Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (9)

’Tis an Ill Habit to turn Offices and Duties of Piety into Matters and Words only of Course; and to Squander away our Wishes and our Prayers upon Paltry Fooleries, when the Great Concerns of Life and Death, Heaven and Hell, lye all at stake. Who but a Mad man, that has so many Necessary and Capital Duties of Christianity to think of, would ever have made a Deliverance from a _Flea-biting_ a part of his _Litany_? It makes our Devotions Ridiculous, to be so Unfeeling on the One side, and so Oversensible, and Sollicitous on the Other. By this Foolish and Impertinent Way of our Proceeding toward the Almighty, Men Slide by little and little into some sort of Doubt, if not a Direct Disbelief and Contempt of his Power. And then with the Country Fellow here, if we cannot Obtain Every Vain Thing we ask, our next Bus’ness is to take Pet at the Refusal, nay and in Revenge to give over Praying for Good and All; and so to Renounce Heaven for a _Flea-biting_.

FAB. CXLI.

A _Man_ and _Two Wives_.

It was now _Cuckow-Time_, and a Certain _Middle-Ag’d Man_, that was Half-Gray, Half-Brown, took a Fancy to Marry Two Wives, of an Age One under Another, and Happy was the Woman that could please him Best. They took Mighty Care of him to All manner of Purposes, and still as they were Combing the Good Man’s Head, they’d be Picking out here and there a Hair to make it all of a Colour. The Matronly Wife, she Pluck’d out All the _Brown_ Hairs, and the Younger the _White_: So that they left the Man in the Conclusion no better than a _Bald Buzzard_ betwixt them.

The MORAL.

_’Tis a much Harder Thing to Please Two Wives then Two Masters; and He’s a Bold Man that offers at it._

REFLEXION.

Marriages are Govern’d, rather by an Over-ruling Fatality, then by any Solemnity of Choice and Judgment; though ’tis a Hard Matter to find out a Woman, even at the Best, that’s of a Just Scantling for her Age, Person, Humour, and Fortune to make a Wife of. This Fable presents us with One single Disparity that is of it self Sufficient, without a more then Ordinary Measure of Virtue and Prudence, to make a Man Miserable and Ridiculous. I speak of a Disparity of Years, which, in the Moral, takes in all Other Disproportions. The One’s too _Young_, T’other too _Old_; to shew us that Marriage is out of Season if it does not Hit the very Critical Point betwixt them. ’Tis much with Wedlock, as it is with our Sovereign Cordials and Antidotes. There go a Thousand Ingredients to the making of the Composition: But then it they be not Tim’d, Proportion’d, and Prepar’d according to Art, ’tis a Clog to us rather then a Relief. So that it would have been Well, if Nature had Prescrib’d the _Dos_ of Woman’s Flesh, as she has Determin’d the _Necessity_ of it.

FAB. CXLII.

Two _Frogs_ that wanted Water.

Upon the Drying up of a _Lake_, _Two Frogs_ were forc’d to Quit, and to seek for Water elsewhere. As they were upon the Search, they Discover’d a very deep Well. Come (says One to T’other) Let us e’en go down here, without Looking any further. You say well, says her Companion; but what if the Water should fail us Here too? How shall we get Out again?

The MORAL.

_’Tis Good Advice to Look before we Leap._

REFLEXION.

Hasty Resolutions are seldom fortunate, and it is a piece of Necessary Prudence, for a Man, before he resolves any thing, to Consider what may be the Consequences of it.

We are taught by the Providence of These _Frogs_, to Consider the End of Things before we Resolve upon the Means; for when the Die is Cast, ’tis too late to Wish for Another Chance. In our Deliberations what to do, we should Distinguish betwixt Lawful and Unlawful, Prudential and Foolish, a Less Present Good, and a Consequence of greater Evils, that we be not Betray’d by the Fair Appearances of Things Specious; Frauds and Fallacies, Glittering Outsides, _&c._ into Inconveniencies and Mistakes.

When a Man wants any thing, let him look for’t in Time, and Consider Well before-hand what Occasion he has for’t, and upon What Terms it is to be Had; for there may be such Conditions that a Man would not Comply with, even for the Saving, or Redeeming of his Life. There are Other Cases where a Man must Part with More for the Getting of a Thing, then that Thing is Worth. Some again, where a Body runs the Risque of an Absolute Ruin, for the Gaining of a Present Supply: Wherefore there’s No Remedy either Way, without a Strict Calculation of the Profit or Loss on Both Sides. I want Money, but I will not make myself a Slave for’t. I want a Friend at Court, but I will not Forfeit the Character of a Man of Honour, or the Conscience of a Christian, and an Honest Man, to Purchase such a Friend: I am in Prison; but I will not play the Knave to set my self at Liberty. These are All Necessary Deliberations upon the Matter here in Question. Let us see how we shall get _Out_ again, says the _Frog_, before we go _In_.

FAB. CXLIII.

A _Dog_ and a _Cock_ upon a Journey.

A _Dog_ and a _Cock_ took a Journey together. The _Dog_ Kennell’d in the Body of a Hollow Tree, and the _Cock_ Roosted at night upon the Boughs. The _Cock_ crow’d about Midnight; (at his Usual Hour) which brought a _Fox_ that was abroad upon the Hunt, immediately to the Tree; and there he stood Licking of his Lips, at the _Cock_, and Wheedling him to get him Down. He Protested he never heard so Angelical a Voice since he was Born, and what would not He do now, to Hug the Creature that had given him To Admirable a Serenade! Pray, says the _Cock_, speak to the Porter below to open the Door, and I’ll come Down to ye: The _Fox_ did as he was directed, and the _Dog_ presently Seiz’d and Worry’d him.

The MORAL.

