, to the Nicety of the matter in Question. This is to tell us, that the ve∣ry Appearances of Evil are to be Avoided, and all the Semblances of Danger to be well Examin'd and Consider'd. Why should not a Bird as well trust a Hawk that's like a Cuckow, as trust a Cuckow that's like a Hawk? Two Likes may be Mistaken, and a Man cannot be too wary where the Error is Mortal. There may be a Disguise 'tis true, in the one case, and a misapprehension in the other; but it is safer yet to stand upon our Guard against an Enemy in the likeness of a Friend, then to Embrace any Man for a Friend in the likeness of an Enemy. T•…•…ere's no Snare like Credulity, when the Bait that's laid for us is cover'd with the pretence of a Good Office. Neither are there any Impostures so Perni∣cious, as those that are put upon us by Fair Resemblances. He that is

not certain, (in such an Instance as this,) is in danger; and 'tis ill Ventur∣ing (Neck and all especially,) where a Body is not very sure, whether it be a Hawk or a Cuckow.

FAB. CCCCXX. Hungry Dogs, and a Raw-Hide.

A Company of Hungry Curs Discover'd a Raw-Hide in the Bottom of a River, and lay'd their Heads together how to come at it: They Canvass'd the matter one way and 'tother, and brought it to this Issue in the Conclusion, that the only way to get it, was to Drink their way to't. So they fell to Lapping and Guzzling, 'till in one Word, they Burst them∣selves, and never the nearer.

The MORAL.

He that sets his Heart upon Things Impossible, shall be sure to Lose his Longing.

REFLEXION.

Foolish Counsel is not only Vain and Unprofitable in General, but in many particular Cases most Destructive and Deadly. This Fable lays o∣pen the Folly, the Vanity, and the Danger of Pressing too eagerly for any thing that's out of our Reach. We spend our Strength, and our Credit in clearing the way to't, and it flies before us like a Shadow, which we may well Pursue, but can never Overtake. It is much the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and a Thousand 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sorts of Projectors, that propose to themselves things utterly Impracticable, a•…•…do consume their Lives in Hopeless and Fruitless Undertakings. This falls out for want of Computing upon the Proportion betwixt the Means, and the End; and for want of Examining and Considering what's Practicable, and what 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 for want again of Measuring our Force and Capacity with our Designs.

FAB. CCCCXXI. An Ass and a Shadow.

ONe Hir'd an Ass in the Dog-Days to carry certain Bails of Goods to such a Town: 'Twas Extream Hot, so that he lay down upon the Way to Refresh himself under the Shade

of the Ass. The Muletier bad him Rise, and go on according to his Bargain. 'Tother said that the Ass was His for the time he had Hir'd him. Right, says the other, You have Hir'd the Ass, but not the Shadow.

The MORAL.

Work for the Lawyers.

REFLEXION.

'THIS Fable Plays upon the Contentious Humour of People that go to Law for Trifles. De Asini Umbra, is effectully but this Fancy in an Adage. There needs no more to the setting of the whole World in a Flame, then a Quarrelsom Plaintiff and Defendent, and a Brace of Chica∣neurs to Blow the Coals. Wrangling is Instructed as an Art or a Science on the one side, and made use of as an Exercise on the other. Some People can no more Live without Law, then without Air, and they reckon it better Husbandry to spend a Thousand Pound upon Counsel, to Defend a Trivial or an Unwarrantable Cause, then to part with one single Six Pence for the Payment of an Honest Debt. This Fable in short, is Mo∣ralliz'd in Westminster-Hall, Forty times over every Term.

FAB. CCCCXXII. A Country-Fellow and a River.

A Blockheaded-Boy that was sent to Market with Butter and Cheese by the Good Old Woman his Mother, made a stop at a Quick River in the way, and laid himself down upon the Bank there, till it should run out. About Midnight, Home he goes to his Mother, with all his Market-Trade back again. Why how now Son, says She, what have we here to do! Why Mother, says this Booby, yonder's a Scurvy River that has been running all this Day, and I staid till just now for the Running of it out, and there 'tis Running still. The Lord help thee Son, says the Good Woman, for thy Head and mine will be laid many a Fair Day before this River runs Dry.

The MORAL.

We are not to Expect that Nature will Change her Course, to Gratify the Sickly Freak of every Fantastical Humour.

REFLEXION.

THIS is to shew us the Mischief and the Danger of Procrastination. The Sloathful and Irresolute slip their Opportunities in the very Expecta∣tion of them. Some People are so unreasonably Lazy, as to expect that Nature should rather go out of her Course and Way for their Sakes, then they put themselves to the trouble of Moving One Step out of their own way for the sake of Bus'ness and Nature. They'll rather wait the Run∣ning of a River Dry, then take the Pains to look about for a Bridge or a Ford. They never consider that Nature is a Perpetual Motion, and that the Work of the Universe Circulates, without any Interval or Re∣pose. Why should not the Sun sleep in the Firmament, or stand still to Attend our Affairs, as well as the Rivers stop their Courses to give us Passage?

Nay, the Madness of this Folly is yet more Impious then any thing else in't; for what Man in his Right Wits can pretend to Wish, to Hope, or to wait for such Events, for the Gratifying of a Sickly Fancy, as would be enough to put People quite beside their Senses, if they should come to pass? So Ridiculous are Intemperate Curiosities, and Impotent Affections, that nothing less then Portents, and the Confounding of Nature in her Course and Causes, can Content us. How can any thing succeed well to People that are to be pleased with Nothing, unless the very Ball of the Universe may be Unravel'd, and the Laws of Providence Revers'd?

FAB. CCCCXXIII. A Bladder with Beans in't.

IN the Days of Adam, when (as the Story says,) the World had here and there a Shrew in't, it fell to the Lot of a cer∣tain Philosopher to have one of those Smart Lasses to his Wife: The Evil Spirit was often up with her; and never had any Quack or Operator so many Receipts for the Tooth-Ach, or a Quartan Ague, as he had Spells offer'd him for the Laying of it again: But when he found that neither Saying Much, Little, or nothing; neither Choler, nor Patience; neither Go∣ing nor Staying would do any Good upon her, he Betook himself to a Bladder of Beans, and the shaking of that Bladder when the Fit was upon her, without One Syllable speaking, was at any time a Present Cure.

The MORAL.

There's no way like Raising of One Devil to Cast out Another: For there must be no Answering of Noise, Folly, and Reviling, in the same Kind.

REFLEXION.

THE Husband here in the Fable found no Charm to lay the Devil in a Petticoat, but the Ratling of a Bladder with Beans in't; and I my self have known a Cat-Pipe us'd in the like Case with very good Success. There's no Contending with an Impetuous Woman, by Authority or Rea∣son. The Banging of it out in a Dispute at length, would be a Loss both of Time and of Honour, and to no manner of purpose neither; for what should a Man do, Reasoning upon a Point where Reason does not so much as enter into the Question? So that it is the Best of a Brave Man's Game to make a Drawn Battle on't, where there's no Possibility of a Victory. He in fine, that contemns a Shrew to the Degree of not Des∣cending to Word it with her, does worse then Beat her. But we live in an Age, when Women, we hope, are better Instructed, then to fly in the face of Religion it self, Law, and Nature: And these Desperate En∣counters can never fall out betwixt a Man and his Wife, but where the Woman is lost to all sense of Shame, Prudence, Modesty and Common Respect.

FAB. CCCCXXIV. A Fox and a Divining Cock.

A Fox that had spy'd out a Cock at Roost upon a Tree; and out of his Reach, fell all of a sudden into an Extravagant Fit of Kindness for him; and to Enlarge upon the Wonderful Esteem he had for the Faculties and good Graces of the Bird, but more particularly for his Skill in Divination, and the Fore∣knowledge of Things to come. Oh (says he) that I were but Worthy the Friendship of so great a Prophet! This Flattery brought the Cock down from the Tree into the very Mouth of the Fox, and so away he Trudges with him into the Woods; reflecting still as he went, upon the strange Force that Fair Words have upon vain Fools: For this Sot of a Cock (says he) to take himself for a Diviner, and yet not foresee at the same time, that if he fell into my Clutches, I should certainly make a Sup∣per of him.

The MORAL.

A Fool that will Swallow Flattery, shall never want a Knave to give it him.

REFLEXION.

THE Power of Flattery, where it is once Entertain'd, is well nigh Irresistible; for it carries the Countenance of Friendship and Respect; and Foolish Natures are easily wrought upon, and Perverted, under that Semblance. When Pride, Vanity, and Weakness of Judgment meet in the same Person, there's no Resisting the Temptations of a fair Tongue, and consequently no avoiding the Secret and Malicious Designs of a False Heart. Here's a Credulous Cock already prepar'd for the Enter∣tainment of the Grossest of Flatteries: Nothing so Ridiculous, nothing so Impossible, but it goes down whole with him, for Truth and Earnest: Nay, and the Folly is so Unaccountable, and the Madness so Notorious, that in this Humour the most Spiteful Enemies we have in the World pass upon us for Friends. The Cock takes the Council of a Fox, and like the Squirrel to the Rattle-Snake, puts himself into the Mouth of his Mortal Adversary. How many such Diviners do we meet with in our Daily Conversation, that lay their Lives, Fortunes and Reputation at the Mercy of Parasites? How many Sots that Commence Philosophers upon the Credit of these Fawning Slaves! There's no Fool to the great Fool that's Fool'd by a little Fool; nor any thing so Scandalous as to be the Fool Of a Fool.

FAB. CCCCXXV. The Moon Begs a New Gown.

THe Moon was in a heavy Twitter once, that her Cloaths never Fitted her: Wherefore, Pray Mother, says she, let the Taylor take Measure of me for a New-Gown. Alas Child, says the Mother, how is it possible to make any one Garment to Fit a Body that appears every Day in a several Shape?

The MORAL.

'Tis the Humour of many People, to be perpetually Longing for something or other that's not to be had.

REFLEXION.

THIS shews us the Vanity of Impracticable Propositions, and that there is no Measure to be taken of an Unsteady Mind. There's no Quieting of Unsettled Affections; no satisfying of Unbounded Desires; no possibility in short, of either Fixing or Pleasing them. Let a Man but say What he would have, When, and how Much, or how Little, and the Moons Taylor may take Measure of him; but to be Longing

for this thing to Day, and for that thing to Morrow; to change Li∣kings for Loathings, and to stand Wishing and Hankering at a Ven∣ture, how is it possible for any Man to be at Rest in this Fluctuant Wan∣dering Humour and Opinion? There's no fitting of a Gown to a Body that's of One Size when you take Measure of it, and of another when you come to put it on. 'Tis the very same Case with a Heart that is not True to it self. And upon the whole Matter, Men of this Levity are Condemn'd to the Misery of Living and Dying Uneasy.

FAB. CCCCXXVI. A Young Fellow about to Marry.

MArrying and Hanging, they say, go by Destiny, and the Blade had this Thought in his Head perhaps, that Desir'd the Prayers of the Congregation, when he was upon the very Point of Matrimony. His Friends gave him no Answer it seems, which put him upon Reasoning the Matter with them. Why Gentlemen, (says he) if there had been but a Snick-up in the Case, you'd have cry'd the Lord Bless ye Sir; and there's more Danger in Marrying I hope, then there is in Sneezing.

The MORAL.

The Parson was much in the Right sure, that like the Hang-man, ask'd all People Forgiveness that he was to Marry, before he did Execu∣tion upon them.

REFLEXION.

MANY a Man runs a greater Risque in a Wise, then the World is a∣ware of. The Whimsical Freak of this Young Bantering Spark, would have made no Ill Ingredient into a Wise and a Sober Man's Litany; and though it looks like a Jest, there is somewhat in't yet that may be worth a thinking Man's Earnest. But there will need no more then the Experi∣ence of those that have Try'd the Circumstances of this Blessed State, to Recommend the Morality of the Allusion, to the Thought of others, that are not yet Enter'd into the Matrimonial Noose.

FAB. CCCCXXVII. A Woman trusted with a Secret.

THere was a Good Woman (in the Days when Good Wo∣men were in Fashion) that valu'd her self Wonderful∣ly upon the Faculty of Retention, or (for the sake of Good Manners) upon the Admirable Gift she had in the Keeping of a Secret. The Toy took her Husband in the Head once, to make Tryal of her Vertue that way; and so he told her One Morning upon Waking, in the greatest Confidence Imaginable, one of the Strangest Things perhaps that ever was heard of, which had that Night Befall'n him: But my Dear, says he, if you should Speak on't again, I'm utterly Ruin'd; and Women are generally so Leaky, that in the whole Course of my Life, I have hardly met with any one of the Sex that could not hold her Breath longer then she should keep a Secret. Ah, my Life (says she) but your Woman I assure ye, is none of that Number? What? Betray my Husbands Secrets, I'd Dye a Thousand Deaths first. No my Heart, if ever I do, may—Her Husband at that word, stop'd her Mouth, for fear of some Bloody Imprecation, and so told her. Come Wife, says he, They that will Swear will Lye, and so I'll rather tell you up∣on Honour. Look ye here what has befall'n me; I have laid an Egg to Night; and so he took the Egg from his Backside, and bad her Feel on't; but if this should ever come to Light now, People would say that I was Hen-Trod, and the Dis∣grace of it would make me a Scandal to Mankind. This Se∣cret lay Burning in the Breast of the Poor Woman, and kept her Waking, till she had Day-light enough to Rise by; and then softly out of the Bed she steals, for fear of Waking her Husband, and so away Post-hast to a Gossipping Neighbour of her Acquaintance; Hurries her out of her Bed; Charms and Swears her to Privacy; and then out comes the Secret, That her Husband had laid Two Eggs that very Night. This Confident had another Confident; and there 'twas Three Eggs. The next made it Four; and so it went on (Encreasing still,) from one Gossip to another, 'till by Six a Clock in the After∣noon they had made it Forty Eggs.

The MORAL.

Three may Keep Counsel, when Two are away.

REFLEXION.

There's no such way of Publishing or Proclaiming any thing, as by Enjoyning a Woman under the Seal of Confession to keep it Secret. They that are Curious to know Forbidden Secrets, are as Frank of Telling them again, and of Enlarging them: So that whoever shews me a very Inqui∣sitive Body, I'll shew him a Blab, and one that shall make a Privacy as Publick as a Proclamation. But if your Wife will have it so, and calls for a Categorical Answer, [Will ye tell me, or will ye not?] If you tell the Secret, 'tis odds but in Twelve Hours it shall be Town-Talk, and be made Thirteen times more then 'tis. If you Refuse to tell it, there's no enduring the Exclamations, for want of Trust and Confidence, and the Unaccountable Jealousies that Follow upon't. For there are a sort of People that never consider the many separate Privacies of Trust and Honour, that a Husband cannot honestly Communicate to a Wife, nor a Wife to a Husband: That is to say, where there's a Third Party or Mat∣ter concern'd, apart from any thing in the Question that is Conjugal be∣twixt them.

He that can doubt of the Reason and the Necessity of this Guard and Caution, must be much a Stranger to the History of the Great Rebellion under Charles the First of Blessed Memory; when so many State-Intrigues pass'd through the Hands of Women, who are without Dispute the best of Spies, and the most proper Instruments for Discovery and Intelligence: Especially if they be Women of Address, Wit, and Beauty; for the very Sex has certain Privileges upon the Point of a Cavalier-Gallantry and Good Breeding, to cover them from the strictnesses of Search and Exa∣mination that other Agents are commonly Subjected to.

Now to Reconcile a seeming Contradiction here, in making Women at the same time to be both Fit and Unfit to be Trusted; this Fable does not strike so much at the Futility of Women in General, as at the Incontinent Levity of a Prying Inquisitive Humour; and it falls-in over and above, by way of a Short and Pertinent Digression, to shew that State-Matters are Morally Excepted out of the Articles of Marriage.

FAB. CCCCXXVIII. A Woman and Thrushes.

IN the Days of Yore, when Men and their Wives agreed like Dog and Cat in a House together, the Good Man had been a Shooting it seems, and brought his Dame Home a Dozen of Black-Birds with him. Come, Sweet Heart, says he, Prithee let's have these Black-Birds to Supper. Blackbirds? says

she, the Lord Bless us, why certainly the Man's a Change∣ling. Come, come, you shall have your Thrushes for Supper then. Well, says he, but I tell you again, I'll have these Black∣birds to Supper. That's well, quoth the Woman; and I tell you Again and Again, that you shall have these Thrushes for Supper. Prithee my Dear, says the Man, If I say they are Black∣birds, let 'em be Blackbirds: I'll allow you to think they may be Thrushes, but don't Contradict me. Prithee my Dear, says she, if I have a Fool to my Husband, is my Husband's Wife bound to be a Fool for Company? Hussy, don't Provoke me, says the Man, but let the Blackbirds be Dress'd, and do as I bid ye; Obey your Hus∣band y'ad best. Lifelikins, says she, I know no more Reason I have to Obey my Husband, then my Husband has to Obey me; and Sirrah in the Teeth of ye, since y'are Hussying of me; no other Woman would have the Patience to be Abus'd thus. From these Family-Words they fell to Blows, and there was the Wig in one Corner, and the Head-Gear in another, upon the Question whether they were Blackbirds or Thrushes. When the Bickering was over, they went very comfortably to Bed together, and so rubb'd on in a kind of Catterwalling Life, 'till just that Day Twelve Month: And then came the History of the Blackbirds and the Thrushes upon the Carpet again. Ah ye Beast you, says the Woman, how did you Beat your Poor Wife Sirrah, this day Twelve Month about those Damn'd Thrushes. Blackbirds ye Iade, says the One; Thrushes ye Rogue, says t'other: And so in One word, they Play'd the same Farce over again; insomuch, that for the time they Liv'd together, the Woman had an Anniversary Beating, as duly as the Day of the Month came about every Year after.

The MORAL.

—Coelum licet & Mare Terris Confundas, Homo sum.—What must be must be.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a Folly next to Madness for Women to be Trying Masteries with their Husbands; to say nothing of the Scandal they bring upon them∣selves and their Families, by such a Forfeiture of Honour, Discretion, Modesty and Good Manners. Nay, and 'tis well too, if from some Men, and upon some Provocations, they scape the Discipline of a good Drub∣bing into the Bargain.

There are Divers Important Doctrins Couch'd under this Fable; First, the Insuperable Obstinacy of a Violent Woman. Secondly, The Scandal of the Example, as well as the Folly of the Competition. Thirdly, The Natural Issue of the Controversy, where the Weakest must expect to go to the Wall. The World, Heaven be Thanked, does not want instan∣ces to illustrate this Figure. So that there will be less need of Amplify∣ing upon it. We are not here upon the Philosophy of the Freak, but upon the Shameful Lewdness of the Practice. Sirrah, (says a Woman to a Friend of mine, that took her off from Beating her Husband,) I'm a Wor'stershire Woman, and I won't be Abus'd. Iuvenal's Homo sum, says all in Two Words. When the Devil of this Passion is Rais'd, there's no A∣biding the Storm, and there's no Laying on't. One such Womans Tongue (says the Poet) is beyond all the Pans and Kettles in the Country, to bring the Moon out of an Eclipse. Keep up the Dialogue, and she Kills you; let it fall, and you Kill her. This was the very Case of a Certain Divine that Chid a Woman for striking and Reviling her Husband. She left her Husband immediately, and fell upon the Jacket of the Parson, who stood Gaping at her a full Hour and a Half together, without one word of Reply. The Passion put her at last into Fits, and the first Word she said upon coming to her self again, was no more then this, Ah Sir, says she, Ever while you live Answer a Woman.

To come now to the Doctrin that's wrapt up in the Example. 'Tis Scan∣dalous with a Respect to the Ordinances both of God and Man; 'tis a high Offence to Common Decency, in regard of the Sex, the Duty, and the Relation: And then 'tis most abominably Indiscreet, because if the Man be not a Coxcomb, the Woman is sure to be Worsted; and if he be one, 'tis as good as a Noverint Universi, that there's a Fool and a Shrew well met. The Word Yoak-Fellow, goes a great way with a Thrush-Woman. And so does the Text, that says, They shall be both One Flesh. From whence she infers an Equality at least, if not a Right of Dominion; for the Rib ought to have some Preference above the Clay.

This is not to be taken for a General Character of Women, but for a Reproof only of some Eager-Spirited Gypsies of the Sex; and for the Ho∣nour also of those Angelical Perfections, which render them both the Joy and the Blessing of Mankind, when they live Suitably in all Points to the Intent of their Creation.

FAB. CCCCXXIX. Two Soldiers go Halves.

THe Humour took Two Country Fellows in the Head to turn Soldiers, and so away they went to try the Chance of War, upon an Agreement to go Halves in the Ad∣venture. The One fell Sick upon the way; T'other went for∣ward to the Army, where he got himself both Mony and Credit. At his Return a while after, he found his Friend up∣on the Mending hand, and told him how and how, which he

was Extreamly Glad to hear, because of the Snip that he him∣self Expected upon the Dividend. As they were Talking of this and that by the By; he took his time to put in a hint a∣bout Sharing the Booty according to their Agreement. That's all the Reason in the World says t'other; but then there are other things to be Divided too, which I ha'nt told you of, and when we come to Reckon, we had e'en as good make one work on't, and count all together. This, says t'other to himself, must be something of Plate, Jewels or Precious Plunder; and so he came Bluntly to the Question, what it was that his Came∣rade had gotten besides? Why look ye, says the Soldier, (shew∣ing him his Naked Body) Here are Bruises, Wounds, Maims and Scars, that are to be Divided as well as the Mony. Nay, says the other, you may e'en keep all y'ave got to your own use then; for I'll have no Dividing upon those Terms.

