THE FABLES OF ÆSOP, &c. (continued 5)

Fab. CLXVI. A Bee-Master.

There came a Thief into a Bee-Garden in the Absence of the Master, and Robb’d the Hives. The Owner discover’d it upon his Return, and stood Pausing a while to Bethink himself how This should come to pass. The Bees in this Interim, came Laden home out of the Fields from Feeding, and Missing their Combs, they fell Powdering down in Swarms upon their Master. Well (says he) you are a Company of Senseless and Ungrateful Wretches, to let a Stranger go away Quietly that has Rifled ye, and to bend All your Spite against your Master, that is at this Instant Beating his Brains how he may Repair and Preserve ye.

The Moral.

’Tis the Course of the World for People to take their Friends for their Foes, and to Use them accordingly.

REFLEXION.

The Mistake of a Friend for an Enemy, or of an Enemy for a Friend, is one of the most Pernicious Errors of a Rash Man’s Life; for there’s Judgment, good Nature, Generosity, Justice, common Prudence, and All at Stake. Nothing can be more Disobliging to a Friend on the One hand, or more Ruinous to my self on the Other. Charity however bids me Hope and Think the Best, provided at the Same Time, that I Secure the main Chance. Now this Caution holds as well in Politiques, as in Morals; and in Publick Cases as well as in Private; for there is Nothing more Frequent, then for People to take their Oppressors for their Protectors, and their Protectors for their Oppressors: As the Bees here Spar’d the Thief, and fell foul upon their Keeper. This is the very Humour of the Mobile, when they mistake the Man.

Fab. CLXVII. A Kingfisher.

The Kingfisher is a Solitary Bird, that Wonts commonly by the Water-side, and Nestles in Hollow Banks, to be out of reach of the Fowlers. One of These Birds happen’d to be forraging abroad for her Young Ones, and in This Interim, comes a Raging Torrent, that washes away Nest, Birds and all. Upon her Return, finding how ’twas with her, she brake out into This Exclamation: Unhappy Creature that I am! to fly from the bare Apprehension of One Enemy, into the Mouth of Another.

The Moral.

’Tis many a wise Man’s hap, while he is Providing against One Danger, to fall into Another: And for his very Providence to turn to his Destruction.

REFLEXION.

Many People apprehend Danger Where there’s None, and fancy themselves to be Out of Danger where there’s most of All. As the Fellow gave God Thanks at Sea when the Ship struck upon a Sand, for bringing him into Shallow Water again, where he could feel the Bottom. This is to mind us, That there is No State of Life so Secure, as not to lie Open to a Thousand Difficulties and Dangers; and that it is not possible for the Wit of Man to Provide against All Contingencies. There’s No Fence against Inundations, Earth-quakes, Hurricans, Pestilential Vapours and the like; and therefore it is Our Part, and Duty, to Hope, and Endeavour the Best, and at the Same Time to provide for the Worst that can Befal Us. That which cannot be Helpt, must be Born.

Fab. CLXVIII. Fishing in Troubled Waters.

A Fisher Man had Order’d his Net, for a Draught, and still as he was gathering it up, he Dash’d the Water, to Fright the Fish into the Bag. Some of the Neighbourhood that look’d on, told him he did ill to muddle the Water so, and Spoil their Drink. Well (says he) But I must either Spoil your Drink, or have Nothing to Eat my self.

The Moral.

There’s no Engaging the Mobile in a Sedition, till their Heads are so muddled first with Frights and Visions, That they can neither See, Hear, nor Understand.

REFLEXION.

This Allegory is frequently Applied to those that make Advantage to Themselves by Embroyling the Publique; and set their Country A-fire for the Roasting of their Own Eggs. ’Tis the Only Trade that many People have to Live by, and the most Profitable Trade too, when the Occasion lies Fair for their Purpose. ’Tis with the Common People in this Case, just as ’tis with Fishes: Trouble the Waters, so that they cannot see their Way before them, and you Have ’em Sure in the Bag before they know where they are.

Fab. CLXIX. An Ape and a Dolphin.

People were us’d in the Days of Old, to carry Gamesome Puppies and Apes with ’em to Sea, to pass away the Time withal. Now there was One of these Apes, it seems, abord a Vessel that was cast away in a very great Storm. As the Men were Paddling for their Lives, and the Ape for Company, a Certain Dolphin that took him for a Man, got him upon his Back, and was making towards Land with him. He had him into a Safe Road call’d the Pyræus, and took occasion to ask the Ape, whether he was an Athenian or not? He told him Yes, and of a very Ancient Family there. Why then (says the Dolphin) You know Pyræus: Oh! exceedingly well says T’other, (taking it for the Name of a Man) Why Pyræus is my very Particular Good Friend. The Dolphin, upon This, had such an Indignation for the Impudence of the Buffon-Ape, that he gave him the Slip from between his Legs, and there was an End of my very Good Friend, the Athenian.

The Moral.

Bragging, Lying, and Pretending, has Cost many a Man his Life and Estate.

REFLEXION.

This is the Humour of a great many Travelling Men, as well as Travelling Apes: Men that will be Talking of Places that they never Saw, and of Persons that they never Heard of. Their Whole Conversation is made up of Councels and Intrigues, Reasons of State, Embassies, and Negotiations, that they never were skill’d in at all. Neither Men, Books nor Sciences come Amiss to ’em: And after All This Extravagant Bustle, a Gay Coat and a Grimace is the Upshot of what they can Pretend to. These Phantomes however are Sometimes taken for Men, and born up by the Wellmeaning Ignorant Common People, as the Ape was here by the Dolphin; till in the Conclusion, their Sillyness lays them Open, Their Supporters give them the Slip, and down they Drop and Vanish. How many of these Empty Chattering Fops have we daily put upon us, for Men of Sense and Bus’ness; that with Balzack’s Prime Minister, shall spend ye Eight and Forty Hours together Poring over a Map, to look for Aristocracy and Democracy, instead of Croatia and Dalmatia, and take the Name of a Country for a Form of Government; Without any more ado, we have Apes in History as well as in Fiction, and not a Rush matter whether they go on Four Legs, or on Two.

Fab. CLXX. Mercury and a Statuary.

Mercury had a Great Mind once to Learn what Credit he had in the World, and he knew no Better Way, then to Put on the Shape of a Man, and take Occasion to Discourse the Matter as by the By, with a Statuary: So away he went to the House of a Great Master, where, among Other Curious Figures, he saw several Excellent Pieces of the Gods. The first he Cheapen’d was a Jupiter, which would have come at a very Easie Rate. Well (says Mercury) and what’s the Price of that Juno there? The Carver set That a little Higher. The next Figure was a Mercury, with his Rod and his Wings, and all the Ensigns of his Commission. Why, This is as it should be, says he, to Himself: For here am I in the Quality of Jupiter’s Messenger, and the Patron of Artizans, with all my Trade about me: And now will this Fellow ask me Fifteen Times as much for This as he did for T’other: And so he put it to him, what he Valu’d that Piece at: Why truly, says the Statuary, you seem to be a Civil Gentleman, give me but my Price for the Other Two, and you shall e’en have That into the Bargain.

The Moral.

This is to put the Vanity of Those Men out of Countenance, that by Setting too High a Value upon Themselves, appear by so much the more Despicable to Others.

REFLEXION.

’Tis an Old Saying, That Listners never hear Well of Themselves; and Mercury’s Curiosity Sped accordingly in this Fable. All Vain Men that Affect Popularity, are apt to Fancy, that Other People have the same Opinion of Them, that they have of themselves; but nothing goes Nearer the Heart of ’em then to meet with Contempt, instead of Applause, Esteem, and Reputation. They Muster up All their Commissions and Charters; as Mercury Values himself here, upon the Relation he had to Jupiter; whose Pimp he is, and That’s his Bus’ness. He gives to Understand also what a Friend the Artizans had at Court, and All too Little, to gain him the Respect, but so much as of a Common Messenger.

Fab. CLXXI. Mercury and Tiresias.

Mercury had a Great Mind to try if Tiresias was so Famous a Diviner as the World took him for, or not. So he went and Stole Tiresias’s Oxen; and Order’d the Matter, to be in the Company with Tiresias, as upon Bus’ness by the By, when the News should be brought him of the Loss of his Oxen. Mercury went to Tiresias in the Shape of a Man, and the Tidings came as Mercury had Contriv’d it: Upon this, he took Mercury up to a High Tower, Hard by, and bad him look Well about him, and tell him what Birds he saw. Why, says Mercury, I see an Eagle upon Wing there, that takes her Course from the Right-hand to the Left. That Eagle (says Tiresias) is nothing to Our Purpose; wherefore Pray look again once. Mercury stood Gazing a while, and then told Tiresias of a Crow he had discover’d upon a Tree, that was One while looking up into the Air, and Another while down towards the Ground: That’s enough; (says Tiresias) for this Motion of the Crow, is as much as to say, I do Appeal to Heaven, and to Earth, that the Man that is now with Tiresias, can help him to his Oxen again, if he pleases.