_The Main Bus’ness of the World is Nothing but Sharping, and putting Tricks upon One Another by Turns._

REFLEXION.

’Tis Good Discretion, when a Body has to do with an Adversary, that is either too Crafty, or too Strong for him, to turn him off to his Match; but it would be a Cleverer Way yet, to Encounter the Stratagem, and to Defeat One Sham with Another, as the Simplicity of the _Cock_ here was too hard for the Wiliness of the _Fox_. Experience makes many a Wise Man of a Fool, and Security makes many a Fool of a Wise Man. We have an Instance of the Former in the _Cocks_ Over-reaching the _Fox_, and of the Other, in the _Foxes_ Supine Confidence, that made him so Intent upon his Prey, as to neglect his Safety. Now the _Cock_, that upon Long Tryal and Observation, knew the _Fox_ to be the Common Enemy of all Poultrey; had likewise a Dread and Suspicion of him by Instinct, which made him Naturally Cautious upon the very Principle of Self-Preservation. Whereas the _Fox_, that Trusted to his Address and Manage, without so much as Dreaming of a Cross Bite from so silly an Animal, fell Himself into the Pit that he had Digg’d for Another. It is much the same Case in the World when Providence is pleas’d to Confound the False, the Mighty, and the Blood-Thirsty, by Judgments of Lice and Frogs: That is to say, by the most Despicable of Instruments. To put an End to This Moral, It is a wonderful Thing how the very Force of Nature will Exert it self, in the Meanest and the Weakest of Creatures, in Cases of Extream Necessity and Danger: As it made the _Cock_ here too hard for the _Fox_.

FAB. CXLIV.

A _Bat_, _Bramble_, and _Cormorant_.

A _Bat_, a _Bramble_, and a _Cormorant_, Enter’d into Covenants with Articles, to joyn Stocks, and Trade in Partnership together. The _Bat’s_ Adventure was Ready Money that he took up at Interest; The _Brambles_, was in Cloaths; and the _Cormorants_, in Brass. They Put to Sea, and so it fell out, that Ship and Goods were Both Lost by Stress of Weather: But the Three Merchants by Providence got safe to Land. Since the Time of this Miscarriage, the _Bat_ never Stirs abroad till _Night_ for fear of his Creditors. The _Bramble_ lays hold of All the Cloaths he can come at in hope to Light upon his Own again: And the _Cormorant_ is still Sauntering by the Sea side, to see if he can find any of his Brass cast up.

The MORAL.

_The Impression of any Notable Misfortune will commonly stick by a Man as long as he Lives._

REFLEXION.

Things that a Man has once set his Heart upon, will hardly be ever got out of his Head, but Every Hint and Occasion will be putting him in mind of ’em again. Ill Habits are not Easily Cur’d. ’Tis with almost All People in cases of Fright or Distraction of Mind, as it was with our Merchant Adventurers here. The Last Impression sticks Closest to us. There was a Miserable Wretch in _Bedlam_ that had lost his Wits upon the Firing of a Ship at Sea, and His Head was still running upon Fire and Water; insomuch that the very Sight of either of them would put him into an Outrageous Fury. Another that was Mad for Love, would be Beating his Brains perpetually upon Anagrams and Sonnets. _Oliver’s Enthusiastick Porter_, was directly _Bible-Mad_, and up to the Ears still in the _Dark Prophets_, and the _Revelation_. In the Year 1658, When the _Original Contracters_ were met in Council about Settling the Government, a very good Poor Woman carried her Little Trunks and Boxes to _Weld-House_ for Protection, for fear of the _Mobile_. The House was Rifled, and her Trinkets went away with the Rest. Upon this Loss she fell _Idle-Headed_; and to This very Day she stands like the _Bramble_ in the _Fable_, near the place still, (where the Innocent Creature Lives) Catching of People by the Coats, and Asking them about her Trunks and Boxes: _Pray_, says she, _When shall I have my Things again? My Trunks are not come home yet_, &c. The Doctrine upon the Whole is no more then This, That we are not to set our Hearts upon the Things of This World; for All Emotions of the Mind have somewhat in them of This Freak; and the only Way to be Happy and Quiet, is to make all Contingencies Indifferent to us.

FAB. CXLV.

A _Lark_ in a Net.

A Poor _Lark_ Enter’d into a Miserable Expostulation with a _Bird-Catcher_, that had Taken her in his Net, and was just about to put her to Death. Alas (says she) What am I to Dye for now? I am no Thief; I have Stoln neither Gold, nor Silver; but for Making Bold with One Pitiful Grain of Corn am I now to Suffer.

The MORAL.

_’Tis to no Purpose to stand Reasoning, where the Adversary is both Party and Judge._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Folly, says the Old Moral, for People to run Great Hazards for small Advantage. And why may it not as well Reflect upon the Cruelty of taking away the Life of a Poor Innocent Creature for making bold with One Miserable Grain of Corn, when she was Hungry. But This is All Forc’d, and in Truth, it is a Dry Fable with Little or Nothing in’t.

Or to Turn it Another Way yet, Here’s the Life of a Poor Creature in Question, and the _Lark_ Expostulates, and Pleads _Not Guilty_, but the Belly has No Ears, and the _Bird-Catcher_ is so Intent upon his Interest, and Appetite, that he gives no Heed at all to the Equity of the Plea, which is but according to the Course of the World, when people Measure Right or Wrong by the Rule of their Own Profit or Loss. ’Tis Passion and Partiality that Govern in All These Cases.

FAB. CXLVI.

A _Miser_ Burying his Gold.

