THE FABLES OF ÆSOP, &c. (continued 2)

Fab. XXXVI. An Asse and a Wolph.

An Asse had got a Thorn in’s Foot, and for want of a Better Surgeon, who but a Wolf at last, to draw it out with his Teeth! The Asse was no sooner Eas’d, but he gave his Operator such a Kick under the Ear with his Sound Foot for his Pains, that he Stunn’d him, and so went his way.

Fab. XXXVII. A Horse and a Lyon.

There was an Old Hungry Lion would fain have been Dealing with a piece of Good Horse-Flesh that he had in his Eye; but the Nag he thought would be too Fleet for him, unless he could supply the want of Heels, by Artifice, and Address. He puts himself into the Garb, and Habit of a Professor of Physick, and according to the Humor of the World, sets up for a Doctor of the College. Under this Pretext, he lets fall a Word or two by way of Discourse, upon the Subject of his Trade; but the Horse Smelt him out, and presently a Crotchet came in his Head how he might Countermine him. I got a Thorn in my Foot T’other day, says the Horse, as I was Crossing a Thicket, and I am e’en quite Lame on’t. Oh, says the New Physician, Do but hold up your Leg a little, and I’ll Cure ye immediately. The Lion presently puts himself in posture for the Office; but the Patient was too Nimble for his Doctor, and so soon as ever he had him Fair for his Purpose, gave him so Terrible a Rebuke upon the Forehead with his Heel, that he laid him at his Length, and so got off with a whole Skin, before the Other could Execute his Design.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

Harm Watch, Harm Catch, is but according to the Common Rule of Equity and Retaliation, and a very Warrantable Way of Deceiving the Deceiver.

REFLEXION.

There’s No trusting to the Fair Words of Those that have both an Interest, and an Inclination to Destroy us; Especially when the Design is carry’d on under the Masque of a Friendly Office. It is but reasonable to Oppose Art to Art, and where we suspect False Play, to Encounter One Trick with another: Provided always that it be Manag’d without breach of Faith, and within the Compass of Honour, Honesty, and Good Manners. The Wolf had the same Design upon the Asse, that the Lion had upon the Horse; and the matter being brought to a Trial of Skill between them, the Countermine was only an Act of Self-Preservation.

Fab. XXXVIII. A Horse and an Asse.

In the Days of Old, when Horses spoke Greek and Latin, and Asses made Syllogisms, there happen’d an Encounter upon the Road, betwixt a Proud Pamper’d Jade in the Full Course of his Carriere, and a Poor Creeping Asse, under a Heavy Burden, that had Chopt into the same Track with him. Why, how now Sirrah, says he, D’ye not see by these Arms, and Trappings, to what Master I belong? And D’ye not Understand that when I have That Master of mine upon my Back, the Whole Weight of the State rests upon My Shoulders? Out of the way thou slavish Insolent Animal, or I’ll Tread thee to Dirt. The Wretched Asse immediately Slunk aside, with this Envious Reflexion betwixt his Teeth. [What would I give to Change Conditions with That Happy Creature there.] This Fancy would not out of the Head of Him, ’till it was his Hap some Few Days after to see This very Horse doing Drudgery in a Common Dung-Cart. Why how now Friend (says the Asse) How comes This about? Only the Chance of the War, says the Other: I was a Soldiers Horse, you must know; and my Master carry’d me into a Battel, where I was Shot, Hack’d, and Maim’d; and you have here before Your Eyes the Catastrophe of My Fortune.

The Moral.

The Folly, and the Fate, of Pride and Arrogance. The Mistake of Placing Happiness in any thing that may be taken away, and the Blessing of Freedom in a Mean Estate.

REFLEXION.

We are to Gather from hence, that people would never Envy the Pomp and Splendour of Greatness, if they did but consider, either the Cares and Dangers that go along with it, or the Blessings of Peace, and Security in a Middle Condition. No Man can be truly Happy, who is not every Hour of his Life prepared for the worst that can befall him. Now this is a State of Tranquility never to be attain’d, but by keeping perpetually in our Thoughts the Certainty of Death, and the Lubricity of Fortune; and by Delivering our selves from the Anxiety of Hopes and Fears.

It falls Naturally within the Prospect of this Fiction to Treat of the Wickedness of a Presumptuous Arrogance, the Fate that Attends it; The Rise of it; and the Means of either Preventing or Suppressing it; The Folly of it; The Wretched and Ridiculous Estate of a Proud Man, and the Weakness of That Envy that is Grounded upon the mistaken Happiness of Human Life.

If a body may be Allow’d to Graft a Christian Moral upon a Pagan Fable, what was it but Pride and Arrogance that first threw Lucifer out of Heaven, and afterwards, Adam out of Paradise? [Ye shall be as Gods] was the Temptation; an Impotent and a Presumptuous Affectation of Vain Glory was the Sin; and a Malediction Temporal and Eternal was the Punishment. Now if the Charms of an Unruly Ambition could so far prevail upon the Angels Themselves in their Purity; and upon Mankind in a State of Innocence, how Strict a Guard ought we then to keep upon our selves, that are the Children of disobedience, and bring the seeds of This Deadly Vanity into the World with us in our very Veins?

It is highly Remarkable, that as Pride, and Envy are the Two Passions that above All Others give the Greatest Trouble to the Sons of Men, so are they likewise the First Emotions of the Mind that we take Notice of in our Approaches to the Exercise of our Reason. They begin with us in the Arms of our Nurses, and at the very Breasts of our Mothers; for what’s the meaning of all the Little Wrangles and Contentions else, Which Child shall be made most of; or which Baby shall have the Gayer Coat? So that These Affections are in truth Connatural to us, and as We our selves grow up and Gather Strength, so do They; and pass Insensibly from our Inclinations into our Manners. Now the Corruption must needs be Strong, where Humane Frailty strikes in so Early with it, and the Progress no less Mortal, where it is suffer’d to go on without Control: For what are the Extravagances of the Lewdest Life, but the more Consummated Follies and Disorders, of either a Mis-taught or a Neglected Youth? Nay, what are All the Publick Outrages of a Destroying Tyranny, and Oppression, but Childish Appetites let alone till they are grown Ungovernable? Beside that it is Infinitely Easier to prevent Ill Habits then to Master them; As the Choaking of the Fountain is the surest Way to Cut off the Course of the River. It should be Consider’d too that we have the Seeds of Virtue in us, as well as of Vice; and when ever we take a Wrong Biass, ’tis not out of a Moral Incapacity to do Better, but for want of a Careful Manage and Discipline, to let us Right at First.

Wherefore Children should be moulded while their Tempers are yet Pliant and Ductile. As Pride, for the Purpose, that arises from a False Opinion of Things, should be Obviated by Informing their Understandings. And so for Envy; the very Disposition to it is to be Sweeten’d, as Flowing from a Certain Froward Tincture of Ill Nature. (I speak This of the Malevolent, Canker’d Passion of Envy, which in Effect, is Little or Nothing akin to the Silly Envy of the Asse here in the Fable.) In One word, Children should be season’d betimes, and Lessen’d into such a Contempt, and Detestation of This Vice, as neither to practice it Themselves, nor to Approve it in Others. This is, in Little, the Foundation of a Virtuous Life, and there goes no more then Judging, and Acting Aright, to the Character of a Good Philosopher, a Good Christian, and a Good Man: For to Know, and to Do, is the Compendium of our Duty.

It is not for Every Twatling Gossip yet, or some Empty Pedant, presently to Undertake This Province; for it requires a Critical Nicety both of Wit, and of Judgment, to find out the Genius, or the Propensions of a Child, and to Distinguish betwixt the Impulses of Envy, and those of Emulation: Betwixt the First Motions of a Churlish and Impetuous Insolence, and those of a Serene Greatness, and Dignity of Mind. It is not, I say, for Every Common Eye, or Hand to divide so Accurately betwixt the Good, and the Evil, the Gracious and Perverse, as to hit the precise Medium of Encouraging the One, without Discouraging the Other. And This Faculty of Discerning is not enough neither, without a Watchful Assiduity of Application. The Just Season of Doing Things must be Nick’d, and All Accidents Observ’d and Improv’d; for Weak Minds are to be as Narrowly Attended, as Sickly Bodies: To say nothing of the Infinite Curiosity of the Operation, in the Forming of our Lives and Manners: And that not One man of Ten Thousand is Competently Qualify’d for the Office. Upon the Whole Matter there must be an Awe maintain’d on the One Hand, and at the same time, a Love and Reverence Preserv’d on the Other. And all this must be Order’d too with so Gentle a Softness of Address, that we may not Hazzard, either the Stifling, or the Quenching of Generous Inclinations, by bearing too Hard upon them, or the Licentiating of any thing that is Course and Vulgar, out of a foolish Facility or a Mistaken Pity. It is with our Passions, as it is with Fire and Water, they are Good Servants, but Bad Masters, and Subminister to the Best, and Worst of Purposes, at once, This is enough said, as to the Wickedness, and the Fate of Pride; The Source and Danger of it, together with the only sure and Effectual Means of Remedy.

The Moral leads me in the Next place, to Consider the Folly of both the Horse and the Asse; The One, in Placing his Happiness upon any thing that could be taken away; and the Other, in Envying that Mistaken Happiness, under the Abuse of the same Splendid Illusion and Imposture. What Signifies a Gay Furniture, and a Pamper’d Carcass; or any other Outward Appearance, without an Intrinsick Value of Worth and Virtue? What signifies Beauty, Strength, Youth, Fortune, Embroider’d Furniture, Gawdy Bosses, or any of Those Temporary, and Uncertain Satisfactions, that may be taken from us with the very next Breath we draw? What Assurance can any Man have of a Possession that Every Turn of State, Every Puff of Air, Change of Humour, and the least of a Million of Common Casualties may Deprive him of? How many Huffing Sparks have we seen in the World, that in the same day have been both the Idols, and the Sport and Scorn of the same Slaves and Fools? Nay, how many Emperours and Princes, that in the Ruff of all their Glory have been taken down from the Head of a Conquering Army, to the Wheel of the Victor’s Chariot? Where’s that Advantage under the Sun that any but a Mad man would be Proud of? Or where’s That Pride it self that any Mortal in his Right Wits, would not find Reason to be Asham’d of? Take it singly, and what is there more in’t, then an Unnatural and Unmanly Tympany, that Rises in a Bubble, and spends it self in a Blast? Take it in Complication, and we find a Thousand Weaknesses, Iniquities, and Vexatious Cutting Miseries wrapt up in’t. What can be more Imprudent then to Affect Reputation by the Methods of Infamy? To Aspire to Greatness by the ways of becoming Odious and Contemptible? And to Propose the Erecting of a Mighty Fabrick, upon a Bottom that will Certainly sink under the Weight?