The Moral.

This Fable is of a General Application to All Bold and Crafty Thieves and Impostors. It serves also to set forth the Vanity of Wizzards, Fortune-Tellers, and the like.

REFLEXION.

Knaves Set up these Jugglers, and Fools Maintain them. There must be Forms however, Characters, and Hard Words, Crabbed Looks, and Canting Calculations, for the Colour of the Pretence; but People should have a Care yet, not to take a Confederacy for a Science.

Fab. CLXXII. A Hound and a Mastiff.

There was a Man had Two Dogs; One for the Chase, T’other to look to the House; and whatever the Hound took Abroad, the House-Dog had his Part on’t at Home. T’other Grumbled at it, that when he took all the Pains, the Mastiff should Reap the Fruit of his Labours. Well, says the House-Dog, That’s None of my Fault, but my Master’s, that has not Train’d me up to Work for my self, but to Eat what others have Provided for me.

The Moral.

Fathers and Masters have a Great deal to answer for, if their Children and Servants do not Do as they should do.

REFLEXION.

More People are lost for want of good Education and Institution, then for want of Honest and Honourable Inclinations; and these are Miscarriages that Parents and Tutors are in a Great Measure to Answer for. We are here given to Understand, that there are Offices of Trust also, as well as Offices of Labour, and the one as Necessary to the Common Good as the Other. The Mastiff Maintains the Hound, as well as the Hound the Mastiff; and if the one did not keep the House from being Robb’d, the Other would have nothing to eat in’t at all. So that This Fable, upon the Whole Matter, will serve for a Political Reading to Princes and Governors, as well as to Masters of Private Families, upon the Reciprocal Use, Benefit, and Necessity of Industry and Protection betwixt Rulers and Subjects, for the Preservation of a Common-wealth: The One Supplies us with what we Want, and the Other Supports us in the Defence of what we Get, and neither would Signifie any thing to us without the Other.

Fab. CLXXIII. An Unhappy Match.

There was a Man, a Long time ago, that had got a Shrew to his Wife, and there could be No Quiet in the House for her. The Husband was Willing however to make the Best of a Bad Game, and so for Experiment Sake, he sent her away for a While to her Father’s. When he came a little after to take her Home again, Prithee Sweet-heart (says he) How go Matters in the House where thou hast been? Introth, says she, they go I know not How: But there’s None of the Family, you must know, can Endure Me: No, not so much as the very Hinds and Plough-men; I could Read it in the Faces of them. Ah Wife! says the Husband, If People that Rise Early and come Home Late, and are all Day out of your Sight, cannot be Quiet for ye, what a Case is your Poor Husband in, that must Spend his Whole Life in your Company.

The Moral.

When Man and Wife cannot Agree, Prudence will Oblige the One, and Modesty the Other, to put all their Little Controversies into their Pockets, and make the Best of a Bad Game.

REFLEXION.

There are more Ways to come to a Right Understanding of Things, then by Question and Answer. There are Certain Contentious Humors that are never to be Pleas’d, and he that Troubles his Head because he cannot Please them, is worse then a Mad-man. Nay, it falls out many times, that the very Desire and Endeavor to do it, makes it more Impossible, Especially where People are Imperious and Insulting, as well as Peevish. Now in the Case of this Fable, it may be a Question whether the Wife or the Woman was the more Freakish of the Two: For she was still the same Uneasie Fop where-ever she was; but the Poor Man however had enough on’t, in Both Capacities; That is to say, as a Common Incumbrance, and as a Particular Clog.

The Moral is a Piece of Good Councel to All Men that Labour under that Unhappy Circumstance. First, in Prudence, to Try what Help for’t; and then in Case of the Last Necessity, to come to some Peremptory Resolution to Deliver Themselves.

Fab. CLXXIV. A Wolfe and a Kid.

A Wolfe spy’d out a Straggling Kid, and pursu’d him. The Kid found that the Wolfe was too Nimble for him, and so turn’d and told him: I perceive I am to be Eaten, and I would gladly Die as Pleasantly as I could: Wherefore, Pray give me but One Touch of your Pipe before I go to Pot. The Wolfe Play’d and the Kid Danc’d, and the Noise of the Pipe brought the Dogs in upon him. Well (says the Wolfe) This ’tis when People will be Meddling out of their Profession. My Bus’ness was the Play the Butcher, not the Piper.

The Moral.

When a Crafty Knave is Infatuated, any Silly Wretch may put Tricks upon him.

REFLEXION.

Let Every Man stick to his Own Part, without Taking Another Man’s Trade out of his Hand. This is the Old Moral, but we may Read upon’t Another way too. ’Tis a very Unequal Encounter, when Malice, Craft, and Power are United against the Weak, and the Innocent: Saving where Providence Interposes to the Relief of the One, and to the Infatuation of the Other: As the Wolfe here, that had a Plot upon the Kid, was Confounded by a Counter-Plot of the Kid’s upon the Wolfe: And such a Counter-Plot it was too, as the Wolfe with All his Sagacity, was not able to Smell out. Wherefore let no Man Presume too much upon his Own Strength, either of Body or of Mind; but Consider within himself, that Heaven takes Part with the Oppressed; and that Tyrants Themselves are upon their Behavior to a Superior Power.

Fab. CLXXV. A Fox and a Crab.

A Fox that was sharp-set, Surpriz’d a Crab, as he lay out of the Sea upon the Sands, and Carry’d him away. The Crab, when he found that he was to be Eaten, Well (says he) This comes of Meddling where we have Nothing to do; for My Bus’ness lay at Sea, not upon the Land.

The Moral.

No Body Pities a Man for any Misfortune that Befals him, in Matters out of his Way, Bus’ness, or Calling.

REFLEXION.

Every Man has his Post Assign’d him, and in That Station he is Well, if he can but Think himself so; and He that cannot keep himself Well, when he is Well, may Thank Himself: But Men of Curiosity and Levity can never be at Rest; for let their Present State be what it will, it never Pleases them. They have a Sickly Uneasiness upon them, which Way soever they lye, or in what Condition soever they are; no Place, no Posture, no State, either of Life or of Fortune agrees with ’em, but they run on, Shifting, and Changing, from One Error, and from One Qualm, to Another; Hankering after Novelties, and Trying New Experiments. We are Naturally given to be Peeping into Forbidden Secrets, and Groping in the Dark after we know not what. We never think of the Main Bus’ness of Life, till a Vain Repentance minds us of it at the Wrong End on’t, and then, with the Crab in the Fable, we find that we have been Doing of One thing All this while, when we should have been Doing Another; and Abandoned the Station that God and Nature Allotted us, to our Irreparable Ruine.

Fab. CLXXVI. A Musician.

A Man that had a very Course Voice, but an Excellent Musique-Room, would be still Practising in that Chamber, for the Advantage of the Eccho. He took such a Conceit upon’t, that he must needs be shewing his Parts upon a Publick Theatre, where he Perform’d so very Ill, that the Auditory Hiss’d him off the Stage, and threw Stones at him.

The Moral.

A Man may Like himself very Well in his Own Glass, and yet the World not Fall in Love with him in Publick. But the Truth on’t is, We are Partial in our own Case, and there’s no Reading of Our Selves but with Other Mens Eyes.

REFLEXION.

There’s a Great Difference betwixt an Orator in the Schools, and a Man of Bus’ness upon a Stage of Action. Many a Man that Passes for a Philosopher in Private, behaves himself most Ridiculously in Publick; as what’s more Uncouth (with Respect be it spoken) then a Pedant out of his Element? There are Flattering Chambers, as well as Flattering Glasses, and the One Helps out a Bad Voice, as the Other Countenances an ill-Favour’d Face; That is to say, the One Drowns the Harshness of the Pipe, as the Other Covers, or Disguises the Coursness of the Complexion. But Men must not think to Walk upon These Stilts, if they come to set up in Publick once; The One, for an Italian Capon, the Other, for an English Beauty: Wherefore it will become All People to Weigh and Measure Themselves, before they Venture upon any Undertaking that may bring their Lives, Honour, or Fortune in Question. Some Songsters can no more Sing in any Chamber but their Own; then some Clarks can Read in any Book but their Own; Put them out of their Road once, and they are Meer Cat-Pipes and Dunces.

Fab. CLXXVII. Thieves that Stole a Cock.

A Band of Thieves Brake into a House once, and found Nothing in’t to Carry away, but One Poor Cock. The Cock said as much for Himself as a Cock could say; but Insisted Chiefly upon the Services of his Calling People up to their Work, when ’twas time to Rise. Sirrah (says one of the Thieves) You had better have let That Argument Alone; for Your Waking the Family Spoils our Trade, and We are to be Hang’d forsooth for your Bawling.