A _Certain Covetous, Rich Churl_ Sold his Whole Estate, and put it into Mony, and then Melted down That Mony again into One Mass, which he Bury’d in the ground, with his very Heart and Soul in the Pot for Company. He gave it a Visit Every Morning, which it seems was taken Notice of, and Somebody that Observ’d him, found out his Hoard one Night, and Carry’d it away. The Next day he missed it, and ran almost out of his Wits for the Loss of his Gold. Well, (says a Neighbour to him) And what’s All This Rage for? Why you had no Gold at all, and so you Lost None. You did but Fancy all this while that you Had it, and you may e’en as well Fancy again that you have it still. ’Tis but laying a Stone where you laid your Mony, and Fancying That Stone to be your Treasure, and there’s your Gold again. You did not Use it when you Had it; and you do not Want it so long as you Resolve not to Use it.

The MORAL.

_Better no Estate at all, then the Cares and Vexations that attend the Possession of it, without the Use on’t._

REFLEXION.

We are never the better for the Possession of any thing, Barely for the Propriety sake, but ’tis the Use and Application of it towards the Conveniences of Life, and the Comforts of Humane Society, that gives Every thing its Value. The Divine Goodness we see is perpetually at Work; Nature keeps on in her Course, and the Heavens shed their Influences without Intermission; and what’s the Doctrine now of This Great Example, but that the Blessings of Providence, which are Common and Diffusive, ought not to lie Idle; and that Whoever Buries his Talent, either of Understanding, or of Fortune, breaks a Sacred Trust, and Couzens Those that stand in Need on’t. But we have a sort of Sordid Wretches among us, that had rather Cast their Silver and Gold into the very Mine again from whence it was Taken, or leave it at the Mercy of Thieves and Common Hazards, then that any Man Living should be the Better for’t.

FAB. CXLVII.

A _Stag_ with One Eye.

A _One-Eyed-Stag_ that was afraid of the Huntsmen at Land, kept a Watch That Way with T’other Eye, and fed with his Blind Side still toward an Arm of the Sea, where he thought there was no Danger. In this Prospect of Security, he was Struck with an Arrow from a Boat, and so Ended his Days with This Lamentation: Here am I destroy’d, says he, where I reckon’d my Self to be Safe on the One Hand; and No Evil has befall’n me, where I most Dreaded it, on the Other.

The MORAL.

_We are lyable to Many Unlucky Accidents that no Care or Foresight can Prevent: But we are to provide however the Best we can against them, and leave the Rest to Providence._

REFLEXION.

We are many times Preserv’d or Destroy’d, by Those Accidents or Counsels, that in All Probability should have had quite Contrary Effects. But it is Our Part yet to Act according to Reason, and commit our selves to Heaven for the rest. We have our Blind Sides in the World, as well as the _Stag_ had his by the Sea-side, and we have our Enemies too, that are still Watching to make Advantage of that Weakness. One Man is Transported out of his Reason, and his Honesty, by Sensual Pleasures: Another by Money, perhaps, or by Ambition. Every Man, in short, by Somewhat or other: And it is but striking him in the Right Vein, to do his Bus’ness. The Wisest of Men have their Follies; The Justest, their Iniquities, and the most Temperate of Men have now and then by Fits, their Excesses. _Achilles_ himself (after all that his Mother could do for him) was left Vulnerable yet in the Heel, and _Paris_’s Arrow found him Out there. We are taught further also to look to our selves on the _Blind Side_, as the Part that lyes most Expos’d to an Attacque. And finally; That it is not in the Power of Humane Wisdom to secure us against Plots and Practices upon Humane Frailty: Nay, and when we have done our Best to Prevent Mischief, the very Precaution it self serves many times to Contribute to our Ruin. The _Stag_ did All that was to be done here; but the Ways and Workings of Providence are unsearchable; and it is not in the Power of Humane Prudence to Obviate all the Accidents of Humane Life.

FAB. CXLVIII.

A _Stag_ and a _Lyon_.

A _Stag_ that was close Pursu’d by Huntsmen, fled for Safety into a _Lyon’s Den_; and as he was just Expiring under the Paw of the _Lyon_: Miserable Creature that I am, says he, to fly for Protection from Men, to the most Unmerciful of Beasts!

The MORAL.

_There are Harder and Gentler Ways, even of Ruin it self; as ’tis Common we see for Men under a Capital Sentence to Petition even for the Change of the Death._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Common Case for People to be Reduc’d to This Miserable Choice; That is to say, by what Hand or Means they’ll rather Perish; under the Certainty of an Inevitable Destruction One Way or other. The Ancients have Moraliz’d it This Way. But it seems to Me (under favour) that the _Stag_’s was a Forc’d Put; and a Chance rather then a Choice, he did not fly from the Huntsmen to the _Lyon_ for Protection; but it so fell out, that while he fled to Avoid a Less Danger, he ran into a Greater; We find This to be the Case of many Men, as well as Beasts, that are Forc’d to fly for Refuge, to Murderers and Oppressors, instead of Patrons and Protectors.

FAB. CXLIX.

A _Goat_ and a _Vine_.

A _Goat_ that was hard Press’d by the Huntsmen, took Sanctuary in a _Vineyard_, and there he lay Close, under the Covert of a _Vine_. So soon as he thought the Danger was Over, he fell presently to Browzing upon the Leaves; and whether it was the Rusling, or the Motion of the Boughs, that gave the Huntsmen an Occasion for a Stricter Search, is Uncertain: but a Search there was, and in the End he was Discover’d, and shot. He dy’d in fine, with this Conviction upon him, that his Punishment was Just, for Offering Violence to his Protector.

The MORAL.

_Ingratitude Perverts all the Measures of Religion and Society, by making it Dangerous to be Charitable and Good Natur’d._

REFLEXION.

