Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (7)

This is to Inform us, that Wicked and Ill Natur’d Men are not to be Oblig’d by Kindnesses, Especially when they find they may be the better for Insolence; for at that Rate, he that Rewards Past Affronts, Draws on and Encourages New Ones. There are Churlish Curs in the Moral as well as in the Fable, and we are here taught how to Behave our selves upon the Biting of All Manner of Dogs. Under the Rule and Correction of This Allegory, we may reckon Calumny, Slander, and Detraction in any Form or Figure whatsoever, and all Manner of Affronts and Indignities upon our Good Names, or our Persons. There may be Place in All These Cases for a Generous Charity to Forgive Offences, even of the Highest Ingratitude and Malice; But it is not Advisable to Reward where Men have the Tenderness not to Punish. This way of Proceeding is Dangerous in All the Affairs Publique, as well as Private, of Humane Life; for ’tis a Temptation to Villany, when a Man fares the Better for Evil Doing. Ill Nature, in fine, is not to be Cur’d with a Sop; but on the contrary, Quarrelsome _Men_ as well as Quarrelsome _Curs_ are worse for fair Usage.

FAB. LXXXIX.

A _Hunted Bever_.

The _Bever_ is a kind of an _Amphibious_ Creature, but he lives Mostly in the _Water_. His Stones, they say, are Medicinal; and it is principally for Their Sake, he knows that People seek his Life; and therefore when he finds himself Hard Pinch’d, he Bites ’em off, and by leaving Them to his Pursuers, he Saves Himself.

The MORAL.

_When a greater Interest is at Stake, ’tis a Warrantable Point of Honour and Discretion, to compound the Hazzard, by parting with the Less; provided, that while we Quit the One, we may Save the Other._

REFLEXION.

We find this Doctrine and Practice to be Verify’d in _State_-Chaces, as well as in those of the _Woods_; That is to say, where it is made a Crime to be Rich, and where Men are forc’d to lay Violent Hands on Themselves, to be Safe and Quiet; and with the _Bever_ here to compound with their _Nutmegs_ to save their Lives.

FAB. XC.

A _Thunny_ and a _Dolphin_.

A _Thunny_ gave Chace to a _Dolphin_; and when he was just ready to seize him, the _Thunny_ struck before he was aware, and the _Dolphin_, in the Eagerness of his Pursuit, ran himself a ground with him. They were both Lost; but the _Thunny_ kept his Eye still upon the _Dolphin_, and Observing him when he was Just at Last Gasp: Well, says he, the Thought of Death is now Easy to me, so long as I see my Enemy go for Company.

FAB. XCI.

_Two Enemies_ at _Sea_.

There were _Two Enemies at Sea_ in the same Vessel, the One at the Ships Head, the Other at the Stern. It Blew a Dreadful Storm, and when the Vessel was just ready to be swallow’d up, One of ’em Ask’d the Master, which part of the Ship would be First under Water; so he told him the T’other End would Sink first. Why then, says he, I shall have the Comfort of seeing my Enemy go before me.

The MORAL of the Two FABLES above.

_’Tis a Wretched Satisfaction, that a Revengeful Man takes, even in the Losing of his own Life, provided that his Enemy may go for Company._

REFLEXION.

There is some Comfort in Company, even in a State of Adversity. Society is so Necessary and Agreeable to Mankind in All Cases, that Death is Certainly the More Uneasy for a Man’s going alone into Another World: But the Consolation Pointed at in This Fable, is That which an Envious Man takes in the Ruine of his Enemy. There is a Memorable Instance to This Purpose, of a Gentleman that had an Estate for Lives, and Two of his Tenants in the Lease: One of them Dyes, and the Other desires his Landlord to lay Both Farms into One, and Accept of him for His Tenant. The Gentleman fairly Excus’d Himself, and away goes the Man in a Rage to his Wife; Told her how it was, and Swore a Great Oath, that he would be Reveng’d of his Landlord. This was in Harvest Time, and he went out next day to his Reapers, but stay’d so long, that his Wife sent up and down to look after him. To shorten the Story, they found him at last in a Ditch, Vomiting his Heart out. The Man, it seems, had Poyson’d himself, and the Revenge upon his Landlord was the Defeating him of his Estate by Destroying the Last Life in his Lease. In One Word, Revenge stops at Nothing that’s Violent and Wicked. It Divides the Dearest Friends; Embroils Governments, and Tears Families to pieces. But to say no more on’t, The Histories of All Ages are full of the Tragical Outrages that have been Executed by this Diabolical Passion: beside, that it hardens People into a Brutal Contempt of Death, (as in the Fables above) where they may but see their Enemies fall for Company.

FAB. XCII.

A _Fortune-Teller_.

There was a kind of _Petty Conjurer_, that made it his Profession to Resolve Questions, and tell _Fortunes_, and he held forth in the Market-Place. Word was brought him, in the very Middle of his Schemes and Calculations, that his House was Robb’d; and so away he scours immediately to learn the Truth on’t. As he was running home in All Haste, a Droll takes him up by the Way, with this short Question. Friend (says he) How come You to be so Good at telling Other Peoples Fortunes, and know so little of your Own?

FAB. XCIII.

A _Cunning Woman_.

A Certain Dame that pass’d in the World under the Name of a _Cunning Woman_, took upon her to Avert Divine Judgments, and to Foretell Strange Things to come. She play’d the Counterfeit Witch so long, till in the Conclusion, she was Taken up, Arraign’d, Try’d, Convicted, Condemned to Dye, and at last Executed for a Witch indeed. D’ye hear, Good Woman (says one to her, as she was upon the Way to her Execution) Are the Gods so much Easyer then the Judges, that you should be Able to make Them do any Thing for ye, and yet could not Prevail with the Bench for the Saving of your Own Life?

FAB. XCIV.

An _Astrologer_ and a _Traveller_.

