Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (13)

_Some Thieves are Ripe for the Gallows sooner than Others._

REFLEXION.

It must be a _Diamond_ that cuts a _Diamond_, and there is No Pleasanter Encounter, then a Tryal of Skill betwixt a Couple of Sharpers to Overreach One Another. The _Boy_’s beginning so Early, tells us that there are Cheats by a Natural Propensity of Inclination, as well as by a Corruption of Manners. It was _Nature_ that taught this _Boy_ to Shark; not _Discipline_, or _Experience_. And so it was with Two Ladies that I have known (and Women of Plentiful Fortunes too) they could not for their Bloods keep themselves Honest of their Fingers, but would still be _Nimming_ something or other for the very Love of _Thieving_. ’Tis an Unhappy Thing, that the Temperament of the Body should have such an Influence upon our Minds, according to the Instance of the _Boy_ in This Fable: For the Morality, or Immorality of the Matter, is not the Whole of the Case.

FAB. CCXLII.

A _Country-man_ and an _Oxe_.

A _Country-man_ had got a Stubborn _Oxe_, that would still be Pushing and Flinging, whenever they went to Yoak, or to Tye him up. The _Man_ Cuts off his Horns, and puts him to the Plough, and by That Means Secures Himself, both against his Head and his Heels; and in the Mean time, He Himself Guides the Plough: But though the _Oxe_, when he was thus Shackled and Disarmed, could not either Strike, or Gore him, he made a shift yet to throw Dust enough into his Eyes, and his Mouth, almost to Blind, and to Choak him.

The MORAL.

_A Malicious Man may be Bound Hand and Foot, and put out of Condition of doing Mischief, but a Malicious Will is never to be Master’d._

REFLEXION.

There are some Natures so Untractable, that there’s No Good to be done upon them by Generosity, Kindness, Artifice, or Councel, nay, the more pains a Man takes to Reclaim them, the Worse they are; and when they are put out of Condition to do Mischief by Violence, they will find a Way yet to Teize and Plague People with Restless, and Vexatious Importunities. They love to be Troublesome, and with the _Shrew_ upon the _Ducking-stool_, when their _Mouths_ are _Stopt_, they’ll call _Pricklouse_ still with their _Thumbs_.

FAB. CCXLIII.

A _Man_ and a _Satyr_.

There was a _Man_ and a _Satyr_ that kept much together. The _Man_ Clapt his Fingers one day to his Mouth, and Blew upon ’em. _What’s That for?_ (says the _Satyr_) why says he, My Hands are extream Cold, and I do’t to Warm ’em. The _Satyr_, at Another time, found This Man Blowing his Porridge: And pray, says he, _What’s the Meaning of that now?_ Oh! says the _Man_, My Porridge is Hot, and I do’t to Cool it. Nay, says the _Satyr_, if you have gotten a Trick of Blowing Hot and Cold out of the same Mouth, I have e’en Done with ye.

The MORAL.

_There’s No Conversing with any Man that Carries_ Two Faces under One Hood.

REFLEXION.

The Moral of this Fable must be Abstracted from the Philosophy of it, and taken in the Sense of carrying _Two Faces under One Hood_. It sets forth, however, the Simplicity of the _Satyr_, in Not Understanding how Two such Contrary Effects should come from the same Lips: But it was Honestly done in him yet, to Renounce the Conversation of One that he took for a Double-Dealer; and that could Accommodate himself to make Fair with All Companies, and Occasions, without any regard to Truth, or Justice. It was This Fable that gave Rise to the Old _Adage_ of _Blowing Hot and Cold_; which is taken for the Mark and Character of a Dissembler.

FAB. CCXLIV.

A _Country-man_ and a _Boar_.

A _Country-man_ took a _Boar_ in his Corn once, and Cut off One of his Ears. He took him a Second Time, and cut off T’other. He took him a Third Time, and made a Present of him to his Landlord. Upon the Opening of his Head, they found he had no Brains, and Every Body fell a Wond’ring, and Discoursing upon it. Sir, says the _Clown_, If This _Boar_ had had any Brains, he would have taken the Loss of Both his Ears for a Warning, never to come into My Corn again. These Words of the Silly _Bumpkin_ set the whole Company a Laughing.

The MORAL.