Ingratitude is Abhorr’d both by God and Man, and there is a Certain Vengeance Attends those that Repay Evil for Good, and seek the Ruin of their Protectors. This Fable Exposes the Baseness of That Horrid Vice, and it Preaches Thankfulness and Justice. The Obligations of Hospitality and Protection are so Sacred, that Nothing can Absolve us from the Discharge of Those Duties. ’Tis True, that This particular Instance holds better in the Morality of the Application, then it does in the Reason of the Thing: for the Question is not what the Beast does in his Kind; but what Ought to be done, with a respect to such a Benefit receiv’d. If a Man should Launch into the History and Practice of Humane Nature, we should find Nothing more Common there, then one Rebellion Started upon the Pardoning of Another; and the very Minions of Princes Link’d in Conspiracies against their Master. But Those Things ever were, and ever will be, so long as Men are Men, and carry their Corruptions about them. There will be _Goats_, in fine, and there will be _Vines_, to answer This Moral, _in Sæcula Sæculorum_.

FAB. CL.

An _Ass_, a _Lyon_, and a _Cock_.

As a _Cock_ and an _Ass_ were Feeding together, up comes a _Lyon_ Open-mouth toward the _Ass_: The _Cock_ presently cries out; Away Scoures the _Lyon_, and the _Ass_ after him: Now ’twas the Crowing of the _Cock_ that Frighted the _Lyon_, not the Braying of the _Ass_, as That Stupid Animal Vainly Fancy’d to Himself, for so soon as ever they were gotten out of the Hearing of the _Cock_, the _Lyon_ turn’d short upon him, and tore him to pieces, with These Words in his Mouth: Let never any Creature hereafter that has not the Courage of a Hare, Provoke a _Lyon_.

The MORAL.

_The Force of Unaccountable Aversions, is Insuperable. The Fool that is Wise and Brave Only in his Own Conceit, runs on without Fear or Wit, but Noise does no Bus’ness._

REFLEXION.

Many a Bragging Coxcomb is Ruin’d by a Mistake of Fear in an Enemy, and a Fancy of Courage in Himself. _Baudoin_ Remarks upon the _Lyon’s_ Aversion to the _Cock_, that there’s Nothing so Great but it has its Failings, and so he makes the Pursuit of the _Lyon_ to be a Particular Mark of the _Ass’s_ Weakness. _Meslier_ will have the Fear to be Counterfeited, with a Design to Surprize the Pursuer; but This Fable seems still to look Another way.

It may appear a very Extravagant, Surprizing Encounter, that _Æsop_ has Exhibited to us in This Fable. Here’s a _Lyon_ running away from a _Cock_, and an _Ass_ Pursuing a _Lyon_: That is to say, here are Two of the most Unlikely Things in Nature brought together, in the Semblance of Fear in the One, and of Resolution in the Other: But the Moral is never the Worse yet for the Seeming Disproportions of the Figure; and the Characters in the Fiction, are well enough Suited to the Truth, and Life of the Case. The Flight of the _Lyon_ must be Imputed here to the Natural Aversion that he has to the Crowing of a _Cock_. This is the Tradition; but it shall break No Squares whether it be so or not: For the Philosophy holds good in Other Instances No less Wonderful, whether it be True or False in This. How many Insuperable Disagreements do we Meet with, in the Bus’ness of Meats, Drinks, and Medicines; in Plants, Minerals, and Living Creatures! Now These Impulses are no more to be Controll’d, then the Primary, and the Unchangeable Powers and Laws of Nature: And These Instincts, after All, are no more to be Reason’d upon, then they are to be Resisted; and therefore it is, that we call them _Occult Qualities_; which is All One with Saying that we do not Understand How they Work, or What they Are. Now ’tis One Thing to Submit to an _Absolute Force_, Another Thing to Fly, and Yield to a _Natural Infirmity_: So that ’tis No Departure from the Dignity of a _Lyon_ to Fly, when Nature Drives him: Neither is it at all to the _Ass_’s Reputation, to Pursue, when Vanity, Folly and Rashness Transport him.

The _Ass_, we see, lies under Many Mistakes here, and the More, and the Grosser they are, the more Suitable still to his Character. How many such _Asses_ are there in the World, that Huff, Look Big, Stare, Dress, Cock, Swagger, at the same Noisy, Blustring Rate; and Nothing more Familiar then for a Whiffling Fop, that has not so much as One Grain of the Sense, or Soul of a Man of Honour in him, to play the part of a _Hero_. Nay, there are _Fanfarons_ in the Tryals of Wit too, as well as in Feats of Arms, and none so forward to engage in Argument, or Discourse, as Those that are least able to go through with it. In One Word for All, the whole Race of Bawling, Fluttering Noddyes, by what Name or Title soever Dignify’d or Distinguish’d, are a Kin to the _Ass_ in This Fable.

FAB. CLI.

A _Gardiner_ and his _Dog_.

A _Gardiner’s Dog_ dropt into a Well, and his Master let himself down to Help him Out again. He reach’d forth his Hand to take hold of the _Dog_, and the _Cur_ Snapt him by the Fingers: For he thought ’twas only to Duck him deeper. The _Master_ went his Way upon’t, and e’en Left him as he Found him. Nay (says he) I’m well enough Served, to take so much Pains for the Saving of One that is Resolv’d to make away Himself.

The MORAL.

_Obligations and Benefits are Cast away upon Two sorts of People; Those that do not Understand them, and those that are not sensible of them._

REFLEXION.