A Certain _Starr-Gazer_ had the Fortune, in the very Height of his Celestial Observations, to stumble into a Ditch: A sober Fellow passing by gave him a piece of Wholesome Counsel. Friend, says he, Make a Right Use of Your Present Misfortune; and pray, for the Future, let the Starrs go on quietly in their Courses, and do you look Better to the Ditches.

The MORAL of the Three FABLES above.

_There needs no more then Impudence and Ignorance, on the One Side, and a Superstitious Credulity on the Other, to the Setting up of a Fortune-Teller._

REFLEXION.

This serves for a Reproof to the Ignorance and Confidence of _Figure-Flingers_, _Starr-Gazers_, that pretend to foretell the Fortunes of Kingdoms and States, and yet have no Foresight at all in what concerns Themselves.

The Moral of these Fables strikes upon the Vanity and Arrogance of _Empyricks_ and _Impostors Themselves_, and upon the Folly of the Fond _Believers_ of them. The Caution holds also against Unlawful Curiosities; Sickly, and Superstitious Fancyes and Dreams; Fore-bodings of Ill Luck; as the Crossing of a Hare, the Spilling of Salt, _&c._ This Humour, let it look never so Little, and Silly, (as it passes many times only for Frolique and Banter) is One yet of the most Pernicious Snares in Humane Life; when it comes once to get Possession, and to Gain Credit, Especially among Women and Children, where the Imagination is strong in the One, and the Disposition as Plyant as Wax for an Impression, in the Other. Wherefore, of All Things in This World, Care is to be Taken, that they get not a Hankering after These _Juggling Astrologers_, _Gypsies_, _Wizzards_, _Fortune-Tellers_, _Conjurers_, _Quacks_, _Cunning Women_, &c. To say Nothing of the Fooleries of _Fortune-Books_, and a Hundred other Vulgar Wayes of Enquiry into the Event of _Amours_, _Marriages_, _Life and Death_, _Travel_, _Play_, or the like; which is all but a Tincture of the same Capital Infirmity. If these Pretenders were not better Supported by the Simplicity, and Devotion of the Inquisitive Fools that Consult Those Oracles, then they are by any Congruity of Premisses and Conclusion; or by the Ordinary Way of Tracing Causes into their Effects, the Trade would not find ’em Bread; for there’s No Proportion at all betwixt the Means, and the End. Not but that the Things they seem to Predict, come many times to pass; Yet still the nearer the Mark in their Conjectures, the more suspicious is the Profession on the One Hand, and the more Dangerous is the Credulity on the Other: For Those People that take upon them to Resolve such Doubts, Scruples, and Difficulties, as are not to be known by any Natural Process of Reasoning; and those Men that will be Prying Forbidden Ways, into the Secret Councels of Almighty God, are Both Justly Punish’d: The One in Telling the Truth, and the Other in Hearing it: for it Hardens the One in his Confidence, and Presumption, and the Other in his Curiosity, and Superstition: Over and above the Feats that are done by Confederacy and Intelligence; for how shall any man pretend to tell Me my Fortune that knows nothing of his Own?

There are _Mountebanks_, and _Smatterers_ also in _State_ as well as in _Science_; Nay and Perchance, the Vainer, the more Ignorant, and the more Mischievous of the Two; for All These Fables are Moraliz’d in History, Practice, and Conversation; and the Fiction, Match’d, at least, if not Outdone, in matter of Fact. And These Ordinary _Hocusses_ have been made use of in All Ages too, as Tools of State; sometimes For the Government, Other-while Against it, as the Occasion lay Fairest for the Game that was then a Playing. It goes a great Way, when Natural Curiosity, Vulgar Prejudice, and an Artificial Application of Actives to Passives, shall be Assisted with the _Shams_ of _Astrological Judgments_ and _Calculations_ over and above: though with our _Conjurers_ here, their Ignorance and Presumption lay them Open in the Conclusion, to the Scorns and Contempt of the Common People.

FAB. XCV.

A _Doctor_ and his _Patient_.

_Pray Sir How d’ye Find your self?_ says the _Dr._ to his _Patient_. Why truly, says the _Patient_; I have had a Violent Sweat. _Oh the best Sign in the World_ quoth the _Dr._ And then a little while after he is at it again, with a _Pray How d’ye find your Body?_ Alas, says the T’other, I have just now such a Terrible Fit of Horror and Shaking upon me! _Why this is all as it should be_, says the _Physician_, It shews a Mighty Strength of Nature. And then he comes over him a Third time with the same Question again; Why I am all swell’d, says T’other, as if I had a Dropsy; _Best of all_ quoth the _Doctor_, and goes his Way. Soon after This, comes one of the Sick Man’s Friends to him with the same Question, how he felt himself; why truly so Well, says he, that I am e’en ready to Dye, of I know not how many Good Signs and Tokens.

The MORAL.

_A Death-bed Flattery is the worst of Treacheries._

REFLEXION.

This gives us to Understand the Practice of the World, and that Flattery and Time-serving Enters into the most Solemn Offices of Mankind. To Flatter Foolish Men into a Hope of Life where there is None at all, is much the same Thing with Betraying People into an Opinion, that they are in a Virtuous, and Happy State, when they are Over-run with Passion, and Drown’d in their Lusts. The One has the same Pernicious Effect upon our Minds, that the Other has upon our Bodies; for it makes us Careless of Both. There are Certain Decencies of Form, and Civility, ’tis true, that purely regard Matters of Conversation, and Good Manners; And These Respects ought to be Preserv’d; But Ceremonies of Mode and Complement, are mightily out of Season, when Life and Salvation come to be at Stake.

It falls under the Prospect of the same Topique, to Consider, that Kingdoms and Common-Wealths have their Distempers, Intermissions, and Paroxisms, as well as Natural Bodies. And that a Glavering Council is as Dangerous on the One hand, as a Wheedling Priest, or a Flattering Physician is on the Other. There is hardly such Another Pest in a Community, as a Consort of Parasites, that feed Governours with False Representations and Reports of Men and of Things. They First Betray their Masters to Dishonour and Ruine; and then when they find the Vessel Sinking, save themselves in the Long Boat. _So much the Better_, quoth the _Doctor_: _Ay, Ay_, (says the _Emperical Statesman_) _That’s as we’d have it_. When at the same time the Distemper is as Mortal to the _Government_, on the One hand, as to the _Patient_ on the Other.