The MORAL.

Partners must go Half-Profit, Half-Loss, 'tis no Bargain else.

REFLEXION.

'TIS Wisdom not to give more for a Thing then 'tis Worth; and in Common Equity, Partners should take the Good and the Bad one with another, or let both alone. People should not enter Hand over Head in∣to Partnerships or Adventures, either in War or in Bus•…•…ness; they should consider that the Blows and the Scars are to be Divided, as well as the Pistoles and the Ducats, and the Loss as well as the Profit. The Two Parties are as good as Man and Wife, where the Bargain is for Better for Worse. Nay, there's Brawling as well as Kissing in the very State of Matrimony it self; and when People come to be Us'd to Both at Once, let them set one against the other, and then put the Gain in their Eyes. If Life be a Journey, Men must expect Foul way as well as Fair, and content themselves to Travel in All Weathers, and through All Difficul∣ties; which is no more then the same Mixture that we meet with in All our Undertakings: Wherefore let no Man Brag of his Bargain, till he has cast up his Account, and set the Scars against the Booty.

FAB. CCCCXXX. A Lion and a Man.

AMong other good Counsels that an Old Experienc'd Lion gave to his VVhelp, this was One; that he should ne∣ver Contend with a Man; for says he, if ever you do, you'll

be Worsted. The Little Lion gave his Father the Hearing, and kept the Advice in his Thought, but it never went near his Heart. When he came to be grown up afterward, and in the Flower of his Strength and Vigour, About and About he Ranges to look for a Man to Grapple with: In his Ramble he chances to Spy a Yoak of Oxen; so up to 'em he goes presently; Heark ye Friends, says he, are you MEN? They told him No; but their Master was a Man. Upon leaving the Oxen, he went to a Horse, that he saw Bridled, and Ty'd to a Tree, and ask'd him the same Question; No, says the Horse, I am no Man my Self, but he that Bridled and Saddled me, and ty'd me up here, He's a Man. He goes after this, to one that was Cleav∣ing of Blocks. D'ye hear, says the Lion, You seem to be a Man. And a Man I am, says the Fellow. That's well, quoth the Lion, and dare you Fight with Me? Yes, says the Man, I dare Fight with ye: VVhy I can Tear all these Blocks to Pieces ye see. Put your Feet now into this Gap, where you see an Iron Thing there, and try what you can do. The Lion presently put his Claws into the Gaping of the Wood, and with One Lusty Pluck, made it give way, and out drops the Wedge, the Wood immediately Closing upon't; and there was the Lion caught by the Toes. The Woodman presently upon this, Raises the Country, and the Lion finding what a Streight he was in, gave one Hearty Twitch, and got his Feet out of the Trap, but left his Claws Behind him. So away he goes back to his Father, all Lame and Bloody, with this Confession in his Mouth; Alas, my Dear Father, says he, This had never been, if I had follow'd your Advice.

The MORAL.

Disobedience to Parents is against the Laws of Nature and of Nations; Common Iustice, Prudence and Good Manners; and the Vengeance of Heaven, Sooner or Later, Treads upon the Heels on't.

REFLEXION.

People are not to Reason upon Obedience to Parents, and Submission to Governors, provided there be nothing in the Command, or in the Im∣position that is simply Evil. Reason in Man, does abundantly supply the Defect of other Faculties wherein we are Inferior to Beasts; and what we cannot compass by Force, we bring about by Stratagem. The Intent of this Fable, is to set forth the Excellency of Man above all Creatures upon the Earth; and to shew that he is Lord and Ruler o∣ver all the rest; their Teeth, Claws, Stings, and other means of Offence, notwithstanding. The Young Lion himself is Charg'd by his Sire not to

Contend with him; so that consequently no Creature of less Force is up∣on any Terms to Encounter him. Not but that there are some special Instances to the contrary, in Exception to the General Rule. The Mo∣ralist makes the Event to confirm the Reason, and to support the Autho∣rity of the Lions Council. It may pass likewise in some sort, for a Pu∣nishment of Disobedience to a Parent; but there's the Voice of Provi∣dence and Wisdom in't, as well as the Voice of a Father; which is in∣timated in shewing us, that the Yoak of Oxen, and the Horse that stood Bridled and Sadled, had a Man still to their Master.

FAB. CCCCXXXI. A Hare and a Sparrow.

A Sparrow happen'd to take a Bush just as an Eagle made a Stoop at a Hare, and when she had got her in the Foot, Poor Wat cry'd out for Help. VVell, (says the Spar∣row) and why don't ye Run for't now? I thought your Foot∣manship would have Sav'd ye. In this very Moment comes a Hawk, and whips away the Sparrow; which gave the Dying Hare this Consolation in her last Distress, that she saw her In∣solent Enemy overtaken with a just Vengeance, and that the Hard-Hearted Creature that had no Pity for Another, could ob∣tain none for her self neither, when she stood most in need on't.

The MORAL.

'Tis with Men, and Governments, as it is with Birds and Beasts. The Weaker are a Prey to the Stronger, and so one under another, through the whole Scale of the Creation. We ought therefore to have a Fellow∣feeling of one anothers Afflictions; for no Body knows whose Turn may be next.

REFLEXION.

HERE'S a Just Judgment upon Ill-Nature, wherefore let no Man make Sport with the Miserable, that is in danger to be Miserable Himself, as Every Man may be; and in Truth every Man deserves so to be, that has no Tenderness for his Neighbour. It is a High Degree of Inhumanity not to have a Fellow feeling of the Misfortune of my Brother; but to take Pleasure in my Neighbours Misery, and to make Merry with it, is not only a Brutal, but a Diabolical Barbarity and Folly.

FAB. CCCCXXXII. A Fox and a Cock.

A Hungry Fox that had got a Cock in his Eye, and could not tell how to come at him; cast himself at his Length upon the Ground, and there he lay winking and pink∣ing as if he had Sore Eyes. Ah, (says he to the Cock) I have gotten a Thorn here, with Creeping through a Hedge t'other Day; 'twould be the greatest Charity in the VVorld, if you would but help me out with it. VVhy truly, says the Cock, I am no Ocul•…•…st, and if I should go to Help One Eye, and put Out T'other with my Spur, we should have but an Untoward Bus∣ness on't; but if you are not in very great Hast, I can fly Home in a Trice, and bring ye One that shall certainly Cure ye. The Fox finding 'twas all but Banter: Well, says he) 'tis no Great Matter then; for the more Physicians, the more Danger, they say.

The MORAL.

Shuffling and Fencing, is in many Cases both Allowable and Necessary: Especially where Craft is to be Encounter'd with Craft.

REFLEXION.

THERE'S no Trusting to a Known Hypocrite and an Enemy Both in One, and therefore the Cock was too Crafty for the Fox here, and kept him∣self upon his Guard. There is this Mischief in False Dealing, that it forces People to be Hard Natur'd and Suspicious in their own Defence; for Credulity is Mortal. Not but that many Men are Impos'd upon to their Ruin by a Mistaken Charity and Compassion. It is a Nice Point how∣ever, for a Man to take upon him to Assign the Many and Various Ca∣ses that occur upon this Topick, and so as to allot them their Just and Proper Limits, with such a Regard to Good Nature and Discretion, as nei∣ther to be Wanting to Our Selves, nor to Others: But yet the Possible Danger of Relieving a Miserable Person, for fear he should be a Counter∣feit, will not Excuse a Man from doing Acts of Humanity, notwithstand∣ing that Pretence. But there is a Double Hazzard in't, for we may Mis∣carry either by too Little Caution, One way, or by too Much Presumption the other. Now the Smelling out of a Trick, and the Defeating of it, does not come so Home, as Repaying of it in kind; for the Contempt in the manner of doing it, gives a kind of Sting to the Disappointment. But the Fox however has the Grace of other Bantering Buffoo•…•…s: That is to say, he is never to be put out of Countenance; and when he finds himself Pinch'd, he shifts it off with a Droll.

FAB. CCCCXXXIII. Ioy and Sorrow are near A-kin.

THere pass'd a great many Bitter VVords once upon a time betwixt Ioy and Sorrow; insomuch that they Mov'd the Court upon it by Consent, and made a Chancery Cause on't. Upon a Fair and a Full Hearing, the Judge found some colour of Equity on Both Sides, and would fain have made 'em Friends again. You should consider, says he, how near y'are a-kin, and what a Scandal, 'tis to have these Heats and Squabbles among Relations: But all this went in at One Ear, and out at T'other: So that when he saw there was no Good to be done, he pass'd this Sentence upon them, that since they would not go Hand in Hand Amicably of Themselves, they should be Link'd together in a Chain; and Each of them in his Turn should be perpetually Treading upon the Heel of the Other; and not a Pin Matter then which went Foremost.

The MORAL.

No Man is to Presume in Prosperity, or to Despair in Adversity; for Good and Ill Fortune do as naturally succeed one another, as Day and Night.

REFLEXION.

IT is the lot of Mankind to be Happy and Miserable by Turns. The Wisdom of Nature will have it so; and it is exceedingly for our Advan∣tage that so it should be. There's nothing Pure under the Heavens, and the Rule holds in the Chances of Life, as well as in the Elements: Be∣side, that such an Abstracted Simplicity, (if any such thing there were,) would be neither Nourishing to us, nor Profitable. By the Mediation of this Mixture, we have the Comfort of Hope to support us in our Di∣stresses, and the Apprehensions of a Change, to keep a Check upon us in the very Huff of our Greatness and Glory: So that by this Vicissitude of Good and Evil, we are kept steady in our Philosophy, and in our Reli∣gion. The One Minds us of God's Omnipotence and Iustice; the Other of his Goodness and Mercy: The One tells us, that there's No Trusting to our own Strength; the Other Preaches Faith and Resignation in the Prospect of an Over-ruling Providence that takes Care of us. What is it but Sick∣ness that gives us a Taste of Health? Bondage the Rellish of Liberty? And what but the Experience of Want that Enhances the Value of Plen∣ty? That which we call Ease is only an Indolency or a Freedom from Pain; and there's no such thing as Felicity or Misery, but by the Comparison. 'Tis very true that Hopes and Fears are the Snares of Life in some Respects; but then they are the Relief of it in others. Now for fear of the worst however on either hand, every Man has it in his own Power by the

Force of Natural Reason, to Master the Temptation of falling either into Presumption or Despair.

FAB. CCCCXXXIV. The Owl and the Sun.

THere was a Pinking Owl once upon a very Bright and a Glorious Morning, that sate Sputtering at the Sun; and ask'd him what he meant to stand Staring her in the Eyes at that Rate. Well, says the Sun, but if your Eyes will not bear the Light, what's your Quarrel to my Beams that Shed it? Do you think it a Reasonable Thing that the whole VVorld should be Depriv'd of the Greatest Blessing in Nature, to Gra∣tify the Folly, the Arrogance and the Infirmity of One Sot?

The MORAL.

There is nothing so Excellent, or so Faultless, but Envy and Detraction will find somewhat to say against it.

REFLEXION.

IT is no more in the Power of Calumny and Envy to Blast the Dig∣nity of a Wise and of an Honest Man, then it was in the Power of the Blear-Ey'd Owl here, to cast a Scandal upon the Glory and Greatness of the Sun. The Principles of Good and Evil are as Firm, as the Founda∣tions of the Earth, and never had any Man Living the Face yet to make an Open Profession of Wickedness in its own Name. Not but that Men of Vicious Lives and Conversations, have found out ways of Imposing their Corruptions and Infirmities upon the World for Virtues, under false Semblances and Colours. But there's no Man all this while, that sets up for a Knave or a Coxcomb in Direct Terms. Now the Mystery of the Cheat lies in the Artificial Disguising of One thing for Another, and in making Evil pass for Good, and Good for Evil: As every Virtue has its Bordering Vice, and every Vice its Bordering Virtue. So that the Pre∣tence is Fair still, let the Practice be never so Foul, and Men will be try∣ing to bring down the Rule to the Error, where they cannot Reconcile the Error to the Rule. When People have once Inverted the Measures of Moral Equity, and Natural Reason, and brought the Question of Right or Wrong, so far as in them lies, to a False Standard, there follows in course, an Envious Malevolence upon the Opposition. As for Example; A Fool Naturally Hates a Philosopher: A Debauchee does as Naturally Hate a Man of good Government, and Moderation. A Man of Con∣science and Religion is as much an Eye-Sore to a Profligate Atheist: And a Mercenary Knight of the Post has just as much Kindness for a Man of Probity and Virtue. To Conclude the Moral, There are of these

Owls in Palaces and Assemblies, as well as in Barns and Groves; but a Man of Honour and Integrity Shines on, like the Sun in the Firmament, Unconcern'd, and continues his Course.

FAB. CCCCXXXV. Iupiter and a Farmer.

Jupiter had a Farm a long time upon his hand, for want of a Tenant to come up to his Price, 'till a Bold Fellow at last was content to Take it, upon Condition that he Himself might have the Ordering of the Air and the Seasons, as he thought fit. So Iupiter Covenanted with him, that it should be Hot or Cold, Wet or Dry, Calm or Windy, as the Tenant should Direct. In conclusion, this Man had effectually a Climate of his own, that his very next Neighbours felt nothing of: And it was well they did not; for when they had a Plentiful Har∣vest and Vintage, the Farmer himself had hardly any Corn or Grass upon his Ground. He took other Measures the Year fol∣lowing, which (as it fell out) prov'd the more Unkindly of the Two. He held on however, till he was upon the very Point of Breaking; and when it came to that once, he was e'n glad to Petition Iupiter to Release him of his Bargain; for he was now Convinc'd, that Providence knows Better what is good for us, then we know what is good for our Selves.

The MORAL.

We should do well to make it One Petition in our Litany, that in many Cases Heaven would be so Gracious to us, as not to hear our Prayers; for we are otherwise in Danger to be Undone by our own Wishes.

REFLEXION.

WHAT work would Malevolents and Malecontents make in the World, if they might but have the Governing of it; and if Heaven were not more Merciful to us, then to grant us our own Wishes? Wherefore there must be no Prescribing of Rules to the Divine Wisdom. What a Con∣fusion would it bring upon Mankind, if all those People that are Unsatis∣fied with the Motions, Revolutions and Influences of the Coelestial Orbs; the Course of the Seasons, and the Providential Distribution of Heats and Colds, Rain, Frosts and Sun-shine, might be Allow'd to take the Go∣vernment into their own Hands? There needs nothing more to Con∣vince us of the Vanity, the Malice and the Folly of these Intermed∣lers with the Works and Orders of an Over-ruling Power; and yet

we must be making Articles and Conditions forsooth, in Matters where we have neither Authority nor Skill: And where, in spite of our Hearts, we must Submit, as in Duty and Reverence we are Obliged to Resign, and to Obey.

FAB. CCCCXXXVI. A Wolf turns Religious.

A Wolf that was past Labour, had the Wit in his Old Age, yet to make the best of a bad Game: He borrows a Ha∣bit, and so about he goes Begging a Charity from Door to Door under the Disguise of a Pilgrim: And for ought we know, this may be one of the Pilgrims that were to have Landed at Mel∣ford Haven, in the Year 1677 / 8. One of his Relations that had the Fortune to Meet him in this Holy Garb and Pre∣tence, took him up Roundly, for stooping so much below the Dignity of his Family and Profession. Why what would you have me do? says the Pilgrim Wolf. My Teeth and my Heels are gone, so that I can neither Run, nor Worry, and I must either Cant, and turn Religious, or Starve.

The MORAL.

When People can live no longer by Downright Rapine and Villany, for want of Strength, Means or Ability to go on at the Old Rate, 'tis a common thing for 'em to Drive on the Old Trade still under a Semblance of Religion and Virtue: So that Impotency goes a great way toward the Conversion of an Old Sinner.

REFLEXION.

A Proselyte-Wolf is a very Saint yet to a Proselyte-Christian, that makes his Belly his God, and Renounces his Faith for Bread. Now over and above the Lively Image of the Practice of the World in this Wonderful Conversion, 'tis Pleasant enough to consider how Gravely the New-Con∣vert is taken up by one of his Fellow Wolves, for bringing such a Dis∣grace upon his Character and Function, as to submit to the Picking up of a Livelyhood in that Strolling way of Canting and Begging; which in the Moral, gives us to Understand, that the Hypocrite is the Fouler and the Baser Beast of the Two. The Doctrin of this Fable, if the Matter were well Examin'd, would more or less run thorough the whole Race of Mankind; for Repentance and a New Life, is naturally the Discourse and Retreat of Old Sinners, when they find they can Live by Barefac'd Wickedness no longer: What a Hideous Roll would it make, if the

Names of all the People that are Pointed at under this Emblem of the Pilgrim-Wolf were written in their Foreheads!

FAB. CCCCXXXVII. The Asses Skin.

A Miserable Ass that was ready to sink under Blows and Burdens, call'd upon Death to Deliver him from that Intolerable Oppression. Death was within Hearing it seems, and took him at his VVord; but told him withal for his Comfort, that whereas other Creatures end their Misfortunes and their Lives together, You must not expect that it will be so with you; for (says Death,) they'l make Drums of your Skin, when your Carcass shall be Carrion, and never leave Drubbing of ye so long as one Piece will hold to another.

The MORAL.

Some People are Miserable beyond the Relief even of Death it self: That is to say, there are Men that lead Restless Lives in this World, under a Dreadful Apprehension at the same time, of being more Wretched in the next.

REFLEXION.

THIS Moral does not lye so square, as to bear any great weight upon't. 'Tis true, that our Fame and Memory shall outlive our Bodies; and that in that Sense a Man may be said to be Miserable after his Death; even in a Pagan way of Understanding it, as well as with a Re∣gard to the Immortality of the Soul in a Christian Application. It holds forth to us the Pertinacy of Ill Fortune, in Pursuing some People into their very Graves: But they that are born to a Fatality of Endless Mis∣fortunes, must submit to go thorough with them.

FAB. CCCCXXXVIII. A Fool and a Hot Iron.

A Smith threw down a Horse-Shoe in his Shop that was but just come out of the Fire: A Fool took it up; it burnt his Fingers, and he cast it down again. Why ye Block∣head you says the Workman, could not you have try'd whe∣ther

'twas Hot or no before you Meddled with it? How try? says the Fool. Why a Hot Iron would have Hiss'd if you had but Spit upon't. The Fool carry'd this Philosophy away with him, and took an Occasion afterward to Spit in his Porridge, to try if they'd Hiss. They did not Hiss it seems, and so he Guttled 'em up, and Scalt his Chops. Well, says one that was by, and could not you have stay'd 'till they were Cold? VVhy I thought they had been Cold, says the Fool. You might have known they were Hot says t'other by their Smoaking. The Fool carried this in his Mind too; and going a while after to a Spring-Head to quench his Thirst, he fancy'd that the Foun∣tain Smoak'd too; and there he staid 'till he was almost Choak'd, for fear of Burning his Chops once again.

The MORAL.

This very Innocent may serve to Teach Wise Men Caution, that they Exa∣mine Matters before they pass a Iudgment upon them; for otherwise we live at a kind of Hap Hazzard, and without any Insight into Causes and Effects.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a Great Folly not to Distinguish betwixt things Extreamly Dif∣fering in their Qualities and Nature; 'tis no wonder to find one Simpli∣city of this Kind follow'd with more; for Weak Men will be still apply∣ing the last Rule to the next Case, for want of Reasoning and Connect∣ing upon the whole. 'Tis an Odd Thing now, that a Mountebank should get Reputation by the same Error that makes an Idiot yet more Ridicu∣lous; that is to say, by Prescribing the same Remedy to all Diseases. There was just such another Innocent as this, in my Fathers Family: He did the Course Work in the Kitchin, and was bid at his first Coming to take off the Range, and let down the Cynders before he went to Bed. The Poor Silly Wretch laid Hands of the Irons, when they were next to Red Hot yet, and they stuck to his Fingers, A Vengeance on ye, says he, Y' are as Warm as Wool; and so shook 'em off again. Now this Innocent, I dare Answer for him, had never read Camerarius, so that he did not Burn his Fingers by that Copy.

FAB. CCCCXXXIX. A Cock and Horses.

A Cock was got into a Stable, and there was he Nestling in the Straw among the Horses; and still as the Fit took 'em, they'd be Stamping and Flinging, and laying about 'em with their Heels. So the Cock very gravely Admonish'd them; Pray my Good Friends, let us have a Care, says he, that we don't Tread upon One Another.

The MORAL.

Unequal Conversations are Dangerous and Inconvenient to the Weaker Side in many Respects, whether it be in Regard of Quality, Fortune, or the like; where the weight of the One, sinks the Other: And no matter whether we Embark out of Vanity or Folly; for 'tis Hazzardous both ways.

REFLEXION.

So says many a Vain Fool in the World, as this Cock does in the Like Case, and Exposes himself to Scorn, as well as Destruction. 'Tis a necessary Point of Wisdom for People to sort themselves with fit Com∣pany, and to make a Right Judgment of their Conversation. I do not mean in the matter of Morals only, where Vicious and Ill Habits are Contagious; but there should a Regard be had to the very Size, Qua∣lity and Degree of the Men that we Frequent: For where the Dispro∣portion is very great, a Man may be Ruin'd without Malice, and Crush'd to Pieces by the Weight even of One that has a Kindness for him. Now where we Misjudge the Matter, a Miscarriage draws Pity after it, but when we are Transported by Pride and Vanity into so Dangerous an Af∣•…•…, our Ruin lies at our own Door.