There’s No Fastening an Obligation upon Those that have neither Justice, Gratitude, nor Good Faith; and it is the same Case in Effect, with Those that do not Understand when they are Well-us’d: From whence we may infer this Doctrine, that Fools and Knaves are not Company for Honest Men. The Course and Violent Part of the Common People have much in them of this Currs Humour. They Plunge themselves into Difficulties by Mistaking their Way, and then fly in the Face of Those that would Set them Right again. In This Opposition to Duty and Discretion, they Pursue their Errors, ’till in the End, they are left to the Fate of their Own Madness and Folly; and Consequently Perish without Any Hope, or Means of Pity or Redress. The _Gard’ner_ would have sav’d his _Dog_ from _Drowning_, and the _Curr_ bit his _Master_ by the _Fingers_ for his Pains.

FAB. CLII.

A _Sow_ and a _Dog_.

There pass’d some Hard Words betwixt a _Sow_ and a _Dog_, and the _Sow_ swore by _Venus_, that she’d tear his Guts out, if he did not mend his Manners. Ay, says the Dog, You do well to call upon her for your Patroness, that will not so much as Endure any Creature about her that Eats _Swines Flesh_. Well (says the _Sow_) and That’s a Token of her Love, to Hate Any thing that hurts me; but for _Dogs Flesh_, ’tis good neither Dead, nor Living.

The MORAL.

_Where the Matter in Controversie will not bear an Argument, ’tis a Turn of Art to bring it off with a Paradox._

REFLEXION.

’Tis an Ordinary Thing for People to Boast of an Interest where they have None, and then when they are Detected, ’tis a Stroak of Art to Divert the Reproach, by Emproving a Spiteful Word, or Thing, to a Bodies Own Advantage. This way of Dialogue, is a kind of _Tick-Tack_; Where the One’s Bus’ness is to keep from making a Blot, and the Other’s is to Hit it when ’tis made. It is a Happy Presence of Mind, to Anticipate Another Man’s Thought, by Considering well beforehand what Construction, or Allusion his own Words will bear; for Otherwise, the Casting out an Inconsiderate Hint, is but the setting of a Trap to Catch Himself. As the _Sow_’s Appealing to _Venus_ here, was as good as an Answer thrown into the very Mouth of the _Dog_, which she might Easily have foreseen would be turn’d back upon her in the Bitterness of a Reproche: For the Reply lay so Open, the Other could not Well Miss it: But when all is done, Both Parts are to keep themselves upon their Guard; Or if either of ’em has Overshot himself, it is some sort of Reputation still, to make the Best of a Bad Game: As the _Sow_ turn’d off the Scandal here with a jest.

FAB. CLIII.

A _Sow_ and a _Bitch_.

A _Sow_ and a _Bitch_ had a Dispute once, which was the Fruitfuller of the Two. The _Sow_ Yielded it at last to the _Bitch_; but you are to take Notice at the Same time, says she, that your Puppies are All Blind.

The MORAL.

_The Question among all sorts of Competitors is not Who does Most, but who does Best._

REFLEXION.

We are not to put an Estimate upon Things by the Quantity, or the Number of them, but by their Quality and Virtue: Taking for Granted, that _Æsop_’s Bitch was Fruitfuller then our Sows. See the Moral of _A Lyoness and a Fox_. Fab. 122.

FAB. CLIV.

A _Snake_ and a _Crab_.

There was a Familiarity Contracted betwixt a _Snake_ and a _Crab_. The _Crab_ was a plain dealing Creature, that advis’d his Companion to give over Shuffling and Doubling, and to Practice Good Faith. The _Snake_ went on in his Old Way: So that the _Crab_ finding that he would not mend his Manners, set upon him in his Sleep, and Strangled him; and then looking upon him as he lay Dead at his Length: This had never befall’n ye, says he, if You had but Liv’d as Straight as You Dy’d.

The MORAL.

_There’s Nothing more Agreeable in Conversation, then a Franke Open way of Dealing, and a Simplicity of Manners._

REFLEXION.

Good Councel is lost upon an Habitual Hardness of Ill Nature: And in That Case it must be a Diamond that Cuts a Diamond: for One Fraud is best Undermin’d and Disappointed by Another. This Fable is a Figure upon a Figure, in Opposing the Straitness of the Body of the _Snake_ after he was Dead, to the Crookedness of his Manners when he was Living. But the License of _Mythology_ will bear out the Hardness of the Allusion.

FAB. CLV.

A _Shepherd_ and a _Wolves Whelp_.

A _Shepherd_ took a Sucking Whelp of a _Wolfe_, and Train’d it up with his Dogs. This _Whelp_ fed with ’em; Grew up with ’em, and whensoever they went out upon the Chace of a _Wolfe_, the _Whelp_ would be sure to make one. It fell out sometimes that the _Wolfe_ scap’d, and the Dogs were forc’d to go Home again: But this _Domestique Wolfe_ would be still Hunting on, ’till he came up to his _Brethren_, where he took part of the Prey with them; and so back again to his Master. It happen’d now and then, that the _Wolves abroad_ were pretty Quiet for a Fit: So that this _Whelp_ of a _Wolfe_ was fain to make Bold ever and anon with a Sheep in Private by the By; but in the Conclusion, the _Shepherd_ came to find out the Roguery, and Hang’d him up for his Pains.

The MORAL.

_False Men are no more to be Reclaim’d then Wolves, and the Leven of the Predecessors Sowers the Bloud, in the very Veins of the Whole Family._

REFLEXION.

Ill Dispositions may be Suppress’d, or Dissembled for a while, but Nature is very hardly to be Alter’d, either by Councell, or by Education. It may do well enough, for Curiosity, and Experiment, to try how far Ill Natur’d Men and Other Creatures may be Wrought upon by Fair Usage, and Good Breeding; But the Inclination and Cruelty of the _Damm_ will never out of the _Whelp_. It may Suspend peradventure, or intermit, for want of Occasion to shew it self: but Nature is like _Mercury_, there’s No Killing it Quite. The _Wolfe_ in the _House_ has a Kindness still for the _Wolves_ in the _Woods_, and continues in the Interest of the same Common Enemy. _Cat will to Kind_, as they say, and Wicked Men will be True to their Principles, how False soever to their Masters.