FAB. XCVI.

A _Fowler_ and a _Black-Bird_.

As a _Fowler_ was Bending his Net, a _Black-Bird_ call’d to him at a distance, and Ask’d him what he was doing. Why says he, I am laying the Foundations of a City; and so the _Bird-man_ drew out of Sight. The _Black-Bird_ Mistrusting Nothing, flew presently to the Bait in the Net, and was taken; and as the Man came running to lay hold of her; Friend, says the Poor _Black-Bird_, If this be Your Way of Building, You’ll have but Few Inhabitants.

The MORAL.

_There is no Sham so Gross, but it will pass upon a Weak Man that is Pragmatical, and Inquisitive._

REFLEXION.

This is to Intimate, that where Rulers lay Snares, deal Falsly, and Exercise Cruelty, All goes to Wrack both Publique and Private. All Frauds are Cover’d and Gilded over with Specious Pretences, and Men are Every jot as Easily Impos’d upon, as Birds, Beasts or Fishes; while the Eagerness of our Appetites Suspends the Exercise of our Reason. A Treat, a Woman, or a Bottle, is the same Thing to Us, that a Worm, a Gudgeon, a Grain of Corn, or a piece of Flesh is to Those Animals. We Snap at the Bait without ever Dreaming of the Hook, the Trap, or the Snare that goes Along with it. Now what’s the Difference betwixt _Æsop’s_ Pretext here for the _Building_ of a City, and the Cheats that we have heard of, for the _Saving_ of a City. The Design was Destruction in Both, and that was the Event on’t too. Religion, Liberty and Property were the Bait: Nay the very Sound of the Words did the Bus’ness. The Common People will Chop like Trouts at an Artificial Fly, and Dare like Larks under the Awe of a Painted Hobby. ’Tis with Men just as it is with Birds and Fishes, There’s not a Mortal of us, that will not Bite at some Bait or other, and we are caught as Sillily too, as the _Bird_ was here in the _Net_.

FAB. XCVII.

_Mercury_ and a _Traveller_.

One that was just Entring upon a Long Journey, took up a Fancy of putting a Trick upon _Mercury_. He say’d him a short Prayer for the _Bon-Voyage_, with a Promise, that the God should go Half with him in whatever he found. Some body had lost a Bag of Dates and Almonds, it seems, and it was His Fortune to Find it. He fell to Work upon ’em Immediately, and when he had Eaten up the Kernels, and all that was Good of them, Himself, he lay’d the Stones, and the Shells, upon an Altar; and desir’d _Mercury_ to take Notice that he had Perform’d his Vow. For, says he, Here are the Outsides of the One, and the Insides of the Other, and there’s the Moiety I Promis’d ye.

The MORAL.

_Men Talk as if they Believ’d in God, but they Live as if they thought there were None; for their very Prayers are Mockeries, and their Vows and Promises are no more then_ Words of Course, _which they never Intended to make Good_.

REFLEXION.

This is to Reprehend the False and Covetous Humour of Those that for Mony and Profit, will not Stick at putting Shams even upon God Himself; Prophaning his Altars, and Ridiculing his very Omniscience and Power. Here’s the Wickedness of a Libertine Naturally enough set forth, only the Punishment is Wanting that should have Compleated the Moral. What Opinion have These Religious Banterers, of the Divine Power, and Justice? Or what have they to say for themselves in this Audacious Habit of Mockery and Contempt; but that _they Believe in their Hearts that there is No God_? Not but that more or less, we are all Jugglers in Secret betwixt Heaven, and our Own Souls; Only to Cover and Meditate Abuses under the Masque and Pretence of Conscience, and Religion; and make God Almighty Privy to a Thousand False and Cozening Contrivances, that we keep as the Greatest Privacies in the World, from the Knowledge of our Neighbours. Nay, when we are Most in Earnest, our Vows and Promises are more then Half Broken in the very making of them; and if we can but secure our Selves a Retreat, by some Cleanly Evasion, Distinction or Mental Reservation, it serves our Purpose e’en as Well as if it were a Casuistical Resolution. In One Word we find the Moral of _Mercury_ and the _Traveller_ in the very Secrets of our Hearts, betwixt Heaven, and our own Souls.

FAB. XCVIII.

A _Boy_ and his _Mother_.

A _School-Boy_ brought his _Mother_ a Book that he had Stoll’n from One of his Fellows. She was so far from Correcting him for’t, that she rather Encourag’d him. As he grew Bigger, he would be still keeping his hand in Use with somewhat of Greater Value, till he came at last to be Taken in the Manner, and brought to Justice for’t. His _Mother_ went along with him to the Place of Execution, Where he got leave of the Officers, to have a Word or Two in Private with her. He put his Mouth to her Ear, and under Pretext of a Whisper, Bit it Clear off. This Impious Unnatural Villany turn’d Every Body’s Heart against him More and More. [Well Good People (says the _Boy_) Here You see Me an Example, both upon the Matter of Shame and of Punishment; And it is This _Mother_ of mine that has brought me to’t; for if she had but Whipt me soundly for the Book I stole when I was a _Boy_, I should never have come to the Gallows for Pilfering now I’m a _Man_.]

The MORAL.

_We are either Made or Marr’d, in our Education; and Governments, as well as Private Families, are Concern’d in the Consequences of it._

REFLEXION.