The Moral.

That which is One Body’s Meat, is Another Body’s Poyson; as the Trussing up of Thieves is the Security of Honest Men. One Foolish Word is enough to Spoil a Good Cause, and ’tis many a Man’s Fortune to Cut his Own Throat with his Own Argument.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Hard Matter for a Man that Argues against the Truth, and the Reason of a Thing, to Consist with Himself, for having no Rule to Walk by, ’tis Forty to One but Some time or Other he will lose his Way: Especially when he is to Accommodate his Story to the Various Circumstances of Times, Persons, and Occasions. But it is One Thing to forget Matter of Fact, and Another Thing to blunder upon the Reason of it. It is however, well Worthy of a Sober Man’s Care, not to let anything fall that may be turn’d upon him out of his Own Mouth. This Presence of Mind, ’tis true, is not Every Bodies Talent; neither does this Consideration Enter into Every Bodies Thought; but it were better if it Were so, and so it Ought to be.

Fab. CLXXVIII. A Crow and a Raven.

Your Raven has a Reputation in the World for a Bird of Omen, and a kind of small Prophet. A Crow that had Observ’d the Raven’s Manner and Way of Delivering his Predictions, sets up for a Foreboder too; and so gets upon a Tree, and there stands Nodding and Croaking, just over the Head of some People that were Passing by. They were a little Surpriz’d at first; but so soon as they saw how ’twas, Come, my Masters (says One of the Company) let’s e’en go forward, for this is but the Chattering of a Foolish Crow, and it signifies Nothing.

The Moral.

How are Superstitious Men Hagg’d out of their Wits and Senses, with the Fancy of Omens, Forebodings, Old Wives Tales and Visions; and upon a Final Examination of the Matter, Nothing at all in the Bottom on’t!

REFLEXION.

The Affectation of Powers and Faculties, that are Above us, is not only Vain and Unprofitable, but Ridiculous; for the Matter, upon Examination, will not abide the Test. Your Empyricks, Piss-Pot Prophets, Fortune-Tellers, and Buffon-Pretenders to State and Government, Fall under the Lash of this Moral. And so do All your little Smatterers in Arts and Sciences of what Kind, or Quality soever: But there goes more to the Making of a Prophet, then Nodding or Croaking. ’Tis not the Gown and the Cap that makes the Doctor; Neither is it the Supercilious Gravity of Countenances and Forms that presently Dubbs any Man a Philosopher. Not but that a Fool may Put himself in the Garb, and so far imitate the Meen, and Motions of a Wise Man, as at first Blush to Put a Body to a Stand what to Make of him: But upon further Consideration, the Original is as Easily known from the Copy, as the Ass in his borrow’d Skin was from the Lyon: Or I might have said, as the Crow here from the Raven: Their Ears and their Tongues Betray them.

Fab. CLXXIX. A Crow and a Dog.

A Crow Invited a Dog to Joyn in a Sacrifice to Minerva. That will be to no Purpose (says the Dog) for the Goddess has such an Aversion to ye, that you are Particularly Excluded out of all Auguries. Ay, says the Crow, but I’ll Sacrifice the rather to her for That, to try if I can make her my Friend.

The Moral.

We find it in the Practice of the World, that Men take up Religion more for Fear, Reputation, and Interest, then for True Affection.

REFLEXION.

This Pagan Fable will bear a Christian Moral, for more People Worship for Fear, and for Interest, then for Love and Devotion. As the Indians do the Devils, That they may not Hurt ’em. It teaches us farther, that we are not to take Pet, or Despond, under any Cross or Calamity that the Almighty is pleas’d to lay upon us. The Judgments of Heaven are Just, let them fall never so Heavy, they are yet less then we deserve. The Devil Himself, when he was let loose upon Job, could not Transport That Patient, Good Man beyond his Temper, or make him Quit his Hold. Resignation and Perseverance are All that a Man has to Trust to in This Extremity. There’s no Good to be done by Struggling, nor any way left us to make our Peace with, but to try by Faith, Prayer, and a New Life, if we can make our Offended Master Once again our Friend. So that upon the Upshot, Afflictions are but the Methods of a Merciful Providence, to Force us upon the only Means of setting Matters Right, betwixt Divine Justice and Humane Frailty.

Fab. CLXXX. A Raven and a Snake.

As a Snake lay Lazing at his Length, in the Gleam of the Sun, a Raven Took him up, and Flew away with him. The Snake kept a Twisting and a Turning, till he Bit the Raven, and made him Curse himself for being such a Fool, as to Meddle with a Purchase that cost him his Life.

The Moral.

Nature has made All the Necessaries of Life, Safe and Easie to us, but if we will be Hankering after Things that we neither Want nor Understand, we must take our Fortune, even if Death it Self should happen to be in the Case.

REFLEXION.

If Men would but Ballance the Good and the Evil of Things, the Profit and the Loss, they would not Venture Soul, Body, and Reputation, for a Little Dirty Interest. ’Tis much the same Thing betwixt Us, and our Sensual Acquisitions, that it is betwixt the Raven and the Snake here. Men of Eager Appetites Chop at what comes next, and the Purchase seldom fails of a Sting in the Tayl on’t. Nor is it to be Expected, that Passion without Reason should Succeed better. Our Senses are Sharp-set upon All Fleshly Pleasures, and if they be but fair to the Eye, Relishing to the Palate, Harmonious to the Ear, Gentle to the Touch, and Fragrant to the Smell, ’tis all we Look for, and all we Care for. ’Tis true, all this while, that our very Nature Requires a Dose of These Enjoyments; nay, and that Providence it self does not only Allow, but Prescribe it; for the Common Comfort and Benefit of Humane Society, and of Mankind; for Life would be no longer Life without it. But the Crime and the Danger lies in the Excess, and in the Immoderate Love and Use of them. Was not the Apple in Paradise Fair to the Eye, and Grateful to the Tast, and yet there was Death in’t? What were the Poets Sirens, but Figures of our Seducers, that Charm us by the Ear, and Tempt us to leap Over-board? That is to say, by Debauching us into False Doctrines and Opinions, which do but Answer, on the One side, the Moral of the Songs on the Other. And so for the Touch, and the Smell, the Former, ’tis true, has made more Havock in the World, but yet a Man may be Poyson’d with a Perfume, as well as with a Nauseous Potion. To Conclude, we have Snakes in our Beds, in our Cups, in our Dishes, and whoever dips too deep, will find Death in the Pot.

Fab. CLXXXI. A Daw and Pigeons.

A Daw took Particular Notice of the Pigeons in such a Certain Dove-House, that they were very Well Fed, and Provided for: So he Went and Painted himself of a Dove-Colour, and took his Commons with the Pigeons. So long as he kept his Own Counsel, he Pass’d for a Bird of the Same Feather; but it was his Hap once at Unawares, to Cry [KAW,] upon which Discovery, they Beat him out of the House, and when he came to his Old Companions again, They’d have None of him neither; so that he Lost himself Both Ways by This Disguise.

The Moral.

He that Trims betwixt Two Interests, loses himself with Both, when he comes to be Detected, for being True to Neither.

REFLEXION.

This is to Caution us against All Superfluous and Dangerous Desires. Our Own Lot is Best, and by Aiming at what we have Not, and what is Impossible to be had, we lose what we have already. No Man goes out of Himself but to his Loss. Imitation is Servile, let it be Where, How, and What it will. Nature Points out to us which way Every Man’s Talent, and Genius lies; and He that keeps to his Own Province, or Biass, speeds Best. The Painting of the Daw like a Pigeon, did not make him One, neither can any Man do himself Right in Another Bodies Shape: Besides, that when he is once out, ’tis Hard to find his Way Home again. The Hypocrite is never so far from being a Good Christian, as when he looks Likest One. ’Tis much a Case with a Faction in a Government, and a Daw in a Pigeon-House. There’s a Fraud driven on, and they Assimilate themselves, as much as may be, to the Interest they Propose to be the Better for. They put on all Appearances in Matter of Opinion, Practice, and Pretence, Suitable to the Humour they are to Joyn withal: But still Some Unlucky Accident or Other happens to Discover them in the End; and then, when they would go off again, the People of their Own Plume and Colour Beat ’em away, and Refuse to Entertain them. This is no more then what we find to be True in All Turns of State. Double-Dealers may Pass Muster for a While, but All Parties Wash their Hands of them in the Conclusion.

Fab. CLXXXII. A Daw with a String at’s Foot.

A Country Fellow took a Daw, and ty’d a String to his Leg, and so gave him to a Little Boy to Play withal. The Daw did not much like his Companion, and upon the First Opportunity gave him the Slip, and away into the Woods again where he was Shackled and Starv’d. When he came to Die, he Reflected upon the Folly of Exposing his Life in the Woods, rather then Live in an Easie Servitude among Men.