FAB. CCCCXL. A Gard'ner and a Mole.

A Gard'ner took a Mole in his Grounds, and the Question was, whether he should put her to Death or no. The Mole Pleaded that she was one of his Family, and Digg'd his Garden for Nothing: Nay, she Insisted upon't, what Pity 'twas to Destroy a Creature that had so smooth a Skin, and Twenty other Little Pretences. Come, come, says the

Gard'ner, I am not to be Fool'd with a Parcel of Fair VVords: You have Nothing for Digging 'tis True; but pray who set you at VVork? Is it for my Service d'ye think, to have my Plants and my Herbs torn up by the Roots? And what's your bus'ness at last, but by doing all you can for the filling of your own Belly, to leave me nothing to Eat?

FAB. CCCCXLI. A Man and a Weazle.

THere was a Weazle taken in a Trapp, and whether she should Dye or not, was the Point: The Master of the House Charg'd her with heavy Misdemeanors, and the Poor Vermine stood much upon her Innocence and Merit. Why says she, I keep your House clear of Mice. Well, says the Man, but you do't for your Own sake, not for Mine. What work would they make in the Pantry and the Larder, (says she) if it were not for me? And in the mean time (says the Master of the House) You your Self devour the same things that they would have Eaten, Mice and All: But you would fain sham it upon me, that you do me a Service, when in Truth you do me an Injury; and therefore you deserve a double Death; First, For the Fault it self, and then for the Justifi∣cation of it.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

'Tis according to the Course of those Kind Offices in the World, which we call Friendship, to do one another Good for our Own Sakes.

REFLEXION.

THERE'S nothing Commoner in this World then the Case of the Mole here and the Weazle: That is to say, the Case of People that Value themselves mightily upon Merit; when in the mean time they do only their own Bus'ness. What Virtue is it for me to do another Man good by Chance; or where's the Obligation of doing it for my own Profit? 'Tis the Will of a Man that qualifies the Action. A Body may do me Good, and yet Deserve to be Punish'd for't. He may save my Life for the purpose, with an Intention to take it away. There is however some Regard to be had to the very Instrument that Providence makes use of for our Advantage. But this is out of a Respect to the Providence, not to the Man: And we are not yet come up to the Force of the

Fable neither; for many People have the Confidence to Plead Merit, when Effectually they do us Mischief.

FAB. CCCCXLII. A Woman, Cat and Mice.

A Good Woman that was willing to keep her Cheeses from the Mice, thought to Mend the Matter by getting her a Cat. Now Puss Answer'd the Womans Intent and Expecta∣tion, in keeping the Mice from Nibbling the Cheeses; but she her self at the same time devour'd the Mice, Cheese and all.

The MORAL.

This has been our Case within the Memory of Man: There were a matter of Half a Dozen Little Roguy Political Mice lay Nibbling at our Liberties and Pro∣perties, and all Peoples Mouths Open'd for the Providing of some 500 Cats to Destroy them. The End on't was this, they Kill'd the Vermine; but then they Gobbled up Priviledges and All: And was not the World well Amended?

REFLEXION.

THE Present State of Things is best, unless we may be very well As∣sur'd that the Danger of the Remedy is not Greater then that of the Disease: Nay it so falls out many times, that a Thing may be Good for the Distemper, and yet Mortal to the Patient: Wherefore Men should never Trouble their Heads about Innovations for slight Matters, without a strict Calculation, upon the Profit or Loss of the Exchange. The Fan∣cy of the Cat and Mice, Points very naturally at the Case of Monarchy and Episcopacy in the Days of King Charles the First. There were Grie∣vances of all sorts Complain'd of, and Popular Disputes Rais'd about Prerogative and Arbitrary Power, in the pretended Favour of Liberty and Property. Every thing was amiss they cry'd, and nothing would serve the Turn but a General Reformation; and what was the Issue at last, but the Cat that should have Kill'd the Mice, Eat up, as the Fable says, Mice, Cheese and All.

FAB. CCCCXLIII. A Man in Tears for the Loss of his Wife.

NEver had any Man such a Loss in a Woman certainly as I have had! cries a VViddower in the Flush of his Extravagancies for a Dead Wife: Never so dear a Creature! Never so Miserable a Wretch! And so he runs Raving on, how he should Abhor the Sex it self now she is gone. As he was in the Transport of his Lamentations, and about half thorough the Farce, he started all on a sudden, and call'd out to the Woman about the Body, (who it seems, had gotten the best Piece of Linnen in the House for a Winding Sheet;) Pray, says he, will you take another Cloth for the Present, and let this be laid by for my next Wife, if it should be the Lords will to have me Bury another. This set the Company a Laughing, for all their Sorrow, to see the Good Man so soon brought to his Wits again.

The MORAL.

Funeral Tears are but Matter of Form; and it is a Distinguishing Mark of Hypocrisy, to take upon us to be Kind as well as to be Righteous, beyond Measure. But Time and Nature will bolt out the Truth of Things, thorough all Disguises.

REFLEXION.

IT is Morally Impossible for an Hypocrite to keep himself long upon his Guard; for the Force is Unnatural, and the least Slip or Surprize, either of Word, Look, or Action, Discovers the Cheat. 'Twas well e∣nough put to a Fellow under the same Circumstances, by a Friend of his, when he saw nothing else would Comfort him: Come, says he, after all this Roaring and Tearing, what Boot at last betwixt my Warm Wife, and thy Cold one? Which may serve for a Notable Moral of Consolation in some Cases; Witness the Gentleman that try'd both Fortunes in one and the same Woman. His Wife was given over, and himself waiting in the next Room, with the Rage and Impatience of a Mad-man, for fear of Ill News; when at last, in comes one of the Nurses to him with the Dismal Tydings, that my Poor Lady was Dead, and had been now Stone Cold for at least a Quarter of an Hour. My Dear Wife Dead? says he. Nay we'll never part sure; and so with a Thousand Frantick Ex∣clamations, he strips immediately, and to Bed to her he goes, takes her into his Arms, and there Treats her with all the Tender Passionate Things that a Well-acted Love and Desparation could put into his Mouth: Winding up all in fine, with this Resolution, that he would never forsake her, but they must Live and Dye together. Let this Instance serve for

a Caution to People how they Play with Edge Tools; for this Fooling brought the Woman to Life 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and turn'd the Jest into Earnest. Nay, the Man Himself took it for a Warning too; for from that time to the Hour of her Death, which was near Seven Year after, he never came betwixt a pair of Sheets with her. But to conclude all in a Word; happy is the Man, (considering the Hazzards of Conjugal Disagreements, Ungracious Children, None at all, or the Loss of them, and Twenty o∣ther common Circumstances,) that in a Marry'd State, has the good For∣tune to make a Saving Game on't.

FAB. CCCCXLIV. A Rich Man that would be no Richer.

THere was a Huge Rich Man, that could neither Eat nor Sleep for fear of Losing his Mony: The whole En∣tertainment of his Life was Vision and Phantome; Thieves, Earthquakes, Inundations; nothing in short came amiss to him, that was Possible, Dangerous, and Terrible. In this Torment of a Restless Imagination, he call'd a Begger to him, told him his Case; and now says he I must send you presently of an Er∣rand to Fortune. Go your ways to her immediately, (you'll find her in Iapan,) and desire her from me, that for the future she'll never Trouble her self further upon any Accompt of mine; for I am absolutely resolv'd never to touch Penny of her Mony more. Be gone this very Moment, and I'll give you a Hundred Crowns for your Pains. Why truly Sir, says the Poor Fellow, 'tis a great way; but yet (after a little Humming and Hawing upon't,) he agreed to undertake the Jobb. Do so then, says the Rich Chuff, and you shall have your Ninety Crowns down upon the Nail. The poor Creature stuck a while upon the o∣ther Ten that he promis'd; but at last came to his Price, and for Ninety he was to go. Well then, says the Miserable Churl, A Bargain's a Bargain, and Fourscore Crowns you shall certainly have. At this Rate he went Chaffering on, till by Bating Ten and Ten still upon every New Demand, the Man was e'en fain to Content himself with Ten Crowns at last for the whole Journey. And so away he goes to Fortune; finds her out, and delivers his Errand: And says he, since that Rich Man will have no more, pray be so good as to give Me that am ready to Starve, what you would otherwise have given to a Man that does not want it. No, says Fortune, as for his Part, I am

Resolv'd to Plague him with thrice as much more as he has al∣ready, in spite of his very Teeth; and then for your part, I'll e'en keep ye in a Starving Condition as I found ye, to the last Minute of your Life, and make good the Old Say∣ing to ye; That he that's Born under a Three-penny Plannet, shall never be worth a Groat. 'Tis true, y'ave gotten Ten Crowns in Hand, and you should never have had that neither, if I had not been Fast Asleep when they were Deliver'd ye.

The MORAL.

Not One Man of a Thousand knows his own Mind. Some Men shall be Rich in spite of their Teeth. And then on the Other Hand, All the Carking and Caring in the World, shall not keep a Man above Water.

REFLEXION.

The Covetous Man is never well (as we say) either Full or Fasting: A∣varice has a great deal in't of the Dog-Appetite. It is Greedy, Ravenous and Insatiable; Raving Mad after what it has not, and Sick of what it has; for it Digests nothing, and the very Success of the Wickedness, is the Plague on't. Nay, and the Two Extremes of Want and Abun∣dance are so near a kin too, that the Misery of both these Opposite States, takes its Rise in a great Measure from the same Root. Only Men are Sollicitous in the One Case how to Get, that which they are as Sol∣licitous in the other Case how to Keep; and the Pain of the Disappoint∣ment, whether in Missing or in Losing, is much the same. For what's the Difference betwixt having Nothing at all Originally, and after such or such an Acquisition, having Nothing at all Left? 'Tis but Nothing against Nothing both ways: And the Case has much in it of what we find in an Extream Drought, or a Nauseous Surfeit. Men are ready to Choak for want of Drink, and when they have Overcharg'd themselves with more then Nature will bear, they are ready to Dye on that Hand too, 'till they have it up again. Now to carry on the Allusion, here's a Co∣vetous Man Deliberating betwixt the Qualms of a Wambling Stomach, and an Unsettled Mind. Here is he Defying Fortune and all her Works; he'll have no more to do with her, he says, and so he Talks and does on at the rate of Almost Half a Christian. But he does not yet know his own Mind it seems, for while he is Renouncing the World and the Devil on the One Hand, he strikes a League with them on the other, and in the same Breath Practises what he pretends to Disclaim, and Couzens the La∣bourer of his Hire. We are not therefore to value our Selves upon the Merit of Ejaculatory Repentances, that take us by Fits and Starts, and look liker Confessions upon the Torture, then Acts of Piety and Con∣science. 'Tis not for a Desultory Thought, to attone for a Lewd Course of Life; nor for any thing but the Super-inducing of a Virtuous Habit upon a Vicious One, to qualify an Effectual Conversion. We are to Distinguish betwixt this Miser's being Weary of the Anxious Condition he was in, and his Repenting the Iniquity of his Oppression and Extor∣tion: But Fortune will have him Richer and Richer still, in spite of

his Heart: That is to say, for his Greater Condemnation and Punish∣ment. And the last Touch is to shew us, in the Churlishness of Fortune, what a Poor Honest Man has to Trust to in this World.

FAB. CCCCXLV. An Eagle sets up for a Beauty.

IT was once put to the Question among the Birds, which of the whole Tribe or sort of 'em was the Greatest Beauty. The Eagle gave her Voice for her self, and Carry'd it. Yes, says a Peacock in a soft Voice by the by, You are a great Beau∣ty indeed; but it lyes in your Beak, and in your Talons, that make it Death to Dispute it.

The MORAL.

The Veneration that is pay'd to Great and Powerful Men, is but from the Teeth outward, not from the Heart; and more out of Fear then Love.

REFLEXION.

THIS Beauty in the Fable, Extends in the Moral to all the Advantages in Human Nature that One Man can pretend to have over Another: Let it be matter of Honour, Title, Justice, Good Faith, Conscience, &c. for the Longer Sword can do no Wrong; and rather then fail, the Laws of God and Man shall take up Arms against themselves in defence of the most Extravagant of Conquests. Religion is a kind of a Two Edged-Sword in the Hands of a Man of Might, that Cuts both ways alike; and it is either Right or Wrong, or Wrong or Right, as Occasion serves. Take it by One Light, 'tis an Angel; by Another, 'tis a Devil: And so 'tis Pro & Con at the same time. The whole World and the Bus'ness of it is Manag'd by Flattery and Paradox; the one sets up False Gods, and the other Maintains them. Power in short, is Beauty, Wit, Courage, and all Good Things in One, where Slaves and Parasites are Judges.

FAB. CCCCXLVI. An Image Expos'd to Sale.

A Certain Carver, that had a Mercury lay a great while upon his Hands, bethought himself at last of Billing it about in Coffee-Houses, that at such a place there was a God to be Sold, a Merry Penn'orth, and such a Deity as would make

any Man Rich that Bought him. Well (says One) And why d'ye Sell him then? For he will make you Rich, if you Keep him, as well as he will make me Rich if I Buy him. You say very Right says t'other; but 'tis Ready Mony that I want, and the Purchaser will have only an Estate in Reversion.

The MORAL.

Ready Mony goes as far in Religion as in Trade: People are willing to Keep what they Have, and to get what they Can, without Launching out into Lives, and Uncertainties. They are well enough Content to deal in the Sale of Reversions, but they do not much care for Buying them.

REFLEXION.

THE Old Saying, A Bird in the Hand is worth Two in the Bush, holds with most People in Religious Matters, as well as in Civil. A Sum of Mony down upon the Nail, goes further with them, then Heaven it self in the Reversion. Where we are in the Dark, we are but too apt to be Doubtful, and to reckon upon it in the common Acceptation of Flesh and Blood, as the Parting with a Certainty for an Uncertainty. Now the Moral of this Fable must be Understood to Tax the Vanity and Er∣ror of the Common Practice and Opinion of the World in this Matter. The Fiction methinks has somewhat in't of the French Libertines Conceit to a Severe Religious upon the Point of Mortification: Father (says he) What's the Meaning of all these Austerities of Hard Living, Hair Shirts, Watching, Fastings, and I know not what? Oh Brother (says the Holy Man) 'tis all for Paradise. Well (says the Licentious Droll again) but what if there should be no Paradise at last, are not you finely brought to Bed then? The Mockery of this Fable is somewhat a-kin to the Freak of this Story, and by no means to be Allow'd of but in Re∣prehension of so Irreverend a Freedom.

FAB. CCCCXLVII. Demetrius and Menander.

WHen Demetrius Phalaraeus (a Tyrant and an Usurper,) took Possession of Athens, how was he Beset and Pur∣su'd with the Huzza's and Acclamations of the People! Nay, and the Leading Men of the City too, with Joy in their Looks, and Gall in their Hearts, striving who should be Foremost in the Solemnity, to cry Vive Demetrius, and Kiss the Hand that Enslav'd them. After them follow'd the Men of Ease, Luxu∣ry and Pleasure, for fear of being thought Wanting in point of

Affection and Respect. Maenander the Famous Comical Poet was one of the Number, but in so Loose a Garb and Dress, and with so Unmanly a kind of March and Motion, that De∣metrius had his Eye upon him presently, and call'd Aloud to know how such an Effeminate Sot durst presume to Appear in his Presence. Somebody gave the Tyrant immediately a Whisper, and told him, Sir says he, This is the Poet Maenander that you your self have been pleas'd to own so Great an Admiration and Esteem for. Demetrius recollects himself, and changes his Hu∣mour in the very instant; calls Maenander to him, and Treats him with all the Instances imaginable of a singular Liking and Respect.

The MORAL.

This Fable sets forth the Slavish Humour and Practice of the World, upon all Violent Changes, let them be never so Impious and Unjust: And it shews us again, that no Tyrants Heart can be so Harden'd, but it may be Soften'd, and wrought upon by the Force of Wit and Good Letters.

REFLEXION.

'TIS no Wonder, where there's Power on the One Side, to find Flat∣tery and Slavery on the Other: Nor is there any Inference to be drawn from the Outward Pomp of Popular Addresses and Applause, to an In∣ward Congruity of Affections in the Heart: For Blessings and Cursings come out of the same Mouth. These Noisy Acclamations are rather made of Mode and Ceremony, then of Zeal and good Will; and the Huzza's of the Rabble are the same to a Bear that they are to a Prince, and sig∣nify no more to the One, then they do to the Other. The Tyrants Reproof here of Maenander for his Meen and Garb, and his Recollection then, upon being better Inform'd, are First, to the Honour of his Cha∣racter, in being so Generous as upon so solemn an Occasion, to own his Mistake: And Secondly, Instructive to us, that we are not to Judge of the Man by his Outside.

FAB. CCCCXLVIII. A Consultation about Securing a Town.

THere was a Council of Mechanicks call'd to Advise about the Fortifying of a City; A Bricklayer was for Walling it with Stone; a Carpenter was of Opinion, that Timber would be worth Forty on't: And after them, up starts a Currier,

Gentlemen, says he, when y'ave said all that can be said, there's nothing in the World like Leather.

The MORAL.

Charity begins at Home, they say, and 'tis every Man's Bus'ness in the First Place to look to his own Mothers Child.

REFLEXION.

HERE was a Debate set afoot, but the Board came to no Resolution we see; and it could not be expected they should, where the Advisers were Every Man Interessed for himself, and consequently both Parties and Judges. This is the Fate and the Issue of all Mix'd Councils, where the Members that are Intrusted with the Protection, the Care, and the Treasure of the Publick, lye under the Temptation of Voting Honourable Charges to themselves, and putting Mony in their own Pockets. These Men in some Cases are call'd Pensioners, in others Patriots; and in some again Committee Men, according to the Humour of the Age they Live in. Now where a Sharper is allow'd both to Shuffle and Cut, the Devil's in him if he does not deal himself a Good Game. The Dispo∣sers of other Peoples Fortunes seldom forget themselves; and all this is no more then the Common Liberty that every Cook has of Licking his own Fingers.

FAB. CCCCXLIX. A Hedge Destroy'd for Bearing no Fruit.

A Foolish Heir that was now come to the Possession of a Wise Man's Estate, caus'd all the Bushes and Hedges a∣bout his Vineyard to be Grubb'd up, because they brought him no Grapes. The Throwing down of this Hedge, laid his Ground open to Man and Beast, and all his Plants were present∣ly Destroy'd. My Simple Young Master came now to be Con∣vinc'd of his Folly, in taking away the Guard that Preserv'd his Vines, and in expecting Grapes from Brambles.

The MORAL.

There needs as much Care and Industry to the Preserving of things, as there does to the Acquiring of them, and the Centinel is as necessary to the common Safety, as he that Fights the Battle.

REFLEXION.

THIS Parable of the Hedge and the Vineyard may be aptly enough ex∣pounded of the Laws that secure a Civil Community. So long as the Enclosure is kept up, and maintain'd, the Peace and the Order of the Publick is Provided for; but if it be suffer'd by neglect, either to fall to Decay, or to be over-born by Violence, and all laid in common, the Beasts of the Forrest break into't, and of a Vineyard it becomes a Wil∣derness. This Fable marks out to us also the double Folly of those that First Disappoint the Intent, Use and Benefit of Things, for want of Un∣derstanding the Reason of them. And Secondly, ground all this upon as gross a Mistake of 'em: For what's his Quarrel to the Hedge, but that his Thorns and his Brambles did not bring forth Raisins rather then Haws and Blackberries?

FAB. CCCCL. A Bull and a Gnat.

A Gnat that had Planted himself upon the Horn of a Bull, very Civilly begg'd the Bull's Pardon for his Importunity; but rather then Incommode ye, says he, I'll Remove. Oh never Trouble your Head for that, says the Bull; for 'tis all One to me whether you go or stay. I never felt ye when you sat down, and I shall take as Little Notice of ye when you Rise.

The MORAL.

The Vanity of this Fly, strikes at a Humour that we meet with every Day in the World, in a Hundred Trifling, Nonsensical People, that will be still making Themselves more Considerable then they are.

REFLEXION.

There are a Thousand Frivolous and Impertinent Pretensions of Civility that are struck at in this Fable; and they well deserve to be Corrected; for it is certainly one of the most Nauseous, Mawmish Mortifications un∣der the Sun, for a Man of Sense and Bus'ness to have to do with a Pun∣ctual, Finical Fop, that's too too Mannerly, and does every thing for∣footh by Rule and Compass: Especially where his Quality, Relation, or Authority Entitles him to a Respect.

FAB. CCCCLI. Rats that Eat Copper.

A Merchant that had gotten a Friend of his to lay up a con∣siderable Quantity of Copper for him, comes afterward to have Occasion for't, and so desires he may have his Copper a∣gain. Alas, says his Friend, my House is so Pester'd with Rats, that they have gotten to your Copper, and Eat it all up. The First Rats of that Diet, says the Merchant, that ever I heard of. O Good Sir, says the Man, 'tis a common thing with 'em here in this Island. So away goes the Merchant, and the next Morning comes his Friend to him, Wringing his Hands, and Exclaiming, Oh what should he do! The Kidnappers had stoll'n away his only Child. Bless me, says the Master, this minds me of a Raven I saw Yesterday Steeple-high, just over your House with a Child in's Foot: My Life for't, that was your Child. No, no, says t'other, a Raven Fly away with a Child! that's Impossible. Pardon me, says the Merchant, 'tis a common thing where Rats Eat Copper, for Ravens to Fly away with Chil∣dren. The Man found himself Beaten at his own Play, and so Compounded with the Merchant to give him Satisfaction for his Copper, upon condition that he might have his Child again; for he had smelt it out by this time that the Merchant himself was the Kidnapper.