The Disappointments of Those that Build their Hopes in this World upon a False Basis, fall under These Three General Heads. The Advantages we Value our selves upon, may either be taken from us; or We from Them: Or, which is much at One, we may be brought by a Thousand Accidents to lose the Use and Relish of them. As first for the Purpose; they may be taken from Us, by Cheats, Robberies, Subornations, False Oaths, Forgeries, Corrupt Judges; To say nothing of Fires, Earthquakes, Tempests, Inundations, Insurrections, and Other Violences without Number. Secondly, We may be taken from Them, by as many Ways as there are out of This World. A Fly or a Hair shall do the Office of a Rope. And then for the Third Branch, an Indisposition, a Feaver, an Acute Pain, an Impetuous Passion, an Anxious Thought, Impotency, and Old Age, shall do the Work of Taking away both the Guest, and the Comfort of them. Nay, the very Loss of one Pleasure is enough to Damp, if not to Destroy the Relish of Another.

But now to carry the Allusion One Step further yet; It may be literally Asserted, that All Proud Men, over and above the Stroke of a Divine Judgment, are Miserable, even in themselves, and that no Circumstances in this World can ever make them Other. Their Appetites are Insatiable, and their Hearts consequently never at Rest; Whether it be Wealth, Power, Honour, Popular Esteem, or whatever else they pretend to. They Envy, and they are Envy’d. ’Tis Impossible for them to be at rest, without enjoying what it is Impossible for them to Attain. They live Gaping after More, and in a perpetual Fear of Losing what they have already. The Higher they are Rais’d, the Giddier they are; the more Slippery is their Standing, and the Deeper the Fall. They are never Well, so long as Any thing is above them: And their Ambition carries them on to the Supplanting of their very Masters and Makers: When yet by a most Ridiculous Contradiction, they lie Effectually, (in the very same Instant) at the mercy of the men they most Despise. [The Silver, being Ten Thousand Talents, is given to Thee, (says Ahasuerus to Haman) The People also, to do with them, as it seemeth good unto Thee, Esther, Cap. 3. V. 11.] Who would have Imagin’d now, that the Stiff Crossness of a Poor Captive, should ever have had the Power to make Haman’s Seat so Uneasie to him? Or that the want of a Cap, or a Cringe, should so Mortally Discompose him, as we find afterwards it did! If Large Possessions, Pompous Titles, Honourable Charges, and Profitable Commissions; If a Plentiful Issue, Court Favours, or the Flowing Bounty of a Gracious Prince, could have made This Proud Man Happy, there would have been Nothing wanting to his Establishment. But All This did not do his Work, it seems; neither, as big as he was, did there in Truth need any Great matter to Unsettle him. But he was as sure to sink under the Infirmity of his Own Mind, as if he had been Doom’d to Sink in the Fate of a Common Ruine.

When Haman saw Mordecai in the King’s Gate, (says the Text) that he stood not up, nor Moved for him, he was full of Indignation against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman Refrained himself and when he came Home, he sent and call’d for his Friends, and Teresh, his Wife; and told them of the Glory of his Riches, and the Multitude of his Children, And All the Things wherein the King had Promoted him, and how he had Advanced him above the Princes and Servants of the King. Yea, Esther the Queen (says he) did let no man come with the King unto the Banquet that she had prepar’d, but my self; and tomorrow am I invited unto her also with the King. [Yet All This Availeth Me Nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s Gate, Esther, Cap. 5. V. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.]

This Instance of Haman’s Case may serve, in a Good Measure, for a Moral to the Arrogance of the Horse here in the Fable; only Haman’s Pride was the more Invidious and Malicious of the Two. To wind up the Story; Mordecai was an Eye-sore to Haman, and a Gallows of Fifty Cubits High was prepared for him by the Order of Haman, Cap. 5. V. 14. But the King, upon Examination of the Matter, Order’d Haman himself to be Hanged. [So they Hanged Haman upon the Gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, Cap. 7. V. 10.] Haman’s Pride, in fine, was a Torment to him, and he was not only Punish’d By it, and For it, but by a Righteous Judgment of Retaliation, he suffer’d Death Himself upon the very Gibbet that he had provided for Another.

How wretched a Creature was Haman now, even in the Caresses of his Royal Master, and in the very Rapture of all his Glories! And how Vain again were all the Marks and Ensigns of his Character and Power; that were not able to Support him against one Slighting Look of a Sorry Slave! He had the World at Will, we see; but All was as good as Nothing to him, so long as he saw Mordecai the Jew sitting in the King’s Gate. Where’s the Sober Man now, that would not rather chuse to be Mordecai in the Gate, upon These Terms, then to be Haman in the Palace? The One had the Blessing of a Conscience that Fears Nothing but God; the Other was Haunted with a Fantastical Weakness of Mind, that makes a man Dread Every thing, and stand in awe of his Own Shadow! A Word, a Thought, an Imagination, a Countenance is enough to Break his Sleep, and to Shake the very Foundations of the Babel that he has Built. He fancies every Bolt that’s Levell’d at his Vices, to be Pointed at his Person, and finds himself Wounded in the Morality of the most Innocent Reproofs. He’s a Slave to All Passions, All Accidents, and All sorts of Men. A Jest, a Banter, a Lampoon; Nay a Glance, an Insinuation, or a Bare Casualty, with the Help of a Guilty Conscience, and a Suspicious Gloss of Application, is enough to Murder him; for he Conceits himself to be Struck at, when he is not so much as Thought of: as I dare appeal to the Consciences of a Thousand Top Gallant Sparks, that will fancy their Own Case to be the Key to This Moral. He makes himself Odious to his Superiours, by his Haughtiness; to his Equals, by a Restless Course of Factious Competitions; and then he never fails of a Virulent Hatred and Envy, from those that are below him; so that he’s beset with Enemies on All hands, the Meanest of which is not without Many and Many a Way to the Wreaking of a Malice, and to the Gratifying of a Revenge. As to the Wretchedness of his Condition, ’tis all a Case to Him, whether he be Teiz’d out of his Life by a Judgment of Flies and Lice, or Stung to Death by Fiery Serpents. And he is not only Tormented by Others, but the very Tormenter of Himself too. Nay, rather then want a Colourable Ground of Trouble, he Creates it. His pride is a Continual Drought upon him, and a Thirst never to be Quench’d. His Conscience, his Fancy, his Fears, Jealousies, and Mistakes; Every thing helps on towards his Undoing. And now to the Infinite Variety of Plagues that Wait upon Pride, there is likewise as Great a Diversity of Imperious Humours, for This Misery to Work upon. As for Example, There is a Pride of Stomach, a Pride of Popularity, a Pride of Brow, Equipage, and Parade. There’s a Pride of Tongue without either Brains, or Heart to Support it. There’s an Abject, (in fine) and there’s a Surly Pride: But to Conclude, there is All This, and a Thousand times more of the same Kind and Colour, that lies Naturally Couch’d under This Allegory. And not One Instance at last, that is not verify’d by Many and Many an Example.

Now as to the Envy of the Asse it was a Double Folly; for he Mistakes both the Horses Condition, and his Own. ’Tis Madness to Envy any Creature that may in a Moment become Miserable; Or for any Advantage that may in a Moment be taken from him. The Asse Envies the Horse to day; and in some Few Days more, the Horse comes to Envy Him: Wherefore let no man Despair, so long as it is in the Power, either of Death, or of Chance, to Remove the Burden. Nothing but Moderation and Greatness of Mind can make, either a Prosperous, or an Adverse Fortune Easie to us. The Only Way to be Happy is to submit to our Lot; for No man can be properly said to be Miserable that is not wanting to Himself. It is Certainly True, that many a Jolly Cobler has a Merrier Heart in his Stall, than a Prince in his Palace.

Fab. XXXIX. A Bat and a Weazle.

A Weazle had seiz’d upon a Bat, and the Bat begg’d for Life. No, No, says the Weazle, I give No Quarter to Birds. Ay (says the Bat) but I’m a Mouse you see; look on my Body else: and so she got off for That Bout. The same Bat had the Fortune to be Taken a While after by Another Weazle; and there the Poor Bat was forc’d to beg for Mercy once again. No, says the Weazle, No Mercy to a Mouse. Well (says T’other,) but you may see by my Wings that I’m a Bird; and so the Bat scap’d in Both Capacities, by Playing the Trimmer.

Fab. XL. A Bat, Birds, and Beasts.

Upon a Desperate and a Double Battel betwixt the Birds and the Beasts, the Bat stood Neuter, till she found that the Beasts had the Better on’t, and then went over to the stronger Side. But it came to pass afterward (as the Chance of War is Various) that the Birds Rally’d their Broken Troops, and carry’d the Day; and away she went then to T’other Party, where she was Try’d by a Council of War as a Deserter; Stript, Banish’d, and finally Condemn’d never to see Day-light again.

Fab. XLI. An Estriche, Birds, and Beasts.

The Estrich is a Creature that passes in Common Reputation, for Half-Bird, Half-Beast. This Amphibious Wretch happen’d to be Taken Twice the same Day, in a Battel betwixt the Birds and the Beasts, and as an Enemy to Both Parties. The Birds would have him to be a Beast, and the Beasts Concluded him to be a Bird; but upon shewing his Feet to prove that he was No Bird, and upon shewing his Wings, and his Beak, to prove that he was No Beast, they were Satisfy’d upon the Whole Matter, that though he seem’d to be Both, he was yet in Truth neither the One, nor the Other.

The Moral of the Three Fables above.

Trimming in some Cases, is Foul, and Dishonest; in others Laudable, and in some again, not only Honest, but Necessary. The Nicety lies in the skill of Distinguishing upon Cases, Times, and Degrees.