The Moral.

’Tis Fancy, not the Reason of Things, that makes Life so Uneasie to us as we Find it. ’Tis not the Place, nor the Condition; but the Mind Alone that can make any Body Miserable or Happy.

REFLEXION.

Men that are Impatient under Imaginary Afflictions, change commonly for Worse, as the Daw did here in the Fable, that Threw himself into a Starving Necessity, rather then he would Submit to the Tolerable Inconvenience of an Easie Restraint. This was a Republican Daw, that Kaw’d for Liberty, not Understanding that he that Lives under the Bondage of Laws, is in a State of Freedom: And that Popular Liberty, when it passes Those Bounds, is the most Scandalous Sort of Slavery. Nothing would serve him, but he must be at his Own Disposal, and so away he goes, carries his String along with him, and Shackles Himself. This is just the Humour and the Fate of Froward Subjects. They Fancy themselves Uneasie under the Errors of a Male Administration of Government, when their Quarrel strikes, in truth, at the very Root and Conditions of Government it self. It is as Impossible for a Government to be without Faults, as for a Man to be so. But Faults or No Faults, it comes yet much to a Case; for where they cannot Find ’em, they can Create them; And there goes no more to’t neither, then the Calling of Necessary Justice by the Name of Oppression. And what’s the End on’t, more then this now? They Run away from their Masters into the Woods, and there, with Æsop’s Daw, they either Starve, or Hang Themselves.

Fab. CLXXXIII. Jupiter and Fraud.

Jupiter appointed Mercury to make him a Composition of Fraud and Hypocrisie, and to give every Artificer his Dose on’t. The Medicine was Prepar’d according to the Bill, and the Proportions duly Observ’d, and Divided: Only there was a great deal too Much of it made, and the Overplus remain’d still in the Mortar. Upon Examining the Whole Account, there was a Mistake it seems, in the Reck’ning; for the Taylors were forgott’n in the Catalogue: So that Mercury, for Brevity sake, gave the Taylors the Whole Quantity that was Left; and from hence comes the Old Saying; There’s Knavery in All Trades, but Most in Taylors.

The Moral.

It is in some sort Natural to be a Knave. We are made so, in the very Composition of our Flesh and Blood; Only Fraud is call’d Wit in one Case, Good Husbandry in Another, &c. while ’tis the Whole Bus’ness of the World for One Man to Couzen Another.

REFLEXION.

Lying and Couzening is a General Practice in the World, tho’ it appears in some Men, and in some Trades, more then in other. Æsop is still Introducing some or other of the Gods, to Countenance the Corruptions of Flesh and Blood: And since Custom and Interest will have it so, that all Tradesmen must use Fraud, more or less, even in their own Defence, the Practice being in some sort so Necessary, ’tis not amiss to bring in Jupiter to justifie it. But why is this False and Double Dealing apply’d to Tradesmen only, when it is Common to Mankind? And why among them, to Taylors above the Rest? when all the Bus’ness that passes in this World betwixt Man and Man is Manag’d by Collusion and Deceit, in as High a Measure: So that the Composition might have been as well Prepar’d for Human Nature. Are we not False, in Our Pretended Civilities, Formal Complements, and Respects; in our Confidences, and in our Professions? Are we not False, in Promising, and Breaking? Is not He that Robs me of my Good Name, a more Abominable Cheat, then he that Couzens me of a Yard of Damask? Is not He that Betrays me in his Arms, a more Detestable Wretch then He that Contents Himself in the Way of his Trade, to Pick my Pocket? Without any more Words, we are All Jugglers in some Kind, or in some Degree or Other. But there’s this to be said for’t yet, that we Play Foul by Consent. We Couzen in our Words, and in our Actions; only we are Agreed upon’t, that such and such Forms of Civility, like some Adulterate Coins, shall pass Current for so much. A Fashionable Imposture, or Hypocrisie, shall be call’d Good Manners, and so we make a shift in some sort to Legitimate the Abuse. In Jupiter’s appointing these Frauds, we read the Power of Humane Frailty that Disposes us to Entertain them: For we are False enough by Nature without any need of Prescription.

Fab. CLXXXIV. Jupiter and Modesty.

Man was made in such a Hurry (according to the Fable) that Jupiter had forgotten to put Modesty into the Composition, among his other Affections; and finding that there was no Way of Introducing it afterwards, Man by Man, he Proposed the turning of it Loose among the Multitude: Modesty took her self at first to be a Little hardly Dealt withal, but in the End, came over to Agree to’t, upon Condition that Carnal Love might not be suffer’d to come into the same Company; for where-ever that comes, says she, I’m Gone.

The Moral.

Sensual Love knows neither Bars nor Bounds. We are all Naturally Impudent; only by Custom, and Fig leaves, we have been taught to Disguise the Matter, and Look Demurely; and that’s it which we call Modesty.

REFLEXION.

The Extravagant Heats and Transports of Lovers, and Voluptuaries, take away all Shame. This Fable Hints to us the Wild Extravagances of an Unbridled Appetite, and that till that Devil be laid, there can be no Thought of Lodging Carnal Love and Modesty under the same Roof. Jupiter’s forgetting Modesty in the Composition of Man, Intimates the Difficulty of Admitting it, till Flesh and Blood has done the Friendly Office towards the Peopling of the World; for there’s hardly any Place for Councel, till these Heats are in some Measure taken off; and it is no Wonder, that when Love comes to be without Reason, it should be without Modesty too; for when ’tis once past Government, it is consequently past Shame. When Our Corruptions, in fine, are Strong, and our Understandings Weak, we are apter to Hearken to the Motions of the Blood, and to the Vain Imaginations of a Deprav’d Affection, then to the Dry Doctrines and Preceps of Authority and Virtue.

This Difficulty of keeping Young and Hot Blood in Order, does mightily Enforce the Necessity of an Early Care for the Training up of Children, and giving them a Tincture, before it be too Late, of those Doctrines and Principles, by which they are afterward to Govern the Whole Frame of their Lives. For in their Tender Years they are more Susceptible of Profitable and Vertuous Impressions, then afterward, when they come to be Sollicited by the Impulse of Common, and Vulgar Inclinations. They should in Truth, be kept out of Distance, of either Seeing or Hearing Ill Examples: Especially in an Age that is Govern’d more by President then by Reason.

Fab. CLXXXV. Jupiter’s Wedding.

When the Toy had once taken Jupiter in the Head to Enter into a State of Matrimony, he Resolv’d for the Honour of his Celestial Lady, that the whole World should keep a Festival upon the Day of his Marriage, and so Invited all Living Creatures, Tag, Rag, and Bob-Tail, to the Solemnity of his Wedding. They all came in very Good Time, saving only the Tortoise. Jupiter told him ’twas Ill done to make the Company Stay, and Ask’d him, Why so Late? Why truly says the Tortoise, I was at Home, at my Own House, my Dearly Beloved House, and [Home is Home, let it be never so Homely.] Jupiter took it very Ill at his Hands, that he should think himself Better in a Ditch, then in a Palace, and so he pass’d this Judgment upon him; That since he would not be perswaded to come out of his House upon that Occasion, he should never Stir abroad again from that Day forward, without his House upon his Head.

The Moral.

There’s a Retreat of Sloth and Affectation, as well as of Choice and Virtue; and a Beggar may be as Proud, and as Happy too in a Cottage, as a Prince in a Palace.

REFLEXION.

We are to Learn from hence (says the Old Moral) that there’s no Trifling, Dallying, or Delaying with Men in Power: And that Contentment in a Mean Condition at Home, is beyond all the Luxurious Treats in the World, Abroad, with Pomp, and Envy. The Danger of Trifling with Great Men does not come up methinks, to the Full Force, and Intent of this Fable, which seems rather to set forth the Mistakes of Impotent Greatness, in Mis-judging the Test and Standard of Humane Happiness. What’s a Voluptuous Dinner, and the Frothy Vanity of Discourse that commonly attends these Pompous Entertainments? What is it but a Mortification, to a Man of Sense and Virtue, to spend his time among People that take Good for Evil, and Punish where they should Reward, and Reward where they should Punish? The Tortoise was Forbidden the Court; That is to say, he was Banished from the sight of Vain, Wicked, and Unprofitable Examples. Jupiter gave the Tortoise the Honour of an Invitation, but that Honour was yet to the Poor Tortoise’s Loss; for He that’s Transported out of his Nature, and out of his Element, let the Change be what it will, is a Loser by the Bargain. A Plain, and a Homely Home, with Competency and Content, is beyond all the Palaces under the Heavens; The Pomp, the Plenty, and the Pleasures of them over and above. To say nothing of the Surfeits that are gotten by Excesses of Eating and Drinking; The Restless Nights, Factious Emulations, Fewds, and Disgusts that attend them: Besides the Slavery of being Ty’d up to other Peoples Hours, Meals, and Fashions. He that has no Ambition, is Happy in a Cell, or in a Cottage; whereas the Ambitious Man is Miserable, even upon a Throne. He that thinks he has not Enough, Wants, and He that Wants is a Beggar.