Wicked Dispositions should be Check’d betimes; for when they come once to Habits, they grow Incurable. More People go to the Gibbet for want of Timely Instruction, Discipline, and Correction, then upon any Incurable Pravity of Nature; And it is mightily the Fault of Parents, Guardians, Tutors and Governours, that so many men Miscarry. They suffer ’em at first to _Run-a-head_, and when Perverse Inclinations are Advanc’d once into Habits, there’s No Dealing with ’em. It may seem somewhat a Hard Case for the Greater Thieves to Punish the Less, and to see Publique Purloyners and Oppressors sit in Triumph upon the Lives of the Little Ones that go to the Gallows: For the Tye of Morality is the same upon Both; and they Stand Both Accountable to the Same Master. But Time, Power, and Corruption, give a Reputation to the Worst of Practices, and it is no longer Oppression when it comes Gilded with the Name of Authority. This Unequal and Unreasonable Judgment of Things, brings many a Great Man to the Stool of Repentance; for when he has Swallow’d more then he can Digest, it sticks upon his Conscience, and will neither Up, nor Down. Now in the Sight of Heaven, the Greater the Temptation, the Less is the Sin; and yet in the Vogue of the World, it passes for an Exploit of Honour, for Kings and States to run away with Whole Countries that they have no Colour, or Pretence to; when many a poor Devil stands Condemn’d to a Halter, or a Whipping-Post, for the Pilfering of a Silver-Spoon perhaps, or the Robbing of a Hen-Roost: Though the Former, all this While, has No Better Title to what he takes then the Latter; and yet to see what a deal of Fulsome Flattery, and Panegyrick we have upon the Glorious Atchievements of the One; and only some _Smithfield Ballad_ perchance, or a _Sabbath-Breaking Speech_, or _Confession_, to Embalm the Memory of the Other. To be Short and Plain; the Offence before God, is at least as Great in a Prince, as in a Begger, and the Morality of a Careful Education holds alike in both. ’Twas the _Mother’s_ sparing the Rod at first, that brought the _Child_ at the Long Run to the Halter.

FAB. XCIX.

A _Shepherd_ turn’d _Merchant._

A _Countryman_ was Feeding his _Flock_ by the Sea-side, and it was so Delicate a Fine Day, that the Smoothness of the Water Tempted him to leave his _Shepherd’s_ Business, and set up for a _Merchant_. So that in All Hast, he puts off his Stock; Buys a Bargain of Figs; gets his Freight abord, and away presently to Sea. It happened to be very Foul Weather: so that the Mariners were fain to Cast their Whole Lading Over-board, to save Themselves and the Vessel. Upon this Miscarriage, our New _Merchant-Adventurer_ betook himself to his Old Trade again; and it happen’d One Day, as he was Tending his _Sheep_ upon the very same Coast, to be Just such a Flattering Tempting Sea again, as That which Betray’d him Before. _Yes, yes_, says he, _When the Devil’s Blind! You’d ha’ some more Figs with a Vengeance, Would ye?_

The MORAL.

_Men may be happy in all Estates if they will but suit their Minds to their Condition. A Shepherd may be as Easy in a Cottage, as a Prince in a Palace, with a Mind Suited to his Station; but if they will be Launching out into Trade, or Bus’ness that they do not understand, they have nothing left them to trust to when they are once Bewilder’d, but the Hope of some Kind Providence to put them in the Right Way Home again._

REFLEXION.

Affliction makes People Honest and Wise. Every Man Living has his Weak Side, and no Mortal was ever yet so much at Ease, but his Shoe Wrung him some where or Other, or he Fancy’d so at least, and Then it did so. The _Shepherd_ would needs be a _Merchant_; and the _Merchant_, if he had succeeded, would still have been Hankering after something else. His Levity was a Fault, and his Miscarriage was a Judgment upon him for’t. The saving of his Person after the Loss of his Goods was a Providential Mercy to him; and the bringing of Him home to Himself again, was to Convince him of His Error, and to shew him, that he was well at First, if he would have kept so. He was in a State of Ease, Peace, Innocence, and Safety: And he that will Sacrifice all Those Blessings to a Restless Appetite, deserves to be Miserable. Our _Shepherd’s_ Case, in short here, is every Man’s Case that Quits a Moral Certainty for an Uncertainty, and Leaps from the Honest Bus’ness he was brought up to, into a Trade he has no Skill in.

FAB. C.

An _Old Man_ and a _Lion._

A Person of Quality dream’d one Night that he saw a _Lion_ Kill his only Son: Who was, it seems, a Generous Cavalier, and a Great Lover of the Chace. This Fancy ran in the Father’s Head, to that Degree, that he Built his Son a House of Pleasure, on purpose to keep him out of Harms Way; and spar’d neither Art nor Cost to make it a Delicious Retreat. This House, in short, was to be the Young Man’s Prison, and the Father made himself his Keeper. There were a World of Paintings Every where up and down, and among the Rest, there was the Picture of a _Lion_; which stirred the Blood of the Young Man for the Dream sake, and to think that he should now be a Slave for the Fancy of such a Beast. In this Indignation he made a Blow at the Picture; but Striking his Fist upon the Point of a Nail in the Wall, His Hand Cancerated; he fell into a Fever, and soon after Dy’d on’t: So that all the Father’s Precaution could not Secure the Son from the Fatality of Dying by a _Lion_.

The MORAL.

_A Body may as well lay too Little as too Much Stress upon a Dream; for some Dreams are Monitory, as Others are only Complexional; but upon the Main, the Less we Heed them the Better; for when that Freak has once taken Possession of a Fantastical Head, the Distemper is Incurable._

REFLEXION.

’Tis to no Purpose to think of Preventing, or Diverting Fatalities: Especially where the Event looks like the Punishment of a Superstition: as it fares with Those that Govern their Lives by Forebodings and Dreams: or the Signs of Ill Luck, as we use to say: They are still Anxious and Uneasie: History is full of Examples to Illustrate the Doctrine of This Fable. The _Father_ was to blame for laying so much Stress upon a Foolish _Dream_, and the Son was Little less to Blame, for being so much Transported at the Impression of that Fancy upon the _Father_: But they were Both Justly Punished however, The One for his Passion, and the Other for his Superstition.

FAB. CI.