_An Incorrigible Fool that will take no Warning, there’s no Hope of him._

REFLEXION.

The Life and Conversation of some Men is so Brutal, as if they had only the Shape, without the Faculties of Reasonable Creatures. What’s He better then the _Boar_ in This Fable now, that Abandons himself wholly to his Appetites, and Pleasures; and after so many Repeated _Poxes_, and Qualms, One upon the Neck of Another, _Drinks_ and _Whores_ on still, in Despite of all Punishments, and Warnings. The _Boar_’s Intemperance, and the Note upon him afterwards, on the Cutting of him up, that he had no Brains in’s Head, may be Moraliz’d into the Figure of a Sensual Man, that has neither Grace nor Knowledge, but runs headlong on to his Ruine, without either Consideration, or Conscience.

FAB. CCXLV.

A _Bull_ and a _Mouse_.

A _Mouse_ Pinch’d a _Bull_ by the Foot, and then slunk into her Hole. The _Bull_ Tears up the Ground upon’t, and Tosses his Head in the Air, looking about, in a Rage, for his Enemy, but sees None. As he was in the Height of his Fury, the _Mouse_ puts out her Head, and Laughs at him. Your Pride (says she) may be brought down I see, for all Your Blustering, and your Horns; for here’s a Poor _Mouse_ has got the Better of ye, and You do not know how to Help your self.

The MORAL.

_There’s no such way of Revenging an Affront upon a Creature that’s below an Honest Man’s Anger, as Neglect and Contempt._

REFLEXION.

No Man lives without Enemies, and no Enemy is so Despicable, but some time or other he may do a Body a shrewd Turn. ’Tis Prudence to pass over Those Indignities, which are either too Little for our Consideration, or out of our Power to Reach, and Punish. For there’s Nothing more Ridiculous, then an Impotent Anger, that spends it self to no manner of Purpose; and there’s no Better way of Dealing with it, then to Laugh it Out of Countenance. All Men in the World that we see Transported into Outrages, for small Trivial Matters, fall under the _Innuendo_ of This _Bull_ in the Fable, that ran Tearing Mad for the Pinching of a _Mouse_.

FAB. CCXLVI.

A _Country-man_ and _Hercules_.

A _Carter_ that had laid his Wagon Fast in a Slough, stood Gaping and Bawling to as many of the Gods and Goddesses as he could Muster up, and to _Hercules_ Especially, to Help him out of the Mire. Why ye Lazy Puppy you, says _Hercules_, lay your Shoulder to the Wheel, and Prick your Oxen first, and _Then_’s your Time to Pray. Are the Gods to do your Drudgery, d’ye think, and you lie Bellowing with Your Finger in your Mouth?

The MORAL.

_Men in Distress must Work as well as Pray, they shall be never the Better else._

REFLEXION.

This is but after the Common Guise of the World, for the People when they are put to a Plunge, to cry out to Heaven for Help, without Helping Themselves; whereas Providence Assists No Body that does not put his Own Shoulders to the Work. _Prayers_ without _Works_, are Nothing Worth, either for Other People, or for Our selves. [_For Other People_] I say, because there is a Double Duty Incumbent upon us in the Exercise of Those Powers, and Abilities, which Providence has given us for the Common Good of Both. There must be the _Penny_ as well as the _Pater-noster_. ’Tis not a Bare _Lord have Mercy upon us_, that will help the Cart out of the Mire, or our Neighbour out of the Ditch, without putting our Hands to the Work. What signifies the Sound of Words in Prayer, without the Affection of the Heart, and a sedulous Application of the Proper Means that may Naturally lead to such an End: This is to say, Body and Soul must go together, in All the Offices of a Christian, as well as of a Civil Life, where there is place for the Exercise of the Faculties of Both.

There is also a Pompous and a Noisy Devotion, that _cries aloud to be heard of Men_; which is by so much the more Odious in the sight of God then the Other, as an Hypocritical Affectation of Religion, is Worse then a Drowsie Heartlessness of Duty. The Moral of This Fable may be Understood to look Both Ways, but Care must be Taken however, not to let the Scandals of Theatrical Appearances, Divert, or Deter us from the Practice of Holy Offices, within the Bounds of Piety and Good Conscience: after the Example of Those, that set up for _Atheists_, for fear they should be taken for _Enthusiasts_. He, in fine, that _Made_ Body and Soul, will be _Serv’d_ and _Glorify’d_ by Both. Besides that, _Hercules_ helps no Body that will not help _Himself_.

