Miscellany Fables.

Fab. CCCLXXIV. A Fox and a Cat.

There was a Question started betwixt a Fox and a Cat; which of the Two could make the best Shift in the World, if they were put to a Pinch. For my own part, (says Reynard,) when the worst comes to the worst, I have a whole Budget of Tricks to come off with at last. At that very Instant, up comes a Pack of Dogs full-Cry toward them. The Cat presently takes a Tree, and sees the Poor Fox torn to Pieces upon the very Spot. Well (says Puss to her self,) One Sure Trick I find is better than a Hundred Slippery ones.

The Moral.

Nature has provided better for us, then we could have done for our selves.

REFLEXION.

One Double Practice may be disappointed by another; but the Gifts of Nature are beyond all the Shams and Shuffles in the World. There’s as much difference betwixt Craft and Wisdom, as there is betwixt Philosophy and Slight of Hand. Shifting and Shuffling may serve for a Time, but Truth and Simplicity will most certainly carry it at the long run. When a Man of Trick comes once to be Detected, he’s Lost, even to all Intents and Purposes: Not but that one Invention may in some Cases be Honestly Countermin’d with another. But this is to be said upon the whole Matter, That Nature provides better for us, then we can do for our selves; and instructs every Creature more or less, how to shift for it self in Cases of Ordinary Danger. Some bring themselves off by their Wings, others by their Heels, Craft, or Strength. Some have their Cells or Hiding Places; and upon the Upshot, they do more by Virtue of a Common Instinct toward their own Preservation, then if they had the whole Colledge of the Virtuosi for their Advisers. It was Nature in fine, that brought off the Cat, when the Foxes whole Budget of Inventions fail’d him.

Fab. CCCLXXV. The Dancing Apes.

A Certain Ægyptian King Endow’d a Dancing-School for the Institution of Apes of Quality; and when they came to be Perfect in their Lessons, they were Dress’d up after the best manner, and so brought forth for a Spectacle upon the Stage. As they were in the Middle of their Gamboles, some body threw a Handful of Apples among them, that set them presently together by the Ears upon the Scramble, without any regard in the World to the Business in Hand, or to the Dignity of their Education.

The Moral.

The Force of Nature is infinitely beyond that of Discipline and Imitation.

REFLEXION.

Men have their weak Sides as well as Apes, and it is not in the Power of Study and Discipline to extinguish Natural Inclinations; no not so much as to Conceal them for any long time, but they’l be breaking out now and then by Starts and Surprizes, and discover themselves. The Apes were Taught their Apes Tricks by a Dancing-Master; but it was Nature that Taught them to Eat Apples, and the Natural Institution was much the stronger of the Two.

Fab. CCCLXXVI. An Ass and Two Travellers.

A Couple of Travellers that took up an Ass in a Forrest, fell downright to Loggerheads, which of the Two should be his Master: So the Ass was to stand by, to see those Two Boobies try their Title to him by a Rubber at Cuffs. The Ass very fairly look’d on, till they had Box’d themselves aweary, and then left them both in the Lurch.

The Moral.

’Tis a common thing, both in Love, Law and Arms, for Plaintiff and Defendant to lye Battering one another for a Prize that gives them both the slip.

REFLEXION.

Many People have fair Opportunities put into their Hands, and want Wit to make Use of them. Here was a silly Controversie, as sillily Manag’d, and Two Quarrelsom Fools out-witted by an Ass. Why did they not keep him when they had him sure? Or why did they not Compound the matter, and Divide, when the one had no more right to him than the other? But this of the Travellers and the Ass is a common Case, and a Frivolous Contentious Law-Suit is the Moral of it; when Plaintiff and Defendant are Worrying one another about the Title, till they have spent the Estate. So the Travellers fought here for an Ass, and the Ass ran away with the Stakes.

Fab. CCCLXXVII. Mercury and Fishermen.

Some Fishermen that had caught more Fish then they knew what to do withal, Invited Mercury to part with them; but finding that the Invitation was not so much matter of Respect, as to get rid of the Glut they had taken, he very fairly left them to Eat by themselves.

The Moral.

In all the Good Offices of Human Society, ’tis the Will and the Affection that Creates the Obligation.

REFLEXION.

’Tis the ordinary Practice of the World, for Men to be kind to other People for their own sakes; or at least to be frank of Civilities that cost them nothing: Wherefore we are to Distinguish betwixt Kindnesses that are only matter of Course, and Friendly Offices that are done out of Choice and Good Will. Where’s the Obligation, the Friendship, or the Respect of any Man’s making me a Present of what he neither cares for himself, nor knows what to do withal? And of that which I am to be never the better for neither? The Fellow here had taken more Fish than he could spend while they were Sweet, and so rather than they should lie by to stink him out of the House, he invited Mercury to the Eating of them; that is to say, to the Helping him off with them.