REFLEXION.

We are here taught in some Cases to Yield to Times and Occasions; but with a Saving still, to Honour, and to Conscience. A Wise and an Honest Man will always mean the same Thing; but he’s a Fool that always says the same thing. Æsop however Condemns the Double Practices of Trimmers, and All False, Shuffling, and Ambidextrous Dealings. He gives also to understand, that Those that pretend at the same time to serve Two Masters, are True to Neither.

The Three Fables next above have a Great Affinity One with Another, and yet not without some Remarkable Diversities neither. From the Emblem of the Bat and Weazle, we are to Gather, that there are Certain Ways, Cases, and Occasions, wherein, Disguises, and Artificial Evasions are in some Measure Allowable, provided only that there be No Scandalous, or Malicious Departure from the Truth. This Shifting of the Bat in the Paw of the Weazle, was but making the Best of what he had to say, and to shew for Himself, toward the saving of his Life. There was No Breach of Faith, or of Trust in’t; No Abandoning of a Duty, No Thought of Treachery; Nor in Effect, any thing more in’t, then a Fair Christian Way of putting out False Colours.

The Bat that stood Neuter, may serve for the Character of a Time-serving Trimmer: He Betrays his Party, first in withdrawing his Assistance. Secondly, In going over to the Stronger Side, and Declaring Himself an Open Enemy when his Fellows had the Worst on’t. His Judgment, in fine, was Just, and if All Double Dealers and Deserters were serv’d as This Bat was, it would be an Example of Terrour to Renegades, and of Encouragement to Honest men.

The Estriches Case seems to be Different from the Other Two. He Fought, (though ’tis not said on which side) and he was Taken in the Battel. He had the Shape, but not the Heart of a Trimmer, and it was rather Nature then Fraud, that brought him off. Now there are Many things in an Affair of This Quality that may be Warrantable, even upon the Nicest Scruples of Honour, in him that suffers the Violence, which perchance would not be so in the Aggressor.

Fab. XLII. A Wolfe and a Fox.

A Wolfe that had a mind to take his Ease, Stor’d himself Privately with Provisions, and so kept Close awhile. Why, how now Friend says a Fox to him, we han’t seen You abroad at the Chase this many a day! Why truly says the Wolfe, I have gotten an Indisposition that keeps me much at Home, and I hope I shall have Your Prayers for my Recovery. The Fox had a Fetch in’t, and when he saw it would not Fadge; Away goes he presently to a Shepherd, and tells him where he might surprise a Wolfe if he had a mind to’t. The Shepherd follow’d his Directions, and Destroy’d him. The Fox immediately, as his Next Heir, repairs to his Cell, and takes possession of his Stores; but he had Little Joy of the Purchase, for in a very short time, the same Shepherd did as much for the Fox, as he had done before for the Wolfe.

The Moral.

’Tis with Sharpers as ’tis with Pikes, they Prey upon their own kind; And ’tis a Pleasant Scene enough, when Thieves fall out among themselves, to see the Cutting of One Diamond with Another.

REFLEXION.

’Tis Impossible for an Envious Man to be Happy. He makes the World his Enemies, and the Mischief that he does to Others, returns in a Judgment upon his Own Head. There’s No Trusting of a Crafty Designing Knave. I do not speak of the Trust of Privacy and Confidence only; but a Wise Man would not so much as Venture himself in such Company, nor let him come within distance of so much as knowing how to put a Trick upon him. This Fable shews us the Danger of such Conversation. And it shews us likewise the Just Fate that Attends the Treachery, even of One Traitor to Another: The Wolfe had a Design upon the Fox: The Fox had a Counter-Design upon the Wolfe: (which was no more then a Couple of Crafty Knaves well Match’d) And the Shepherd did Justice upon them both.

Fab. XLIII. A Stag Drinking.

As a Stag was Drinking upon the Bank of a Clear Stream, he saw his Image in the Water, and Enter’d upon This Contemplation upon’t. Well! says he, if These Pityful Shanks of mine were but Answerable to this Branching Head, I can but think how I should Defy all my Enemies. The Words were hardly out of his Mouth, but he Discover’d a Pack of Dogs coming full Cry towards him. Away he Scours cross the Fields, Casts off the Dogs, and Gains a Wood; but Pressing through a Thicket, the Bushes held him by the Horns, till the Hounds came in, and Pluck’d him Down. The Last Thing he said was This. What an Unhappy Fool was I, to Take my Friends for my Enemies, and my Enemies for my Friends! I Trusted to my Head, that has Betray’d me, and I found fault with my Legs, that would otherwise have brought me off.

The Moral.

He that does not throughly know himself, may be well allowed to make a False Judgment upon other Matters that most Nearly concern him.

REFLEXION.

This is to shew us how perversly we Judge of Many Things, and take the Worse for the Better; and the Better for the Worse; upon a very great Mistake, both in what we Despise, and in what we Admire. But we are rather for that which is Fair, and Plausible in Appearance, then for That which is Plain and Profitable in Effect; Even to the Degree of Preferring Things Temporal to Eternal.

He that would Know Himself, must look into Himself. ’Tis only the Resemblance, or the Shadow that he sees in the Glass, Not the Man. ’Tis One Thing to Fancy Greatness of Mind; Another Thing to Practice it; for a Body may Promise, nay and resolve upon many Things in Contemplation, that he can never make good upon Tryal. How did the Stag despise the Dogs here, at the sight of his Armed Head in the Fountain; but his Heart went quite to another Tune, when the Hounds were at the Heels of him. We are likewise taught here, how subject Vain Men are to Glory in that which commonly Tends to their Loss, their Misfortune, their Shame, and their very Destruction; and yet at the same time to take their Best Friends for their Enemies. But there’s a Huge Difference betwixt a False Conception of Things, and the True Nature and Reason of them. The Stag Prided himself in his Horns, that afterwards Shackled, and were the Ruin of him; but made slight of his Pityful Shanks, that, if it had not been for his Branching Head, would have brought him off.

Fab. XLIV. A Snake and a File.

There was a Snake got into a Smith’s Shop, and fell to Licking of a File. She Saw the File Bloody, and still the Bloodier it was, the more Eagerly she Lick’d it; upon a Foolish Fancy, that it was the File that Bled, and that She her self had the Better on’t. In the Conclusion, when she could Lick no Longer, she fell to Biting; but finding at last she could do no more Good upon’t with her Teeth then with her Tongue, she Fairly left it.

The Moral.

’Tis a Madness to stand Biting and Snapping at any thing to no manner of purpose, more then the Gratifying of an Impotent Rage, in the fancy of Hurting Another, when in truth, we only Wound our selves.

REFLEXION.

This Fable sets out the Malignity of some Spiteful People, that take so much Pleasure in the Design of Hurting others, as not to Feel, and Understand that they only Hurt themselves. This is the Case of those that will be Trying Masteries with their Superiors, and Biting of that which is too Hard for their Teeth. There’s no Contending with an Adversary that’s either Insensible or Invincible: And the Rule holds, in Matters, not only of Actual Force and Violence, but of Fortune and Good Name; for ’tis no better then Downright Madness, to strike where we have No Power to Hurt, and to Contend where we are sure to be Worsted. The Doctrine is this, That Every Man should Consider his Own Strength and Act accordingly.

Fab. XLV. A League betwixt the Wolves and the Sheep.

There was a time when the Sheep were so Hardy as to Wage War with the Wolves; and so long as they had the Dogs for their Allies, they were upon all Encounters, at least a Match for their Enemies. Upon This Consideration, the Wolves sent their Embassadors to the Sheep, to Treat about a Peace, and in the mean Time there were Hostages given on Both Sides; the Dogs on the part of the Sheep, and the Wolves Whelps on the Other Part, ’till Matters might be brought to an Issue. While they were upon Treaty, the Whelps fell a Howling; The Wolves cryed out Treason; and pretending an Infraction in the Abuse of their Hostages, fell upon the Sheep immediately without their Dogs, and made them pay for the Improvidence of leaving themselves without a Guard.

The Moral.

’Tis senseless in the Highest Degree to think of Establishing an Alliance among those that Nature her self has Divided, by an Inconciliable Disagreement. Beside, that a Foolish Peace is much more Destructive then a Bloody War.

REFLEXION.

To take This Fable in a Political Sense; a Peace that puts People out of Condition of Defence, in Case of a War, must expect a War; and such a State as leaves them at the Mercy of an Enemy, is Worse then War it self. There’s no Trusting to the Articles and Formalities of an Out-side Peace, upon the pretended Reconciliation of an Implacable Enemy. Christian Religion bids us Forgive: But Christian Prudence bids us have a Care too, whom we Trust. ’Tis just in the World as it is in the Apologue. Truces, and Cessations, are both Made, and Broken, for Present Convenience; and where the Allies find they may be the Better for’t, we may lay down this for an undoubted Truth, that there can never want a Colour for a Rupture, where there’s a Good Will to’t. ’Tis No New Thing in the World for the Dogs that are to keep the Wolves from Worrying the Sheep, to be deliver’d up to the Enemy for Hostages, for fear the Sheep should Worry the Wolves. This was our very Case within the Memory of Man, when Matters were brought to the same Issue in the Kingdom by’t, that they are here in the Fable: Witness the several and several Treaties and Proposals that were set on foot under the Countenance of a Good Will to Peace: Where only such Conditions were insisted upon by the Designing Party, as would be almost Equally Destructive to all Honest Men, whether they were Granted or Refused. The One Way the Wolves were to have the Sheep left at Mercy; and the Other Way, the Scandal was turn’d upon the Refusers, as the Enemies of an Accommodation; Nay and the very Dogs were turn’d into Wolves too; while Lawyers, and Divines, made the Law and the Gospel Felons of themselves, and suborn’d the Scriptures against the very Christ and his Apostles.

Fab. XLVI. An Axe and a Forrest.

A Carpenter that had got the Iron-Work of an Axe already, went to the Next Forrest to beg only so much Wood as would make a Handle to’t. The Matter seem’d so small, that the Request was Easily Granted; but when the Timber-Trees came to find that the Whole Wood was to be Cut down by the Help of this Handle; There’s No Remedy, they cry’d, but Patience, when People are undone by their own Folly.