The Tortoise came Late, for he came Unwillingly, which is the Case of many a Worthy Man that Sacrifices his Peace to Formalities of Complement, and Good Manners. Jupiter took Snuff at the Contempt, and Punish’d him for’t. And what was the Punishment? He sent him Home again. That is to say, He Remanded him to his Lot, and to his Choice. Such, in Short, is the Felicity of a Moderate, and a Steady Mind, that all Comforts are Wrapt up in’t; for Providence turns the very Punishment of a Good Man, into an Equivalence to a Reward, by Improving that to his Advantage, which was intended for his Ruin; and making the Tortoise’s Banishment a Blessing to him.

Fab. CLXXXVI. A Wolfe and a Sheep.

A Wolfe that lay Licking of his Wounds, and Extreamly Faint and Ill, upon the Biting of a Dog, call’d out to a Sheep that was passing by, Hark ye Friend (says he) if thou wouldst but Help me to a Soup of Water out of that same Brook there, I could make a Shift to get my self somewhat to Eat. Yes, says the Sheep, I make no Doubt on’t; but when I bring ye Drink, my Carcass shall serve ye for Meat to’t.

The Moral.

It is a Charitable and a Christian Office to Relieve the Poor and the Distressed; but this Duty does not Extend to Sturdy Beggars, that while they are Receiving Alms with One Hand, are ready to Beat out a Man’s Brains with the Other.

REFLEXION.

That Sheep has a Blessed Time on’t that runs on a Wolfe’s Errand: But Æsop’s Sheep have more Wit, I perceive, then many of our Domestique Innocence. ’Tis a Court-Master-Piece, to draw Chesnuts out of the Fire with other Peoples Fingers; and to Complement a Man into a Post of Honour, a-purpose to have him Knock’d o’th Head in’t: Now the Sheep’s Case in the Fable, is but an Every-days Case in the World; when People are divided betwixt Charity and Discretion, how far to go, and where to stop. In Offices of This Doubtful Quality, We have only This General Rule to Walk by, that when we have to do with Known Wolves, we Know likewise that they are not to be Confided in. But this Wolfe (I must Confess) with a Lambskin over his Shoulders, might have past Muster for a Gospeller in Sheeps Cloathing; which would have made it a more Dangerous Imposture. We are to Gather from hence, that there’s no Trusting to the Fair Words and Appearances of a False and a Malicious Enemy; for their very Kindnesses are no better then Snares. Treachery is a kind of a Lay Hypocrisie, and they are Equally Odious both to God and Man: Over and above the Corrupting of our Manners, the Hardening of our Hearts; the Dissolving of all the Bonds of Faith, Confidence, and Society, and the Extinguishing of Good Nature it self; And all This in our own Defence too.

Fab. CLXXXVII. Hares, Foxes, and Eagles.

There goes an Old Story of a Bloudy War betwixt the Hares, and the Eagles; and the Hares would fain have drawn the Foxes into their Alliance; but very Frankly and Civilly they gave them this Answer, That they would serve them with all their Hearts, if they did not Perfectly Understand both the Hares themselves, and the Enemy they were to Cope withal.

The Moral.

There’s no Ent’ring into any League, without well Examining the Faith, and Strength of the Parties to’t.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Folly, to the Highest Degree, for Men to run the Risque of their Lives and Fortunes, by Entering into Leagues with the Weak, against an Adversary that is Manifestly too Strong for them Both. ’Tis Hazardous to Contract Unequal Friendships and Alliances, and there’s an Inequality of Disposition and Humour, as well as of Power. The False are as Dangerous as the Fearful: Only with this Difference, that the One will do a Man Hurt, and the Other can do him no Good. The End of Leagues is Common Assistance and Defence; And he that joyns Interest with those that cannot Help him, stands as single as he did before; which destroys the End of a Common Union; for where there’s no Hope of a Reciprocal Aid, there can be no Reason for a Mutual Obligation: And it is the same Thing in Bus’ness, Councel, and Commerce, that it is in Arms and Force. The Case of the Hares and Foxes in a Confederacy against the Eagles, is a Common Case betwixt Kingdoms and Common-wealths.

Fab. CLXXXVIII. An Ant formerly a Man.

The Ant, or Pismire, was formerly a Husband-man, that secretly Filched away his Neighbour’s Goods and Corn, and stor’d all up in his Own Barn. He drew a General Curse upon his Head for’t, and Jupiter, as a Punishment, and for the Credit of Mankind, turn’d him into a Pismire; but this Change of Shape wrought no Alteration, either of Mind, or of Manners; for he keeps the same Humour and Nature to This very Day.

The Moral.

That which Some call Good Husbandry, Industry and Providence, Others call Raking, Avarice, and Oppression: So that the Vertue and the Vice, in Many Cases, are hardly Distinguishable but by the Name.

REFLEXION.

When Vicious Inclinations are brought once, by Custom, and Practice, to be Habitual, the Evil is Desperate, for Nature will be still True to her self, though all Forms and Disguises. And Custom is a Second Nature. By the Poetical Fictions of Men turn’d into the Shape of Beasts, and Insects, we are given to Understand that they do effectually Make themselves so, when they Degenerate from the Dignity of their Kind: So that the Metamorphosis is in their Manners, not in their Figure. When a Reasonable Soul descends to keep Company in the Dirt with Ants, and Beetles, and to Abandon the Whole Man to the Sensuality of Brutal Satisfactions he forfeits his Peerage, and the very Privilege of his Character and Creation; for he’s no longer a Man, that gives himself wholly up to the Works of a Beast. Only one Word more now, upon the Judgment that Befel the Husband man, which bids us have a Care of Avarice, Rapine and Oppression; for the Curse of Heaven Attends them.

Fab. CLXXXIX. Travellers by the Sea side.

A Company of People that were walking upon the Shore, saw somewhat come Hulling toward them a great Way off at Sea. They took it at first for a Ship, and as it came Nearer, for a Boat only; but it prov’d at last to be no more then a Float of Weeds and Rushes: Whereupon they made this Reflexion within Themselves, We have been Waiting here for a Mighty Bus’ness, that comes at last to just Nothing.

The Moral.

We Fancy things to be Greater or Less at a Distance, according to Our Interest or Inclination to have them either the One or the Other.

REFLEXION.

The Doctrine of this Fable is held forth to us in a Thousand Cases of Curiosity, Novelty, &c. We make a Wonderful Matter of Things at a Distance, that Signifie Little or Nothing at all, nearer hand. And we are as much Impos’d upon in the Prospect of our Hopes and Fears: The Dangers, and the Blessings that we either Dread, or Propose to our selves, look a great Deal Bigger a far off, then in Effect they are. And what’s the Mystery of All this now, but that we judge of Things by False Images and Appearances, without Entering into the True State and Reason of them? So that at this Rate, we divide our Lives, betwixt Flattering Illusions, and Restless Apprehensions: Never at Ease, either on the One side, or on the Other. The Mischief is, that we are Over-solicitous about Matters that are out of our Power, and Star-gazing after Futurities; when in truth, our Bus’ness lies just under our Noses; That is to say, in the Attending, and Emproving of Present Opportunities. In few Words, a Wise Man Counts his very Minutes: He lets no Time slip him; for Time is Life: which he makes Long, by the Good Husbandry of a Right Use and Application of it, from One Moment to Another. This is not yet to Exclude the Providence of Tracing Premisses into Consequences, or Causes into their Effects; but to Caution us not to look at the Wrong End of the Glass; and so Invert the Prospect. We see Things at hand, as they really are, but at a Distance, only as they seem to be: Patience and Consideration will set us Right in our Judgments and in our Measures. It is much thereabouts with the Common People too, in the Matter of Remote Grievances. They Represent, and Fancy to Themselves, Hell, Slavery and Damnation at a Distance, in many a Case, which at hand signifies not so much as a Flea biting.

Fab. CXC. A Wild Ass and a Tame.

As a Tame Ass was Airing himself in a Pleasant Meadow, with a Coat and Carcass in very Good Plight, up comes a Wild one to him from the next Wood, with this short Greeting. Brother (says he) I Envy your Happiness; and so he left him. It was his Hap some short time after this Encounter, to see his Tame Brother, Groaning under an Unmerciful Pack, and a Fellow at his Heels Goading him forward. He rounds him in the Ear upon’t, and Whispers him, My Friend (says he) your Condition is not I Perceive, what I took it to be, for a Body may buy Gold too Dear: And I am not for Purchasing Good Looks and Provender at this Rate.

The Moral.