Fab. CCCLXXVIII. An Eagle and a Beetle.

A Hare that was hard put to’t by an Eagle, took Sanctuary in a Ditch with a Beetle. The Beetle Interceded for the Hare: The Eagle Flapt off the former, and Devoured the other. The Beetle took this for an Affront to Hospitality, as well as to her Self, and so Meditated a Revenge, watch’d the Eagle up to her Nest, follow’d her, and took her Time when the Eagle was Abroad, and so made a shift to Roll out the Eggs, and Destroy the Brood. The Eagle upon this Disappointment, Timber’d a great deal higher next Bout; The Beetle watch’d her still, and shew’d her the same Trick once again. Whereupon the Eagle made her Appeal to Jupiter, who gave her leave to lay her next Course of Eggs in his own Lap. But the Beetle found out a way to make Jupiter rise from his Throne; so that upon the Loosning of his Mantle, the Eggs fell from him at unwares, and the Eagle was a Third time Defeated. Jupiter stomach’d the Indignity, but upon Hearing the Cause, he found the Eagle to be the Aggressor, and so Acquitted the Beetle.

The Moral.

’Tis not for a Generous Prince to Countenance Oppression and Injustice, even in his most Darling Favourites.

REFLEXION.

The Rights and Privileges of Hospitality are so Sacred, that Jupiter himself would not Countenance the Violation of them, even in his own Minion, the Eagle. Nor is there any thing so despicable, (as we see in the Case of the Beetle,) but Access is open for the Cries of Distressed Innocence, to Divine Justice. Let no Man presume because he is Great and Powerful, nor Despair because he is Low and Poor; for the one may Rise and the other may Fall, and the meanest Enemy may find a way to a Revenge. Tyranny may prosper for a while, ’tis true, and under the Countenance of a Divine Permission too, as the Eagle got leave here to Deposite her Eggs (or her Cause) in Heaven: But Jupiter’s Lap it self, we see, is no Final Sanctuary for an Oppressor. Though nothing is more common in the World then to mistake Providences and Judgments, and to call the Wickedest and the worst of Men and of Things by Good Names.

Fab. CCCLXXIX. An Owl and Little Birds.

There goes a Story of an Owl that was advised by the Little Birds to Build rather among the Boughs and Leaves, as They did, then in Walls and Hollow Trees; and so they shew’d her a young Tender Plant for her Purpose. No No, says the Owl, those Twigs in time will come to be Lim’d, and then you’re all Lost if you do but touch ’em. The Birds gave little Heed to’t, and so went on Playing and Chirping among the Leaves still, and passing their Time there in Flocks as formerly; till in the conclusion the Sprigs were all daub’d with Lime, and the poor Wretches clamm’d and taken. Their Repentance came now too late; but in Memory of this Notable Instance of the Owl’s Foresight, the Birds never see an Owl to this very Day, but they Flock about her and Follow her, as if it were for a New Lesson. But our Modern Owls have only the Eyes, the Beak, and the Plume of the Owls of Athens, without the Wisdom.

The Moral.

Good Counsel is lost upon those that have not the Grace to Hearken to’t; or do not Understand it, or will not Embrace and Follow it in the Proper Season.

REFLEXION.

Wholesome Advice is worth nothing, unless it be (in Truth,) Given as well as taken in Season. This Fable shews the Danger and the Mischief of either Rejecting, not Heeding, or not Entertaining it; and likewise at the same time, sets forth how hard a thing it is to fasten Profitable Advice upon Men that Indulge themselves in Ease and Pleasure. They look upon it as so much time lost to employ the Present upon the Thought of the Future; and so by one Delay after another, they Spin out their whole lives, till there’s no more Future left before ’em. This Dilatory Humour proceeds partly from a Slothful Laziness of Temper; as I knew a Man that would not be got out of his Bed when the House was a-Fire over his Head. Action is Death to some sort of People, and they’d as live Hang as Work. It arises in a great measure too from an Habitual Heedless Inadvertency, when Men are so Intent upon the Present, that they mind nothing else; and Councel is but cast away upon them. Birds of Pleasure, and Men of Pleasure are too Merry to be Wise; and the Case of this Fable is but the Common Case of the World. Wholesome Advice comes in at one Ear, and goes out at t’other. Men, in short, of Blood and Appetite, have no Foresight; and oft Postpone Prudence as a Virtue of another Season.