We may read in the Moral of This Fable, the common Practice of the World, and a Doctrine that we find Every day Verify’d, as well in Men, as in Beasts; for there are _Wolfe-Whelps_ in _Palaces_, and _Governments_, as well as in _Cotages_, and _Forrests_. Do we not find in History, and Experience, Instances in abundance, even of Publick Ministers Themselves, that though taken up out of the very Herds of the Common Enemy; Admitted into Special Trusts; Fed by the Hand, and Treated with the Grace and Character of Particular Favourites, have their Hearts in the _Woods_, yet all this while among their Fellows. So that there’s No Reclaiming of them. They go out however, as there is Occasion, and Hunt and Growle for Company; but at the same time, they give the Sign out of their Master’s Hand, hold Intelligence with the Enemy; and make use of their Power and Credit to Worry Honester Men then Themselves. It wants Nothing after This, but that they may live to have their Due; and with the _Dog_ here in the Fable, go to Heaven in a String, according to the True Intent of the Allegory.

FAB. CLVI.

A _Lyon_, _Fox_, and a _Wolfe_.

The King of Beasts was now grown Old, and Sickly, and All the Subjects of the Forrest, (saving only the _Fox_) were to pay their Duties to him. The _Wolfe_, and the _Fox_ like a Couple of Sly Knaves, were still putting Tricks One upon Another, and the _Wolfe_ took this Occasion to do the _Fox_ a Good Office. I can Assure your Majesty, says the _Wolfe_, that ’tis Nothing but Pride and Insolence that keeps the _Fox_ from shewing himself at Court as well as his Companions. Now the _Fox_ had the Good Luck to be within Hearing, and so Presented himself before the _Lyon_, and finding him Extreamly Enrag’d, begs his Majesties Patience, and a Little Time only for his Defence. Sir (says he) I must presume to Value my self upon my Respect and Loyalty to your Majesty, Equal at least to any of your other Subjects; and I will be bold to say, that put them all together, they have not taken Half the pains for your Majesties Service now upon This very Occasion, that I have done. I have been Hunting up and down far and near, since your Unhappy Indisposition, to find out a Remedy for ye, which with much ado I have now Compass’d at last, and it is that which I Promised my self will prove an Infallible Cure. Tell me immediately (says the _Lyon_) what it is then: Nothing in the World, says the _Fox_, but to Flay a _Wolfe_ Alive, and Wrap your Body up in the Warm Skin. The _Wolfe_ was by all This while; and the _Fox_ in a Snearing way advised him for the Future, not to irritate a Prince against his Subjects, but rather to Sweeten him with Peaceable and Healing Councells.

The MORAL.

_The Bus’ness of a Pickthank is the Basest of Offices, but yet Diverting enough sometimes, when One Rascal happens to be Encounter’d with another._

REFLEXION.

There’s Nothing more Common in the World than these _Wolvish Back-Friends_, in all our Pretensions; whether it be in Law, in Government, or in a Hundred other sorts of Clayme and Competition; Especially for the running down of a Man that’s Declining in his Credit already. Calumny is Base at best; though Pleasant enough sometimes, where it falls out, that One Rascal is Countermining Another. But let the Reproche be never so True, it can hardly be Honest, Where the Office is done in Hugger-Mugger; and where the Intention is not Guided by a Conscience of the Duty. It is a way to Confound the Good and the Bad, where Knaves have Credit enough to be Believ’d, to the Wrong of Honest Men, and the Innocent left without Means of Defence.

He that would live Clear of the Envy and Hatred of Potent Calumniators, must lay his Finger upon his Mouth, and Keep his Hand out of the Ink-Pot; for to do a Good Office upon the Point of Opinion, Intelligence, Brains, or Conscience, where this _Wolvish_ Humour prevails, is little better then a _Scandalum Magnatum_, or a Libel upon his Superiors: But where it happens that there’s a _Fox_ and a _Wolfe_ in the Case; and One Sharper to Encounter Another, the Scene is Diverting enough.

FAB. CLVII.

A _Wife_ and a _Drunken Husband_.

A Woman that lay under the Mortification of a _Fudling Husband_, took him once when he was Dead Drunk; and had his Body lay’d in a Charnel-House. By the time that she thought he might be come to Himself again, away goes she, and Knocks at the Door. Who’s There? (says the _Toper_) One, says the Woman, that brings Meat for the Dead. Friend, says he, Bring me Drink rather. I wonder any Body that Knows me, should bring me One without T’other. Nay then, says she, the Humour I perceive has taken Possession of him; He has gotten a Habit, and his Case is Desperate.

The MORAL.

_Inveterate Ill Habits become Another Nature to us, and we may almost as well be Taken to Pieces, and New put together again, as Mended._

REFLEXION.

The Intent of This Fable is to Work a Reformation of Manners, by shewing that Evil Habits are very hard to be Cur’d; for they take Root by Degrees, ’till they come in the End to be past both Remedy and Shame. Habitual Debauches make Excess of Drink as Necessary to a Man as Common Air, Especially when his Mind comes to be Wholly taken up with the Contemplation of his Vice. There are Those that can never Sleep without their Load, nor Enjoy One Easie Thought, till they have laid All their Cares to Rest with a Bottle. ’Tis much the same Thing with Other Sensual Pleasures, where Mens Bodies and Minds are given up to the Entertainment of them. But the Extravagance is never so Desperate, as when the Understanding is Taken up with the Study and Meditation of Those Pleasures, which the Body is no longer in Condition to Practice, and that’s the most Deplorate, Hopeless, and Incurable State of an Evil Disposition; when Drink upon Drink is made Use of for a Remedy.