Betwixt Envy and Ingratitude, we make Our Selves twice Miserable; out of an Opinion, First, that our Neighbour has too Much; and Secondly, that We our Selves have too Little.

REFLEXION.

This is to Caution us against running the Risque of Disappointments; that are greater then the Present Inconveniences; and where the Misery, and Hazzard, does more then Countervail the Benefit.

In the Fable of the Horse and the Ass (Num. 38,) The Ass finds himself Mistaken in his Opinion, both of the Foundation of Happiness, and of the Stability of it. His Mistake in This, looks another way; for he took his Brother to be Happy when he was not so; Even according to his own Standard: But we are too apt to think other People more Happy, and our selves Less, then in Truth, They, or We are: Which favours of a Malevolence on the One hand, and an Ingratitude on the Other. Nay, it falls out many times, that the Envious Persons are rather to be Envy’d of the Two. What had the Wild Ass here to Complain of, or the Tame One to be Envy’d for? The Former was but in the Plight that Wild Asses usually are; and in truth ought to be. When they are in the Woods they are at Home, and a Forrest Life, to them, is but according to Nature. As to the State and Rudeness of his Body, ’tis but Answerable to the Condition of his Lot. The Tame Ass, ’tis true, was Better Fed, but then he was Harder Wrought, and in the Carrying of Packs, he did but serve Mankind in the Trade that Providence has Assign’d him; for he was made for Burdens. ’Tis a Fine Thing to be Fat and Smooth; but ’tis a Finer Thing to Live at Liberty and Ease.

To speak Properly, and to Point, there is no such Thing as Happiness or Misery in this World (commonly so Reputed) but by Comparison; Neither is there any Man so Miserable, as not to be Happy, or so Happy, as not to be Miserable, in some Respect or Other: Only we are apt to Envy our Neighbours the Possession of Those Advantages that we Want, without ever giving Thanks for the Blessings that They Want, and We our selves Enjoy. Now This Mixture in the Distributions of Providence, duly Considered, serves to make us Easy, as well as Necessary One to Another; and so to Unite us in a Consistence both of Friendship, and of Civil Convenience: For it is no less Requisite to maintain a Truck in the Matter of Moral Offices, and Natural Faculties, then in the Common Bus’ness of Negotiation, and Commerce; and Humane Society can no more Subsist without the One, then without the Other. One Man furnishes Brains, Another Money, a Third, Power, Credit, Mediation, Intelligence, Advice, Labour, Industry: (to say Nothing of a Thousand other Instances Reducible to this Head) so that the Rule of Communication holds as well betwixt Man and Man; as betwixt Country and Country; What One has Not, Another Has, and there is not That Man Living, but in some Case or Other, stands in Need of his Neighbour. Take away This Correspondence, and the very Frame of all Political Bodies drops, to pieces. Every thing is Best in fine, As God has Made it, and where God has Plac’d it. The Tame Ass wrought hard for his Fine Coat, and the Wild one Far’d Hard to Ballance the Comfort of his Freedom.

Fab. CXCI. Asses to Jupiter.

The Asses found themselves once so Intolerably Oppressed with Cruel Masters, and Heavy Burdens, that they sent their Ambassadors to Jupiter, with a Petition for Redress. Jupiter found the Request Unreasonable, and so gave them This Answer, That Humane Society could not be preserved without Carrying Burdens some way or other: So that if they would but Joyn, and Piss up a River, that the Burdens which they now Carry’d by Land might be carried by Water, they should be Eas’d of that Grievance. This set them All a Pissing Immediately, and the Humour is kept up to This very Day, that whenever One Ass Pisses, the Rest Piss for Company.

The Moral.

’Tis the uttermost Degree of Madness and Folly, to Appeal from Providence and Nature.

REFLEXION.

The Decrees and Appointments of Heaven are Unchangeable, and there’s no Contending. How many Popular Counter-parts of the Asses Petition to Jupiter for Redress of Grievances, have we liv’d to see within our own Memory, and all, for Things, not only Unreasonable, but utterly Impossible. We read however in the Answer, the Quality, and the Reproch of the Prayer, which is Granted upon Conditions as Impracticable as the Thing desir’d is Ridiculous.

The Asses are here Complaining (after the Way of the Mobile) for being put to the very Use and Bus’ness they were made for; as if it were Cruelty and Oppression to Employ the Necessary Means, which God and Nature has given us, for the Attaining of Necessary Ends. If we Confound Higher and Lower, the World is a Chaos again, and a Level. Is not a Labourer as much a Tool of Providence as the Master Builder? Are not the Meanest Artisans of the same Institution with Ministers of Counsel and State? The Head can no more be without the Body, then the Body without the Head; and neither of them without Hands and Feet to Defend, and Provide, both for the One, and for the Other. Government can no more subsist without Subjection, then the Multitude can Agree without Government: And the Duty of Obeying, is no less of Divine Appointment, then the Authority of Commanding.

Here’s a Petition to Jupiter, in Truth, against Himself; and in the Moral, a Complaint to God against Providence; as if the Harmony of Nature, and of the World; The Order of Men, Things, and Bus’ness, were to be Embroil’d, Dissolv’d, or Alter’d, for the Sake of so many Asses. What would become of the Universe if there were not Servants as well as Masters? Beasts to Draw, and Carry Burdens, as well as Burdens to be Drawn and Carry’d? If there were not Instruments for Drudgery, as well as Offices of Drudgery: If there were not People to Receive and Execute Orders, as well as others to Give and Authorize them? The Demand, in fine, is Unnatural, and Consequently both Weak and Wicked; and it is likewise as Vain, and Unreasonable, to Ask a Thing that is wholly Impossible. But ’tis the Petition of an Ass at last which keeps up the Congruity of the Moral to the Fable.

The Ground of the Request, is the Fiction of a Complaint, by reason of Intolerable Burdens. Now we have Grievances to the Life, as well as in Fancy; and Asses in Flesh and Blood too, and in Practice, as well as in Emblem. We have Herds in Society, as well as in the Fields, and in the Forests; And we have English too, as well as Arcadian Grievances. What? (Cries the Multitude) are not our Bodies of the same Clay, and our Souls of the same Divine Inspiration with our Masters? Under these Amusements, the Common People put up so many Appeals to Heaven, from the Powers and Commands of their Lawful Superiors, under the Obloquy of Oppressors; and what Better Answer can be return’d to All their Clamorous Importunities, then this of Jupiter? Which most Emphatically sets forth the Necessity of Discharging the Asses Part; and the Vanity of Proposing to have it done any Other Way. As who should say, the Bus’ness of Humane Nature must be done. Lay your Heads together, and if you can find any way for the doing it, without one sort of People under Another, You shall have Your Asking. But for a Conclusion, He that’s born to Work, is out of his Place and Element when he is Idle.

Fab. CXCII. An Ass and the Frogs.

An Ass sunk down into a Bog among a Shoale of Frogs, with a Burden of Wood upon his Back, and there he lay, Sighing and Groaning, as if his Heart would Break: Hark ye Friend (says one of the Frogs to him) if you make such a Bus’ness of a Quagmire, when you are but just fall’n into’t, what would you do I Wonder, if you had been here as long as we have been?

The Moral.

Custom makes things Familiar and Easy to us; but every thing is Best yet in its own Element.

REFLEXION.

Nature has Assign’d every Creature its Proper Place and Station: and an Ass in a Bog is out of his Element, and out of his Province. The Fable it self has not much in’t: but it may serve to Teach us in the Moral, that it is a High Point of Honour, and Christianity, to bear Misfortunes, with Resolution, and Constancy of Mind: And that Steadiness, is a Point of Prudence, as well as of Courage; for People are the Lighter, and the Easier for’t. But it was an Ass, we see, that Complain’d, and (if a Body may play the Fool with him) he was but an Ass for Complaining: First, of what he could not Help; and Secondly, to be never the Better for’t. ’Tis with a Man in a Jayle, much at the Rate as it was with this Ass in the Bog. He’s Sullen and out of Humour at his first coming In; the Pris’ners Gather about him, and there He tells ’em his Case Over and Over I warrant ye. Some make Sport with him; Others Pity him, and this is the Trade they drive for the First Four or Five Days perhaps; but so soon as the Qualm is over, the Man comes to himself again; makes merry with his Companions, and since he cannot be in his Own House, he reckons Himself as good as at Home in the very Prison. ’Tis the same Thing with a Bird in a Cage; when she has Flutter’d her self a Weary, she sits down and Sings. This ’tis to be Wonted to a Thing. And were it not a Scandal now, if Philosophy should not do as much with us as Custom, without leaving it to Necessity to do the Office of Vertue. It might be added to this Moral, that what’s Natural to One may be Grievous to Another. The Frogs would have been as much at a Loss in the Stable, as the Ass was in the Bog.

Fab. CXCIII. A Gall’d Ass and a Raven.