Fab. XLVII. A Tree and a Wedge.

A Workman was Cutting down a Tree to make Wedges of it. Well! says the Tree, I cannot but be extremely Troubled at the Thought of what I am now a doing; And I do not so much Complain neither, of the Axe that does the Execution, as of the Man that Guides it; but it is My Misery that I am to be Destroy’d by the Fruit of my own Body.

Fab. XLVIII. The Eagle and Arrow.

An Eagle that was Watching upon a Rock once for a Hare, had the Ill Hap to be struck with an Arrow. This Arrow, it seems was Feather’d from her own Wing, Which very Consideration went nearer her Heart, she said, then Death it self.

Fab. XLIX. A Thrush taken with Birdlime.

It was the Fortune of a Poor Thrush, among other Birds, to be taken with a Bush of Lime-Twigs, and the Miserable Creature Reflecting upon it, that the Chief Ingredient in the Birdlime came out of her own Guts: I am not half so much Troubled, says the Thrush, at the Thought of Dying, as at the Fatality of Contributing to my Own Ruine.

The Moral of the Four Fables above.

Nothing goes nearer a Man in his Misfortunes, then to find himself Undone by his Own Folly, or but any way Accessary to his own Ruine.

REFLEXION.

The Fables of the Ax-Handle, and the Wedge, serve to precaution us not to put our selves Needlessly upon an After Game, but to Weigh before hand what we Say, and Do. We should have a Care how we Arm our Enemies against our Selves; for there’s Nothing goes Nearer a Man then to be Undone by his Own Improvidence; and Nothing afterward more Ridiculous, then to Blame Fortune for our own Faults: Though we are so Fram’d by Nature, in respect of our Souls and Bodies, that One Part of a Man is still Wounded by the Other. Nothing so much Troubled the Eagle and the Thrush, as the Thought of assisting to their own Destruction.

There’s No living in This World without an Exchange of Civil Offices, and the Need we have One of Another, goes a Great Way towards the Making of us Love One Another. How is this Amity, and Communication to be entertain’d now, but by the Commerce of Giving and Receiving? Reason, and Experience, are Sufficient to convince us of the Necessity of such a Correspondence; And this Fiction of the Axe and the Forrest, and so of the Tree and the Wedge, shews us the Danger of it too, if it be not Manag’d with a Provident Respect to All the Niceties of Circumstance, and Contingency in the Case. People have got a Custom, ’tis true, of Computing upon the Present Need, and Value of things, without ever heeding the Consequences of them: As if all our Askings, and our Grantings were to be Governed by the Standard of the Market. ’Tis so pityful a Bus’ness, says One, and it was so small a Thing, says Another; And yet this Pityful Bus’ness, and this Small Thing, proves at last to be as much as a Man’s Life, Honour, and Estate is Worth. Alas! What’s a Handle for an Axe, out of a whole Forrest! What’s the Writing of a Man’s Name, or the saying Ay, or No to a Question? And yet the very Safety and Honour of our Prince and Country, and the Summ of our Well-being lies many a time at Stake upon the Issue of doing either the One or the Other. Nay and let the People we have to do withal be never so Just and Honest, it is yet a Temerity, and a Folly Inexcusable, to deliver up our selves Needlesly into Anothers Power: For He that does anything Rashly, must be taken in Equity of Construction to do it willingly: for he was free to Deliberate or not: ’Tis Good Advice to Consider, First, what the Thing is that is Desired. 2. The Character of the Person that Asks. 3. What use may be made on’t to the Detriment of him that Grants the Request, and so to Resolve how far in Duty, Humanity, Prudence, Justice, and Respect, we are to Comply with it. Wheresoever there is Moral Right on the One Hand, No Secondary Interest can Discharge it on the Other. A Pris’ner upon Parole must surrender himself upon Demand, though he Die for’t. A Man may Contribute to his own Ruin Several Ways; but in Cases not to be Foreseen, and so not to be Prevented, it may be his Misfortune, and the Man not to blame. We are not to omit Precaution however, for fear an Ill Use should be made of those Things that we do, even with a Good Intention; but we are still to Distinguish betwixt what may Possibly, and what will Probably be done, according to the Best Measures we can take of the End of Asking; for there would be No Place left for the Functions of Humane Society, if the Possibility of Abusing a Kindness, should wholly Divert us from the Exercise of Charity and Good Nature. There may be Great Mischief Wrought yet, without any thing of a Previous Malice, and it may be Hazardous to Yield, even where the Proposal is wholly Innocent. There may be other Propositions again, that were Originally Design’d for Snares, to the Short-sighted and Credulous. Now ’tis the Art of Life, Critically to Discern the One Case from the Other.

There needs Little more to be said to the Emblems of the Eagle and the Thrush, then to observe, that both by Chance, and by Nature, we are made Accessary to our Own Ruins: and That’s enough to Trouble a Body, though not to Condemn him.

Fab. L. The Belly and Members.

The Commoners of Rome were gone off once into a Direct Faction against the Senate. They’d pay no Taxes, nor be forc’d to bear Arms, they said, and ’twas against the Liberty of the Subject to pretend to Compel them to’t. The Sedition, in short, ran so High, that there was no Hope of Reclaiming them, till Menenius Agrippa brought them to their Wits again by This Apologue:

The Hands and the Feet were in a Desperate Mutiny once against the Belly. They knew No Reason, they said, why the One should be Lazing, and Pampering it self with the Fruit of the Others Labour; and if the Body would not Work for Company, they’d be no longer at the Charge of Maintaining it. Upon This Mutiny, they kept the Body so long without Nourishment, that All the Parts Suffer’d for’t: Insomuch that the Hands and Feet came in the Conclusion to find their Mistake, and would have been willing Then to have Done their Office; but it was now too Late, for the Body was so Pin’d with Over-Fasting, that it was wholly out of Condition to receive the Benefit of a Relief: which gave them to understand, that Body and Members are to Live and Die together.

The Moral.

The Publick is but One Body, and the Prince the Head on’t; so that what Member soever withdraws his Service from the Head, is no Better then a Negative Traitor to his Country.

REFLEXION.

This Allegory is a Political Reading upon the State and Condition of Civil Communities, where the Members have their Several Offices, and Every Part Contributes respectively to the Preservation and Service of the Whole. ’Tis true, their Operations are More or Less Noble, but the Mechanical Faculties can no more be Spar’d then the Intellectual, and those that Serve in Council under an Appearance of Rest, are yet as Busie, and as Necessary, in their Functions, as those that are Actually and Visibly in Motion. Here’s a Caution in fine, to the Members, to have a care how they withdraw themselves from their Duties, till it shall be too late for their Superiours to make use of them.

There is so Near an Analogy betwixt the State of a Body Natural, and Politique, that the Necessity of Government and Obedience, cannot be better Represented. The Motions of a Popular Faction are so Violent, and Unreasonable, that neither Philosophy, Prudence, Experience, nay, nor the Holy Writ it self, has the Power (ordinarily speaking) to Work upon them. If People would allow themselves Time for Thought and Consideration, they would find that the Conservation of the Body depends upon the Proper Use and Service of the Several Parts; and that the Interest of Every Distinct Member of it, is wrapt up in the Support, and Maintenance of the whole, which obliges them all to Labour in their Respective Offices and Functions for the Common Good. There are Degrees of Dignity (no doubt on’t) in Both Cases, and One Part is to be Subservient to Another, in the Order of Civil Policy, as well as in the Frame of a Man’s Body: so that they are mightily out of the way, that take Eating and Drinking, and Un-Eating, and Un-Drinking, in a course of Vicissitude, with other Offices of Nature that are common to Beasts with Men, to be the Great Bus’ness of Mankind, without any further Regard to the Faculties, and Duties of our Reasonable Being: For Every Member has its Proper, and Respective Function Assign’d it, and not a Finger suffers but the Whole Feels on’t.

Fab. LI. An Ape and a Fox.

An Ape that found Many Inconveniences by going Bare-Arse, went to a Fox that had a Well-spread, Bushy Tayle, and begg’d of him only a little piece on’t to Cover his Nakedness: For (says he) you have enough for Both, and what needs more then you have Occasion for? Well, John (says the Fox) be it More, or be it Less, you get not one Single Hair on’t; for I would have ye know, Sirrah, that the Tayle of a Fox was never made for the Buttocks of an Ape.

The Moral.

Providence has Assign’d Every Creature its Station, Lot, Make and Figure; and ’tis not for Us to stand Correcting the Works of an Incomprehensible Wisdom, and an Almighty Power.

REFLEXION.

This is to Reprove the Impertinent, Useless, and Unreasonable Demands of Those that first Ask what Another cannot Part with, unless he be a Stark Fool, or a Mad-Man. And, 2. That which if they could obtain would be of No Use, or Benefit to them at all. The Old Moral carries it to Those also that will Part with Nothing to the Poor, even out of their Superfluities: But it seems to be Abominably Wrested, for neither did the One want, nor had the other Any Thing to spare.

There are Certain Rules to be observed, as well in Asking, as Denying. Things against Nature are unreasonable on Both Sides. Things Impossible are Ridiculous in the very Proposal; and Things which the One cannot Spare, and the Other will be never the Better for, fall naturally within the Compass of Exceptions. That is to say, Those Things that we know not what to do withal if we Had them; and Those Things again, which Another Cannot Part with but to his own Loss and Shame. These Points are the very Conditions of This Fable. Here’s a General Caution against Extravagant Desires, and yet let the Refusal be never so Just, it is Possible however, that a Man may Oppose a most Unconscionable Request for an Unjustifiable Reason; As in the Case for the Purpose, of an Ill Natur’d Denyal, out of a Dislike of the Man, rather then of the Thing it self.

The Application of This Fable to Avarice, that will part with Nothing, seems to be Wrested; for it strikes more properly upon the Folly of Peoples not being satisfied with the Appointments of Nature. An Ape with a Tayl, would be as scandalous, as a Fox without One. Why should not Any One Creature Envy the Whole, as well as any One Part of Another: And why should not an Ape be as much Troubled that he has no Wings, as that he has no Tayl? This Grumbling Humour has Envy in it, Avarice and Ingratitude, and sets up it self in fine against all the Works of the Creation.

Fab. LII. A Lark and her Young Ones.