The MORAL.

'Tis a Dextrous Turn of Address, to Bafflle One Banter with Another; and the Nearer the Resemblance of the Humour, the Hit is so much the Better.

REFLEXION.

ONE Nail must be driven out with Another. Bantering is only an old way of Fooling, under a new Name; but the License of the Age has perhaps given it more Credit in the World, in this Nation and Conjuncture then ever it had. It is a turn of Wit next to Slight of Hand; and the Play of Iest or Earnest is as arrant a Iugglers Trick, as little Hocus's Fast or Loose. It is a stroak of Wit Pleasant and Agreeable enough, if it be kept within the Bounds of Sobriety, Candor and Respect: But when it comes to Lash out once at a venture, into matters Holy as well as Pro∣phane; when it comes once I say to be Intemperate, Ill-Natur'd, Scopti∣cal, Scandalous and Bitter, 'tis a way of Conversation for a Merry-An∣drew or a Buffoon, rather then for a Man of Honour, or of Common

Sense. It is not one jot better then Boys Play, when they cry, I made 'em Believe so; and that's the very Point at last that they drive at. The Rats have Eat your Copper, says the Trustee here to the Merchant. What was there more in this, then to try whether the Merchant was a Fool or not, and so to Couzen him if he had found him one? Nay, and to make him a Fool upon Record too by his own Confession, both in one. Now if he had but put a Dammee to the Truth on't, according to the Modish Humour of the Times, some Soft-headed, Conscientious Fop might have Swallow'd it perhaps; but the Merchant very Dextrously turn'd the Conceit upon him, and sav'd his Copper and his Credit both at once.

FAB. CCCCLII. A Woman Reviv'd with Beating.

THere was an Untoward Perverse Piece of Womans Flesh that fell now and then under the Discipline of a little Family Correction; and she had got a trick of throwing her self down upon her Back, holding her Breath, and there lying at her Length for Stone-Dead. Her Husband it seems had been wonted to these Gamboles, and so in a Grave Serious way, as she lay in a Fit once, calls for a Knife. Come, says he, when the Beast is Dead, we must e'en make the best of his Skin, and so he fell to work, and began to flay her at the Heel. The Woman did not like that way of Fooling, but started up, and came to her self immediately.

The MORAL.

This in the Fable, is One of those Cases wherein People that are to be Be∣lieved in Nothing else, ought to be taken at their Words. My Heart's too Big to bear this, (says a Blustering Fellow,) By the Lord, I'll Destroy my self. Sir, says the Gentleman, here's a Dagger at your Ser∣vice; and so the Humour went off.

REFLEXION.

HERE's Fooling against Fooling, and one Counterfeit Answer'd with another. The Woman would needs persuade the Good Man that she was Dead; and the Husband in Requital, gives her to understand, that she must be Flay'd then; which was the only way the Poor Man had of making the best of a Bad Game. 'Twas a Sham both ways, and so they Compounded the Quarrel upon't; and the Good Woman never Dy'd after this, 'till she came to Dye for Good and all. There are some Peevish Cases that will bear no other way of Conviction.

FAB. CCCCLIII. Two Friends and Fortune.

THere goes a Story of Two Familiar Friends that were of∣ten together, and had a great many Words upon the Sub∣ject of that which we call Fortune. They were both well e∣nough to pass, but of very Differing Humours; the one a Man of Project and Bussle in the World, the other altogether for Ease and Quiet. The one had a Roving, Rambling Head; the other was a Man of Privacy and Reserve. The one in Fine, was for making his Court to Fortune; the other for Lying by, 'till Fortune should make her Court to Him. (According to the Freak of the rest of the Sex.) Come, come, says the Ranger, we shall never make any thing on't at this rate of Living; here's neither Honour nor Mony to be got by staying where we are, and for my own part, I'm e'en for a Pilgrimage to the Temple of Fortune. Ay, but where's that? says 'tother. Why says the Rambler, we must e'en beat it out the best we can. Pray'e, says his Companion, Advise well with your Pillow before you Embark in this Adventure. You are going you know not whither, to find out you know not what, or whom: A Phan∣tome, that slips out of your Arms in the very Grasping at it; a common Prostitute to Fools and Footmen. You must be a Knave to be a Favourite, and abandon all the Substantial Com∣forts of Humane Nature for a Jilt, and a Shadow. In one word, if you'll needs be wandring, Pray'e, when we meet next, re∣member what I told ye: And in the mean time, I'll e'en lye down in Peace, and keep my Self just as I am, and where I am; and if ever you live to come back again, do but look for me where you left me, and there, if I'm Alive, you shall be sure to Find me.

Upon these Terms they parted, and away Posts the Cava∣lier in Quest of his new Mistress. His First Jaunt is to Court, where he Enquires for Madam Fortunes Lodgings: But she shift∣ed so often, they told him, that there was no certainty of Find∣ing her. He never fail'd to make One at the Princes Levee and Couche, where he heard over and over, how she had been at this Place and at that Place, but never could get sight of her. They told him indeed, that at such or such a Time, he might be sure of her at this Minions, or at that Buffoons Apartment;

but she was still so Busy, and so Private, that there was no coming to the Speech of her. In fine, when he had Hunted and waited like a Dog, Early and Late, I know not how long, one told him for a certain, that she had newly taken Wing, and was gone a Progress to a Temple she had in Terra Australis Incognita. Upon this, he takes his leave of the Court, and a∣way immediately to Sea, where he meets with Pyrates, Rocks and Shelves, and in short, so many Dreadful Encounters; as made him cast many a heavy Look and Thought upon the Quiet Cottage and Companion that he had left behind him: But he goes pressing forward still for all this, 'till in the con∣clusion, he was Fobb'd again with another Story: That For∣tune 'tis true, had been there; but she was call'd away by an Express, not above Two Minutes before, to the Nor'ward. These Phantastical Amusements and Miscarriages, brought him by little and little to his Wits again, and to a contempt of all the vain Promises and Pretences of Avarice and Ambition. With these Thoughts about him, he makes all the hast he can back again, to his poor Blessed Home; where he finds his old Friend and Acquaintance, without any Cares in his Head, Fast Asleep; and that very Fortune that had led him this Wild-Goose Chase o∣ver the whole World, waiting like a Spaniel at the Door, and Begging to be let in.

The MORAL.

It is with Fortune as it is with other Fantastical Mistresses; she makes sport with those that are ready to Dye for her, and throws her self at the Feet of others that Despise her.

REFLEXION.

'TIS Great Vertue and Happiness for a Man to set his Heart wholly upon that Lot and Station which Providence has Assigned him, and to Content himself with what he has, without Wand'ring after Imaginary Satisfactions in what he has not. Fancy and Curiosity have no Bounds. Their Motto may be [SOMEWHAT ELSE.] And how should it be otherwise with People that are never Pleas'd with the Present? They want they know not what, and they look for't they know not where. We have had so many Occasions already to handle this Moral, that it would be Time lost to say any more upon't in this Place.

FAB. CCCCLIV. A Boy that would not Learn his Book.

THere was a Stomachful Boy put to School, and the whole World could not bring him to Pronounce the First Let∣ter of his Alphabet. Open your Mouth says the Master, and cry [A.] The Boy Gapes, without so much as offering at the Vowel. When the Master could do no good upon him, his School-Fellows took him to Task among Themselves. Why 'tis not so hard a Thing methinks, says one of 'em to cry [A:] No, says the Boy, 'tis not so hard neither; but if I should cry [A] once, they'd make me cry [B] too, and I'll never do that, I'm Resolv'd.

The MORAL.

There's no Contending with Obstinacy and Ill Nature; especially were there's a Perverseness of Affection that goes along with it.

REFLEXION.

THE Spaniards will have it, that Apes can speak if they would, but they are afraid they shall be put to Work then. The Boys Reason here, and the Apes are much at one; and 'tis the case of Counterfeit Cripples too, that pretend they cannot do this or that, when in truth, they are Lazy, and have no mind to be put to't. The same Humour Governs in a World of Cases, where a Pretext of Disability is made use of, either out of Crossness or Sloth. This Restiff Stubbornness is never to be Ex∣cus'd, under any Pretence whatsoever; but where the thing to be done is that which we are Bound in Honour and in Duty to do, there's no En∣during of it. As in Cases of Law, Conscience, Church-Ceremonies, Civil or Natural Obedience to Princes, Parents, Husbands, Masters, &c. If I should do This, you'd make me do That, they cry; which is only a short Reso∣lution that puts all the Functions and Offices of Order and Authority to a stand. He that says I cannot do this or that, where the Thing is Lawful∣ly Impos'd and Requir'd, and not Simply Evil, might e'n as well have said I will not do't; for the Exception is not to the Thing Commanded, but to the Commanding Power. If I yield in one Point, says the Boy, they'l expect I should yield in more. Grant One Prerogative, and grant All, says the Republican. But then says the Sovereign on the Other Hand; Part with the Prerogative, and part with All: So that the Contest is not matter of Scruple, but who shall be Uppermost. In One Word, Stubborn Boys, and Stubborn Subjects, where they will not Comply upon Fair Means, must be whip'd into their Duties.

FAB. CCCCLV. Hercules and Pluto.

WHen Hercules was taken up to Heaven for his Glorious Actions, he made his Reverence in Course to all the Gods, 'till he came to Pluto, upon whom he turn'd his Back with Indignation and Contempt. Iupiter ask'd him what he meant by that Dis-respect? Why, says Hercules, that Son of Fortune Corrupts the whole World with Mony, Encourages all manner of Wickedness, and is a common Enemy to all Good Men.

The MORAL.

This is only to shew the Opposition betwixt a Narrow, Sordid, Avaritious Humour, and the Publick Spirited Generosity of a Man of Honour, In∣dustry, and Virtue.

REFLEXION.

MONY has its Use 'tis true; but generally speaking, the Benefit does not Countervail the Cares that go along with it, and the Hazzards of the Temptation to Abuse it. It is the Patron, and the Price of all Wicked∣ness: It Blinds all Eyes, and stops all Ears, from the Prince to the very Begger. It Corrupts Faith and Justice; and in one Word, 'tis the very Pick-Lock, that opens the way into all Cabinets and Councils. It De∣bauches Children against their Parents; it makes Subjects Rebel against their Governors; it turns Lawyers and Divines into Advocates for Sa∣crilege and Sedition; and it Transports the very Professors of the Gos∣pel into a Spirit of Contradiction and Defiance, to the Practices and Pre∣cepts of our Lord and Master. It is no wonder now that Hercules should so Contemptuously turn his Back upon Pluto, or the God of Mony; when the One's Bus'ness is to Propagate and Encourage those Monsters, which the other came into the World to Quell and to Subdue.

FAB. CCCCLVI. A Lion, Boar and Uultures.

THere happen'd a Desperate Quarrel betwixt a Lion and a Boar; they Fought upon't, and the Vultures came Hover∣ing over the Combatants to make a Prey of him that should be left upon the Spot: But it so fell out, that there was

no Death in the Case, and the Vultures were not a little Troubled at the Disappointment.

The MORAL.

When Fools Fall Out, it shall go Hard but Knaves will be the Better for't.

REFLEXION.

THERE are several sorts of Men in the World that live upon the Sins and the Misfortunes of other People. This Fable may be Moralliz'd in almost all the Controversies of Humane Life whether Publick or Private. Plaintiff and Defendant finds Bus'ness for the Lawyers: Questions of Re∣ligion for the Divines: Disputes about Priviledges and Liberties, Cut out Work for the Soldiers. A General Peace, in fine, would be a General Disappointment; for the wrangling of some, is the Livelihood of others; and wherever there are like to be Carcasses, there will never fail to be Vultures.

FAB. CCCCLVII. A Man that would never Hear Ill News.

ONe came to a Country Grazier, and ask'd him if he should tell him a piece of News. Is't Good or Bad? (says he.) Nay, says t'other, 'tis not very Good. Pray, says the Grazier keep it to your self then; and so he went his way. The Gra∣zier was telling the next day, that the Wolves had Kill'd one of his Bullocks: That's like enough says the same Man; for I saw him Wand'ring from the Herd, and I was afraid ont. I would you had told me this in time, says the Grazier. Why I came I know not how far Yesterday a-purpose to tell you the Story, and you would not hear on't.

The MORAL.

The Man is too Delicate to be Happy, that makes it in his Bargain not to hear any thing that may give him a Present Trouble.

REFLEXION.

THIS way of Consulting a Bodies Ease, makes a Man Accessory to his own Ruin. There's an Attempt design'd for the purpose, upon the Person of a Man; and he shuts his Ears against any Intelligence, or No∣tice of it, 'till the Dagger is at his Heart. He that will not hear the worst

of things Betimes, must expect afterward to feel the Effect of the Bad News that he would not Hear. First, he loses the Means of Preventing Mischiefs, by not suffering himself to be Inform'd whereabouts the Dan∣ger lies. Secondly, He lives in a continual Dread of all Accidents that may befall him in general, though of Nothing in particular, and leaves himself no Place for the Exercise of Prudence and Precaution. This sort of People Jog on in the World, (for I cannot call it Living) without any Thought for to Morrow. Talk to them of Poverty, Persecutions, Torments, Slavery, Sickness, nay of Death it self at a Distance, they'l put it off to the last Moment, and venture the Surprisal, when it comes indeed, rather then abide but so much as the Hearing on't Beforehand.

FAB. CCCCLVIII. A Miser and Rotten-Apples.

THere was a Stingy Narrow-hearted Fellow, that had a Great deal of Choice Fruit in his Ground, but had not the Heart to touch any of it 'till it began to be Rotten. This Man's Son would every foot and anon be taking some of his Companions into the Orchard with him. Look ye says he, that's an Excellent Apple, and here's a Delicate sort of Plums, Gather and Eat what you will of these, provided you don't Meddle with any of the Rotten Ones: For my Father (you must know) keeps them for his own Eating.

The MORAL.

This is to set forth the Wicked and the Scandalous Wretchedness of Ava∣rice, that rather then make use of the Bounties of Providence in their Seasons, suffers them to lye by and Perish.

REFLEXION.

HOW Miserable are those Cormudgeons that spend their Lives in Carking and Pinching themselves for things they have not the Heart to make use of! And in this Humour of Griping (which they call Saving) fall foul upon the very extream of Profusion another way. They either Lose or Spoil every thing by Keeping it, 'till 'tis fit only to be thrown a∣way; and that's their way of Spending it. Their Mony lies as close in their Coffers, as ever it did in the Mine whence it was drawn. They'•…•… rather venture the whole Stock, then be at one Peny Charge for the Sa∣ving of the rest. They pervert the very Intent, as well as they destroy the Bounties of Providence: Nay, they Envy the common Enjoyment of those Blessings that were intended for the Relief, Comfort and Satis∣faction of Mankind.

FAB. CCCCLIX. The Devil Refus'd to Marry.

A Certain Devil had the hap to live for some time in a State of Wedlock, with a Spiteful, Vexatious Gipsy, that in truth was too hard for him. She Dy'd at last of the Pip, and the Breath was no sooner out of her Body, but he fell to blessing the Stars for his Deliverance; and so bound himself by a Desperate Vow, that he would never Marry again. It fell out some time after, that a Poor Man was Possess'd with this very Devil, and that when an Exorcist had Try'd all the ways of Charm, Prayer and Menace, to Remove him, and found him Proof against all manner of Exorcisms, he Bawl'd it out, once for all, Either come forth, or Marry. The Devil immediately cry'd out for Mercy, I go Father, says he; Any Hell but that of a Second Wife.

The MORAL.

Take this Droll by the Right Handle, and it gives to understand, that some Women may as well Fright the Devil out of a Man, as others Conjure him up into one.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable is only a High-Flown Hyperbole upon the Miseries of Mar∣riage, under the Judgment of a Wayward, a Jealous, and a Brawling Wife: And the Moral of it is Directed to all the Poor Husbands, that are Condemn'd to that purgatory.

FAB. CCCCLX. A Country man and Jupiter.

A Poor Plain Fellow was so Dazled and Transported with the Pomp, the Splendor, the Plenty, State and Luxury that Great Men live in, that it was the First Petition of his Daily Litany to Iupiter, to make him a Lord. Iupiter found he could not be Quiet for him, and bad Mercury carry him Two Curious Baskets, with Honour and Mony in them. They were both cover'd, the one with Purple, the other with Gold, and

Mercury was Order'd to let the Man Open and Examine them as strictly as he pleas'd, but to bid him have a care not to meddle with them Rashly, for fear of the worst. The Coun∣try-man was so Charm'd with the Present at First Sight, that he took it away with him by Content, without Asking any Que∣stions. But when he came afterward to consider at leisure the Cares, Anxieties, Fears, Doubts, and all manner of Troubles and Diseases that were Inseparably to go along with his Bags and Dignities; he found himself much more Uneasy now then he was before; and that he had Sacrific'd the Peace of his ve∣ry Soul, to the Vanity of his Eye and Appetite.

The MORAL.

'Tis not for a Wise Man to set his Heart upon Gay and Glittering Appear∣ances. The Devil himself Baits all his Hooks with Pomp, Lusts and Pleasures; and the very Glory of the Outside, makes the Contents the more Suspicious for't.

REFLEXION.

A Man may bear the want of Honours and Riches, before he has 'em, much better then the Loss of them when he has obtain'd them. And they are in short, the Plagues of an Inconsiderate Life. He that wishes them for the Common Good, and applies them when he has them, to that Generous End, makes a Right Use of the Divine Providence and Bounty: but he that seeks them for his own sake, and Converts them wholly to his own Profit, Defrauds the Publick. As if a Man should apply an Estate that was made over to him in Trust, to the wrong Uses.

FAB. CCCCLXI. A Bee that went over to the Drones.

TO what End (says a Bee) should I Toyl and Moyl my self out of my Life for a Poor Subsistence, when the Drones that do nothing at all, Live in as much Plenty every jot as I do? Upon this Thought, the Bee Resolv'd after their Ex∣ample to work no longer. The Master it seems call'd her to Account for't; the Bee took Pett upon't, and without any more to do, went over to the Drones Party, where she pass'd the Sum∣mer easily enough, and to her Satisfaction. But upon the Win∣ters coming on, when the Drones were all Dispers'd into their

several Holes, the Bee would fain have gone Home again; but the Cells of the Combs were all Clos'd, so that there was no Entrance, and the Poor Bee Starv'd to Death betwixt Cold and Hunger.

The MORAL.

It is all the reason in the World, that every Man in what Station soever, should Work in some sort or other for his Living. Nature her self is al∣ways at Work; and a Prince has no more Prerogative to be Idle, then a Beggar.

REFLEXION.

Action is a Reasonable Duty, how variously soever it may be Exerci∣sed, whether in the Functions of Power, or in the Offices of Subjection. A Reasonable Soul can no more stand still, then the Sun can stop its course. This Fable branches out into several Morals: First, It serves for a Re∣proof of Sloth. Secondly, In the Bees being Corrupted by the Practice of the Drones, it shews us the Danger and the Force of Ill Example; es∣pecially where there's Ease and Sensuality to strengthen the Temptation, which must needs be wonderfully Powerful, where the very Emblem of Industry on the one hand, comes to be wrought upon by the Emblem of Laziness on the other. Thirdly, It leads us to a Consideration of the End of an Unactive and an Unprofitable Life. The Bees Summer-Friends Forsake her; those of her own Family shut the Doors against her; and so she's Abandon'd to the Wide World, as an Object of Detestation and Scorn.

FAB. CCCCLXII. A Crow and a Raven.

THe Ancients tell us, that the Crow was once Minerva's Favourite, and the Raven Apollo's; but the One of them was found to be so full of Tongue, so Over-officious and In∣quisitive; and the Other so Desperately given to Croking and Foreboding upon Evil things to come, that they fell both into Disgrace for't.

The MORAL.

Great▪ Talkers, Medlers, and Busy-Bodies, are the very Pest of Human Society.

REFLEXION.

THERE is no Peace to be expected, either in a Government, or in a Family, where Tale-bearers, and the Spreaders of Ill and of False News, are Encourag'd. Now the Curiosity of Heark'ning after Privacies that do not concern us, and of Prying into Forbidden Secrets, does not arise so much from a Desire of knowing the Truth of Things simply for our own Satisfaction, as from an Itch of Screwing our selves into other Peo∣ples Matters, that we may be Prating of them again. And then the Tale is very seldom or never without Calumny and Detraction at the End on't.

FAB. CCCCLXIII. The Bitches Bed maker.

YOu must needs make this Bitches Bed immediately, says the Master of the House to his Maid, for she's just rea∣dy to lye down. It was not done it seems, and the Man was very Angry with the Wench for not doing as she was bid. A∣las, says the Poor Girl, I'de have made her Bed with all my Heart, if I could but have told which way she'd lye with her Head, and which with her Backside.

The MORAL.

There's no Pleasing those that cannot Please themselves.

REFLEXION.

A Steady Mind will admit Steady Methods and Councils; but there's no Measure to be taken of a Changeable Humour. Tell me where I may find ye, and I shall know where to fit ye: But otherwise, 'tis with us in the Levity of our Manners, and of our Humours, as it was with Clark, the Famous Posture-Master, and his Taylor. When the Workman took Measure of him, he was Crump-Shoulder'd, and the Right Side Higher then the Left; when he brought home his Suit, the Left was Higher then the Right; The Fellow was Mad at himself, and made him another Suit; and that would not do neither, for his Body was then as Streight as an Arrow.