Fab. CCCLXXX. A Gourd and a Pine.

There was a Gourd Planted close by a Large Well-spread Pine: The Season was Kindly, and the Gourd shot it self up in a short time, climbing by the Boughs, and twining about ’em, till it topp’d and cover’d the Tree it self. The Leaves were Large, and the Flowers and the Fruit Fair; insomuch that the Gourd had the confidence to value it self above the Pine, upon the comparison. Why, says the Gourd, you have been more Years a growing to this Statue, then I have been Days. Well, says the Pine again, but after so many Winters and Summers as I have endured, after so many Blasting Colds, and Parching Heats, you see me the very same thing still that I was so long ago. But when you come to the Proof once, the First Blight or Frost shall most infallibly bring down that Stomach of yours, and strip ye of all your Glory.

The Moral.

Nothing so Insolent and Intolerable as a Proud Upstart that’s rais’d from a Dunghil; he forgets both his Master and his Maker.

REFLEXION.

The Gourd here is an Emblem of vain Pride and Ingratitude; and the Pine bids Princes and Great Men have a care what Favourites they prefer, and what Friendships they Entertain; and this for their own sakes, as well as for the sake of the Publick. He’s a Fool that takes himself to be Greater, Richer, Fairer or Better then he is; or that reckons any thing his own, which is either but borrow’d, or may be taken away next Moment. He that lives barely upon Borrowing, is effectually but a Beggar when his Debts are paid. This Gourd in short, is a Proud Upstart; his Growth is quick, but his Continuance short: He values himself upon his Feather in his Cap; and in a word, upon those Fooleries that a Man of Honour and Substance would blush at. And nothing else will serve him neither, but to vye Excellencies with those that took him out of the Dirt; nay, and to elevate himself (when all’s done) to the Dishonour of the Supporters. And what’s the Issue at last of encouraging these Minions, but his bringing of a Scandal upon Common Justice, by a most pernicious Example, that ends in the very Starving, as well as the Defaming of their Benefactors; for ’tis impossible but they must Pine and Wither, that entertain such Hangers-on. This Gourd in fine is the true Emblem of a Court-Leech; he Fastens and Sucks, without either Mercy or Measure, and when he has drawn his Master Dry, he very fairly drops off, changes his Party, and so leaves him.

Fab. CCCLXXXI. A Raven and Wolves.

A Raven that had waited upon a Herd of Wolves a whole Days Ramble, came to ’em at Night for a share of the Prey they had got. The Wolves answer’d him, that if he had gone along with ’em for Pure Love, and not for his Gut, he should have had his Part: But (said they) a Dead Wolf if it had so fall’n out, would have serv’d a Raven’s turn as well as a Dead Sheep.

The Moral.

Most People Worship for the Loaves, from the very Plough-Tail to the Crosier and Scepter; and the World bows to that that’s uppermost.

REFLEXION.

’Tis the Intention that qualifies the Action; neither is it for any Man to pretend Merit, or to challenge a Reward for attending his own Business. The Raven Dogg’d the Wolves for his Supper: Now if these Wolves themselves had been Hounded by a Herd of Tygers, that should have Worried Them, one sort of Carrion would have been as good to the Raven, as another. This is the Case, as well betwixt Man and Man, as of Wolves and Ravens, that suck the Blood of those they Follow and Depend upon, under a Pretext of Service and Kindness. How many Examples have we seen of this, among those that follow Courts, and the Leaders of those Followers? If the Master gets the better on’t, they come in for their Snack; and if he happens to fall in the Chace, his Temporising Friends are the Foremost to break in upon the Quarry. Whether the Wolves Took or were Taken, was all a Case to the Raven.

Fab. CCCLXXXII. Arion and a Dolphin.