FAB. CLVIII.

A _Swan_ and a _Goose_.

The Master of a House brought up a _Swan_ and a _Goose_ both together; The One for his Ear, the Other for his Belly. He gave Orders for the Goose to be Taken up, and Dress’d for Dinner. But the Place was so Dark, that the Cook took One for T’other. This Mistake had Cost the _Swan_ her Life, if she had not Sung in That very Instant, and discover’d her self; by which Means she both sav’d her Life, and Express’d her Nature.

The MORAL.

_A Man cannot be too Careful of what he does, where the Life of any Creature is in Question._

REFLEXION.

There’s a Providence attends Innocency and Virtue, the Power of Musique apart. ’Tis a Rule that goes a Great way in the Government of a Sober Man’s Life, not to put any thing to Hazard that may be Secur’d by Industry, Consideration, or Circumspection. And this Caution reaches to a Thousand Cases in the Ordinary Course of Life. Men should _Look before they Leap_; Deliberate before they Resolve; Try, Weigh, Examine, and Bethink themselves well of the Matter before they Execute. We fall into some Inconveniencies out of Pure Lazyness, and for want of taking Pains to Enform our selves Better: Into Others, out of Rashness; by doing Things in a Hurry, and _Hand over Head_ at a Venture. Now there’s no Excuse for a Blunder upon any of these Topiques, where there was both Time and Means to prevent it. What are we the better for the Faculty of Reason, without the Exercise of it? If the Cook would but have been at the Trouble of Carrying a Candle with him, he would have been in no Danger of taking a _Swan_ for a _Goose_.

FAB. CLIX.

The _Washing_ of a _Blackmore_.

A Man gave Money for a _Black_, upon an Opinion that his Swarthy Colour was rather Sluttery then Nature, and the Fault of his last Master, in a Great Measure, that he kept him no Cleaner: He took him Home with him, and try’d All manner of Washes to bring him to a Better Complexion: But there was no Good to be Done upon him; besides, that the very tampering Cast him into a Disease.

FAB. CLX.

A _Raven_ and a _Swan_.

A _Raven_ had a Great Mind to be as _White_ as a _Swan_, and fancy’d to Himself that the _Swan_’s Beauty proceeded in a High Degree, from his often _Washing_ and _Dyet_. The _Raven_, upon this, Quitted his Former Course of Life and Food, and betook himself to the _Lakes_ and _Rivers_: But as the Water did him no Good at all for his Complexion, so the Experiment Cost him his Life too for want of Sustenance.

The MORAL of the Two FABLES above.

_Natural Inclinations may be Moulded and Wrought upon by Good Councel and Discipline; but there are Certain specifick Properties and Impressions, that are never to be Alter’d or Defac’d._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Vain Thing to Attempt the Forcing of Nature; for _What’s Bred in the Bone will never out of the Flesh_: And there can be no Thought of Altering the Qualities, the Colour, or the Condition of Life, that Providence has Allotted us.

’Tis _Labour in Vain_, to all manner of Purposes, to Endeavour the Mending of any of the Works of Nature; for she never did Any thing Amiss. And then ’tis as Great a Madness to Attempt any Alteration upon them, because _What Nature does, God does_; whose Decrees are Unchangeable, and All his Works are Perfection in the Kind; but next to the Force of Natural Impressions, we may reckon That of Customs and Habits.

FAB. CLXI.

A _Swallow_ and a _Crow_.

Upon a Dispute betwixt a _Swallow_ and a _Crow_, which was the Greater Beauty of the Two: Yours, says the _Crow_, is only a Spring-Beauty, but mine lasts all the Year round.

The MORAL.

_Of Two Things Equally Good, that’s the Best that lasts longest._

REFLEXION.

The Greatest of Temporal Blessings, are Health, and Long Life; and the most Durable of Good Things must Consequently be the Best. The Question here betwixt the _Crow_ and the _Swallow_, has somewhat in it of the Case betwixt Virtue and Sensual Pleasures, as (for the purpose) of Youth, Wine, Women, and All other Entertainments whatsoever, that may serve to Gratify a Carnal Appetite. Here’s Temporary Oppos’d to Eternal; Joys that shall Endure for Ever, Fresh, and in Vigor; to Satisfactions that are attended with Satiety and Surfeits, and Flatten in the very Tasting.

FAB. CLXII.

A _Nightingale_ and a _Bat_.

As a _Nightingale_ was Singing in a Cage at a Window, up comes a _Bat_ to her, and Asks her why she did not Sing in the Day, as well as in the Night. Why (says the _Nightingale_) I was Catch’d Singing in the Day, and so I took it for a Warning: You should have thought of This then, says T’other, before you were Taken; for as the Case stands now, Y’are in no Danger to be Snapt Singing again.

The MORAL.

_A Wrong Reason for the Doing of a Thing is worse then no Reason at all._

REFLEXION.

There’s No Recalling of what’s Gone and Past; so that After-Wit comes too Late when the Mischief is Done. That is to say, it comes too late for That Bout. But it is not Amiss, however, for a Man that has gone astray, to call to Mind where he went out of his Way, and to look back Step by Step into all his Miscarriages and Mistakes. The Glass of Life is Behind us, and we must look into what’s Past, if we would take a View of what’s to Come. A Fault Committed, or a Misfortune Incurr’d, cannot be Recall’d ’tis True; but yet the Meditating upon One False Step may help to Prevent Another. Wherefore ’tis Good, upon the Point of Common Prudence, to be Thoughtful, provided we be not more Sollicitous then the Thing is worth, and that we make a Right Use of Those Reflexions; that is to say, an Use of Repentance, where we did Morally Amiss; an Use of Rectifying our Judgments, where we did Foolishly; and an Use of Caution in both Cases, never to do the same Thing over again. This is no more then what in Conscience, Equity, and Reason we are Bound to do. But we must have a care all this while, not to run into False Consequences for want of laying Things and Things together, and to Sham Fallacies upon the World for Current Reason, as the _Nightingale_ was taken Singing in the _Day_ when she was at _Liberty_. And what’s This to her Resolution of Singing only in the _Night_, now she’s in the _Cage_.