FAB. CCCCLXIV. A Trusty Dog and his Master.

THe Master of a Family that had, as he thought, a very good Condition'd Dog; coming home from his Bus'ness once, found a Cradle Overturn'd; the Dog's Mouth all Bloody, and his only Child missing. He draws his Sword immediately and Kills the Dog, upon a Presumption that he had Worryed the Child, without any regard to his Try'd Fidelity, and with∣out Allowing himself One Moment of Time for a Second Thought. Upon a further Enquiry, he found the Truth of the Matter to be this: The Child being left alone in the Cra∣dle, there was a Serpent Winding it self up the Side on't, to Destroy the Child. The Dog leaps upon the Serpent, and Tears it to Pieces; but in the Scuffle, the Cradle happen'd to be Overturn'd: Upon the taking up of the Cradle, the Master found the Child Alive under it, and the Serpent Dead, which, upon Reflexion, Convinc'd him of the Miserable Temerity of his Mistake.

The MORAL.

The Repentance of a whole Life, is not sufficient to Atone for the Miscar∣riage of One Rash Action.

REFLEXION.

Anger without Consideration, is little better then a downright Mad∣ness; it makes us take Benefits for Injuries; it Confounds Truth and Falshood; and we have but too many Instances of Outrages committed on the Persons of the best of our Friends, upon a False Perswasion of their being our Mortal Enemies. Charity bids us Hope and Believe the Best of Things. Prudence bids us Examine the Truth of Things: Reli∣gion and Common Equity Preach to us upon the Text of Do as you would be done by. So that it is Uncharitable, Unreasonable, Unchristian, and In∣human, to pass a Peremptory Sentence of Condemnation upon a Try'd Friend, where there's any Room left for a more Favourable Judgment.

FAB. CCCCLXV. A Fool and a Sieve.

AN Innocent found a Sieve, and presently fell to Stopping the Holes, which he call'd Mending it. When he had been Puzzling a good while about it, he threw't away in a Rage: I shall never make any thing on't, says he, for I don't know which I am to Stop, and which to leave Open.

The MORAL.

It fare's with the Pragmatical sort of State-Menders, much as it did with this Sieve-Mender: They do not like things as they are, neither do they Understand how they should be. But they are for Change however at a Venture; and when they have once put Matters out of Order, there's no setting them to Rights again.

REFLEXION.

THERE are none so Forward as Fools to mend Things that are Well already; though they find upon Experiment that they Make and they Leave every thing Worse then they found it. They are at first for Stop∣ping of Holes, and when that won't do, they are for Making of 'em a∣gain. We have abundance of Fools in the Moral to answer this Fool in the Fable; that is to say, People that take upon them to Correct what they do not Understand; and that when they have Embroil'd the Pub∣lick, leave the Main Chance to Fortune, to Shuffle the Cards Anew, and Play the Game over again. This is the Fate on't, when Pedants will be Medling with Politicks, and Botchers setting up for the Reformers of Providence.

FAB. CCCCLXVI. A Fig-Tree and a Thorn.

A Fig-Tree and a Thorn were valuing themselves once up∣on the Advantage that the One had over the other. Well, says the Thorn, what would you give for such Flowers as These? Very Good, says the Fig-Tree, and what would you give for such Fruit as This? Why, says the other, 'twould be against Nature for a Thorn to bring forth Figs. Well (says 'tother again,) and 'twould be against Nature too, for a Fig-Tree to bring forth Flowers: Beside that, I have Fruit you see, that is much Better.

The MORAL.

Every Creature has a Share in the Common Blessings of Providence; and it is a Virtue as well as a Duty fo•…•… Every Creature to r•…•…st well satisfied with its Proportion in those Comforts; but when we come once to Boast of our selves, and to Derog•…•…te from others, 'tis no longer a Virtue 〈◊〉〈◊〉 •…•… Vanity; and especially when we Mistake the Value of things, and prefer the Advantages of Beauty, before those of Use and Service.

REFLEXION.

'TIS not Every Man that can distinguish betwixt the Excellencies of Beauty and of Virtue: And how in Truth should they Distinguish, when Every Man that has Eyes in his Head, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the One, and not One Man of •…•…orty Understands the Other? Nay, the very Ostentation of the Thorn, is a Weakness, and I might have said a Vice 〈◊〉〈◊〉; for the Va∣nity Unhallows the very Virtue, especially where it is Accompany'd with Detraction.

FAB. CCCCLXVII. A Wolf and a Fo•…•….

A Wolf had the Fortune to pass by, as the Thief-Leaders were Dragging a Proper Goodly Fox to the Place of Exe∣cution. The Wolf took such a kindness for him, that he Re∣solved to Employ his Interest with the Lion to save his Life; but by the way, says he, what's the Malefactors Crime? So the Officers told him, that he had not only Robb'd several Hen-Roosts, but had the Impudence to Steal a Fat •…•…oose, that was Reserv'd for his Majesties own Table. Say ye so? says the Wolf; why then the Case is Alter'd, quoth 〈◊〉〈◊〉; and so he left him to take his Fortune.

The MORAL.

Interest is the very Test and Standard of Good and Evil. If I may gain by doing a Thing, 'tis Honest; if it be against my 〈◊〉〈◊〉; 'tis conse∣quently against my Conscience. This is the Pro & Con of Common Pra∣ctice; and 'tis but Casting some Grains of Allowance into the Scale, to Paelliate the Fo•…•…lest Iniquity.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fable hits the Humour of the World to a Hair, and it holds from him that sits upon the Throne, to the poor Devil that has scarce a Tatter to his Breech. Men are easy to Pardon Offences committed a∣gainst other People; but when they come to be Touch'd once in their Own Copy-Hold, the Lions Fat-Goose Weighs down all the Cocks and Hens in the Country: And in that Case the Wolf leaves his Brother Fox at the Gallows. The Rogue has Stoll'n a Prerogative Goose, says he, and the King will never Pardon him. This is according to Practice, how contrary soever to the true Measures of Generosity, Honour and Justice. That's the veriest Villain in Nature, cries one, for I'll tell ye how he Us'd Me. As Worthy a Man, says another, as ever trod upon a Shoe of Leather; for really I have been much Beholden to him. In short, there is such an Af∣finity betwixt our Prudentials and our Appetites, that they are like Two Unison Strings, if you Touch the One, the Other Moves by Consent. There was a Certain Filacer (an Officer of the Common Pleas,) that in Oliver's Days was mightily concern'd upon the Subject of the Govern∣ment, and Dilating in a kind of Rhetorical Climax upon the Iniquity of the Times: Well (says he,) here's the best Church upon the face of the Earth Destroy'd; the Nobility and Gentry Trampled under Foot, and Begger'd; the Commonalty Enslav'd; the Laws Overturn'd; the Consti∣tution of Parliaments Dissolv'd; a most Pious, Gracious King Murder'd: And now to Consummate the Villany, they say they are putting down the Filacers. When it comes once to the Filacers, it Touches to the Quick.

FAB. CCCCLXVIII. A Rich Man and a Poor.

AS a Poor Fellow was Beating the Hoof upon the High∣way, and Trudging on Merrily in a Bitter Cold Morn∣ing, with never a Rag to his Tayl: A Spark that was Warm Clad, and Well Mounted, (but his Teeth Chattering in his Head yet,) call'd to this Tatter-de-Mallion, and ask'd him how he was able to Endure this Terrible Weather? Why says t'other, how does your Face endure it? My Face is us'd to't, says the Cavalier. And so is my Body says the other; so that I am all Face. And then (says the Poor Cur) there's another thing yet besides; I have all the Cloaths I have in the World upon my Back, and that's enough to keep me Warm: Do but you put on all yours too, and you shall be Warm as well as I.

The MORAL.

By Custom, Practice and Patience, all Difficulties and Hardships, whether of Body or of Fortune, are made Easie to us. Mankind is all of a Make, and if we shrink in the Wetting, as we say, or in any Trial of Distress or Persecution, 'tis our own Fault; for we are Consulting our Skins, and our Affections, when we should rather be attending to the Mo∣tions of our Reason, which would give us better Council.

REFLEXION.

IF Men would but Inure themselves to do those things by Choice, which 'tis Forty to One they shall be some time or other forc'd to do by Necessity, it would exceedingly Advance the Peace and Comfort of Human Life; for all those Miseries are only Visionary and Fantastical, so far as we Govern our selves by Opinion rather then by Reason. Our Bodies are not Naturally more Tender then our Faces; but by being less Expos'd to the Air, they become less able to endure it. Exercise makes things Easie to us, that would be otherwise very Hard; as in Labour, Watchings, Heats and Colds: And then there is something Analogous in the Exercise of the Mind, to that of the Body. 'Tis Folly and Infirmity that makes us Delicate and Froward. We are taught likewise in the Differing Tempers and Conditions of the Rich Man and the Poor here, that a Man may be Happy with a Little, and Miserable in Abundance.

FAB. CCCCLXIX. A Wolf and a Hog.

A Wolf that had liv'd many Years upon the Spoil, came at last to be Troubled in Conscience for the Spilling of so much Innocent Blood, and so took up a Christian Resolution to keep a long Lent for't; and not to Eat One Bit of Flesh for a whole Twelve-Month: But Fasting it seems did not agree with his Constitution, for upon the sight of a Hog Wallowing in a Muddy Puddle, he ran presently to him, and ask'd him what he was? Why, says the Hog, I belong to a Neighbour here in the Village, and the Ancient Romans call me Porcus. In Good Time, says the Wolf; for I have read in Littleton's Dictionary, that Porcus is a Fish, that being Taken, Grunteth like a Hog; and so he made a Supper of the Hog, without breaking his Fast, and without any Offence to his Vow of Mortification.

The MORAL.

In a long Practice of Wickedness, now and then a Faint Vow or Promise of Amendment, goes for Nothing: And if a Body should have a Mind to break a Commandment under such an Obligation, it will be hard if he cannot bring himself off at last with some Salvo or Distinction, and be his own Confessor.

REFLEXION.

MEN that are Habitually Wicked, may now and then by Fits and Starts feel certain Motions of Reflexion that look toward Repentance; but those Dispositions are commonly short Liv'd, and the same Meat shall be Fish or Flesh as it may best serve their Turn. We find this Fable Mo∣raliz'd in our Daily Practice, not only among our False Converts, upon the Matter of Truth, Steadiness and Justice, but among Politicians, Law∣yers and Divines, that shall make the most Establish'd Principles of Law, Prudence and Religion, Felons of themselves, and by the help of a little Sham and Paradox, Blow Hot and Cold, with the Man and the Satyr, out of the same Mouth. This Wolf now was somewhat of the Mans Humour that was Charg'd by his Confessarius, for Eating Flesh in Lent: Father, says he, I have as Catholick a Faith as any Man in Christendom; but a most Confounded Heretical Stomach. So the Wolves Heart was Right all this while, and by turning Hog into Porcus, he kept his Fast in Latin still, though he broke it in English.

FAB. CCCCLXX. A Farmer and his Servant.

A Country Farmer miss'd an Ox out of his Grounds, and sent his Man abroad one Day to look after him. The Simpleton went Hunting up and down, 'till at last he found him in a Wood; but upon Three Birds coming cross him, a∣way goes he Scampering after them. He stay'd so long upon the Errand, that his Master Wonder'd what was become of him; and so Abroad he goes to look for his Man; and there was he in a Field hard by, running as hard as he could drive, and Staring up into the Air. Well, says the Master, what News? Why Master, says the Tony, I have found them. Ay, but says the Farmer again, where are they? And what have ye found? Why look ye there they are, says the Fellow; I have found Three Birds here, and I'm trying if I can Catch'em.

The MORAL.

We have this Fool Moraliz'd abundantly to us in Common Practice. We leave the main End and Bus'ness of Life Unregarded, to run after Butter-flies.

REFLEXION.

A Man cannot look into himself without an Application of this Fable to his own Soul and Conscience. He was much in the Right, that call'd Old Men, only Great Blockheaded Boys with Beards, that Entertain themselves with Bigger Play-things. There's an Ox lost, and this Cox∣comb runs a Gadding after Wild-Fowl. Is it not our very Case now, that when our Souls, Good-Names, Bodies and Fortunes are at Stake, we must be running out at Check, after every Crow, Buzzard, or Jack-daw that comes in the way, and leave the main Chance at last at Six and Seven? Nay, and here's this more in't too, that the Quarry would not be worth the taking up neither, if we could Catch it; beside, that it flies away still before us; and is never to be Overtaken,

FAB. CCCCLXXI. A Satyr and Fire.

THe Poets tell us, that Prometheus stole some of Iupiter's Fire, and brought it down to us from Heaven, and that was our Original of it. A Satyr was so Transported with the Glory and the Splendor of this Spirit, that down on his Knees he falls, and would needs Kiss and Embrace it. Have a care of your Beard, says Prometheus; nay, and of your Chin too; for 'twill both Singe and Burn ye. And why, says the Satyr, would you bring down so Glorious a Temptation then to Plague the World withal? Why, says Prometheus, there were no Living without it; only the Mischief lies in the Abuse. It Burns, 'tis true, but then consider the Heat and the Light that comes along with it, and you shall find it serves us to all man∣ner of Profitable, Delightful and Necessary Purposes, provided only that we make a Right Use on't.

The MORAL.

There's not One Grain in the whole Composition of the Universe, either too Much, or too Little; Nothing to be Added, Nothing to be Spar'd; nor so much as any One Particle of it that Mankind may not be either the Better or the Worse for, according as 'tis Apply'd. The most Sovereign An∣tidotes

have Poison in them; the most necessary Means of Life may be Corrupted, or Perverted, and render'd the most Destructive to us: As an In∣fected Air, for the purpose, a Raging Sea, or a Consuming Fire: But let this Air continue as God made it; the Waters be kept within their Bounds, and the Fire from breaking out into Conflagrations, and there's no Li∣ving without them under this Regulation.

REFLEXION.

THE Best things in the World may be Misapply'd, and the greatest Blessings Abus'd, may become the Occasion to us of the most Judicial Maledictions. What's more necessary for the common Comfort and Be∣nefit of Mankind, then Understanding and Power; and nothing certainly is more Pernicious then those Illustrious Qualifications Perverted. We are not to Quarrel with the Heavens for Pestilential Influences, or Un∣kindly Seasons; nor with the Earth for Poysonous Minerals and Exhala∣tions; nor with the Water for Inundations, and Shipwrecks; nor with the Fire for Conflagrations. We must not take upon us to Dispute or to Correct the Wisdom of Providence, but sit down Contented and Thank∣ful, and with this Reflexion upon the whole, that we are Indebted to the Divine Bounty for all the Good we Enjoy, and that for the Evil we Suffer, we may thank our Selves.

FAB. CCCCLXXII. A Generous Lion.

AS a Lion was Bestriding an Ox that he had newly Pluck'd down, a Robber Passing by, Cry'd out to him, Half-Shares. You should go your Snip says the Lion, if you were not so forward to be your own Carver. The Thief had but just turn'd his Back, when up comes an Innocent Traveller, that so soon as ever he saw the Lion, was going off again. The Lion bad him Fear Nothing, but take part of the Prey with him in Reward of his Modesty: Whereupon the Lion went immediately into the Woods to make way for the Traveller.

The MORAL.

If Great Men in the World would but follow the Example of the Lion in this Fable, Sharpers should not Ride in Triumph any longer, while Honest Men go out at the Elbows.

REFLEXION.

THIS is an Instance of a Great and a Laudable Example; but People are forwarder to Commend such Presidents, then to Imitate them: for

the Bold and Rich Thrive in the World, when the Poor and the Bash∣ful go a Begging: But Virtue is never the less Venerable for being out of Fashion.

FAB. CCCCLXXIII. A Brother and a Sister.

THere was a Brother and a Sister that happen'd to look in a Glass both together: The Brother a very Lovely Youth, and the Sister as hard favour'd as a Girl could well be. Look ye (says the Boy,) and have not I a very Good Face now? This the Lass took for a Reproach, as if hers were not so too. What does this Envious Tit, but away to her Father, with a Tale of her Brother, how Effeminately he Behav'd himself, and that a Petticoat would become him better then a Sword. The Good Man Kiss'd them both, and Reconciled the Con∣troversy. My Dear Children, says he, I lay my Command up∣on ye Both to look often in a Glass; You Son, to keep a Guard upon your Self, not to Dishonour the Advantages that Nature has given ye, with Ill Manners: And you Daughter, (says he) to Mind you of Supplying the Defects of an External and a Transitory Beauty, with the more substantial Ornaments of Piety and Virtue.

The MORAL.

There is not any Accident or Adventure in Nature, that does not yield Mat∣ter and Occasion for Good Councel: And the Excellency of that necessary Office lies in the Address of Managing it Pertinently, and without Re∣proach.

REFLEXION.

THE Vanity of the Youth here in the Fable, is doubly to Blame; First, he values himself upon a Trivial and an Uncertain Advantage. Secondly, 'Tis below the Dignity of the Sex, for a Man to Glory in, and to Usurp upon the proper Ornaments and Privileges of a Woman. The Sisters Envy may be better Reprov'd then Reform'd; for to say that a Woman is not Handsom, is a Sin never to be Forgiven. The Father does excel∣lently well Discharge the Part of a Wise Man, and of a Tender Pa•…•…ent both in One. And the Moral of his Part Resolves finally into this, That Virtue attones for Bodily Defects, and that Beauty is nothing worth, with∣out a Mind Answerable to the Person.

FAB▪ CCCCLXXIV. The Bees and the Drones.

THere was a Controversy betwixt the Bees and the Drones about some Hony-Combs that were found in a Hollow Oak. They both laid Claim to 'em, and a Wasp was to be Iudge, as one that well understood the Matter. Upon the Tryal of the Cause, they seem'd both to stand fair for't, as being of the same Size, Make and Colour. Now, says the Wasp, I am upon my Oath, and therefore let me see them work their Combs, and fill 'em here before me in the Court, and I shall be then the better able to Understand the Merits of the Cause. The Drones would not Agree to't, and so the Verdict went for the Bees.

The MORAL.

Pretences go a great way in the World with Men that will take Fair Words and Magisterial Looks for Current Payment: But the short and the cer∣tain way of bringing the Cause to a Fair Issue, is to put the Pretenders to the Test of Doing what they say.

REFLEXION.

ALL People that set up for a Reputation in the World upon the Cre∣dit of other Mens Labours, fall under the Reproof of this Fable; and the Judges in those Cases are not always so Tender, Circumspect and Con∣scientious as the Wasp was in this; for they let False and Frivolous Pre∣tenders run away many times, not only with the Character, but with the Reward, both of Honester and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Mens Virtues. There's no Proof like Matter of Fact, and putting the Drones to the Test of making Wax and Hony.

FAB. CCCCLXXV. A Fox and a Dragon.

AS a Fox was Earthing Himself, he Digg'd so Deep, 'till at last he came to a Dragon's Den, where he found a Pro∣digious Mass of Hidden Treasure. He made his Excuse for his Intrusion, and begg'd the Dragon's leave but to Ask him▪ One Question. Pray (says he) where's the Pleasure or the Profit of

Spending all your Days in a Hole thus, without either Light or Sleep? Why 'tis my Fate, says the Dragon, and there's no more to be said. Here's a Monstrous Hord, says the Fox, and I can∣not find that you either give Give or Use One Peny out of all this Store. 'Tis a Misery, says the other, that I am Doom'd to, and there's no Avoiding it. Why then says the Fox, He that's Born under Your Stars is certainly the most Wretched of Crea∣tures.

The MORAL.

We are apt to do Amiss, and to Persevere in so Doing, and then lay the Blame upon our Stars, or our Fortune as we call it, which in truth, is nei∣ther Better nor Worse then making Heaven the Author of Evil. The very sooth of it is, that an Ill Habit has the Force of that which we call an Ill Fate; and we Tye up our Selves, where Providence has left us at Li∣berty.

REFLEXION.

Your Covetous Churl is Undoubtedly the most Miserable of Beggars; the more he Has, the more he Wants; Beside that he wants what he Has too; for 'tis lost to all Intents and Purposes, when neither he Himself, nor any Body else is the Better for't. He Pines and Watches himself to Death, for fear of losing that which he only Fancies that he has; or which is the same thing, that which he has not the Heart to Use. All this, says the Dra∣gon, I suffer, because I'm Doom'd to't, which tells us most Emphatically, that an Anxiety of Mind is a Just Judgment upon a Man for Delivering himself up to so Sordid an Appetite. We must not Understand the Dra∣gon here to be Condemn'd to this Misery by the Fatality of any Inevi∣table Decree; but in these Cases, Custom and Corruption, superinduce upon us a kind of Necessity of going on as we begun.

FAB. CCCCLXXVI. The Shipwrack of Simonides.