There was a Brood of Young Larks in the Corn, and the Dam, when she went abroad to Forrage for them, laid a Strict Charge upon her Little Ones, to pick up what News they could get against she came back again. They told her at her Return, that the Owner of the Field had been there, and Order’d his Neighbours to come and Reap the Corn. Well, says the Old One, there’s no Danger yet then. They told her the next Day that he had been there again, and Desir’d his Friends to Do’t. Well, well, says she, there’s no Hurt in That neither, and so she went out Progging for Provisions again as before. But upon the Third Day, when they told their Mother, that the Master and his Son appointed to come Next Morning and do’t Themselves: Nay then, says she, ’tis time to look about us: As for the Neighbours and the Friends, I fear ’em not; but the Master I’m sure will be as good as his word; for ’tis his own business.

Fab. LIII. The Stag and the Oxen.

A Stag that was hard set by the Huntsmen, betook himself to a Stall for Sanctuary, and prevailed with the Oxen to Conceal him the Best they could, so they cover’d him with Straw, and by and by in comes the Keeper to Dress the Cattel, and to Feed them; and when he had done his Work he went his Way without any Discovery. The Stag reckon’d himself by This Time to be out of all Danger; but one of the Oxen that had more Brains then his Fellows, advis’d him not to be too Confident neither; for the Servant, says he, is a Puzzling Fool, that heeds Nothing; but when my Master comes, he’ll have an Eye Here and There and Everywhere, and will most certainly find ye out. Upon the very Speaking of the Word, in comes the Master, and He spies out Twenty Faults, I warrant ye; This was not Well, and That was not Well; till at last, as he was Prying and Groping up and down, he felt the Horns of the Stag under the Straw, and so made Prize of Him.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

He that would be sure to have his Bus’ness Well Done, must either Do it Himself, or see the Doing of it; Beside that many a Good Servant is Spoil’d by a Careless Master.

REFLEXION.

Interest Does more in the World then Faith and Honesty; for Men are more sensible in their own Case then in Anothers; which is all but according to the Old Saying, Command your Man, and Do’t Your Self. Neither, in Truth, is it Reasonable, that Another should be more Careful of Me, then I am of myself. Every Man’s Bus’ness is Best Done when he looks after it with his Own Eyes: And in short, when Every Man looks to One, the Care is taken for All.

We are likewise given to understand, in the Misfortune, and Mistake of the Stag, how Rare a Felicity it is for a Man in Distress, to find out such a Patron as has the Will and the Resolution, the Skill, and the Power, to Relieve him; and that it is not Every Man’s Talent neither to make the Best of a Bad Game. The Morality of this Caution is as good a Lesson to Governments, as to Private Families. For a Prince’s Leaving his Bus’ness Wholly to his Ministers without a Strict Eye over them in their respective Offices and Functions, is as Dangerous an Errour in Politiques, as a Master’s Committing All to his Servants is in Oeconomicks. It is Effectually a Translation of the Authority, when a Superiour trusts himself Implicitly to the Faith, Care, Honesty and Discretion of an Inferiour. To say nothing of the Temptation to Bribery and False Dealing, when so much may be Gotten by’t with so Little Hazzard, either of Discovery, or Punishment. Beside the Desperate Inconvenience of setting up a Wrong Interest, by drawing Applications out of the Proper Channel; and Committing the Authority and Duty of the Master to the Honesty and Discretion of the Servant. Men will be True to themselves how Faithless soever to One Another.

Fab. LIV. A Fox and a Sick Lion.

A Certain Lion that had got a Politique Fit of Sickness, made it his Observation, that of All the Beasts in the Forest, the Fox never came at him: And so he wrote him Word how Ill he was, and how Mighty Glad he should be of his Company, upon the Score of Ancient Friendship and Acquaintance. The Fox return’d the Complement with a Thousand Prayers for his Recovery; but as for Waiting upon him, he desir’d to be Excus’d; For (says he) I find the Traces of abundance of Feet Going In to Your Majesty’s Palace, and not One that comes Back again.

The Moral.

The Kindnesses of Ill Natur’d and Designing People, should be throughly Consider’d, and Examin’d, before we give Credit to them.

REFLEXION.

There’s but a Hair’s Breadth here, betwixt an Office of Great Piety, Humanity and Virtue, and an Action of Extreme Folly, Improvidence, and Hazzard. But the Fox saw through the Complement, and that it was, in Truth, but an Invitation of him to his own Funeral. We meet with many of These Dangerous Civilities in the World, wherein ’tis a Hard Matter for a Man to Save, both his Skin and his Credit.

’Tis a Difficult Point to Hit the True Medium, betwixt Trusting too Much, and too Little, for fear of Incurring a Danger on the One Hand, or giving a Scandal on the Other. Complements are only Words of Course, and though One External Civility may be Current Payment for Another, yet a Man would be loth to Venture his All upon a Figure of Speech, where the Meaning is so Nicely Divided betwixt Jest and Earnest. ’Tis a Base Thing to suspect a Friend, or an Honest Man, Nay ’tis a Base Thing to suspect any Man, that but Looks like One; so as to Wound him; That is, either in a Word, or in a Thought. But then ’tis Death perhaps to be Impos’d upon by an Hypocrite under that Masque. So that the Character of a Wise Man, lyes at Stake upon Matter of Judgment, One Way, and of a Good Natur’d Man, the Other Way. The Middle Course is to Hide our Distrust where we are doubtful, and to be Free, and Open, where we may be Secure. There’s No Living without Trusting some body or Other, in some Cases, or at some Time or Other: But then if People be not Cautious, Whom, When, and Wherein, the Mistake may be Mortal; for there must be somewhat of a Trust to make way for a Treachery; since No Man can be Betray’d that does not either Believe, or seem to Believe: So that the Fox did well to Weigh All Circumstances before he came to a Resolution. The Lion’s Design was well enough Cover’d under the Disguise of a Counterfeit Sickness, and a Dissembled Tenderness and Respect, for the Drawing of the Fox into the Toyle. For there was the Civility of an Invitation, on the One Hand, and some Colour of a Right to a Visit, though but out of Compassion and Good Manners, on the Other: But the Foxes Sagacity, and the Prints of the Feet Spoil’d All. This Fable in One Word more, bids us be Careful how we Trust in Any Case without looking Well about us: for ’tis Half the Bus’ness of One part of the World to put Tricks upon T’other. The Heart of Man is like a Bog, it looks Fair to the Eye; but when we come to lay any Weight upon’t, the Ground is False under us. Nothing could be more Obliging and Respectful then the Lyon’s Letter was, in Terms and Appearance; but there was Death yet in the True Intent and Meaning on’t.

Fab. LV. A Fox and a Weazle.

A Slam, Thin-Gutted Fox made a Hard Shift to Wriggle his Body into a Hen-Roost, and when he had stuff’d his Guts well, he squeez’d hard to get out again; but the Hole was too Little for him. There was a Weazle a pretty way off, that stood Learing at him all This While. Brother Reynard; (says he) Your Belly was Empty when you went In, and you must e’en stay till Your Belly be Empty again, before you come Out.

The Moral.

Temperance keeps the Whole Man in Order, and in a Good Disposition, either for Thought or Action, but the Indulging of the Appetite brings a Clog, both upon the Body and Mind.

REFLEXION.

In a Middle State, both of Body, and of Fortune, a Man is better Dispos’d for the Offices of Humane Society, and the Functions of Reasonable Nature; and the Heart is also freer from Cares and Troubles. There are Unwieldy Minds as well as Unwieldy Bodies, and the Fumes of the One Obstruct the Operations of the Other. The Head of a Philosopher will never do well upon the Shoulders of an Epicure. The Body and the Soul are Inseparable Companions, and it is against the Nature of This Reasonable Union, for the One to be a Clog to the other. The Foxes here, is the Case of many a Publick Minister, that comes Empty In, but when he has Cram’d his Gutts well, he’s fain to squeeze hard before he can get off again; and glad to Compound with his very Skin for his Carcase.

Fab. LVI. A Boar and a Horse.

A Boar happen’d to be Wallowing in the Water where a Horse was going to Drink, and there grew a Quarrel upon’t. The Horse went presently to a Man, to Assist him in his Revenge. They agreed upon the Conditions, and the Man immediately Arm’d himself, and mounted the Horse, who carry’d him to the Boar, and had the satisfaction of seeing his Enemy Kill’d before his Face. The Horse Thank’d the Cavalier for his Kindness, but as he was just about to take leave, the Man say’d he should have further Occasion for him, and so Order’d him to be Ty’d up in the Stable. The Horse came by This Time, to Understand, that his Liberty was gone, and No Help for’t, and that he had paid Dear for his Revenge.

Fab. LVII. A Stag and a Horse.

Upon a Dispute betwixt a Stag and a Horse about a piece of Pasture, the Stag got the Better on’t, and beat the Other out of the Field. The Horse, upon This Affront, Advis’d with a Man what Course to Take; who told him, that if he would Submit to be Bridled, and Sadled, and take a Man upon his Back with a Lance in his Hand, he would undertake to give him the Satisfaction of a Revenge. The Horse came to his Terms, and for the Gratifying of a Present Passion, made himself a Slave all the days of his Life. Stesichorus made use of This Fable to Divert the Himerenses from Chusing Phalaris the Tyrant for their General. This Horses Case, says he, will be Yours, if you go on with your Proposals. ’Tis true, You’l have your Revenge, but you’l lose your Liberties; Upon which Words the Motion fell.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

Let every Man take a True Measure of Himself, what he is Able to do, and what Not; before he comes to any Peremptory Resolution how to Proceed. He is a Madman, that to Avoid a Present, and a Less Evil, runs Blindfold into a Greater; and for the Gratifying of a Froward Humour, makes himself a Slave All the Days of his Life.

REFLEXION.

These Fables lay Open to us the Folly of Those People that make themselves Slaves to their Revenge; for no Man should be so Angry with Another, as to Hurt Himself for’t. We should likewise Consider, that there’s More Hazard in the succour of a New Powerful Friend, then in the Hostility of an Old Dangerous Enemy; and that the Greatest Empires upon the Face of the Earth, have had their Rise from the Pretence of Taking up Quarrels, or Keeping the Peace.

