Mythologia ethica, or, Three centuries of Æsopian fables in English prose done from Æsop, Phædrus, Camerarius, and all other eminent authors on this subject : illustrated with moral, philosophical, and political precepts : also with aphorisms and proverbs in several languages, and adorned with many curious sculptures cut on copper plates / by Philip Ayres, Esq.

About this Item

Title: Mythologia ethica, or, Three centuries of Æsopian fables in English prose done from Æsop, Phædrus, Camerarius, and all other eminent authors on this subject : illustrated with moral, philosophical, and political precepts : also with aphorisms and proverbs in several languages, and adorned with many curious sculptures cut on copper plates / by Philip Ayres, Esq.
Author: Ayres, Philip, 1638-1712.
Publication: London :: Printed for Thomas Hawkins,; 1689.
Rights/Permissions: To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
Subject terms: Fables.
Cite this Item: "Mythologia ethica, or, Three centuries of Æsopian fables in English prose done from Æsop, Phædrus, Camerarius, and all other eminent authors on this subject : illustrated with moral, philosophical, and political precepts : also with aphorisms and proverbs in several languages, and adorned with many curious sculptures cut on copper plates / by Philip Ayres, Esq." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A26524.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 15, 2024.

Pages

FAB. LXXVI. The Man that would count the Waves of the Sea:

UPon a time, a man sitting on the Sea shore, was endeavouring to number the several Waves, which the Wind, or agitation of the Sea drove towards him; but being put out of his ac∣count, by a multitude that came tumbling one up∣on another; he was so much troubled that he burst out into tears, for vexation, that he could not comprehend their Number. To whom a Fox coming, asked the occasion of his Trouble? Alas answered the man, I had with great Indu∣stry taken pains for my curiosity, to count the number of the waves, as they rowled this way; but by misfortune have been put out of my reckoning, and am quite confounded in the account. For those, past, answered the Fox, ne'er trouble your head, 'een let them go; and begin your Account again from this very moment, with all the care you can.

This Fable shews that we are not so much to concern our selves, for the things that are past, as for that part of our Life which is yet to come. Luci∣an in his Dialogues, recites this Fable of Ae∣sop, and calls it Fabula valdè erudita, a very Learned Fable.