SImonides was a Learned Man, and an Excellent Poet, espe∣cially in the way of Panegyrick, or Encomium, to the Ho∣nour of the Great Men of his Age; insomuch that he made his Fortune by't. After some time spent abroad, and a great deal of Mony got by his Encomia upon the Hero's of those Times, he put Himself and his Treasure Aboard for his own Country a∣gain, in an Old Rotten Vessel. They fell into Foul Weather, and the Ship Miscarry'd. In the Hurry of the Shipwreck, while the Passengers were at their Wits end how to Save that which

they took to be of the most Value, Simonides was the only Man that appear'd Unconcern'd, notwithstanding that his whole For∣tune was at Stake in the Cargo. One Ask'd him, why he did not look after his Goods. Why so I do, says he, for all the Goods that I pretend to, I have now About me. In this Ex∣tremity, some made a shift to Swim A shore; the greater Part sunk under the weight of what they thought to Preserve; and in the mean time came in a Crew of Free-Booters, that Rifled and Stript those that Scap'd. The Men that were Paddling for their Lives, made a Port, where by great Providence there liv'd a Famous Philosopher that was a Passionate Admirer, and a Diligent Reader of Simonides, and his VVritings. This Phi∣losopher upon the First Encounter, found out Simonides by his very Discourse; took him into his House, Cloath'd him, Fur∣nish'd him with Mony, Provided him Servants, and put him into a Condition in fine, to Live in Honour and Plenty. As Simonides was walking the Streets a while after, he saw se∣veral of his Shipwreck'd Companions begging their Bread from Door to Door, with a Certificate of their Misfortune. VVell, says Simonides, and d'ye not find it True now as I told ye, that a Man of Letters and of Integrity, carries all his Goods about him?

The MORAL.

The Moral is no more then this, that Virtue shall never fail of a Reward in the Conclusion.

REFLEXION.

A Wise and a Good Man carries his Happiness in his own Breast; and that's a Happiness too, that the Uttermost Malice of Wicked Men, and of Cross Fortune can never take away. Let all Men of Honour apply the Moral of this History to their own Comfort and Support, and Assure themselves, that Providence either in the Blessing of a good Conscience, or in that of a Happy Deliverance, will never Forsake them.

FAB. CCCCLXXVII. Two Men and a Halter.

A Poor Rogue that had got the Devil into his Pocket, and not One Cross in the World to drive him out again, found up∣on Mature Consideration, that he had no Choice before him, but either to Hang or Starve; for, says he, I have neither Cash; Credit, nor Friends, to keep Life and Soul together. He be∣thought himself a while upon the Matter, and so Resolv'd ra∣ther of the Two to go to Heaven in a String. Upon this, he immediately provides himself a Halter; fits the Noose, and pitches upon the Place of Execution; but as he was driving a Hook into an Old Wall to Fasten the Cord to, Down comes a Great Stone that was Loose, and a Pot of Mony along with it. The Fellow presently throws away the Halter; Takes the Gold by Content, without either Weighing or Counting it, and so away he Scours with the Purchace. He was no sooner gone, but in comes the Man that had hid the Mony, to give his Pot a Visit: He finds the Birds flown it seems, and Marrying and Hanging, they say, go by Destiny. The last Comer, in fine, succeeds to the Rope of his Predecessor, and very fair∣ly Hangs himself, with this Comfort in the Conclusion, That Providence had Sav'd him the Charge of a Halter.

The MORAL.

Where there's Mony in the Case, 'tis Forty to One but some Body or other goes to the Devil for't.

REFLEXION.

Poverty and Avarice are near A-kin, and the Rich Insatiable Miser that is still Carking after More and More, is every jot as Miserable as he that has just Nothing at all. What's the Difference betwixt Gold in One Part of the Earth, and Gold in Another? Betwixt the Minted Gold that the Sordid Churl Buries in a Pot, and the Ore that Nature has Prepar'd and Tinctur'd in the Mine? They are Both equally lost to the common Use of Mankind; Only the One lies a little deeper then the Other. We may finish this Moral with a Consideration of the Folly of those People that Starve themselves to Enrich Others, and make their Own Lives Wretched for the Advantage perhaps of Thieves or Strangers. The Hal∣ter, in fine, serv'd both their Turns; as well His that had no Mony at first, as t'others that Lost it.

FAB. CCCCLXXVIII. A Mountebank and a Bear.

AS a Quack was Exposing his Bills and his Med'cines upon a Stage, in the Quality both of a Doctor and a Iack-Pud∣ding, Thousands and Thousands of People Gaping and Staring at him with as much Reverence and Attention, as if every Word that came out of his Mouth had dropt from the Lips of an O∣racle: It happen'd just in the Nick of this Interim, that an Of∣ficer of Paris-Garden was Leading one of his Majesties Bears, that way, with a Ring thorough the Nose of him. The Rabble immediately upon the Novelty of this Adventure, quit∣ted the Mountebank, and Gather'd in Multitudes about the Bear, Shouting and Huzzaing along with him, as if it had been a Procession to a Pope-burning, or peradventure some more Pom∣pous Spectacle. The Bear upon this Noise and Bussle, (though none of the Quickest-Witted Animals,) made a Speech to the Crowd after the best manner. Heark ye my Friends, says he, I'm Glad to see you so Merry at my being led like a Sot by the Nose thus; but pray let's Laugh at one another by Turns, for you are every Jot as Ridiculous to Me, as I am to You, the Mobile are led by the Ears just as the Bears are led by the No∣ses; and that's all the Difference in the Case betwixt us.

The MORAL.

The Mobile are altogether for Noise and Novelty, and One New Thing drives out another: Nay, we take Pleasure in the very Spectacle that Effectually Abuses us; as a Bear with a Ring in his Nose, is no more then an Emblem of every Man of us, for we are led as much as He, some by the Ear or Eye; others by our Lusts and Affections: But in fine, every Soul of us some way or other.

REFLEXION.

No Man should make Sport with, or Condemn any thing in another, without first Considering whether he be not Guilty of the very same thing Himself. The Bear is led after One Manner; the Multitude are led after Another Manner; and in some sort or other we are all led; only the Bearward in this Fable leads but One Brute, and the Mountebank leads a Thousand: And what's the whole Bus'ness at last, but Noise, Novelty and Example? And One Fool Staring and Hooting for Company after Another; We take more Care to do as Others do, then to do as we ought to do, or in truth to Understand the Sum and Substance of our Duties. The Peoples

leaving the Mountebank for the Bear, Imports as great a Readiness, even to leave Him too for what comes next, and shews us that there's no Trust∣ing to the Mobile. It may serve also to Mind us, that the very Course of our Lives is little better then a Series of Mistakes, and a Transition-from One Weakness to Another. He that finds himself Uneasy in One Un∣reasonable Choice, has Recourse naturally to Another, perchance as Un∣reasonable: And let him be never so Sick of the Error, there's yet some Pleasure in the Variety; though it be but in the Hope of Mending the Matter.

FAB. CCCCLXXIX. A Skittish Horse.

THere goes a Story of a Restiff, Skittish Jade, that had gotten such a Trick of Rising, Starting, and Flying out at his own Shadow, that he was not to be Endur'd; for the Discipline of the Spur and the Bit was wholly Lost upon him. When his Rider found that there was no Reclaiming of him by the Ordinary Methods of Horsemanship, he took him to task upon the Philosophy and Logick of the Bus'ness. 'Tis only a Shadow, says he, that you Boggle at: And what is that Shadow, but so much Air that the Light cannot come at? It has neither Teeth nor Claws, you see, nor any thing else to Hurt ye: 'Twill neither Break your Shins, nor Block up your Pas∣sage; and what are you afraid of then? Well says the Horse, (who it seems had more Wit then his Master,) 'tis no new Thing in the VVorld, even for the greatest Heroes to shrink un∣der the Impression of Panick Terrors. VVhat are all the Sprights, Ghosts and Goblins that you your Selves Tremble at, but Phan∣tomes and Chimera's, that are bred and shap'd in your own Brain?

The MORAL.

Nature and Reason have Fortify'd us, if we will but make use of our Strength, against all Difficulties that can Befall u•…•… in this World. But if we will stand Boggling at Imaginary Evils, let us never Blame a Horse, for starting at a Shadow.

REFLEXION.

'TIS a Common Thing for People to Blame what they Practice, and to be spending their Censures upon others, when they should be Examin∣ing Themselves: Whereas in Justice, Charity and Prudence, we should make no other Use of our Neighbours Faults, then we do of a Looking

〈◊〉〈◊〉 to Mend our Own Manners by, and to set Matters right at Home. When we see a Horse start at a Shadow, what have we more to do then to Contemplate the Folly and Vanity of our own Surprizes and Mistakes in a Thousand Instances of the same Quality! For what are all the Vexa∣tious Transports of our Hopes and Fears, Extravagant Wishes, and Vain Desires, but the Images of Things every jot as Whimsical, as the Vision of the Shadow here in the Fable? And we can never hope for Better, so long as we Govern our Selves by Fancy, without Reason. To say all in a Word, the whole Bus'ness comes to no more then this; First, We form some Nonsensical Idea to our selves, and then fall down to an Idol of our Own Making.

FAB. CCCCLXXX. No Laws against Flattery.

FLattery is Undoubtedly one of the most Unmanly, and Per∣nicious Vices under the Sun, either Publick or Private; and in One VVord, the very Pest of all Common-wealths and Families, wherever it is Entertain'd; and yet, to the Scandal of Human Policy, even in the Best of Governments, the VVorld was I know not how many Thousand Years Old, before ever any Provision was thought of for the Preventing or the Sup∣pressing of this Epidemical Corruption. Apollo was the First, that (out of his Own VVisdom and Goodness) Erected a Court of Justice for the Tryal of Parasites; appointing the Sharpest Sa∣tyrists of the Age for their Judges; and Arming the Com∣missioners with full Power and Authority to Hear and Deter∣mine all Causes of that Quality: The Offender to stand Con∣vict upon the Testimony of one single VVitness; and im∣mediately upon Conviction, to be carried away into the Market-Place, and there Chain'd to a Stake, and Flay'd Alive. It was Observ'd, that notwithstanding the Severity of this Inexo∣rable Law, Flattery was still as Bold, Busie, and Barefac'd as Ever, from the very Palace to the Cottage; and yet in a matter of Six Months time, not One Complaint brought into the Court against it. Upon this Neglect, there were Spies and Enformers set at work in all Coffee-Houses, and other Publick Places, to Watch the Company, and give Intelligence to the Tribunal of what was said or done there, that might be laid hold of. The very next day there was a Courtier taken up, and an Accusation Exhibited against him, for having given a Person of Eminent Quality, the Character of a Man of Honour, Brains,

Good Government, and Virtue, when the whole World knew him to be no better then an Ignorant Mercenary Sot, that with∣out any regard to Honesty, Prudence, or Good Manners, A∣bandon'd himself Entirely to his Lusts and Pleasures. The Prisoner both Confess'd and Justify'd the Fact at the same time, appealing to the Person most concern'd, whether he had wrong'd him or not; who not only Acquitted the Man, but Reflected most Desperately upon the Scandalous Practice of the Court it self, in making that to be Flattery, which upon the whole Matter, was no other then Truth and Iustice. The Commission was hereupon Discharg'd, for they found it utterly Impracti∣cable to punish a Fault that no Body would either Acknowledge or Complain of.

The MORAL.

'Tis nothing but Self-Love at Home, that Provokes and Invites Flattery from Abroad: And the Disposition of One Man to Receive it, Encourages An∣other to Give it.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fiction may serve to shew us, that what Influence soever Poli∣tical Laws and Provisions may have upon the External Regulation of our Practices and Manners; it is a thing yet utterly Impossible for Human Wisdom to form such an Act of State, as shall reach the Wickedness of the Heart: So that in despite of all the Rules and Cautions of Government, the most Dangerous and Mortal of Vices will still come off, without so much as a Publick Censure. As who shall pretend to inflict any Punish∣ment upon Flattery, Hypocrisy, and other Sins of the Heart, when there lies no Proof against them? One may be a very Honest Man in the Eye of the Law, and yet a most Abominable Wretch in the Sight of God, and of his Own Conscience. But it is still worth the while however, to con∣sider how we may Discountenance and prevent those Evils which the Law can take no Cognizance of. And to gain this Point, the Effect must be Obviated in the Cause. Flattery can never take Place upon any Man, (so as to Corrupt him) that did not Flatter Himself First; for it is a Vain Opinion of our Selves, that lays us Open to be Impos'd upon by Others.

FAB. CCCCLXXXI. Three Dreaming Travellers.

THree Men were Travelling through a VVilderness; the Journey it seems was longer then they thought for, and their Provisions fell short; but there was enough left for

any One of 'em yet, though too little for all; and how to Dis∣pose of the Remainder, was the Question. Come (says One of the Three,) Let's e'en lye Down and Sleep, and he that has the Strangest Dream, shall have That that's Left. The Mo∣tion was Agreed to, and so they dispos'd themselves to their Rest. About Midnight, Two of them VVak'd, and told one another their Dreams. Lord, says one of 'em, What a Fancy have I had! I was taken up methought into the Heavens, I know not how, and there set down just before Jupiter's Throne. And I says T'other, was Hurry'd away by a Whirlwind, methought to the very Pit of Hell. The Third all this while Slept Dog-Sleep, and heard every VVord they said. They fell then to Lugging and Pinching their Companion, to tell him the Story. Nay, pray be Quiet, says he, What are ye? Why we are your Fellow Travellers, they Cry'd. Are ye come back again then? says he. They told him they had never stirr'd from the Place where they were. Nay then, says t'other, 'twas but a Dream, for I Fancy'd that One of ye was Carry'd away with a Whirlwind to Jupi∣ter, and t'other to Pluto: And then thought I to my Self, I shall never see these Poor People again; so I e'n fell on, and Eat up all the Victuals.

The MORAL.

There is a Fooling sort of Wit that has Nothing more in't then the Trick∣ing up of some Insipid Conceit to no manner of Purpose, but to Morti∣fy Good Company, and Tire out an Ingenious Conversation. The Iests of these People are only to be Order'd as we do Cucumbers; Wash them, and Beat them, and then throw them out at the Window. That is to say, they are Flat and Insipid, without either Meaning or Morality to help them out.

REFLEXION.

WHERE Men will be Fooling and Bantering, a Trick for a Trick is but Common Reason and Justice; and it comes closer yet too, when the Trick is Encounter'd with Another of the same Kind; for it does not only spoil the Jest, but makes the Aggressor Himself Ridiculous; especially when the Design is Forelay'd and Concerted in Form, as here in the Fable. The Frolick of a Cleanly Banter, may do well enough off-hand, and without Affectation; but a Deliberated Foolery is most Abo∣minably Fulsome.

FAB. CCCCLXXXII. Reason of State.

UPon the coming out of a Book Entitled Reason of State, there happen'd a warm Dispute in the Cabinet of a Great Prince, upon that Subject. Some would have it to be, The Skill of Erecting, Defending and Enlarging a Common-Wealth. Others were for changing the Title from Reason of State to Rea∣son of Policy. And a Third Party was for Correcting the for∣mer Definition, and rather running it thus, [Reason of State is a Rule Useful for Common-Wealths, how contrary soever to the Laws both of God and Man.] There was great Exception taken to the Plain Dealing of this Latter Definition; but upon Consulting Presidents, it was found very Agreeable to the Practical Truth of the matter.

The MORAL.

Honesty may do well enough betwixt Man and Man, but the Measures of Government and Righteousness are quite Different Things. The Question in Reason of State is not Virtue, but Prudence.

REFLEXION.

Reason of State, in the Simplicity of the Notion, is only the Force of Political Wisdom, Abstracted from the Ordinary Rules and Methods of Conscience and Religion. It consults only Civil Utility, and never Mat∣ters it, provided the Publick may be the better for't, though the Instru∣ments and Managers go to the Devil. 'Tis somewhat with Statesmen and their Disciples, as it was with the Patient and his Physician that Advis'd him for his Healths sake to have the Use of a Woman. The Good Man Scrupled the Remedy. Well, says the Doctor, I Prescribe to your Body, not to your Soul, which are Two Distinct Provinces; and when I have done my Duty to the One, let your Confessor look to the Other. It is most certain, that Reason of State is a very Devillish Thing, under a Specious Name, and a Cover for all Wickedness. What are Alliances and Rup∣tures, but Temporary Expedients? And the Ordinary Reasons of War and Peace are very little Better then Banter and Paradox. This is the very Truth of the Matter, and may be seen at large in the History of all the Governments in the World: But it is One of those Truths yet that is not at all times to be spoken; and 'tis the part of a Wise Man in these Cases, to Hear, See, and Say Nothing.

FAB. CCCCLXXXIII. An Eagle and a Leveret.

AN Eagle that was Sharp set, and upon the Wing, look∣ing about her for her Prey, spy'd out a Leveret, made a Stoop like Light'ning, and Truss'd it; and as she had it in the Foot, the Miserable Wretch Enter'd into an Idle Expostu∣lation upon the Conscience, and Justice of the Proceeding: With what Honesty, says the Hare, Can you Invade the Right of another Body? Why, says the Eagle, To whom do you belong then? I belong to him, (says the Other) whom Heaven has made the Master of all Living Creatures under the Sun, and from whom That Propriety cannot be taken without manifest Wrong and Usurpation. Man is My Master, and I know no other. Well, says the Eagle again in Wrath, And what's the Title now, that he pretends to this Propriety? Why 'tis the Excellency of his Reason, says the Hare, that Entitles him to this Sovereignty; which is a Claim that from the Creation of the VVorld, to this Day, was never Subjected to the Question. In Truth, says the Eagle, You have Advanc'd a very Pretty Invention here, in setting up Reason against Force, where the Cause is not to be Decided by Argument, but by Power: And to Convince ye now how much I am in the Right, You shall find, in despite of all other Pretensions, since I have ye under my Government and Law, that you were not Born for Him, but for Me.

The MORAL.

Laws with Penalties are made for the Government of the Simple, and the Weak, like Cobwebs to Catch Flies; but Power is the Law of Laws, and there's no Disputing with it, but upon the Swords Point.

REFLEXION.

Tyranny and Oppression never wanted either a Plea, or an Advocate for whatever they did; for the Majority of the Lawyers, the Divines, and All Quaestuary Professions, will be sure to run over to the Stronger Side, where Will passes for Law, and Rapine for Providence. So that it is a Folly next to Madness, for a Friendless, and an Unarmed Innocence to Expostulate with an Invincible Power. The Case of the Hare and the Eagle is a Com∣mon Case in the World, where the Weaker is a Prey to the Stronger; where a Forcible Possession gives a Title, and where the Justice of the Cause is Determin'd by the Success. When the Hare comes once

to be in the gripe, 'tis too late to talk of Reason and Equity, when con∣trary to all the Rules of Moral Iustice, the Conqueror is both Iudge and Party.

FAB. CCCCLXXXIV. A Dog and his Master.

THere was an Excellent House-Dog, that spent his whole Night still in Bawling and Snarling at all People Indif∣ferently that pass'd within Hearing of him. His Master took him to Task once for Barking and Yelling so at every Body that came near him, without Distinction. VVhy what have you a Nose for, says he, but to smell out a Thief from an Honest Man? I will not have ye so much as Open your Mouth, I tell ye, at a Venture thus. Sir, says the Mastiff, 'tis out of the Zeal I have for your Service; and yet, when all is done too, I would I had no more to Answer for, then giving False Alarums, and Bark∣ing out of Season. You may fancy perhaps, that there are No other Thieves then those that the Law Exposes to the Pillory, or a Whip∣ping Post; or to a Turn perchance at Tyburn the next Sessions. You'll find your self Mistaken Sir, if you'll take upon ye to Judge of these Blades by their Garbs, Looks, and outward Appearance: But if I get them in the VVind once, I'll tell ye which is which, to the very Hearts and Souls of 'em, without the Cere∣mony of either Bench, Witnesses or Jury. Nay, says the Master, if you should happen to Spy a Knight of the Post, a Catch-pole, a Iayler, a Pawn-Broker, a High-way-man, a Crop-Ear'd Scriv'ner, a Griping Usurer, a Corrupt Iudge, or any of these Vermin, pray'e Cry out Thief, and spare not: And I beseech ye Sir, says the Dog, what if it should be a Pettifogging Splitter of Causes, a Turncoat, Ecclesiastical, Military or Civil; a Trading Iustice, a Mor∣tal Enemy under the Mask of a Friend: A Glozing Hypocrite: Or in One word, let it be in any other Case or Encounter whatso∣ever; You will find it Twenty Thousand to One upon the whole Matter, that I Bark Right.

The MORAL.

The History of Cheats and Sharpers truly Written, would be no other then the History of Human Nature.

REFLEXION.

'TIS an Unhappy thing both for Master and Servant, when the Love, Loyalty and Zeal of the One, shall be Ill Taken at the Hands of the Other; for he that will not Believe and Depend upon the Faith of a Try'd Friend and Servant, falls under the Judgment commonly of giving too much heed to a Secret Enemy: Beside, that it goes to the Heart of a Man of Honour and Address, when he has done his Uttermost for his Masters Service, to fall under the Scandalous Character of Officious, and Impertinent, for his Pains. The Master here was in another Mistake too, in supposing that all House-Breakers and Sharpers had Thief written in their Foreheads; whereas the most Dangerous sort of Cheats, are but Masqueraders, under the Vizor of Friends and Honest Men. The Cardinal's Rule to one of his Laquayes that had lost his Coat, comes very well to our present Purpose. The Boy said that his Eminence told him they were all so Holy at Rome, that he thought there had been no Thieves there. Well says the Cardinal, but hereafter, when ever you come into a strange Place, you may take every Man you see for a Thief, provided that you Call no Body so. The Dog went this way to work, and he did Wisely in't; for he that keeps himself upon this Guard, shall never be Couzen'd. The best will help it self, and there∣fore 'tis good to be wary for fear of the Worst.

FAB. CCCCLXXXV. Two Doctors and a Sheep.