A _Fox_ that lost his _Tail._

There was a _Fox_ taken in a Trap, that was glad to Compound for his Neck by leaving his _Tail_ behind him. It was so Uncouth a Sight, for a _Fox_ to appear without a _Tail_, that the very Thought on’t made him e’en Weary of his Life; for ’twas a Loss never to be Repair’d: But however for the Better Countenance of the Scandal, he got _the Master and Wardens of the Foxes Company_ to call a _Court of Assistants_, where he himself appear’d and made a Learned Discourse upon the Trouble, the Uselessness, and the Indecency of _Foxes_ Wearing _Tails_. He had no sooner say’d out his Say, but up rises a Cunning Snap, then at the Board, who desir’d to be Inform’d whether the Worthy Member that Mov’d against the Wearing of _Tails_, gave his Advice for the Advantage of those that Had _Tails_, or to Palliate the Deformity and Disgrace of Those that had _None_.

The MORAL.

_When a Man has any Notable Defect, or Infirmity, about him, whether by Nature, or by Chance, ’tis the Best of his Play, to try the Humour, if he can turn it into a Fashion._

REFLEXION.

’Tis the way of the World to give Other People Councel for their Own Ends. Paradoxing is of Great Use and Service in many Encounters and Accidents that we meet withal in the World; but the Faculty must be so Tenderly Manag’d, as not to Grate upon the Truth, and Reason of Things: And it is of Great Effect, if it can but give some Colour of Probability to the Matter in Question. Nay there’s a Pleasure in the very Tryal of Wits; but when This Talent is Employ’d upon the Topique of Convenience, and Profit; It is a wonderful Force that it has upon the Affections of the Common People. The _Fox_ carry’d it as far as ’twould go; but he had too Hard a Task on’t, to Over-rule a Multitude to their Own Pain and Loss.

We may Improve a Doctrine from This, that Every Man has his Weak Side, either by Mischance, or by Nature; and that he makes it his Bus’ness to Cover it too, the Best he can. In case of the Worst, it is some sort of Ease to have Company in our Misfortunes. It puts a Body out of Countenance to be in a Fashion by Himself, and therefore the _Fox_ did well to Try if he could bring his Fellow Foxes to put themselves into His Mode. When we have Carry’d a Point as far as it will go, and can make no more on’t, ’tis a Stroke of Art and Philosophy, to look as if we did not so much as Wish for a Thing that is not to be Had. Every Man’s Present Condition has somewhat to be Said for’t: If it be Uneasy, the Skill will be, either how to Mend it, or how to Bear it; But then there must be no Clashing with the Methods, the Decrees, and the Laws of Nature. A Man that has Forfeited his Honour and his Conscience, seems to be much in the Condition of the _Fox_ here that had lost his _Tail_, and takes as much pains too, to persuade All his Companions to follow his Fashion. He lays down his Arguments, and gives his _REASONS_, Nay, and he endeavours to Prove it by _Scripture_ too, that _Men_, in such a Case, ought to go to _Old Nick_ for _Company_. We are to Consider here, that the _Devils_ have their _Traps_ as well as the _Woodmen_, and that it is the Case of many a _Lawyer_ and _Divine_, when they come once to be Hamper’d, to rub off as well as they can, though they Leave their _Consciences behind_ them, as the _Fox_ did his _Tail_, and then _Preach up the Blessed Doctrine and Convenience of_ No Consciences, _as well as_ No Tails.

FAB. CII.

A _Fox_ and a _Bramble_.

A _Fox_ that was close Pursu’d, took a Hedge. The Bushes gave way, and in Catching hold of a _Bramble_ to break his Fall, the Prickles ran into his Feet. Upon This, He laid himself down, and fell to Licking his Paws, with Bitter Exclamations against the _Bramble_. Good Words, _Reynard_, says the _Bramble_, One would have thought you had known Better Things, than to Expect a Kindness from a Common Enemy, and to lay hold on That for Relief, that Catches at Every Thing else for Mischief.

The MORAL.

_There are some Malicious Natures that Place all their Delight in doing Ill Turns, and That Man is hard put to’t, that is first brought into a Distress, and then forc’d to Fly to such People for Relief._

REFLEXION.

’Tis Great Folly to Fly for Protection to People that Naturally Delight in Mischief. The _Fox_ blames the _Bramble_ here, but he may Thank Himself. They that make themselves the Common Enemies of Mankind, by Breaking All the Measures of Good Faith, Truth, and Peace, and by lying in Wait for Innocent Blood, let them Turn their Heads which way they will, they shall be sure of an Enemy in the Face of them: Nay they meet with their Punishment, where they look for Safety, and which way soever they go, Divine Justice either Meets them, or Pursues them. The _Foxes_ Charging his Misfortune here upon the _Bramble_, is the very Case and Practice of Wicked Men, that Snarl at the Instrument, without so much as Thinking of the Providence. But the _Bramble_ did only according to its Nature, and Consequently was not to Blame.

FAB. CIII.

A _Fox_ and a _Crocodile._

There happen’d a Contest betwixt a _Fox_ and a _Crocodile_, upon the Point of Bloud and Extraction. The _Crocodile_ Amplify’d Wonderfully upon his Family, for the Credit of his Ancestors. Friend (says the _Fox_, smiling upon’t) there will need no Herald to Prove your Gentility; for you carry the Marks of Your Original in Your very Skin.

The MORAL.

_Great Boasters and Lyars have the Fortune still some way or other to Disprove themselves._

REFLEXION.

There are some Falsities so Bold and Notorious, that they carry their Contradictions in the very Reason and Presumption of the Matter, without any other Evidence.

FAB. CIV.