As an Ass with a Gall’d Back was Feeding in a Meadow, a Raven Pitch’d upon him, and there Sate, Jobbing of the Sore. The Ass fell a Frisking and Braying upon’t; which set a Groom, that saw it at a Distance, a Laughing at it. Well! (says a Wolfe that was Passing by) to see the Injustice of the World now! A Poor Wolfe in that Raven’s Place, would have been Persecuted, and Hunted to Death presently; and ’tis made only a Laughing Matter, for a Raven to do the Same Thing that would have Cost a Wolfe his Life.

The Moral.

One Man may better Steal a Horse, then Another Look over the Hedge.

REFLEXION.

The Same Thing in One Person or Respect, is not always the Same Thing in Another: The Grooms Grinning at the Gambols of the Ass, tells us that there are Many Cases that make People Laugh without Pleasing them, as when the Surprize, or Caprice of some Fantastical Accident happens to strike the Fancy: Nay, a Body cannot forbear Laughing Sometimes, when he is yet Heartily Sorry for the Thing he Laughs at; which is, in Truth, but an Extravagant Motion, that never comes near the Heart: wherefore the Wolfe was Out in his Philosophy, when he call’d it a Laughing-Matter; Besides, that he should have Distinguish’d upon the Disproportion betwixt the Worrying of a Wolfe, and the Pecking of a Raven; That is to say, betwixt a Certain Death on the One Hand, and only a Vexatious Importunity on the Other. The Raven understood what sort of Spark he had to do withal, and the Silly Ass stood Preaching to Himself upon the Text of No Remedy but Patience.

Fab. CXCIV. A Lyon, Ass, and Fox.

As an Ass and a Fox were together upon the Ramble, a Lyon Meets them by the Way. The Fox’s Heart went Pit-a-Pat; but however to make the Best of a Bad Game, he sets a Good Face on’t, and up he goes to the Lyon, Sir, says he; I am come to Offer Your Majesty a Piece of Service, and I’ll Cast my self upon Your Honour for my Own Security. If you have a Mind to my Companion, the Ass here,’tis but a Word Speaking, and You shall have him Immediately. Let it be Done then, says the Lyon. So the Fox Trepann’d the Ass into the Toyl, and the Lyon, when he found he had Him sure, began with the Fox Himself, and after that, for his Second Course, made up his Meal with the Other.

The Moral.

We Love the Treason, but we hate the Traytor.

REFLEXION.

This Fable Advises Every Man in Prudence to be sure of Knowing his Company before he Embarque with them in any Great Matter; Though He that Betrays his Companion, has the Fortune commonly to be Betray’d Himself.

Here’s the Folly of the Ass in Trusting the Fox that he knew to be a Treacherous Companion; and here’s the Knavery of the Fox in Betraying the Ass, which was but according to his Nature. Now this does not hinder yet, but that the Lyon Forfeited a Point of Honour in the Worrying of him; And this Fiction throughout is but the Emblem of Things that are Familiar to us in the World. The Lyon might have been Allow’d an Aversion to the Fox as a Perfidious Creature, but the Devouring of him upon these Terms, was Another Treachery in Himself. There may be this said at last for the Congruity of the Fancy, that a Just and Generous Lyon, would not have Sunk so Low as to hold any Communication with a Fox, much less to Concert with him in his False Dealing. But this Lyon was meant for the Figure of a Wicked Governour, Conferring upon Frauds with Wicked Ministers. Now if he had spar’d the Ass, for his Simplicity, and Pinch’d the Fox for his Perfidy, the Proceding might have had some Semblance of a Generous Equity: But an Honourable Mind will scorn to make Advantage of a Treacherous Instrument. That is to say, by Assenting to the Treachery: So that the Moral seems to carry more Force with this Biass. Upon the Whole Matter, here’s the Silly Ass pays Dear for the Credulity and Folly of Keeping Ill Company. The Fox is Met withal in his Own Way, for Breaking the Faith of Society; but still there wants some Judgment Methinks, to Attend the Lyon; for he that Encourages One Treason, does not only Practice, but Promote Another; and lays the Foundation of a Doctrine, that will come Home to Himself in the Conclusion. When a Prince fails in Point of Honour and Common Justice, ’tis enough to Stagger his People in their Faith and Allegiance. But the Lyon here in the Fable came off better then our Political Lyons usually do in the World.

Fab. CXCV. A Hen and a Swallow.

There was a Foolish Hen that sat Brooding upon a Nest of Snakes Eggs. A Swallow, that Observ’d it, went and told her the Danger on’t. Little do you think, says she, what you are at this Instant a Doing, and that You are just now Hatching Your Own Destruction; for This Good Office will be your Ruine.

The Moral.

’Tis the Hard Fortune of many a Good Natur’d Man to breed up a Bird to Pick out his Own Eyes, in despite of All Cautions to the Contrary.

REFLEXION.

This is the Case of Many People in the World, that spend their Time in Good Offices for Others, to the Utter Ruine of Themselves: And there’s No Better to be Expected from a Wicked Age, and an Ill Natur’d People. They that want Foresight, should do well to Hearken to Good Council. He that thinks to Oblige Hard-Hearted People by an Officious Tenderness, and to fare the Better Himself for putting it into Their Power to Hurt him, will find only so much Time, Pains, and Good-Will, utterly cast away, at the Foot of his Account. ’Tis Good however, to Hope, and to Presume the Best, provided a Man be Prepar’d for the Worst. The Mistake lies in This, that the Charity begins Abroad that Ought to begin at Home. They that cannot see into the End of Things, may well be at a Loss in the Reason of them; and a Well-Meaning Piety is the Destruction of many an Honest Man, that sits Innocently Brooding upon the Political Projects of Other People, though with the Heart all the While, of a Patriot, and a True Friend to the Publique. Tell him the Consequences of Matters, and that he is now Hatching of Serpents, not of Chickens: A Misguided Zeal makes him Deaf and Blind to the true State and Issue of Things. He sits his Time out, and what’s the End on’t; but the Plot Naturally Discloses it self in a Common Ruine? It is a Great Infelicity to make a Wrong Choice of a Friend: But when Men are Advertis’d of the Danger beforehand, it is as Great a Fault, if they will take No Warning. The Hen was told on’t, but the Swallow had the Fate, as well as the Gift of Cassandra; to speak Truth, and not to be believ’d: Which has been the Misfortune of many an Honest Man in All Times, and particularly in the very Age we live in.

Fab. CXCVI. A Pigeon and a Picture.

A Pigeon saw the Picture of a Glass with Water in’t, and taking it to be Water indeed, flew Rashly and Eagerly up to’t, for a Soup to Quench her Thirst. She broke her Feathers against the Frame of the Picture, and falling to the Ground upon’t, was taken up by the By-Standers.

The Moral.

Rash Men do many things in Haste that they Repent of at Leisure.

REFLEXION.

’Tis not Good to be Over Fierce upon any Thing, for fear of Mistaking, or Misunderstanding the Matter in Question. Moderation is a High Point of Wisdom, and Temerity on the Other Hand, is ever Dangerous: For Men are Subject to be Couzen’d with Outward Appearances, and so take the Vain Images, and Shadows of Things, for the Substance. All Violent Passions have somewhat in them of the Rashness of This Pigeon; and if That Rashness be not as Fatal in the One Case, as This was in the Other, ’tis a Deliverance that we are more Indebted for, either to the Special Grace of an Over-ruling Providence, or to the Mediation of That which we call Chance, then to any thing of our own Government and Direction. One Man may have the Advantage of Another in the Benefit of a Presence of Mind, which may serve in a Great Measure, to Fortifie us against Surprizes, and Difficulties not to be foreseen: But a sound Judgment is the Result of second Thoughts, upon Due Time and Consideration, which way to bring Matters to a Fair Issue. This Precipitate Temper is little better then a Physical Madness; for there is somewhat of an Alienation in’t, when People proceed, not only Without, but Contrary to Reason. How many Instances do we see daily, of People that are Hurry’d on, without either Fear or Wit, by Love, Hatred, Envy, Ambition, Revenge, &c. to their Own Ruine: which comes to the very Case of the Pigeon’s breaking her Wing against the Picture, and the Miscarriage is Every jot as Ridiculous.

Fab. CXCVII. A Pigeon and a Crow.

A Pigeon that was brought up in a Dove-House, was Bragging to a Crow how Fruitful she was. Never Value Your self, says the Crow, upon That Vanity; for the More Children, the More Sorrow.

The Moral.

Many Children are a Great Blessing; but a Few Good Ones are a Greater; All Hazzards Consider’d.

REFLEXION.