AS a Sheep was Grazing One Evening in a Pleasant Meadow, it had the hap to Overhear Two Doctors of the Schools as they were taking a Walk there, Philosophizing upon the Advan∣tages of Mankind above all other Creatures; and particularly, upon the Natural Disposition that Man has to live in Union and Society. The Sheep gave One of them a Gentle Touch by the Cloak, and told him, that under favour, he could not be of their Opinion. 'Tis true, says he, you have your Cities, Towns In∣corporate, and Large Communities; but then you have your Ma∣gistrates too; your Laws, Oaths, and a Thousand Shackles up∣on ye; and all little enough to keep the Peace among ye. You Dispute, Wrangle, Fight, make a perpetual Bussle in the World, Break Friendships, Dissolve the very Tyes of Marriage, and Tear one Another to Pieces with all manner of Extravagant Contests. Now this 〈◊〉〈◊〉 never be, sure, if there were in ye that same Implanted Inclination to Unity and Agreement, that you speak of. If you would come to a clear Resolution of this Question, you must first set your Selves at liberty from the Over-ruling Awe of

Disgrace, Shame, and Punishment; and by the Removal of that Force, leave your Selves to the full Scope of your Avarice and Ambition. You will then find by the Event, whether Man be Naturally a Protector and Preserver of Society, or a Destroyer of it. No, no, my Learned Sirs, 'tis We that are the Sociable Creatures, We Troop together, Feed together, Live together, follow the same Leader too, without any Constraint upon us, either of Vows or Penalties; and the very Flies and Pismires upon this Topick, will Rise up in Judgment against Mankind.

The MORAL.

The Philosophers will have Man in a Degree of Excellency to be a Sociable Creature; but these Philosophers are Men themselves then, and Iudges in their Own Case: Now if we may Credit Matter of Fact and Experience, Men are the most Disunited Creatures under the Heavens: 'Tis their De∣light, Study, Practice and Profession to lye Cutting One Anothers Throats, and Destroying their own Kind: Insomuch that Birds, Beasts and Insects, to the very Flies and Pismires, will rise up in Iudgment against Mankind in this Point.

REFLEXION.

THE Sheep in this Fable was clearly too hard for the Two Doctors; and we find all those Reasonings to be true in the World, which the Mut∣ton Alleges in the Fiction. For Man is certainly one of the most Per∣verse Pieces of the Creation; and not only Cross to his Rational Bre∣thren, but betwixt his Will and his Understanding, he lives in a Perpe∣tual Contradiction to Himself. His Practice is directly contrary to his Knowledge, and he shuts his very Eyes against the Light of his Nature. Now other Creatures that are only Guided by a Providential Impulse, have the Grace to follow the Voice of their Director, and to keep themselves within the Compass of their proper Bus'ness and Duty. Whereas Man, that over and above the same common Instinct, is en∣du'd with the Talent of Counsel and Knowledge, Improves those Ad∣vantages only to his Greater Condemnation, by Abandoning the Offices and Functions of his Reasonable Being. The Sum of the Moral, in fine, may be this, that it is not so much the Excellency of our Human Na∣ture, that Distinguishes us from Brutes, as the due Exercise and Appli∣cation of those Rational Faculties that Heaven has Bestow'd upon us: Which comes to the very case of the Sheep and the Doctors. Man knows what he Ought to do, but (to his Greater Condemnation,) he does not Act according to his Knowledge; whereas Animals that are Guided barely by Instinct, live in Obedience to the Voice of Heaven in that of Nature.

FAB. CCCCLXXXVI. Few Friends.

ONe that had a Great Honour for Socrates, took Notice of a Pitiful Little House that he was a Building: 'Tis a strange Thing (says he to the Philosopher,) that so Great a Man as you are should ever think of Living in so Wretched a Cabin. Well, says Socrates, And yet as Little as it is, he were a Happy Man that had but True Friends enough to Fill it.

The MORAL.

A Friend in the World, is quite Another Thing then a Friend in the Schools: And there's a Great Difference in the Speculation of a Friend, from what we find in the Practice.

REFLEXION.

Friendship is a Divine Excellency, wrapt up in a Common Name, and nothing less then the uttermost Perfection of Flesh and Blood, for Wis∣dom and Virtue, can Entitle a Man to the Character of a True Friend; though Custom, I know, has so far Prevail'd for a Promiscuous Appli∣cation of the Word to Common Acquaintances and Relations, that it passes in the World, by a certain kind of Figure, for Civility and Re∣spect. But Socrates all this while did very well Understand what he said, touching the Rarity and Paucity of Friends; and he might have added, that it is as hard a matter how to Understand to Be a Friend, as to know where to Find One.

FAB. CCCCLXXXVII. An Ass Carrying an Image.

AS an Ass was Carrying an Image in Procession, the People fell every where down upon their Knees before him. This Silly Animal fancy'd that they Worship'd Him all this while; 'till One Rounded him in the Ear; and told him, Friend, says he, You are the very same Ass with this Burden upon your Back, that you were before you took it up; and 'tis not the Brute they Bowe to, but the Image.

The MORAL.

A Publick Character is never the less to be Reverenc'd, because a Coxcomb perhaps may Carry it; nor that Coxcomb one jot the more, save only for the sake of his Office.

REFLEXION.

THE Simple Vanity of this Ass is a very Pertinent Reproof to those Men that take the Honour and Respect that is done to the Character they Sustain, to be paid to the Person; as if Mr. Constable should As∣sume to his Visage, the Reverence that's paid to his Commission. There are that Interpret every Nod or Glance of Civility, in their own Favour, though it was neither Due to them, nor ever Intended them.

FAB. CCCCLXXXVIII. A Dog and a Cat.

THere was a Dog and a Cat brought up in the same House, from a Whelp and a Kittling, and never were Two Creatures better together; so Kind, so Gamesome and Divert∣ing, that it was half the Entertainment of the Family to see the Gamboles and Love-Tricks that pass'd betwixt them. Only it was Observ'd, that still at Meal-times they would be Snarling and Spitting at One Another under the Table: And what was the whole Sum of the Controversy at last, but a Dog-and-Cat-Wrangle about the Picking of a Bone, or the Licking of a Trencher?

The MORAL.

Flesh and Blood does Naturally Consult its own Advantage; and when that comes to be the Question, There's the Bone that in some Degree or o∣ther sets all Mortals together by the Ears.

REFLEXION.

HERE's a Perfect Emblem of the Practices and Friendships of the World; for Men have their Toying Seasons, and their Pleasant Hu∣mours, as well as Dogs and Cats. We Contract Little Likings 〈◊〉〈◊〉 enter into Agreeable Conversations, and pass away the time so Mer•…•…ly and Kindly together, (at least while that Fit of Dalliance and Diversion Lasts,) that one would think it impossible for any thing under the Sun

to Break the Intrigue; and yet upon the throwing in any Cross Interest among 'em; (which is all One with the Bone under the Table,) nay, upon a Jealous Thought, or a Mistaken Word or Look, all former Bonds are Cancell'd, the League Broken, and the Farce Concludes in Biting and Scratching one another's Eyes out. The same Figure will serve for Princes and States, Publick Persons and Private, Marry'd and Single; People in fine of all Professions and Pretences.

FAB. CCCCLXXXIX. Aristotle's Definition of a Tyrant.

THere was so great Offence taken at the Definition of a Tyrant in Aristotle's Politicks, that all the Governors un∣der the Cope of Heaven, found themselves Touch'd in the Re∣flexion: Insomuch that they all Met in a General Council, to take the Matter into Consideration. Those Princes (says Aristotle) are Tyrants, that intend their own Good, more then that of their Subjects. The Princes were so Nettled at the Scandal of this Affront, that every Man took it to Himself; for ac∣cording to that Doctrin, all the Governors upon the Face of the Earth from Adam to this Day, have been no better then Downright Tyrants. The Council was once Thinking to put Aristotle to Extremities; but imputing it rather to the Natural Sawcyness of a Pedant, (for there's no Grammar for Politicks,) then to any Malice Prepense, they made him Eat his Words, and Expound Himself; that what he said of Tyrants, was only meant of a sort of Persecutors of Old Time, that have been now long since Extinct.

The MORAL.

In all General Characters of Bad Men, whether Princes, Publick Mini∣sters, or Private Persons, Care should be taken not to Involve the Good under the same Scandal and Condemnation. There are some Principles and Methods of Government, wherein the Best and the Worst of Princes may Agree; but then there are certain Perverse Notions of the Thing, and Corrupt Practices, that can hardly be Touch'd upon, without Engaging all Crown'd Heads in the Reproach: And 'tis Dangerous Skewing upon the Errors of the Age a Man lives in.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fancy gives us to Understand, that Secrets of State are not properly the Bus'ness of the Schools, and in truth it is a Topick too, that does as little become the Pulpit; for Politicks are matter of Practice ra∣ther then of Notion: Beside, that the Rules of Government and those of Religion, Abstractedly consider'd, have very little Affinity one with the other: For the Wisdom of this World, or that which we call Civil Pru∣dence, does not at all concern it self in the Question of Virtue or of Conscience. From hence it may be Inferr'd, that Ministers of State, Priests, and Philosophers, should do well to keep to their Respective Professions, without Invading the Province one of another. Here's a Check put upon the Definition of a Tyrant; not so much for the False Doctrin of the Position, as for the Scandal of Exposing Majesty, by the Innuendo of so Irreverend a Truth; for the Character of a Crown'd Head ought to be kept Sacred, let the Person be what he will. Here is likewise an other Hint of Caution to us, that in all Liberties of this Nature, we keep clear of the present Times, and be still looking another way, what∣ever we mean.

As to the Definition of a Tyrant it self, let it be Candidly taken, and the Drift of it is this; the common Safety of King and People is wrapt up in the Well-being of each other. The Prince intends his Own Good in that of the People; and at the same time, the Good of the People in that of Himself; for they Stand or Fall together: But then there's One Tenderness of Care and Duty, and another of Personal Inclination, or (if I may so Call it) Infirmity; and That's Aristotle's Tyrant, where a Ru∣ler Indulges his Private Appetite, and Sacrifices his People to his Passions or his Pleasures.

FAB. CCCCXC. A Country-man and a Panther.

A Panther had the Fortune to drop into a Pit-fall. The People came Flocking about him; some Pelting and Battering him with Stones and Cudgels; others Pity'd him, and threw him somewhat to Eat. Toward Night, they went All Home again, taking for granted that they should find him Dead next Morning: But in that Interim he came to Himself again, and gave 'em the Slip: And upon getting Loose, he made such Havock both with Man and Beast, that the whole Coun∣try, Friend and Foe, were all in Dread of him. The Panther finding the Fright so General, call'd out to 'em, and told them; So many of ye (says he) as were Kind to me in the Pit, set your Hearts at Rest, for I'll not Hurt a Creature of ye now I'm at Liberty.

I have not forgotten who they were that gave me Bread, and who threw Stones at me; and I'm an Enemy only to those that were Enemies to me.

The MORAL.

There's no Creature so Wild and Savage, but it may be wrought upon and Reclaim'd by Good Offices and Benefits; to the shame of that part of Mankind, that returns Evil for Good, and is yet to Learn Humanity from the Beasts of the Forrests.

REFLEXION.

HERE's a Reproof to the Practices of Ungrateful Men, under the Figure of a Grateful Beast: A Grateful, and I might have said a Gene∣rous Beast, in being kind to those in their Distress, that had been so to Him in His. How much Worse then Brutes are those Men then, that owe the Best Blood in their Veins to the Bounty of their Friends and Patrons, and yet after Raising them from the very Dunghil to Honours and Fortunes, are the forwardest to Insult upon their Supporters and Masters, when they see 'em in any Calamity; and to add Affliction to Affliction! Now to Pursue the Fable, Here's a Common Enemy, in Ap∣pearance, at the Mercy of the People about him; some Beat him, others take Pity of him: He comes afterward to make his Escape, and Distin∣guishes his Enemies from his Friends, by Destroying the One, and Spa∣ring the Other. Shall we call the One a Judgment now, and the other a Providence; as if the Outrage had been a Fault, and the Pity a Meri∣torious Act of Good Nature? The Moral will hold good in both Re∣spects; for let the Judgment or the Execution of Death be never so Just, it is yet Barbarons, Inhuman and Unwarrantable to Aggravate the Suf∣fering with Insolence, Contumely, Malice and Reproach: And so for the Tenderness on the other hand, 'tis a softness Inseparable from the Genuine Impulse of a Reasonable Being: For the Compassion is a Laudable Be∣nignity of Disposition, though Exercis'd upon a Beast.

FAB. CCCCXCI. A Mastiff and an Ass.

THere was a Huge Bear-Dog, and an Ass laden with Bread upon a Long Journey together: They were Both very Hungry, and while the Ass was Grazing upon Thistles by the Way-side, the Dog would fain have been Eating too for Com∣pany, and Begg'd a Bit of Bread of him. The Ass made him Answer, that if he were Hungry, he might e'en do as he did; for he had no Bread to spare. While this pass'd, up comes

a Wolf toward them. The Ass fell a Trembling, and told the Dog, he hop'd he would stand by him if the Wolf should set upon him. No, says the Dog, they that will Eat Alone, shall e'en Fight Alone too, for me: And so he left his Fellow-Traveller at the Mercy of the Wolf.

The MORAL.

Common-Defence and Preservation, is the Main End of Society, and the Great Benefit we receive by Ioining in't: We Love One Another, because we are the better for One Another; and it is the Interest that Supports us in the Duty; when that Reciprocal Kindness sails, as we see here in the Dog and the Ass, the League drops to Pieces.

REFLEXION.

ONE Good Turn we say, requires Another; and it may be added, that one Shrewd Turn Deserves and Provokes Another. The Asses want of Charity in One Minute, cost him his Life in the next; and he was paid in his Own Kind too, in the return of One Scom for Another. It was an Offence against the very Laws of Nature, and Society, and the Punish∣ment Consequently was Providential and Just. He that shews no Com∣passion, shall find None.

FAB. CCCCXCII. A Laconique Try'd and Sentenc'd.

IT was the Ill hap of a Learned Laconique, to make use of Three Words, when Two would have done his Business: The Matter was so Foul, and the Fact so clearly Prov'd upon him, that being Cited before the Senate, he was Heard and Condemn'd to Read over Guicciardines War of Pisa from End to End, without either Eating or Drinking 'till he had gone through it. The Poor Man fell into so Desperate an Agony before he could get over One Single Leaf on't, that he threw himself upon his Face, Imploring the Mercy of the Court, though 'twere but to change his Punishment: They might send him to the Gallies, he said, or if it were to Flay him Alive, or Bury Him betwixt Four Walls, and he should ever acknowledge it as an Act of Clemency; but for a Man of Brains and Thought, to Trouble his Head with such a deal of Tedious

Trash and Pedantry, the Torment he said, of Perillus's Brazen Bull, was Nothing to't.

The MORAL.

Time is Life, and Life is Precious: 'Tis short enough at Best; but the more we Contract our Talk and our Bus'ness, the more we have on't. Wherefore it is Great Wisdom to Couch all we have to do, in as Narrow a Compass as possible. The Killing of a Man with many Words, is only Another sort of Murder, out of the Reach of the Law.

REFLEXION.

THIS Emblem bids us Husband our Time, and bring the Bus'ness of Life into as Narrow a Compass as we can; for we have a great deal to do. 'Tis in effect, so much Life Lost, as we squander away in more Words then needs, and in the Exchange of Idle and Impertinent Dis∣courses: Beside the Mortification of a Tedious Talker. The Figure is carry'd to the Heighth, in the Representation, both of the Crime and of the Punishment; over and above the Equity of Tormenting the Tor∣mentor of Others in his own kind, as Phalaris Sentenc'd Perillus to be Burnt in his Own Bull.

FAB. CCCCXCIII. Matchiavel Condemn'd.

NO Man ever had a Worse Name in the World for a Promoter of Seditious and Atheistical Politicks, then Nicholas Matchiavel the Florentine: Insomuch, that he was Ba∣nish'd, not only the Conversation, but the very Libraries of all Learned Men, upon pain of being Burnt for his Pestilent Doctrins, wherever he should be taken; and a Severe Punish∣ment inflicted over and above upon any Man that should pre∣sume to Comfort, Abet, or Receive him. It was his Fortune after this, to be found upon a Search, in the Corner of a Friends Study, and to be made a Pris'ner; and then in course to Undergo a Sentence according to the Decree. But all these Formalities notwithstanding, he was yet by the Extraordinary Favour of his Judges, upon his Humble Petition for a Hearing, admitted to his Defence, which was to this following Effect. He made no Difficulty of Confessing the Fact, and of Acknow∣ledging himself the Publisher of Pernicious and Execrable Po∣sitions; but withal, says he, no Mortal upon the Face of the

Earth, has a Greater Abhorrence for those Desperate Maxims then my self. As to the Inventing of those Tenets, he made Protestation, that he had no Hand in't at all, and that the Po∣litical Part of his Discourses, was only Copy'd out of the Ge∣neral Practices and Councils of Christian Princes; and that if they pleas'd, he was ready to Instance in the very Presidents. After this, he appeal'd to the Justice of the Bench, whether it were not very hard to make it Mortal, for One Man to write the Naked History of a thing done; and at the same time to allow the very Doing of it to be Praise-worthy in Another. This Plea had brought him off, but for a Fresh Accusation that was Immediately started against him; which was, that he was Taken in the Dark One Night among a Flock of Sheep, putting Dogs Teeth into their Mouths, which must enevitably be the Ruin of the Shepherds; for it could never be Expected that the whole Flock would ever submit to the Government of One, if it had either Teeth, Wit or Horns. Upon the Proof of this Charge, he was Deliver'd up immediately to Justice, and the Law Executed upon him.

The MORAL.

The Secrets of Government ought not to be Touch'd with Unwash'd Hands, and Expos'd to the Multitude; for upon Granting the People a Pri∣viledge of Debating the Prerogatives of Sovereign Power, they will Infer Naturally enough a Right, and a Title to the Controlling and the Over-ruling of it.

REFLEXION.

HE that Exposes the Arts of Government to the People, does in Ef∣fect Appeal to 'em, and give the Multitude some sort of Right to Judge of, and to Censure the Actions of their Superiors. For what is any thing Publish'd for, but to be Read, and to lve consequently at the Mercy of the Reader how to Understand it? As if the Author should say, Gentle∣men, here's a Scheme of Politicks submitted to your Grave Considera∣tion, pray'e what's your Opinion on't? Can any Body think, that in a Question of State Exhibited after this manner, the Mobile will not de∣termine in their Own Favour, and clap what Bias upon the Proposition they themselves please? So that let the Matter be Handled never so Tenderly, 'tis a main Point lost yet; the very Admittance of the Com∣mon People into the Council, and Allowing them to be of the Quorum. Matchiavel Excuses himself well enough, as to any thing of Malice in his Discourses, for (says he) these Maxims are none of My Invention, nei∣ther has any Man living a Greater Abhorrence for those Poysonous Doctrins then my Self; but my Writings are onl yHistorical Notes and Abstracts drawn from the Life of an Universal Practice. Now the Hazzard

and the Mischief is this, that in all these Cases, Men are apt to take Things by the wrong Handle, and raise Arguments for their Own Ad∣vantage. And that's the Moral of Matchiavel's putting Dogs Teeth by Night into the Mouths of the Sheep: That is to say, 'tis a Sly way of Ir∣ritating Subjects to fall foul upon their Rulers, which certainly is a Crime Unpardonable in any State.

FAB. CCCCXCIV. A Dispute betwixt a Doctor, a Uint'ner, and a Botcher.

THere was a Vint'ner and a Botcher Challeng'd a Doctor of Di∣vinity to a Tryal of Skill in his own Trade. He Ask'd them by whom they'd be Try'd? They'd be Try'd by the Text they said. The Thing was Agreed, and the Time Set, and so they brought their Geneva Bibles along with them. The Doctor told them by way of Preface, that though St. Paul fought with Beasts at Ephesus, it was not the Fashion for his Followers to Fight with Beasts in England; and therefore if they could not prove them∣selves to be Men, he'd have nothing to do with them. They stood upon their Pantoufles, that Men they were, and that Men he should find 'em to be; and they were ready to cast the Cause upon that Issue. That's well, says the Doctor to One of 'em, and pray'e what are you for a Man in the First Place? I am a Vint'ner, says t'other. Very Good, quoth the Doctor, and do you e∣ver put New Wine into Old Bottles? Yea, I do so, says the Vint'ner. Then, says the Doctor, You are no Man; for the Text says, that No Man putteth New Wine into Old Bottles. I shall now come to your Companion; Pray'e will you tell me Friend, what are you for a Man? I am says t'other, a Taylor, alias a Botcher. I suppose quoth the Doctor, Put the Case now that my Doublet were out at the Elbows, and I have no more of the Old Cloth to Patch it up withal, could you Mend it d'ye think? Ye, quoth the Botcher, I could get New Cloth to Mend it. Why then, says the Doctor, You are no Man neither; for you shall find it in Another Text, that No Man putteth new Cloth into an Old Garment, so that you are both Beaten here at your own Weapons; for here are Two Texts to Prove that You Two are No Men; which is but according to your own Rule and Method of Interpreting Scripture.

The MORAL.

This Fable strikes at the Ridiculous License of Prophane Intermedlers in Holy Matters; that is to say, a sort of Illiterate Enthusiasts, and Me∣chanicks, that without either Authority or Skill, will be Correcting Mag∣nificat, and setting up the Phantome of New Lights against the Doctrin of Christ and his Apostles.

REFLEXION.