This Famous Arion was a Great Favourite of Periander the King of Corinth; he Travelled from thence into Sicily and Italy, where he gathered a great Mass of Treasure, and gain’d over and above, the Good-Will and Esteem of all People wherever he came. From thence he put himself Abord a Corinthian Vessel, to go back again, where he got an inkling among the Ships Crew of a Conspiracy to take away his Life. He Discours’d the Mariners about it, and came in the end to this Composition; that if he would cast himself presently into the Sea, and let the Conspirators have his Mony, there should be no further Violence offer’d to his Person. Upon this Agreement he obtain’d Liberty to give them only one Song before he Leap’d Overbord; which he did, and then Plung’d into the Sea. The Seamen had no thought of his ever coming up again; but by a wonderful Providence, a Dolphin took him upon his Back, and carried him off safe to an Island, from whence he went immediately to Corinth, and presented himself before Periander, just in the condition the Dolphin left him, and so told the Story. The King ordered him to be taken into Custody as an Impostor; but at the same time caused Enquiry to be made after the Ship, and the Seamen that he spake of, and to know if they had heard any thing of one Arion where they had been? They said Yes, and that he was a Man of Great Reputation in Italy, and of a Vast Estate. Upon these Words, Arion was Produced before them, with the very Harp and Cloaths he had when he Leapt into the Sea. The Men were so confounded at the Spectacle, that they had not the Face to deny the Truth of the Story.

The Moral.

Mony is the Universal Idol. Profit Governs the World, and Quid Dabitis & Tradam may be the Motto: But Providence yet in the Conclusion makes all things work for the Best.

REFLEXION.

Some Men are Worse then some Brutes, and little less then Beasts in the shape of Reasonable Creatures. This Fable shews us, that Men of Bloud will stick at no Profitable Villany, but they are Blind, Deaf, and Inexorable where Mony’s in the case. The Charms of Reason, Art, and Innocence, are Lost upon ’em, and the Sea it self we see, had more Pity for Arion then the Men. The Dolphin represents the Instrument of an Over-ruling Providence that interposes Miraculously to our Deliverance, when ordinary Means fail us. The Wonderful Discovery in the Conclusion, serves to shew us that Murder will out.

Fab. CCCLXXXIII. A Spider and the Gout.

A Spider that had been at Work a Spinning, went Abroad once for a little Country Air to Refresh her self, and fell into Company with the Gout, that (by the way) had much ado to keep Pace with her. When they came at Night to take up their Lodging, very inquisitive they were into the Character and Condition of their Host: But the Spider without any more Ceremony, went into the House of a Rich Burgher, and fell presently to her Net-work of Drawing Cobwebs up and down from one side of the Room to the other; but there were so many Brooms, and Devillish House-wenches still at hand, that whatever she set up this Moment, was swept away the next: So that this miserable Insect was the only Creature within those Walls that felt either Want or Trouble. But the Gout all this while, was fain to Kennel in the very Rendezvous of common Beggars, where she was as uneasie, as Hard Lodging, Course Bread, and Puddle-Water could make her. After a tedious and a restless Night on’t, they met again next Morning by Sun Rise, and gave one another the History of their Adventure. The Spider tells first how Barbarously she had been us’d; how cursedly Nice and Cleanly the Master of the House was; how impertinently Diligent his Servants were, &c. And then the Gout Requited the Spider with the Story of her Mortifications too. They were in short so unsatisfied with their Treatment, that they resolved to take quite contrary Measures the next Night; The Spider to get into a Cottage, and the Gout to look out for a Palace. They did what they Propos’d, and never were Creatures better pleas’d with their Entertainment. The Gout had her Rich Furniture, Down-Beds, Beccasica’s, Pheasants, Partridges, Generous Wines; the best in fine, of every thing that was to be had for Mony, and all with Pure Heart and Good will as we say. The Spider was as much at Ease on the other hand; for she was got into a House where she might draw her Lines, Work, Spin, Mend what was Amiss, Perfect what she had Begun, and no Brooms, Snares or Plots to Interrupt or disturb her. The Two Travellers after this met once again, and upon conferring Notes, they were both so well satisfied, that the Gout took up a Resolution for ever after to keep Company with the Rich, the Noble, and the Voluptuous; and the Spider with the Poor and Needy. What Wise Man I say, upon these Terms; would not rather take up his Lodging with the Spider in the Fable here, then with the Gout?

The Moral.

An Industrious Poverty in a Cell, with Quiet Thoughts, and Sound Sleeps, is infinitely to be Prefer’d before a Lazy Life of Pomp and Pleasure: For Courts are but Nurseries of Diseases and Cares.

REFLEXION.

One may be very Uneasie with a Plentiful Fortune, and as Happy in a Mean Condition; for ’tis the Mind that makes us either the one or the other. A Luxurious Court is the Nursery of Diseases; it Breeds ’em, it Encourages, Nourishes and Entertains them. A Plain, an Honest, and a Temperate Industry, contents it self with a little; and who would not rather Sleep Quietly upon a Hammock, without either Cares in his Head, or Crudities in his Stomach, then lye Carking upon a Bed of State, with the Qualms and Twinges that accompany Surfeits and Excess?