A _Fox_ and _Huntsmen._

A _Fox_ that had been Hard-run, begg’d of a Countryman that he saw at Work in a Wood, to help him to some Hiding-Place. The Man Directed him to his Cottage, and thither he went. He was no sooner got in, but the _Huntsmen_ were presently at the Heels of him, and asked the Cottager if he did not see a _Fox_ That Way? No truly, says he, I saw None; but Pointed at the same time with his Finger to the Place where he lay. The _Huntsmen_ did not take the Hint, it seems; but the _Fox_ spy’d him, however, through a Peeping-Hole he had found out to see what News: so the _Fox-Hunters_ went their Way, and then Out steals the _Fox_, without One Word speaking. Why how now, says the Man, Han’t ye the Manners to take leave of your Host before you go? Yes, yes, says the _Fox_; if you had been as Honest of your Fingers, as you were of your Tongue, I should not have gone without bidding ye Farewell.

The MORAL.

_A Man may tell a Lye by Signs, as well as in Words at length, and his Conscience is as Answerable for his Fingers, as for his Tongue._

REFLEXION.

There’s No Trusting of Those that Say One Thing, and Do Another, Especially if they follow Fair Words with Foul Deeds. Here’s a Case of Honour, and of Conscience, Both in One, upon the Matter of Hospitality, and of Trust. The Laws of Hospitality are Sacred on the One Side, and so are the Duties we Owe to our Country on the Other. If we Consider the Trust, Faith must not be Broken; If the Common Enemy, his Councel is not to be kept. The _Woodman_ did as good as Tacitely promise the _Fox_ a Sanctuary; but not being _Sui Juris_, he promis’d more than he could Warrantably Perform; for a _Subsequent Promise_ to _Conceal_ the _Fox_, could not Discharge him of a _Prior Obligation_ to _Destroy_ him. ’Tis true, it would have been more Generous to have don’t at first, and while he had as yet No Colour of any Tye of Honour upon him to Preserve him. The _Fox_ begg’d for Protection, which he had No Reason to Expect. First it was upon Force, and Necessity, not Choice. Secondly, It was at his own Peril, without any Conditions for his own Security. Thirdly, He Committed himself to the Mercy of a Man that was bound to Kill him. Fourthly, The very Address was scandalous; for he must needs have an Ill Opinion of the Countryman, so much as to Imagine that he could be Wrought upon to Betray his Country for the Sake of a Beast. But let the Rest be as it will, there’s no Excuse for the _Woodman’s Double Dealing_.

FAB. CV.

A _Man_ and a _Wooden God_.

A _Man_ that had a Great Veneration for an _Image_ he had in his House, found that the More he Pray’d to’t to Prosper him in the World, the More he went down the Wind still. This put him into such a Rage, to lie Dogging at his Prayers so Much, and so Long, to so Little Purpose, that at last he Dasht the Head on’t to pieces against the Wall; and Out comes a Considerable Quantity of Gold. Why This ’tis, says he, to Adore a Perverse and Insensible Deity, that will do More for Blows then for Worship.

The MORAL.

_Most People, Clergy as well as Laity, Accommodate their Religion to their Profit, and reckon that to be the best Church that there’s most to be got by._

REFLEXION.

This Fable runs better in the Humour, then it does in the Moral. It lays before us the Unprofitable Vanity of False Worship, and gives us to Understand, that the more zealous we are in a Wrong Way, the Worse. An Idol is an Abomination in the sight both of God, and of Good Men; and yet we are so to Govern our Selves, even in the Transports of That Abhorrence, as still to preserve a Reverence for Religion it self, in the very Indignation we Express for the Corruption of it. So that the License of this Buffoon went a little too far perhaps, for there must be No Playing with Things Sacred, nor Jesting, as we say with Edge Tools. We have the Moral of this Abandon’d Libertine up and down in the _World_ in a Thousand several Shapes. All People that Worship for Fear, Profit, or some other By-End, Fall More or Less within the Intendment of this Emblem. It is a kind of a Conditional Devotion for Men to be Religious no longer then they can Save, or Get by’t. _Put forth thy Hand now_ (says the Devil to the Almighty in the Case of _Job_) _and Touch All that he hath, and he will Curse thee to thy Face_. This Good Man Lost All, and for an Example of Patience and indignation to Future Ages. _The Lord gave_ (says he) _and the Lord hath Taken away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord_. Here was No Dashing of the _Two Tables_ one against the Other, for an _Office_, or _an Egg at Easter_, as the Fellow serv’d his _Idol_ here. The Whole Sum of the Moral is in short, Comprized in the Old Saying: _He that serves God for Mony, will serve the Devil for Better Wages_.

FAB. CVI.

A _Dog_ Invited to Supper.

A Gentleman Invited a Friend to Supper with him, and the _Gentleman’s Dog_ was so well Bred as to Invite the _Friend’s Dog_ to come for Company. The _Dog_ came at his Hour, and into the Kitchin he went, to see what Good Cheer was toward: But as he was there, Wagging his Tayl, and Licking his Lips, at the thought of what a Meal he was like to make on’t, the Roguy Cook got Slyly behind him, and Spoil’d the Jest. He took him up by the Tayl at Unawares, and after a Turn or Two in the Air, flung him out of the Window. So soon as ever the Poor Devil had Recover’d the Squelch, away he Scampers, Bawling like Mad, with I know not how many Prick-Ear’d Curs at the Heels of him, to know how he lik’d his Welcome. Why truly, says he, they have given me as much Drink as my Skin will hold; and it has made me so Light-Headed, I could not find the Right Way out of the House again.

The MORAL.

Love Me, Love my Dog, _says the old Proverb, and there’s somewhat of Good Manners, as well as of Good Nature in’t; for there are certain Decencies of Respect due to the Servant for the Master’s sake_.

REFLEXION.

It looks well among Friends, when Masters and Servants are all of a piece. The _Dog_ invites his Guest, and the Cook throws him out of the Window, and in so doing, the Man shew’d himself the Arranter Cur of the Two; for it was against Hospitality and Good Manners so to do. There is a Duty of Tenderness and Good Nature, even towards Those Animals: But when it came to the Worst at last, the _Dog_ had the Wit, we see, to make the Best of a Bad Game. Though ’twas an unmannerly, and an Ill-Natur’d Frolick of the Cook all this while; for the Ill Usage of a Servant is some sort of Affront to his Master.