THE Wisdom of the Law will not suffer any Man to Exercise a Trade that he has not serv'd his Time to; and a Body would think that the Reason of this Provision should hold as well in Divinity, as in Manual Crafts; for Revelations at this time of the Day, are as much out of Date as Miracles. This Comical Whimsy may serve in General for a Reproof to Bold and Ignorant Pretenders in matters that they do not Understand; and so to those also that Confidently Usurp upon other Mens Provinces, without any Right or Call to the Function. What are the Freaks in fine, of these Religionaries, but Fits of the Spleen, and the Fumes of a Dark Melancholy, Cover'd under the Name and Pretence of Divine Gifts and Graces? They'l Cap ye Texts, as School-Boys Cap Verses; and in De∣fiance of all the Extraordinary Cases, the Figures, Types, Allegories, and Parables that are so frequent in Holy Writ, every thing must be Under∣stood too, as the Doctor has Turn'd it here upon the Vint'ner and the Botcher, according to the Letter. They'l draw ye a Warrant for the Mur∣dering of Kings, from the Example of Ahab and Benhadad. An Autho∣rity for Couzening their Neighbours, from the Israelites Robbing the E∣gyptians. In One Word, they shall Overturn all the Principles of Human Society, Morality, and Religion it self, and shew ye a Text for't: And upon the whole matter, what is the Conscience of these People more at last, then Fancy and Illusion? They Contend for they know not what, like the Two Fellows that went to Loggerheads about their Religion; the One was a Martinist he said; the other said that all Martinists were Hereticks, and for his part he was a Lutheran: Now the Poor Wretches were both of a Side, and Understood it not. As for the Bus'ness of Learning and Common Sense, they call it the Wisdom of this World, and effectually make it a Heavenly Grace to be an Egregious Coxcomb. There was an Honest Simple Trades-man, wonderfully Earnest with the Parson of the Parish to know what the Forbidden Fruit was; as if there had been no more in't, then whether 'twas a Kentish or a Kirton Pippin. The Good Man told him, that it was an Apple, and that Adam's Eating of it, brought all his Posterity under a Sentence of Condemnation. T'other said it was so hard a Case, that in reverence to the Divine Mercy, he thought himself bound to question the whole Story. This Liberty of Re∣tailing Divinity by the Letter, is the very Root of Infidelity and of all Heresies, nay of Atheism it self. For when People have been Beating their Brains about a Difficulty, and find they can make Nothing on't, they are apt to think there's Nothing in't; for the Mystery's Lost to Him that stands Poring only upon the Letter.

FAB. CCCCXCV. There's no To Morrow.

A Fellow had got a Wench in a Corner; and very Earnest they were upon the Text of Encrease and Multiply; but the Gipsy stood upon her Points forsooth; She d not be Towz'd and Tumbled at that Rate, i'faith not She. In fine, No Peny, No Pater-Noster; and there was no Good to be done un∣less he would Marry her. The Poor Devil was under a kind of Duresse; and for brevity sake, promis'd her, with a Bloody Oath, that he would Marry her to Morrow. Upon this As∣surance, they Sign'd and Seal'd. The next Day they met a∣gain, and the Next to that; and so Every Next Day, for a matter of a Fortnight after; and the Love went on to the Tune of To Morrow, and To Morrow still. But the Girl find∣ing her Self Fool'd, and put off thus from One to Morrow to Another, fell in the Conclusion to Expostulating with him upon the Matter. Did not yon Swear, Yesterday, says she, and Yesterday, and I know not how many Yesterdays, that you'd Mar∣ry me to Morrow? Yes my Dear, says the Spark, I did Swear so; and I do now Swear it all over again too, and thou shalt find me as good as my Word. Ay, but hark ye, says the Lass, is not to Day to Morrow? No my Heart, says the Gallant again, that's thy Mistake; for there are No to Morrows; People are apt to Talk of 'em indeed, but they never come, for Life it self is but the Time Present.

The MORAL

The Sparks Case here in the Fable, of to Morrow and to Morrow, is E∣very Man's, and Every Days Case in the World; and we do the very same Thing with God Almighty, that this Blade does with his Mistress, we Promise, and Put-off, and Perform Nothing.

REFLEXION.

Whoever Reads and Considers this Emblem, will find it to be his own Case; we promise, and we put-off, and we sin, and we go on Sinning: But still as our Conscience Checks us for't, we take up Faint Purposes, and Half Resolutions to do so no more, and to lead a New Life for the fu∣ture. Thus with the Young Fellow here, we Indulge our Selves in our Pleasures from Time time; and when we have Whil'd away our Lives, Day after Day, from One to Morrow to Another, that same to Morrow

never comes. This is the Sluggard's Plea and Practice; the Libertines; the Miser's; and in short, whose is it not? Now if Men would but Consider the Vanity and the Vexation of a Lewd Course of Life; the Impiety first of Entring into Vows, which they intend Before-hand not to Perform, and afterward of Breaking them; the Folly and the Pre∣sumption of Undertaking for any thing that is wholly out of our Power; the Necessity of Emproving every Moment of our Lives; the Despe∣rate and the Irreparable Hazzard of Losing Opportunities; People would not venture Body and Soul upon the necessity of a Procrastinated Repen∣tance; and Postpone the most uncertainty Duties of a Man, and of Chri∣stian. For there's no to Morrow, nor any thing in truth, but the Present Instant that we can call our Own.

FAB. CCCCXCVI. A Lady in Trouble for the Loss of a Set of Horses.

A Certain Lady, that was fall'n under Great Tribulation for the Loss of a very fine Set of Horses, went Raving up and down like a Mad Woman from Place to Place, and E∣very Body must be Tir'd with the History of her Misfortune. Well, says She, they were the best Natur'd Poor Wretches; they'd look at Me so Kindly still when I came to take Coach; to say Nothing of the Value of them, really I cannot think my self safe with other Horses. And at this rate, she went on, Amplifying upon the Affliction, while her Friends and Relations on the other Hand, were not wanting to Ply her upon the Ordinary Topiques of the Transitory State of Mortals. But when they had proceeded as far with her as their Religion and Philosophy could Carry them, and found that she was not to be Comforted; Why tru∣ly Madam, says One of her Confidents, this is a very great Tryal, but since they are gone, and that there's no Recalling of them, I hope your Ladyship does not think 'em too Good for Him that Has 'em.

The MORAL.

We are more Sollicitous for our Horses and our Dogs, then we are for our Souls, our Friends, or our Children; and therefore it was well e∣nough turn'd upon the Lady here toward the bringing of her to her self again, to Mind her, that there was neither Heaven nor Hell in the Case of Losing a Set of Horses.

REFLEXION.

THIS Fancy looks at First Blush, as if it Border'd a little upon Pro∣phaneness; but if it be Taken by the Right Handle, it will bear the Moral of a most Christian, a Necessary, and a Seasonable Check to those People that deliver up themselves to the Transports of Extravagant Passions for Trifles: As it was the Case of a Lady that kept her Bed for the Loss of a Favourite-Puppy she had. Her Friends came to Condole with her upon the Tydings of some Dismal Calamity that had Befall'n her, and ask'd her very tenderly what terrible Misfortune it might be, that she laid so heavily to Heart? Only, says she, the Greatest Af∣fliction (I thank the Lord for't,) that ever befel Me since I was Born: My Pretty Pearl is Dead. Alas, Madam (says One of the Condolers,) Why you have lost a very Good Husband. That's True, says T'other, but the Lord may send me such Another Husband; I shall never have such Another Puppy. These Impetuous Violences, are no News to any Man that has Observ'd and Study'd the Infirmities of here and there One perhaps of that Fair and Frail Sex. But we must not Imagine at last, because the Moralist has made it a Womans Case in the Story, that we our Selves are not Guilty Every Man of us, in some sort or other, and in a Thousand Instances, of the same Weaknesses and Mistakes, even in the Ordinary Course of Human Life; for what's the Doctrin of all this up∣on the main, but a Rebuke to those that set their Affections too much upon the things of this World, and consequently too little upon Matters of Greater Moment; with him that upon the Firing of his House, was so Overjoy'd for the Saving of his Plate, Linne, Paintings, Hangings, and other Rich Moveables, that he never so much as thought of his on∣ly Child all this while that was Burnt in the Cradle. Every Man has his Feeble, as they call it; One Man's Weak side is Ambition; Another's Avarice, Malice, Envy, Revenge, Pride, Vain-Glory; and some again are so wholly taken up with the Pleasures of Wine, Women, Jolly Com∣pany and Good Cheer, as if all the Faculties of their Reasonable Souls had been only given them to Subminister to their Appetites. The very World it self, in One Word, is but a Moor-Fields Colledge of People that r•…•…n Mad for Common Disappointments.

FAB. CCCCXCVII. The Hypocrite.

THere happen'd a Discourse in very Good Company, upon the Subject of Religion and Hypocrisy; and how hard a Matter it was, in the Case of an Artificial Disguise, to know the One from the other; though the Scripture Allows us, and in truth Obliges us, to Judge of the Tree by its Fruits. Well, says One to his Next Man, Do you know such a Person? Oh very well, says t'other; he's one of the Holiest Men to Heaven∣ward that ever you met with, but the Arrantest Rascal among his Neighbours in the whole Parish.

The MORAL.

'Tis not the Name, the Semblance, or the Ostentation of Religion and Holi∣ness that will Attone for the Abuse on't: In making God the Author, the Director and the Abettor of those Flagitious Villanies in Christians, that Pagans Themselves would have an Abhorrence for. But when All comes to All, a Knave in his Practice, is a Knave in his Heart too.

REFLEXION.

THE Hypocrite is but the Devil himself with a Glory about him, in the Shape of an Angel of Light; and as it is no easy Matter to Distin∣guish the One from the Other; so 'tis a thing of a most Desperate Conse∣quence to Mistake them; and the Question will be this at last, How to Reconcile the Offices of Charity and Prudence. The One bids us believe and hope the Best; the Other bids us provide against the Worst. Now it is not for Nothing that the Holy Ghost it self has Denounced so ma∣ny Woes against this sort of Impostors; and Inculcated over and over so many Cautions how we have any thing to do with them; which is no other then a Declaration of an Abhorrence of these People, and a plain Inti∣mation of the Danger of being Deluded and Impos'd upon, under the Mask of Religion both in One. There's no Cruelty, no Fraud, no Vio∣lence, no Oppression, that is not acted under a Colour of Divine Autho∣rity, Impulse and Direction. Churches are Robb'd and Prophan'd; Princes Depos'd and Murder'd; Religion and Morality, with all the Principles of Virtue and Common Honesty, are Overturn'd; and the Name of God himself is made Use of, as a Principal and as a Witness to the Impiety, in a Defyance to all the Dictates of Heaven and Right Reason: And all this is but a Preachment upon the Text at last, of Fear God and Keep his Commandments. When a Kings Head is to be struck off by his own Rebellious Subjects, 'tis brought on commonly with the Prologue of a Fast, which in the Style of the Holy Intrigue, is call'd a Seeking of the

Lord. This Work and Iudgment of God (though it be Secret,) must be done with Great Gravity, (says Iames Melvil, by way of Preface to the Murder of Cardinal Beaton.) Vive l' Evangile, was the Word to several of the Massacres in France. 'Twas often in the Mouth of a Lady, Zealous in her way, with Deep Protestations, that She had rather lye with Forty Men, then go to One Mass: Nay, and I have heard of Tenants too, that Resus'd to pay their Landlord his Rent, unless he could shew a Text for't. Here's enough said to set forth the Character of an Hypocrite, so as to Answer the Morality that is Couch'd under this Figure; but the great Difficulty will be the Steering of a Middle Course, betwixt Believing too Much, and too Little: That is to say, betwixt taking a Good Man for an Hy∣pocrite, and an Hypocrite for a Good Man. We are to have a Reverence for the very Appearances of Piety; but whenever we find the Holy Man to God-ward, to be no better then a Iuggling Knave among his Neighbours, that's the very Hypocrite that we find Stigmatiz'd among the Scribes and Pharisees in the Holy Gospel.

FAB. CCCCXCVIII. The Conscientious Thieves.

THere was a Knot of Good Fellows that Borrow'd a small Sum of Mony of a Gentleman upon the King's High-way: When they had taken All they could find; Dam ye for a Dog, says One of the Gang, You have more Mony about you Sirrah, some where or other. Lord, Brother, says One of his Companions, can't ye take the Gentleman's Mony Civilly, but you must Swear and call Names! As they were about to Part, Pray by your favour Gentlemen, says the Traveller, I have so many Miles to go, and not One Peny in my Pocket to bear my Charges; you seem to be Men of some Honour, and I hope you'l be so Good as only to let me have so much of my Mony back again, as will carry me to my Journeys End. Ay, Ay, the Lord forbid else, they cry'd, and so they Open'd One of the Bags, and bad him Please Himself. He took them at their Word, and presently fetch'd out a Handful, as much as ever he could Gripe. Why how now, says One of the Blades, Ye Confounded Son of a Whore, Ha' ye no Conscience?

The MORAL.

'Tis a Notable Trade that many People drive in the World, of pretending to make a Conscience of One Sin, and taking out their Penn'orths in Ano∣ther. Some there are that Commute Swearing for Whoring, as if the

Forbearance of the One, were a Dispensation for the Committing of T'other. We have heard of Others too, that have been strict Observers of the Lords Day, and yet made no Scruple at all of Robbing the Lord's Altars. But a Good Christian and an Honest Man, must be All of a Piece; and these Inequalities of Proceeding, will never hold Water.

REFLEXION.

'TIS just with Publick Thieves, as 'tis with Private: A Pretended Neces∣sity sets them both at Work, and a Pretended Religion or Conscience brings them off when they have done. This is no more then what we our selves have found within the Memory of Man, to be Literally and Historically True; when that, which in those Days past for the Law of the Land, was in Effect no other then the Law of the Road; and the One had as Much and as Little to say for it self as the Other. There are Po∣litical Bands of Robbers, as well as the Iacks and the Toms that are Cry'd in Gazettes; and they fall both of them under the Regulation of the same Mystery and Trade. The Poor Man here that was Robb'd Himself, was Charg'd Effectually with Robbing the Thieves, upon a Suspicion, that he had Reserv'd some small Pittance of his own Mony, to his own Use, which they accounted a Defrauding of the Publick. Now we have seen this to be the Sense and Discipline of the State, as well as of the Pad; and 'tis as Broad as 'tis Long at last, whether a Man be Undone by a Cabal of Sharpers in Committee of Safety, or by a Troup of Canary Birds upon Newmarket Heath. Nay, and the Parallel runs upon All Four, a little further too; Can't you take the Gentlemans Mony Civilly? says the Spark: That is to say, Can∣not you play the Rogue Demurely, as if Butter would not melt in your Mouth, and pick an Honest Gentlemans Pocket with a Pater-Noster be∣twixt your Teeth? Cannot you Plunder, Sequester, Decimate, Draw, Hang and Quarter in the Fear of the Lord, but you must Blaspheme and Call Names? Is it not enough that you are Discharg'd by the very Pri∣vilege of your Profession, from the Bondage of Subjection and Obe∣dience to Parents Natural or Civil? Is it not enough that you may Kill, Whore, Steal, Backbite, Covet, and make Bold in short, with all the Commands of the Second Table, but you must be Breaking in upon the Former? Thus goes the World; the Little Thieves Hang for't, while the Great Ones Set upon the Bench; and there's a Cloak of Conscience still thrown over both Pretensions, to Cover, and to Consecrate the Cheat.

FAB. CCCCXCIX. The Trepanning Wolf.

THere's a Story of a Man of Quality in Ireland, that a little before the Troubles there, had Wall'd in a piece of ground for a Park, and left only One Passage into't by a Gate with a Portcullis to't. The Rebellion brake out, and put a stop to his Design. The Place was Horribly Pester'd with Wolves; and his People having taken one of 'em in a Pit-Fall, Chain'd him up to a Tree in the Enclosure; and then planted themselves in a Lodg over the Gate, to see what would come on't. The Wolf in a very short time fell a Howling, and was Answer'd by All his Brethren thereabouts, that were within Hearing of it; insomuch that the Hububb was Immediately put about from One Mountain to Another, till a whole Herd of 'em were got∣ten together upon the 〈◊〉〈◊〉; and so Troup'd away into the Park. They were no sooner in the Pound, but down goes the Portcullis, and away Scamper'd the VVolves to the Gate, upon the Noise of the Fall on't. When they saw that there was no getting out again, where they •…•…ame in, and that upon Hunting the whole Field over, there was no Possibility of making an Escape, they fell by Consent upon the Wolf that drew them In, and Tore him all to Pieces.

The MORAL.

Any Man that has but Eyes in his Head, and looks well about him, will find this Exploit of the Wolves, to be no more then the common Practice of Vindictive Flesh and Blood, on the One Hand, and the common Fate of Publick Incendiaries on the Other.

REFLEXION.

'TIS with Men, as 'tis with Beasts, in the Case of this Wolf. We do naturally Hate the Instruments of our Ruin: And it matters not much neither, as to the Event of the thing, whether it be by Chance or by Choice; for it seldom succeeds better, where the Advice or the Instigation of One Man, draws on the Destruction of Many. There's a Great Difference 'tis true, betwixt the Works of Malice, and those of Misadventure, but the Mischief is still the same; for he that's Undone, is equally Undone, whether it be by a Spitefulness of Forethought, or by the Folly of Over∣sight, or Evil Counsel. The Wolf at the Staks, had no Design upon his Brethren in the Woods; and the Wolves in the Wood had as little Design upon their Brother at the Stake; but One was in Distress, and call'd out for Help, while the other Associated, and came in to his Relief. But

after they were once In, they were all Involv'd in the same Common Fate: And when the Herd found themselves Hamper'd, and that they could not gain their Ends, they came to a Resolution, One and All, in a Generous Indignation to take their Revenge. The Freak of the French Farce comes as Pat as is possible to the Earnest of this Moral: The Plot of it was a Grammar-School; the Master setting his Boys their Lessons, and their Exer∣cises, and a Loobily Country Fellow putting in for a part among the Scholars. Well, says the Master, I am just going out of Town for Four or Five Days, wherefore Pray'e be sure ye be Good Boys, till I come back again; and so he took Horse and away. He had no sooner turn'd his Back, but there were they at it Helter Skelter, throwing Books at one anothers Heads, and Playing such Reaks, as if Hell were broke Loose among 'em. In this very Interim, the Master Bolts in upon them, and Surprizes them: In short, he inquires into the Riot, and takes the whole School to Task One by One, about the Occasion of this Uproar. I'd have been Quiet, says One, if it had not been for Him; and I'd ha' been Quiet, says T'other, if he'd ha' let me Alone. So that in fine, (all Pointing at the same Person,) the Poor Country Fellow was taken up and Lash'd upon the Stage, and all the rest Forgiven.

FAB. CCCCC. A Miller and a Rat.

A Miller took a Huge Over-grown Rat in his Meal Tub; and there was He laying the Law to him about the Lewd∣ness of his Life and Conversation, and the Abominable Sin of Stealing; but your Thieving says he, is now come Home to ye, and I shall e'n leave Honest Puss here to reckon with ye for all your Rogueries. Alas Sir, says the Poor Rat, I make no Trade on't; and the Miserable Pittance that I take, is only from Hand to Mouth, and out of Pure Necessity to keep Life and Soul together: As the Rat Pleaded Hunger on the One Hand, the Miller threw the Matter of Conscience and Honesty in his Teeth on the Other, and Preach'd to him upon the Topick of a Political Convenience, in making such Pilfering Knaves Examples for the Publick Good. Well, Sir, says the Rat once again, but pray will you Consider for your own sake, that this is your own Case; and that You and I are both Corn Merchants, and of the same Frater∣nity; Nay, and that for One Grain that I take, you take a Thou∣sand. This is not Language, cries the Miller, in a Rage, for an Honest Man to Bear; but the best on't is Sirrah, Your Tongue's no Slander: So he turn'd the Cat Loose upon him to do that which we call in the World an Execution of Iustice.

The MORAL.

'Tis a piece of Market Policy, for People of a Trade to bear hard One up∣on another, when it comes once to the Question betwixt a Couple of Knaves, which is the Honester Man of the Two.

REFLEXION.

THERE are no Greater Atheists under the Sun, then that sort of Peo∣ple th•…•…t Distinguishes it self from other Men by the Name of the Godly, and the Ungodly Party: No Arranter Hypocrites in Hell, then those that told the Sons of Levi they took too much upon them, but that the Congrega∣tion was Holy Every Man of 'em, and the Lord was among them. Divine Vengeance cut them off we see, Flagranti Crimine, for the Earth Open'd her Mouth and Swallow'd them up, Them and their whole Party, and they went down Alive into the Pit. No People so Unmerciful to Poor Little Whores, and Thieves, as Rich Great Ones. The Griping Usurer Inveighs against Extortion; Church-Robbers against Sacrilege; the most Insupportable of Tyrants, Exclaim against the Exercise of Arbitrary Power; and none so Fierce against the Sin of Rebellion, as the most Execrable of Traytors Themselves. Thus we find it in these Instances; and the same Pharisaical Spirit runs through the whole Roll of our Darling Iniquities. The Miller is brought in here Preaching against Stealing; and it is upon the whole Matter an Unaccountable Truth, that we do all Naturally pretend the Greatest Aversion to that Lewdness in Another, which we most Indulge in our Selves. This is it that we call Crying Whore First; as if the Impu∣dence of Out-facing the Wickedness, were some sort of Attonement for the Scandal of it.

FINIS.