These Fables tell us, that it is a Rule of Good Discretion in all Matters of Quarrel, and Controversie, for Him that is Worsted to have a Great Care Whom he calls to his Aid: Especially when there’s more of Passion then Necessity in the Case. The Horse might have Quench’d his Thirst with Troubled Water; or he might have stay’d the Clearing of it; Or Chang’d his Wat’ring Place; Or when he was forc’d out of One Pasture he might have taken up in Another, which would have Preserv’d his Liberty upon the Main, though not as to this Particular: But his Stomach was too Great, it seems, to Digest the Affront, without having his Enemy at his Feet: so that he gives up his Freedom to Gain his Revenge. He has Fair Words however, Rich Trappings, and Large Promises; but Works only for his Master; and if at any time he does but Slacken his Pace, or abate, either in his Zeal, or in his Mettle, the Spur is immediately in the Flank of him: Or if he be Unruly, the Bit’s upon the Check to keep him to his Duty. The Stag was too hard for the Horse; and the Horse flyes for Succour to One that’s too Hard for Him, and Rides the One to Death, and Outright Kills the Other. It were Well, if Possible, to keep All Potent Enemies to the Behaviour in such a Case as This, Especially if they Appear under the Shape of Friends: But if People will Venture Life, Liberty and All, for the Clawing of an Itch, and lay Violent Hands upon Themselves, there’s no Fence for’t.

That which Men are to Horses, in the Scale of Creatures, Men in Power and Authority, are in some Proportion to the Poor and Weak: That is to say in the Analogy of Servitude, and Drudgery; and in the carrying of some sort of Burdens that are a Shame to the Bearer. They Toyl and Moyl for the Interest of their Masters, that in requital, break the very Hearts of them for their Pleasure; and the Freer they are of their Flesh, the more Scandalous is the Bondage. When they have done All that Horses can do, they are Lash’d, Spurr’d, Revil’d, and Ill Treated, for not being able to do More: They are Hurry’d on without either Respite or Reason; And after they have carry’d their Riders safe over All Leaps, and through All Dangers, and by All Ways and Means Contributed to the Ease, Credit, and Security of their Masters, what comes of them in the End, but to be Strain’d, Founder’d, or Broken Winded; Old Age Overtakes them, and they are e’en Glad to take up in a Mill at last with Grains and Thistles, and there spend the Remainder of a Wretched Life in a Circulation of Misery and Labour. If any Man of War, or State, shall find this Case to be his Own, and Himself Touch’d in the Moral of This Fable, let him keep his Own Councel, and learn to be Wiser hereafter. And we may learn This Lesson of the Horse too, not to Sacrifice our Honour, Liberty, and Conscience, to a Freak.

Fab. LVIII. Two Young Men and a Cook.

Two Young Fellows Slipt into a Cook’s Shop, and while the Master was Busie at his Work, One of them Stole a piece of Flesh, and Convey’d it to the Other. The Master Miss’d it immediately, and Challeng’d them with the Theft. He that Took it, Swore He had None on’t. And He that Had it, Swore as Desperately that He did not Take it. The Cook Reflecting upon the Conceit: Well, My Masters, (says he) These Frauds and Fallacies may pass upon Men; but there’s an Eye Above that sees through them.

The Moral.

There’s No Putting of Tricks upon an All-Seeing Power; as if He that Made our Hearts, and knows Every Nook and Corner of them, could not see thorough the Childish Fallacy of a Double-Meaning.

REFLEXION.

This Fable concerns those that think to Deceive God with Fallacies of Words, Equivocations, Mental Reservations, and Double Meanings; but though Frauds and Perjuries may pass upon Men for a Season, they are as Open as the Light yet to Him that Searches the Heart. A Man had better be a Downright Atheist, then in such a Case as This, an Equivocating Hypocrite: For He that Denies a Providence, or Doubts whether there be any God at all, is much more Pardonable, then Another that Acknowledges, and Confesses an All-Seeing and an Almighty Power; and yet at the Same Time, most Blasphemously Affronts it. ’Tis a Great Unhappiness that Children should be so much Addicted (as we see they are) to This Way and Humour of Shuffling: But it is a Greater Shame and Mischief, for Parents, Governours, and Tutors, to Encourage, and Allow them in’t, and so (Effectually) to Train them up to One of the most Dangerous Corruptions they are Capable of, in Countenancing the very Ground Work of a False and Treacherous Life. There must be no Paradoxing or Playing Tricks with Things Sacred. Truth is the Great Lesson of Reasonable Nature, both in Philosophy, and in Religion. Now there is a Truth of Opinion; a Truth of Fact, and a Truth in Simplicity and Sincerity of Thought, Word, and Deed. The Last of the Three is the Truth that is here in question. The Knack of Fast and Loose passes with a world of Foolish People for a Turn of Wit; but they are not aware all this while, of the Desperate Consequences of an Ill Habit, and that the Practice of Falsifying with Men, will lead us on Insensibly to a Double Dealing even with God Himself.

Fab. LIX. A Dog and a Butcher.

As a Butcher was Busy about his Meat, a Dog runs away with a Sheeps Heart. The Butcher saw him upon the Gallop with a piece of flesh in’s Mouth, and call’d out after him, Heark ye Friend (says he) you may e’en make the Best of your Purchase, so long as Y’ave made me the Wiser for’t.

The Moral.

It may serve as a Comfort to us in All Our Calamities and Afflictions, that He that Loses any thing and gets Wisdom by’t, is a Gainer by the Loss.

REFLEXION.

No Man is to Account any thing a Loss, if he gets Wisdom by the bargain: Beside, that Bought Wit is Best. It is in some Proportion, in the Business of this World, as it is in that of the Next: In the Cases, (I mean, of Losses, Miscarriages and Disappointments): We are in Both Respects the Better for them (Provided they be not Mortal, that is) for they are Monitory and Instructive. Affliction makes a Man Both Honest and Wise; for the smart brings him to a sense of his Errour, and the Experiment to the Knowledge of it. We have I know not how many Adages to back the Reason of This Moral, Hang a Dog upon a Crab-Tree (we say) and He’ll never love Verjuyce. And then we have it again in That Common saying, The Burnt Child Dreads the Fire. ’Tis Wandring Many times, whether it be in Opinion, or in Travelling, that sets a Man Right in his Judgment, and brings him into the way. The Dogs running away with the Flesh, Does as good as bid the Cook look Better to’t Another time.

A Dog and a Sheep. See Fable and Moral 29.

Fab. LX. A Wolfe, a Lamb, and a Goat.

As a Lamb was following a Goat, Up comes a Wolfe, wheedling, to get him aside, and make a Breakfast of him: Why what a Fool art thou, says the Wolfe; that may’st have thy Belly full of Sweet Milk at Home, to leave thy Mother for a Nasty Stinking Goat! Well, says the Lamb, but my Mother has Plac’d me here for my Security; and you’d fain get me into a Corner to Worry me. Pray’e, which of the Two am I to Trust to Now?

The Moral.

Where there’s the Order of a Parent on the One side, and the Advice of an Ill Man, and a Profess’d Enemy, on the Other, in Opposition to That Command; Disobedience would be Undoubtedly the Ready Way to Destruction.

REFLEXION.

This Fable Preaches both Obedience and Caution; the One as a Matter of Duty, the Other as a Point of Prudence. The Wolfe sings directly the same Note here with the Common Seducers and Incendiaries, that we Meet with in the world. And to the same End too; for they are both Agreed upon’t, that so soon as ever they shall have withdrawn the Lambs, or the People, from their Religion and Allegiance, and gotten them out of the Pale, and Protection of their Parents and Governours, they’l make a Prey of ’em Themselves. What’s the Wheedling of the Lamb out of the Station where Authority had Plac’d him, to go home again for a Belly-full of Sweet Milk; but a State-Trick of Inveigling the Multitude into a Fools-Paradise, without Understanding One Word of the Matter in Question! But some Lambs are Wiser and Honester then some Men: And this very Lamb’s Answer might have become the Mouth of a Good Christian and a Good Subject. For a Conclusion; The Wolves Preaching to the Sheep, and the Foxes Preaching to the Geese, hold forth the same Moral.

Fab. LXI. A Cat and Venus.

A Young Fellow that was Passionately in Love with a Cat, made it his Humble Suit to Venus to turn Puss into a Woman. The Transformation was wrought in the Twinkling of an Eye, and Out she comes, a very Bucksome Lass. The Doting Sot took her home to his Bed; and bad Fair for a Litter of Kittens by her That Night: But as the Loving Couple lay Snugging together, a Toy took Venus in the Head, to try if the Cat had chang’d her Manners with her Shape; and so for Experiment, turn’d a Mouse loose into the Chamber. The Cat, upon This Temptation, Started out of the Bed, and without any regard to the Marriage-Joys, made a Leap at the Mouse, which Venus took for so High an Affront, that she turn’d the Madam into a Puss again.

The Moral.

The Extravagant Transports of Love, and the Wonderful Force of Nature, are unaccountable; The One carries us Out of our Selves, and the Other brings us Back again.

REFLEXION.

This is to lay before us the Charms and Extravagances of a Blind Love. It Covers all Imperfections, and Considers neither Quality, nor Merit. How many Noble Whores has it made, and how many Imperial Slaves! And let the Defects be never so Gross, it either Palliates, or Excuses them. The Womans Leaping at the Mouse, tells us also how Impossible it is to make Nature Change her Biass, and that if we shut her out at the Door, she’ll come in at the Window.

Here’s the Image of a Wild and Fantastical Love, under the Cover of as Extravagant a Fable, and it is all but Fancy at last too; for Men do not See, or Tast, or Find the Thing they Love, but they Create it. They Fashion an Idol, in what Figure or Shape they please; Set it up, Worship it, Dote upon it; Pursue it; and in fine, run Mad for’t. How many Passions have we seen in the World, Ridiculous enough to Answer All the Follies of this Imagination! It was much for Venus to turn a Cat into a Woman, and for that Cully again to take That Cat for a Woman: What is it Less now, for a Fop to Form an Idea of the Woman he Dyes for, Every jot as Unlike That Woman, as the Cat is to the Mistress? Let This Suffice for the Impostures, and Illusions of That Passion.