FAB. CVII.

An _Eagle_ and a _Man_.

A _Man_ took an _Eagle_, Pelted her Wings, and put her among his _Hens_. Somebody came and bought This and presently New Feather’d her. She made a Flight at a _Hare_, Truss’d it, and brought it to her Benefactor. A _Fox_ perceiving this, came and gave the Man a piece of Good Counsel. Have a care, says _Reynard_, of putting too much Confidence in This _Eagle_; for she’ll go near, one time or other else, to take You for a _Hare_. Upon this Advice, the Man Plum’d the _Eagle_ once again.

The MORAL.

_Persons and Humours may be Jumbled and Disguis’d, but Nature is like Quicksilver, that will never be Kill’d._

REFLEXION.

Birds of Prey will be Birds of Prey still, at what Rate soever you Treat ’em. So that there’s no Trusting of them: For when they have no longer a Power to do Mischief, the Will yet Remains. Here’s a Forc’d Moral for a Forc’d Fable: For the Fancy of it is against Nature, and the Fiction does not consist with it self. Now to My Thinking This Application of it lies the Fairer of the Two, _i.e._ That the Gratitude of the _Eagle_, in bringing the _Hare_ to her Master, may serve to shew us, that the Wildest and Fiercest of Creatures may be Sweetn’d, and Reclaim’d by Benefits.

FAB. CVIII.

A _Father_ and his _Sons_.

A Countryman that liv’d Handsomly in the World Himself upon his Honest Labour and Industry, was desirous his Sons should do so After Him; and being now upon his Death-Bed: [My Dear Children (says he) I reckon my self Bound to tell you before I depart, that there is a Considerable Treasure Hid in my _Vineyard_. Wherefore pray be sure to Dig, and search Narrowly for’t when I am gone.] The _Father_ Dyes, and the _Sons_ fall immediately to Work upon the _Vineyard_. They turn’d it up over and over, and not one Penny of Mony to be found there; but the Profit of the Next Vintage Expounded the Riddle.

The MORAL.

_Good Councel is the Best Legacy a Father can leave to a Child, and it is still the Better, when it is so wrapt up, as to beget a Curiosity as well as an Inclination to follow it._

REFLEXION.

There’s No Wealth like That which comes by the Blessing of God upon Honest Labour and Warrantable Industry. Here’s an Incitement to an Industrious Course of Life, by a Consideration of the Profit, the Innocence and the Virtue of such an Application. There is one Great Comfort in Hand, beside the Hope and Assurance of more to come. The very Exercise procures us Health, and Consequently All the Pleasures and Satisfactions that Attend it. We have the Delight of Seeing and Reaping the Fruit of our own Labour, and the Inward Joy of Contemplating the Benedictions of Another World, that shall be superadded to the Advantages of This. _Æsop_ very well understood, that Naked Lessons and Precepts, have Nothing the Force that Images and Parables have, upon our Minds and Affections: Beside, that the very Study to Unriddled a Mystery, furnishes the Memory with more Tokens to Remember it by. A Tale in Emblem sinks Deeper, where the Life and Spirit of it is Insinuated by a kind of Biass and Surprize. It was a Touch of Art in the _Father_ to Cover his Meaning in such a manner, as to Create a Curiosity, and an Earnest Desire in his _Sons_ to find it out. And it was also a Treble Advantage to them besides; for there was, I say, _Health_ in the _Exercise_, _Profit_ in the _Discovery_, and the Comfort of a _Good Conscience_ in Discharging the Duty of a _Filial Obedience_.

FAB. CIX.

A _Fisherman_ and his _Pipe_.

A _Fisherman_ that understood _Piping_ better then _Netting_, set himself down upon the Side of a River, and Touch’d his _Flute_, but not a Fish came near him. Upon This, he laid down his _Pipe_ and Cast his _Net_, which brought him up a very Great Draught. The _Fish_ fell a Frisking in the Net, and the _Fisherman_ observing it, What Sotts are These (says he) that would not Dance when I play’d to ’em, and will be Dancing now without Musick!

The MORAL.

_There are Certain Rules and Methods for the Doing of All Things in This World; and therefore let Every Man stick to the Business he understands, and was brought up to, without making One Profession Interfere with Another._

REFLEXION.

There is a Proper Time and Season for Every Thing; and Nothing can be more Ridiculous than the Doing of Things without a Due Regard to the Circumstances of Persons, Proportion, Time and Place.

FAB. CX.

A _Fisherman_’s _Good Luck_.

A _Fisherman_ had been a Long while at work without Catching any thing, and so in Great Trouble and Despair, he resolv’d to take up his Tackle and be gone: But in That very Instant a Great Fish Leapt into the Boat, and by Providence made a Tolerable Day on’t.

The MORAL.

_Patience, Constancy, and Perseverance, in an Honest Cause and Duty, can never fail of a Happy End, One way or Other._

REFLEXION.

That which we commonly call _Good Fortune_, is properly, _Providence_, and when Matters succeed Better with us by Accident, then we could pretend to, by Skill; We ought to Ascribe it to the Divine Goodness, as a Blessing upon Industry. It is Every man’s Duty to Labour in his Calling, and not to Despond, for any Miscarriages or Disappointments, that were not in his own power to Prevent. Faith, Hope, and Patience, Overcome All things, and Virtue can never fail of a Reward in the Conclusion. What was it but This Constancy and Resignation, that kept the Hearts of the Poor Cavaliers from Breaking, in the Tedious Interval of that Bloudy Revolution from Forty to Sixty; ’till at last, the Banish’d, and Persecuted Son of a Royal Martyr, was in God’s Good time brought back again and Plac’d upon the Throne of his Ancestors, which Crown’d the Sufferings of All his Loyal Subjects. The Fisherman’s waiting in his Calling, bids us Persevere in our Duties, and the Lucky Hit he had in the Conclusion, tells us that Honest Endeavours will not fail of a Reward.

FAB. CXI.