FAB. CLXIII.

A _Boy_ and _Cockles_.

Some People were Roasting of _Cockles_, and they Hiss’d in the Fire. Well (says a Blockheaded Boy) These are Villanous Creatures sure, to Sing when their Houses are a-fire over their Heads.

The MORAL.

_Nothing can be Well that’s out of Season._

REFLEXION.

There’s a Time for Jest, and a Time for Earnest, and it is a Dangerous Mistake, not to Distinguish the One from the Other. The Fool’s Conceit here, had both Clownery, and Ill Nature in’t, for there’s Nothing more Brutal, or Barbarous, then the Humor of Insulting over the Miserable; Nothing more Contrary to Humanity, and Common Sense, then this Scandalous Way of Grinning and Jeering out of Season. But a Childish Conceit does well enough out of the Mouth of a Foolish Boy; for it is but Congruous, that Silly People should be pleas’d with Silly Words and Things.

FAB. CLXIV.

Two _Travellers_ and a _Bag_ of _Money_.

As Two Travellers were upon the Way together, One of ’em Stoops, and Takes up Something. Look ye here (says he) I have found _a Bag of Money_: No, says T’other, When Two Friends are together, You must not say _[I] have found it_, but _[WE] have found it_. The Word was no sooner Out, but immediately comes a _Hue and Cry_ after a Gang of Thieves that had taken a Purse upon the Road. Lord! Brother (says He that had the _Bag_) We shall be Utterly Undone. Oh Phy, says T’other, You must not say _[WE] shall be undone_, but _[I] shall be undone_; for if I’m to have no Part in the Finding, sure I’ll never go Halves in the Hanging.

The MORAL.

_They that will Enter into Leagues and Partnerships must take the Good and the Bad One with Another._

REFLEXION.

The Doctrine of This Fable is according to Reason and Nature. People that are not Allow’d to be Sharers with their Companions in Good Fortune, will hardly ever agree to be Sharers in Bad. An Open, and an Honest Candor of Mind carries a Body Safe and Dry through all Ways and Weathers: Whereas in shifting and Shuffling, a Man puts himself off his Guard; and the same Rule that serves him at One time, will not serve him at Another; Men are willing enough to have Partners in Loss, but not in Profit; and ’tis not the Traveller alone that cries _[I] have found a Purse of Gold_, and then Changes his Note upon _Hue and Cry_, and says _[WE] shall be hang’d for’t_; but ’tis the Course of All People of _Intrigue_, to give Every thing two Faces, and to Deal with the World, as the Spark did with the Oracle. The Bird shall be Dead or Living, which himself Pleases.

To Emprove the Moral yet a little farther, we have a Thousand Disappointments in the Ordinary Course of Life, to Answer This in the Fable. Many a Man finds this Purse of Gold in a Mistress, in a Bottle, in an Office, and in All other the vain Satisfactions of this World: And what’s the End on’t at last, but when he has Compass’d his Longing, Gratify’d his Appetite, or, as he fancies, made his Fortune perhaps: He grows presently Sick of his Purchase; His _Conscience_ is the _Hue_ and _Cry_ That pursues him, and when he reckons upon it that he has gotten a _Booty_, he has only caught a _Tartar_. The _Bag of Money_ burnt the Poor Fellow’s Fingers in the very Taking of it up.

FAB. CLXV.

Two Neighbour-_Frogs_.

There were _Two Neighbour-Frogs_; One of them Liv’d in a Pond, and the Other in the High-way hard-by. The _Pond Frog_ finding the Water begin to fail upon the Road, would fain have gotten _T’other Frog_ over to her in the Pool; where she might have been Safe; but she was wonted to the Place, she said, and would not Remove. And what was the End on’t now, but the Wheel of a Cart drove over her a while after, and Crush’d her to pieces?

The MORAL.

_Some People are so Listless and Slothful, that they’ll rather lie still and Die in a Ditch, then Stir one Finger to Help themselves out on’t._

REFLEXION.

Custom is Another Nature; and what betwixt Obstinacy, and Sloth, let it be never so ill, and inconvenient, People are very Hard yet to Quit it. He that does Nothing at all, does Worse then He, that upon the Account of Humane Frailty, does Amiss; for nothing can be more contrary to God Himself, who is a Pure Act, then the Sleeping and Drowsing away of our Life and Reason, that was given us for so many Better Purposes. The _Frog_ in the High-way here, is the Lively Figure of such a Man; for a Life of Sloth is the Life of a Log, rather then the Life of a Reasonable Creature. ’Tis as much as a Body can well do, even with the Uttermost of his Prudence and Industry, to Rub through the Difficulties of the World, though he should keep himself perpetually a Doing. There is not perchance a more Insupportable Misery in Nature, then it would be, to put the Body into a Frame, that should keep it always in the same Posture. What can be said worse of Slothfulness now, when the very Vice is Equal to the most Exquisite of Torments? It is Odious to God and Man, Useless to the World, Irksom to it Self, Miserable in All Estates, and utterly Incapable either of Tasting, or Enjoying any thing of Comfort. The _Frog_ was used to the Place, she said, and rather then Stir to help her Self, there she lay till her Guts were Pash’d out.

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.