We are further given to Understand that No Counterfeit is so Steady, and so Equally Drawn, but Nature by Starts will shew her self thorough it; for Puss, even when she’s a Madam, will be a Mouser still. ’Tis the Same Thing with a Hypocrite, which is only a Devil dress’d up with a Ray about him, and Transform’d into an Angel of Light. Take him in the very Raptures of his Devotion, and do but throw a parcel of Church-Lands in his way, he shall Leap at the Sacrilege from the very Throne of his Glory, as Puss did at the Mouse; and Pick your Pocket, as a French Poet says of a Jesuit, in the Middle of his Paternoster.

Fab. LXII. A Father and his Sons.

It was the Hap of a very Honest Man to be the Father of a Contentious Brood of Children. He call’d for a Rod, and bad ’em Take it, and Try One after Another with All their Force, if they could Break it. They Try’d, and could not. Well (says he) Unbind it now, and take Every Twig of it apart, and see what you can do That Way. They Did so, and with Great Ease, by One and One, they snapt it all to pieces. This (says he) is the True Emblem of Your Condition. Keep Together and Y’are Safe, Divide, and Y’are Undone.

The Moral.

The Breach of Unity puts the World, and All that’s in’t, into a state of War, and turns Every Man’s Hand against his Brother; but so long as the Band holds, ’tis the Strength of All the Several Parts of it Gather’d into One.

REFLEXION.

This is to Intimate the Force of Union, and the Danger of Division. What has it been but Division that has Expos’d Christendom to the Enemies of the Christian Faith? And it is as Ruinous in Private as ’tis in Publique. A Divided Family can no more Stand, then a Divided Common-Wealth; for every Individual Suffers in the Neglect of a Common Safety. ’Tis a Strange Thing that Men should not do That under the Government of a Rational Spirit and a Natural Prudence, which Wolves and Boares do by the Impulse of an Animal Instinct. For they, we see, will make Head, One and All against a Common Enemy; whereas the Generality of Mankind lye Pecking at One Another, till One by One, they are all Torn to Pieces, Never considering (with the Father here) the Necessity and Strength of Union.

Fab. LXIII. A Laden Asse and a Horse.

As a Horse and an Asse were upon the way together, the Asse cryed out to his Companion, to Ease him, of his Burden, though never so little, he should fall down dead else. The Horse would not; and so his Fellow-Servant sunk under his Load. The Master, upon This, had the Asse Flay’d, and laid his Whole Pack, Skin and All, upon the Horse. Well (says he) This Judgment is befall’n me for my Ill Nature, in refusing to help my Brother in the Depth of his Distress.

The Moral.

It is a Christian, a Natural, a Reasonable, and a Political Duty, for All Members of the same Body to Assist One Another.

REFLEXION.

The Bus’ness of the World, is more or less, the Bus’ness of Every Man that lives in’t; And if the Great and the Small do not Joyn in One Common Assistance, where the Matter requires it, they are in Danger to be Both Undone; So that it is for the Good of the Whole, that the Several Parts take care One of Another.

We have here set before us the Mischiefs of Ill Nature, and Imprudence, both in One; and the Folly of not Heeding the Duty, as well as the Common Necessity of Helping One Another. [This is None of My Bus’ness] we Cry: never considering, that in Things Requisite to be done, what One Cannot, Another Must: Beside, that in the Case of a Fellow-Servant, or an Honest Neighbour, I am as much bound to save him from Sinking under a Heavy Burthen, as I am to give him a Cup of Drink, or a Morsel of Bread, to keep him from Choaking or Starving: It makes a Breach in a Community, when Particular Men shall take upon them to Divide from the Common Service of the Body: And He that sets up a Private Interest, Separate from the Publique, Discontinues the Connexion of the Government, by Cutting off That Link of the Chain. But the Miseries and Calamities that follow upon departing from the Known Rules and Measures of Political Order, are sufficient to Enlighten us in the Reason of Political Methods, and to Excite us to an Agreement in all Reciprocal Services, One with Another. There’s the Duty of Charity in’t, and the Foundations of Governing Prudence; Beside, that we are likewise Mov’d to’t, by a Sense of Tenderness, Honour and Justice.

The Churlish Humour of this Horse, is too much the Humour of Mankind, even in the Case of Subjects to the same Master; but such is the Vanity that many People draw from their Titles, and their Trappings, that they look down upon their Fellows, as if they were not All made of the same Clay. To speak the Plain Truth of the Matter, ’Tis the Little People that support the Great; and when the Foundation fails, the whole Fabrick must either drop into Rubbish, or otherwise Rest upon the Shoulders of their Superiours.

Fab. LXIV. A Collier and a Fuller.

A Fuller had a very kind Invitation from a Collier to come and Live in the House with him. He gave him a Thousand Thanks for his Civility; but told him that it would not Stand with his Convenience; for (says he) as fast as I make any thing Clean, You’ll be Smutting it again.

Fab. LXV. A Thrush and a Swallow.

Ah my Dear Mother! says the Thrush, Never had any Creature such a Friend as I have, of this same Swallow. No, says she, nor ever any Mother such a Fool to her Son as I have, of this same Thrush: To talk of a Friendship betwixt People that cannot so much as live together in the same Climate and Season. One is for the Summer, T’other for the Winter; And that which keeps You Alive, kills your Companion.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

’Tis a Necessary Rule in Alliances, Matches, Societies, Fraternities, Friendships, Partnerships, Commerce, and All Manner of Civil Dealings and Contracts, to have a Strict Regard to the Humour, the Nature, and the Disposition of those we have to do withall.

REFLEXION.

This is to bid us have a Care what Friendships we Contract, and what Company we keep; for Contrary Humours and Manners will never agree together. There can be no Thought of Uniting Those that Nature it self has Divided. And this Caution holds good in all the Bus’ness of a Sober Man’s Life; as Marriage, Studies, Pleasures, Society, Commerce, and the like: ’Tis in some sort, with Friends (Pardon the Coursness of the Illustration) as it is with Dogs in Couples. They should be of the Same Size, and Humour; and That which pleases the One should Please the Other; But if they Draw Several Ways, and if One be too Strong for T’other, they’ll be ready to Hang themselves upon Every Gate, or Style they come at. This is the Moral of the Friendship betwixt a Thrush and a Swallow, that can never Live together.

Fab. LXVI. A Fowler and a Pigeon.

As a Country Fellow was making a Shoot at a Pigeon, he trod upon a Snake that bit him by the Leg. The Surprize Startled him, and away flew the Bird.

The Moral.

We are to Distinguish betwixt the Benefits of Good Will, and those of Providence: For the Latter are immediately from Heaven, where no Humane Intention Intervenes.

REFLEXION.

The Mischief that we Meditate to Others, falls commonly upon our Own Heads, and Ends in a Judgment, as well as a Disappointment. Take it Another Way, and it may serve to Mind us how Happily People are Diverted Many Times from the Execution of a Malicious Design, by the Grace and Goodness of a Preventing Providence. A Pistol’s not taking Fire may save the Life of a Good Man; and the Innocent Pigeon had Dy’d, if the Spiteful Snake had not Broken the Fowler’s Aim: That is to say; Good may be drawn out of Evil, and a Body’s Life may be Sav’d without having any Obligation to his Preserver.

Fab. LXVII. A Trumpeter taken Prisoner.

Upon the Rout of an Army there was a Trumpeter made a Pris’ner, and as the Soldiers were about to Cut his Throat; Gentlemen, (says he) Why should you Kill a Man that Kills No Body? You shall Die the rather for That, cry’s one of the Company, for being so mean a Rascal, as to set other People together by the Ears without fighting your self.

The Moral.

He that Provokes and Incites Mischief is the Doer of it. ’Tis the Man that Kills Me, the Bullet is only a Passive Instrument to serve his End that directs it.

REFLEXION.

This is to Reprove Those (according to the old Moral) that Stir up Men in Power to do Public Mischief; which is much Worse then any Man’s Doing a Private One Himself: And only a Safer Way of Committing greater Outrages.

The Trumpeter’s Plea is so Arrant a Shuffle here, that an Incendiary at the Bar, or in the Pulpit, has as much to say for Himself. He that Countenances, Encourages, or Abettes a Mischief, Does it. The Seditious Lawyer, or Divine, Kills No Body with his own Hand, but by a False Gloss perhaps, upon a Law, or a Text, he may Cause Ten Thousand Swords to be Drawn, without Spilling One Drop of Blood immediately Himself. Shall any Man now, that Wilfully, and Maliciously, procures the Cutting of whole Armies to Pieces, set up for an Innocent? As if the lives that were taken away by his Instigation, were not to be Charged upon his Account. He that Covers Murder, Oppression, Sacrilege, Rebellion, with a Cloak of Statute and Scripture, makes God and Government, Effectually the Authors of the Wickedness: And those are the Basest, and Worst of Bravo’s, that Employ Journeymen Mercenaries under them to do the Work. What is This, but to Engage our Bibles, and our Law Books in a Conspiracy against Themselves? Shall He that gives Fire to the Train, pretend to Wash his Hands of the Hurt that’s done by the Playing of the Mine? Humane Corruptions are as Catching as Powder; as Easily Enflam’d, and the Fire afterwards as Hard to be Quench’d. That which a Man Causes to be Done, he Does Himself, and ’tis all a case whether he does it by Practice, Precept, or Example. In One Word, He that Kindles the Passions of the Mobile, is Answerable for the Following Conflagration. When the Men of the Long Robe have once Preach’d the People to Tinder, the Least Spark sets them a Fire: so that they have no more to do then to Inculcate the Doctrine of Disobedience, and then leave the Multitude to chew upon’t. A Trumpeter in the Pulpit is the very Emblem of a Trumpeter in the Field; and the same Charge holds Good against Both. Only the Spiritual Trumpeter is the more Pernicious Instrument of the Two; for the Latter serves only to Rouze the Courage of the Soldiers without any Doctrine of Application upon the Text, whereas the other infuses Malice over and above, and Preaches Death and Damnation, Both in One, and gives ye the very Chapter and Verse for’t.

Fab. LXVIII. A Dog and a Wolfe.