_Large Promises._

There was a Poor Sick Man, that according to the Course of the World, when Physicians had given him over, betook himself to his Prayers, and Vow’d a Sacrifice of a Thousand Oxen ready down upon the Nail, to either _Apollo_, or _Æsculapius_, which of the Two would deliver him from This Disease. Ah my Dear (says his Wife) Have a care what You Promise; for where would you have These Oxen if you should Recover? Sweet Heart (says he) thou talk’st like a Fool. Have the Gods Nothing else to do, dost think, than to leave their Bus’ness, and come down to Sue me in an Action of Debt? They Restor’d him however for that Bout, to make Tryal of his Honesty and Good Faith. He was no sooner up, but for want of Living Oxen, he made out his Number upon Paste, and Offer’d them up in Form upon an Altar. For this Mockery, Divine Vengeance pursu’d him, and he had an Apparition come to him in a Dream, that bad him go and Search in such a Place near the Coast, and he should find a Considerable Treasure; Away he went, and as he was looking for the Mony fell into the Hands of Pyrates. He begg’d hard for his Liberty, and Offer’d a Thousand Talents of Gold for his Ransome; but they would not Trust him, and so he was carried away, and sold afterwards as a Slave for as many Groats.

The MORAL.

The Dev’ll was Sick, the Dev’ll a Monk would be;
The Dev’ll was Well, the Dev’ll a Monk was He.

REFLEXION.

This Fable applies it self to Those that Promise more in their Adversity than they either Intend, or are able to make good in their Prosperity; but they must not think to bring themselves off at last with a Conceit; for in the Sight of God, an Equivocating Juggling Sham, is as much as a Gross, Downright Lye.

’Tis the Practice of the World for People in Distress to serve God and Man in Several Respects, both Alike: That is to say, when they lie under any Heavy Affliction, or Propose to themselves any Considerable Advantage, and find they have Need of Anothers Help; how do they Beg, Vow, Promise, Sollicite, Swear, Sign and Seal, and yet Conscious to Themselves all this while, that they neither Intend, nor are able to make One Article Good? Wickedness comes on by Degrees, as well as Virtue; and Sudden Leaps from one Extream to Another, are Unnatural Motions in the Course of our Lives and Humours. Here’s first a Rash and a Knavish Promise; for the Promiser knew he was not able to make it Good. When he has broken the Ice, he Advances, from Cozening of God, to make Sport with him, and pays him with Paste for Flesh: But Vengeance Overtook him in the Conclusion, and gave him to Understand, that _God will not be Mocked_. The Moral of This Sick Man, is the Case of Every Soul of us in the Making and the Breaking of our Vows.

FAB. CXII.

_Fishermen Disappointed._

Some _Fishermen_ that had been out a whole Day with a Drag-Net, and Caught Nothing, had a Draught toward the Evening, that came home very heavy, which put ’em in hope of a Sturgeon at least, but upon bringing the Net ashore, it prov’d to be Only One Great Stone, and a few Little Fishes. Upon this Disappointment they were Down in the Mouth again; but says One of the Company that was a Little Graver then the Rest, You are to Consider, my Masters, that Joy and Sorrow are Two Sisters that follow One Another by Turns.

The MORAL.

_All Our Purchases in This World are but the_ Catching of a Tartar, _as we say, but it is some Comfort yet to Consider, that when Things are at the Worst they’ll Mend_.

REFLEXION.

Hopes and Disappointments are the Lot and Entertainment of Humane Life; The One serves to keep us from Presumption, the other from Despair. This Fable bids us wait the Seasons of Divine Providence, with Patience and Perseverance, in the Duties of our Calling: What Difficulties, and Temporary Discouragements soever we may Encounter in the Way; but as we are not to Despond on the One hand, of reaping in God’s good time, the Fruit of our Honest Endeavours: So neither are we, on the Other hand, to lay more Stress upon the Event of Things, at Best, then the Matter will bear: That is to say, we are to Compute, that upon Ballancing the Account, the Profit at last, will hardly Countervail the Inconveniences that go along with it.

The _Fisherman’s_ Case in the Fable is many a man’s Case in the World; as with a Wife for the Purpose, with an Office, with an Estate, with a Court-Commission: He’s fain to Tug Hard for’t before he can Catch it, and Measures the Blessing all the while by the Difficulty of Obtaining it. And what’s the Purchase at last when he comes to Cast up his Account, but _Great Stones_ and _Little Fishes_? His only Comfort is, _That this World will not Last always_; and that Good Luck, and Bad Luck take their Turns.

FAB. CXIII.

_Death_ and an _Old Man_.

An _Old Man_ that had Travell’d a Great Way under a Huge Burden of Sticks found himself so Weary, that he cast it Down, and call’d upon _Death_ to Deliver him from a more Miserable Life. _Death_ came presently at his Call, and Ask’d him his Bus’ness. Pray Good Sir, says he, Do me but the favour to Help me up with my Burden again.

The MORAL.

_Men call upon Death, as they do upon the Devil: When he comes they’re afraid of him._

REFLEXION.

’Tis Matter of Custom, and in Passion, rather then in Earnest, that Men in Pain and Misery are so ready to call for _Death_: For when he comes, they wish him away again. It may be said to be the _Motto_ of Humane Nature, rather to Suffer then to Die, though ’tis Good however to be always ready for That which Must come at Last. The Doctrine is This, That _Skin, and All that a man has, will he give for his Life_. We are apt to Pick Quarrels with the World for Every Little Foolery. Every Trivial Cross makes us think we are Weary of the World; but our Tongues run quite to Another Tune when we come once to parting with it in Earnest. Then, ’tis _Call the Doctor, Pothecary, Surgeon_; _Purge_, _Flux_, _Launce_, _Burn_, _Saw_: I’ll Endure Any Thing in This World, if you can but keep Life and Soul together. When it comes to That once, ’tis not Help me _Off_ with my Burthen, but Help me _Up_ with it.

FAB. CXIV.

A _Doctor_ and _Patient_ with _Sore Eyes_.