The Care, Charge, and Hazzard of a Brood of many Children, in the Education and Proof of them, does, in a Great Measure, Countervail the Blessing: Especially where they are gotten in a State of Slavery. Sorrow and Vexation is Entail’d upon the whole Race of Mankind. We are Begotten to’t; We are Born to’t; and as it has Descended to us, so it is by us to be Handed down to Those that come after us. The Stress of the Fable lies upon the Hazzard of having a Numerous Stock of Children, which must of Necessity, whether they Live or Dye, furnish Matter of Great Anxiety to the Parents. The Loss of them is Grievous to us. The Miscarriage of them, by falling into Lewd and Vicious Courses, is much Worse: And one such Disappointment is sufficient to Blast the Comfort of All the Rest. Nay, the very Possibility, or rather the Likelyhood and Odds, that some out of such a Number will Prove Ungracious and Rebellious, makes our Beds Uneasie to us; Fills our Heads and our Hearts with Carking Thoughts, and keeps us in Anxiety Night and Day for fear they should be so, and prove like Vipers, to eat out the Belly of their Own Mothers.

Fab. CXCVIII. A Woman and her Two Daughters.

A Woman that had Two Daughters, Bury’d one of them, and Mourners were Provided to Attend the Funeral. The Surviving Daughter Wonder’d to see Strangers so much concern’d at the Loss of her Sister, and her Nearest Relations so Little. Pray Mother, says she, What’s the Reason of This? Oh, says the Mother, We that are a-Kin to her, are never the Better for Crying, but the Strangers have Money for’t.

The Moral.

Mourners are as Mercenery as Common Prostitutes; They are at His Service that bids Most for them.

REFLEXION.

Funeral Tears are only Civilities of Course, but there must be Wringing of Hands yet, and Ejulations, some where or Other; and where the Relations are not in Humor for’t, ’tis the Fashion to Provide Mercenaries to do the Office. The Moral of this will reach to All the Pompous Solemnities of our Mourning Processions, which upon the Whole, Amount to no more then Dress and Pageantry, to make the Show look Dismal, and so many Sowre Faces that are Hir’d to Adorn the Hypocrisie. This was the Widow’s Case, that Cry’d her self half Mad and Blind with a Thousand Passionate Interjections, for the loss of her Dear Husband. [Never so Dear, so Dear a Man!] This Woman, I say (when she had done All This, and Renounc’d the World, the flesh and the Devil, with as much Solemnity as ever she did in her Baptism) was at the Long-Last prevail’d upon to hear the Will read: But when she found in the Conclusion, that the Dear Man she so often call’d upon, had left her Nothing that he could keep from her, but her Wedding Ring and her Apron-Strings, Up she started, Wip’d her Eyes, Rais’d her Voice, [And is this all with a Pox] she cry’d; and with Those Words in her Mouth, she came to her self again. Now This Widow, in the Pure Strength of Flesh and Blood, cry’d as Arrantly for Money as the Mercenaries in the Fable.

Fab. CXCIX. A Shepherd and his Sheep.

In Old time when Sheep fed like Hogs upon Acorns, a Shepherd drove his Flock into a Little Oak-Wood, spread his Coat under a Tree, and up he went to shake ’em down some Mast. The Sheep were so Keen upon the Acorns, that they Gobbled up now and then a Piece of the Coat along with ’em. When the Shepherd took Notice of it: What a Company of Ungrateful Wretches are you, says he, that Cloath all Other People that have No Relation to you, and yet Strip your Master, that gives ye both Food and Protection!

The Moral.

The Belly has no Ears; and a Ravenous Appetite Guttles up whatever is Before it, without any regard either to Things or Persons.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Freak mightily in Fashion among some People to Affect a Singularity in their Lives and Manners, and to Live in a Direct Opposition to the Ordinary Rules of Prudence and Good Nature, As in returning Evil for Good for the Purpose; Nay, and in some Cases, Good for Evil too; where ’tis done more to be seen of Men then for God’s sake, and where the Vanity of Doing it Destroys the Merit of the Virtue. The Fable will also bear This Moral, That Eager Appetites have not a Right Tast of Things; for the Coat goes down as well as the Acorns; but the main Stress of it falls upon Those that Rob Peter, as we say to Pay Paul, and take the Bread out of their Masters Mouths to give it to Strangers. And the Kindness of the Master is yet a further Aggravation of the Crime. We have abundance of Cases in Practice, as well as in Story, that strike upon This Topique. Have we never read of a Sacrilegious Convocation of Divines, that at the same Time that they liv’d upon the Altar, Betray’d it; and while they robb’d God himself of his Due, Divided the Spoils of the Church among the Rabble. Have we never heard of Men that Gobbled the Priviledges and Revenues of the Crown, and then Squander’d them away in Donatives upon the Common People? Or, What shall we say of the Scoffing Atheist, that turns all the Powers and Faculties of his Soul, as much as in him lies, to the Reproche of his Maker, and yet at the same time too, as Pleasant Company to the World, as the Wit of a Libertine can make him. What is all this now but a Sheep Stripping his Master, and Cloathing Strangers.

Fab. CC. Jupiter and a Herds-Man.

A Herds-man that had lost a Calf out of his Grounds, sent up and down after it; and when he could get No Tydings on’t, he betook himself at last to his Prayers, according to the Custom of the World, when People are brought to a Forc’d-Put. Great Jupiter (says he) Do but shew me the Thief that stole my Calf, and I’ll give thee a Kid for a Sacrifice. The Word was no sooner pass’d; but the Thief appear’d; which was indeed a Lyon. This Discovery put him to his Prayers once again. I have not forgotten my Vow, says he, but now thou hast brought me to the Thief, I’ll make That Kid a Bull, if thou’lt but set me Quit of him again.

The Moral.

We cannot be too Careful, and Considerate what Vows, and Promises we make; for the very Granting of our Prayers turns many times to our Utter Ruine.

REFLEXION.

This Fable Condemns All Rash Vows and Promises, and the Unsteadiness of those Men that are first mad to have a Thing, and as soon Weary of it. Men should Consider well before hand what they Promise, what they Vow; nay, and what they wish for, least they should be Taken at their Words, and afterward Repent. We make it half our Bus’ness to Learn our Gain, and Compass those Things, which when we come to Understand, and to have in our Possession, we’d give the whole Earth to be Rid of again: Wherefore he that Moderates his Desires without laying any Stress upon Things Curious, or Uncertain; and Resigns himself in All Events to the Good Pleasure of Providence, succeeds Best in the Government of his Fortune, Life, and Manners. The Herds-man was in a State of Freedom, we see, till he made himself a Voluntary Slave, by Entering into a Dangerous and Unnecessary Vow; which he could neither Contract without Folly, nor Keep without Loss and Shame; For Heaven is neither to be Wheedled, nor Brib’d. Men should so Pray, as not to Repent of their Prayers, and turn the most Christian and Necessary Office of our Lives into a Sin. We must not Pray in One Breath to Find a Thief, and in the Next, to get shut of him.

Fab. CCI. A Gnat Challenges a Lyon.

As a Lyon was Blustering in the Forrest, up comes a Gnat to his very Beard, and Enters into an Expostulation with him upon the Points of Honour and Courage. What do I Value your Teeth, or your Claws, says the Gnat, that are but the Arms of Every Bedlam Slut? As to the Matter of Resolution; I defy ye to put That Point Immediately to an Issue. So the Trumpet Sounded, and the Combatants Enter’d the Lists. The Gnat Charg’d into the Nostrils of the Lyon, and there Twing’d him, till he made him Tear himself with his Own Paws. And in the Conclusion he Master’d the Lyon. Upon This, a Retreat was Sounded, and the Gnat flew his way: But by Ill-hap afterward, in his Flight, he Struck into a Cobweb, where the Victor fell a Prey to a Spider. This Disgrace went to the Heart of him, after he had got the Better of a Lyon, to be Worsted by an Insect.

The Moral.

’Tis in the Power of Fortune to Humble the Pride of the Mighty, even by the most Despicable Means, and to make a Gnat Triumph over a Lyon: Wherefore let no Creature, how Great or how Little soever, Presume on the One side, or Despair on the Other.

REFLEXION.

There is Nothing either so Great, or so Little, as not to be Lyable to the Vicissitudes of Fortune, whether for Good or for Evil. A Miserable Fly is sufficient, we see, to take down the Stomach of a Lyon; and then to Correct the Insulting Vanity of That Fly, it falls the next Moment into the Toyl of a Spider. ’Tis Highly Improvident not to Obviate small Things; and as Ridiculous to be Baffled by them; and it is not the Force neither, but the Importunity that is so Vexatious and Troublesome to us. The very Teizing of the Lyon Gall’d him more then an Arrow at his Heart would have done. The Doctrine is this, That no Man is to Presume upon his Power and Greatness, when every Pitiful Insect may find out a Way to Discompose him. But That Pitiful Insect again is not to Value himself upon his Victory neither; for the Gnat that had the Better of the Lyon, in the very next breath, was Worsted by a Spider.