There was a Hagged Carrion of a Wolfe, and a Jolly Sort of a Gentile Dog, with Good Flesh upon’s Back, that fell into Company together upon the King’s High-Way. The Wolfe was wonderfully pleas’d with his Companion, and as Inquisitive to Learn how he brought himself to That Blessed State of Body. Why, says the Dog, I keep my Master’s House from Thieves, and I have very Good Meat, Drink, and Lodging for my pains. Now if you’ll go along with Me, and do as I do, you may fare as I fare. The Wolfe Struck up the Bargain, and so away they Trotted together: But as they were Jogging on, the Wolfe spy’d a Bare Place about the Dog’s Neck, where the Hair was worn off. Brother (says he) how comes this I prethee? Oh, That’s Nothing, says the Dog, but the Fretting of my Collar a little. Nay, says T’other, if there be a Collar in the Case, I know Better Things then to sell my Liberty for a Crust.

The Moral.

We are so Dazzel’d with the Glare of a Splendid Appearance, that we can hardly Discern the Inconveniences that Attend it. ’Tis a Comfort to have Good Meat and Drink at Command, and Warm Lodging: But He that sells his Freedom, for the Cramming of his Gutt, has but a hard Bargain of it.

REFLEXION.

In This Emblem is set forth the Blessing of Liberty, and the Sordid Meanness of those Wretches that sacrifice their Freedom to their Lusts, and their Palates. What Man in his Right Senses, that has wherewithal to Live Free, would make himself a Slave for Superfluities! The Wolfe would have been well enough Content to have Barter’d away a Ragged Coat, and a Raw-Bon’d Carcass, for a Smooth and a Fat One; but when they came to talk of a Collar once, away Marches He to his Old Trade in the Woods again, and makes the Better Choice of the Two.

To speak to the First Point, we are lyable to be Impos’d upon by Outsides and Appearances, for want of Searching things to the Bottom, and Examining what Really they are, and what they Only seem to be. This Fiction of the Wolfe, is a Reproof to Eager Appetites, and Over-Hasty Judgments, that will not give themselves time to Ballance Accounts, and Compute Beforehand, whether they are to get or Lose by the Bargain. It holds as well against Intemperate Curiosities, and Rash Wishes, That is to say, against the Folly of the One, and the Wickedness of the Other; for if we come once to take Evil for Good, our very Prayers are turn’d into Sin: But what with a Certain Itch of Prying into, and Meddling with Other Peoples Matters, and a Natural Levity that puts us upon Shifting and Changing, we fall Insensibly into a Thousand Inconveniences: and when it comes to That once, that we find our selves Uneasie at Home, and no Resting-Place in our Own Thoughts, (where Rest is Only to be had) we are e’en glad to run away from our Selves, and Hunt abroad for’t where ’tis never to be found. This is the Common Root of all our Wandrings and Errors. We Spend our Time, and our Peace, in Pursuit of Things wholly Forreign to our Business, and which will Certainly Deceive us at last.

Thus it Is, and Thus it must be, so long as we take Every thing by a Wrong Handle, and only Calculate upon our Own Misfortunes, without any Allowance for the Comforts that we Enjoy. And so we reckon upon our Neighbours Enjoyments, on the Other hand, without any Consideration for the Hardships that They Endure. Oh that I had but such a Palace! Says One; Such an Estate; Such a Retinue; This Glorious Train; That Lovely Woman, &c. Nay the Envious Freak Descends to the very Point, and Petticoat. Now these Idle Curiosities may be Specious Enough in the Contemplation; but what if This House, at the Foot of the Account, should Prove to be Haunted, That Gay Furniture Borrow’d; T’other fine Woman Clapt; The Curse of Sacrilege cleaving to such an Inheritance, and all the rest of the Gawdy Fooleries perhaps unpay’d for? (as these Incumbrances are no New Things in Nature) Who would not rather take up with the Wolfe in the Woods again, then make such a Clutter in the World upon These Scandalous Conditions.

For the Obviating of All Cases of this Quality, Children should be Early Instructed, according to their Age and Capacity, in the True Estimate of Things, by Opposing the Good to the Evil, and the Evil to the Good; and Compensating, or Qualifying One Thing with Another. What’s Plenty without Health? What’s Ease without Plenty? And what’s Title and Greatness, with Carking Thoughts, and a Troubled Mind to Attend it? What does That Man Want that has Enough? Or What’s He the better for a Great deal, that can never be Satisfy’d? By This Method of Setting what we Have against What we have Not, the Equity of Providence will be made Manifest, and to All manner of purposes Justify’d; When it shall appear upon the Ballance, that Every man has his Share in the Bounties of Heaven to Mankind.

As to the Freedom here that Æsop is so Tender of, it is to be Understood of the Freedom of the Mind: A Freedom to Attend the Motions of Right Reason; and a Freedom, in fine, not to be parted with for All the Sensual Satisfactions under the Sun. It is, I say, a Freedom under These Limits; for there’s No such Thing as Absolute Liberty: Neither is it possible that there should be any, without a Violence to the Order of the Universe, and to the Dictates of Reasonable Nature: For All Men Living are in Some sort or Other, and upon some Penalty or Other, Subjected to a Superior Power; That is to say, the Laws of Morality are Above them: But the Case wherein All Men are upon the Behaviour is not here the Question. To Wind up the Moral, in short; Liberty is a Jewel, and a Blessing. The Wolfe was well enough pleas’d here with the State of the Dog’s Body, but he had no fancy to his Collar.

Fab. LXIX. A Farmer and his Dogs.

A Certain Farmer was put to such a Pinch in a Hard Winter for Provisions, that he was forc’d to Feed Himself and his Family upon the Main Stock. The Sheep went First to Pot; the Goats Next; and after Them, the Oxen; and All Little enough to keep Life and Soul together. The Dogs call’d a Councel upon’t, and Resolv’d to shew their Master a Fair pair of Heels for’t, before it came to be Their Turn; for, (said they) after he has Cut the Throats of our Fellow Servants, that are so Necessary for his Bus’ness, it cannot be Expected that he will ever Spare us.

The Moral.

There’s No Contending with Necessity, and we should be very Tender how we Censure Those that Submit to’t. ’Tis One thing to be at Liberty to do what we Would do, and Another Thing to be Ty’d up to do what we Must.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Common Thing for a Master to Sacrifice a Servant to his Own Ease and Interest; but there’s No Meddling with Men of that Inhospitable Humour, where the Domestiques, how Faithful soever, can never be Secure.

This is according to the Old Moral; but not without some Force (in My Opinion at least) to the Natural Biass of the Fable. The Farmer has no Liberty of Choice before him, but either to do what he does, or to Perish: And in so Doing, (with all respect to the Rules of Honesty) he does but his Duty; without any way Incurring the Character of an ill Natur’d Man, or a Cruel Master. But there may be also Another Doctrine Rais’d from it; which is, That in Cases of Extreme Difficulty, the Laws of Conveniency, and Ordinary Practice must give place to the Laws of Necessity. This was the Naked Truth of the Farmer’s Case.

Fab. LXX. A Camel at First Sight.

Upon the First Sight of a Camel, All people ran away from’t, in Amazement at so Monstrous a Bulk. Upon the Second Sight, finding that it did them No Hurt, they took Heart upon’t, went up to’t, and View’d it. But when they came, upon Further Experience, to take notice, how Stupid a Beast it was, they Ty’d it up, Bridled it, Loaded it with Packs and Burdens; Set Boys upon the Back on’t, and Treated it with the Last Degree of Contempt.

Fab. LXXI. A Fox and a Lyon.

A Fox had the hap to fall into the Walk of a Lyon; (the First of the Kind that ever he saw) and he was ready to Drop down at the very sight of him. He came a While after, to see Another, and was Frighted still; but Nothing to What he was Before. It was his Chance, after This, to Meet a Third Lyon; and he had the Courage, Then, to Accost him, and to make a kind of an Acquaintance with him.

The Moral of the Two Fables above.

Novelty Surprizes us, and we have Naturally a Horror for Uncouth Mis-shapen Monsters; but ’tis Our Ignorance that Staggers us, for upon Custom and Experience, All These Buggs grow Familiar, and Easy to us.

REFLEXION.

Things that at first seem Terrible, become Easy to us when we are Wonted to them; says the Old Moral; which holds, I confess, in the Case of the Camel, but not in That of the Lyon.

With leave of the Moralist, the Illustration does not come up to the Force and Intent of the Two Last Fables: Neither, in truth, is the very Design of them according to the True Reason of the Matter in Question. Things that seem Terrible, and are Not so, become not only Familiar, but Ridiculous to us, when we find that our Fears were Vain and Idle; as in the case of the Camel: But things on the contrary, that only Seem Terrible, but are found upon Experience to be more Dangerous then we took them for: (as in the Strength, the Nimbleness, the Fierceness, and the Appetite of a Lyon.) These are Things, I say, that the Better we Know them, the More we Dread them: So that though we have Apprehensions, as well where there is No Peril, as where there Is: Yet Time teaches us to Distinguish the One from the Other. The Allusion would much better have held in the case of a Battle, where the Soldier grows Every day less apprehensive of the Hazzard, by seeing so many People Scape; and by Computing upon the Disproportion of Those that Outlive it, to Those that Fall in’t. We may however Learn from hence, that people may be Frighted as well Without Reason as With it. Now, in Propriety of Speaking, and in a Right Understanding of the Thing too, People were not so much Frighted, as they were Surpriz’d at the Bigness, and Uncouth Deformity of the Camel: But I could Wish, the Fox had been More and More affraid of the Lyon, the Oftner he Saw him; and the Doctrine would then have been to Govern our Passions by the Truth and Reason of Things, not by Appearances; but it holds however, that Custom goes a Great Way in making Matters Indifferent to us. ’Tis much the same Case too, betwixt the People, and Bugg-Laws, and Acts of State, that it is here betwixt the Fox and the Lyon. Men look, upon the First Opening of a Publique Fast, as if Heaven and Earth were going together; Not a Shop Open; The Streets Quiet, and so Dismal a Countenance Every where, as if it were to Rain Fire and Brimstone the Next Moment. The Second Day is a Little Uneasy too, but not half so Frightful as the Former: and so in Two or Three days more, the Awe goes quite off, and the People come to their Wits, and fall to their Trade again, without any further Heed to the Matter.