FAB. CCXLVII.

A _Hen_ and _Golden Eggs_.

A Certain Good Woman had a Hen, that Laid her Golden Eggs, which could not be, she thought, without a Mine in the Belly of Her. Upon This Presumption, she Cut her up to Search for Hidden Treasure: But upon the Dissection found her just like _Other Hens_, and that the Hope of Getting more had betray’d her to the Loss of what she had in Possession.

The MORAL.

_This is the Fate, Folly and Mischief of Vain Desires, and of an Immoderate Love of Riches. Content wants Nothing, and Covetousness brings Beggery._

REFLEXION.

They that would still have more and more, can never have Enough; No, Not if a Miracle should Interpose to Gratify their Avarice; for it makes Men Unthankful to the Highest Degree, not only in General, for the Benefits they Receive, but in particular also to the very Benefactors Themselves. If the Nearest Friend a Covetous Man has in the World, had really a Mine in his Guts, he’d Rip him up to Find it: For his Bus’ness is to make the Most of what he has, and of what he can get, without any regard to the Course of Providence, or of Nature: And what’s the End of All These Unreasonable Desires, but Loss, Sorrow, and Disappointment? The True Intent of This Fable is to Possess us of a Just Sense of the Vanity and Folly of these Craving Appetites. If the Woman could have been Contented with Golden Eggs, she might have kept That Revenue on still; but when Nothing less then the _Mine it self_ would serve her, she lost _Hen, Eggs and All_.

FAB. CCXLVIII.

An _Ape_ and her _Two Brats_.

There was an _Ape_ that had Twins: She Doted upon One of them, and did not much Care for T’other. She took a sudden Fright once, and in a Hurry whips up her Darling under her Arm, and carries the Other a Pick-a-Pack upon her Shoulders. In This Haste and Maze, Down she comes, and beats out her Favourites Brains against a Stone; but That which she had at her Back came off Safe and Sound.

The MORAL.

_Fondlings are Commonly Unfortunate._

REFLEXION.

Partiality in a Parent is commonly Unlucky, if not a little Unnatural, for Fondlings are in danger to be made Fools, by the very Error of their Education, and we find it Experimentally that the Children that are least Cocker’d, make the Best, and Wisest Men. ’Tis well to be Tender, but to set the Heart too much upon any thing, is what we cannot Justify, either in Religion, or in Reason. I was Saying that Partiality was a little Unnatural too. I do not mean a Partiality of Inclination; for we cannot Command our Likings, or our Aversions; but I speak of a Partiality that shews it self in a Distinguishing Preference of One to the Other, and therefore what Hankering Dispositions soever we may have, That Fondness should not Transport us beyond the Bounds of a Discreet Affection; and Other Circumstances apart, we should no more be kinder to One Child then to Another, then we are Tender of One Eye more then of the Other; for they are Both our Own Flesh and Blood alike. Children are Naturally Jealous, and Envious, and the Quenching of their Spirits so Early, hazards the Damping of them for ever. Beside, that there is no such Fop in Fine, as my Young Master, that has the Honour to be a Fool of his Lady Mother’s making. She Blows him up into a Conceit of Himself, and there he Stops, without ever Advancing One Step further. In short, she makes a Man of him at Sixteen, and a Boy all the Days of his Life after. And what is All This now, but the True Moral of the _Ape_ with her _Brats_ here in the Fable? The _Cub_ that she carry’d at her Back had the Wit to Shift for it self; but the Other, that she _Hugg’d as the Devil did the Witch_, Perish’d in her very Arms.

FAB. CCXLIX.

An _Oxe_ and an _Heifer_.

A Wanton _Heifer_ that had little else to do then to Frisk up and down in a Meadow, at Ease and Pleasure, came up to a Working _Oxe_ with a Thousand Reproaches in her Mouth; Bless me, says the _Heifer_, what a Difference there is betwixt your Coat and Condition, and Mine! Why, What a Gall’d Nasty Neck have we here! Look ye, Mine’s as clean as a Penny, and as smooth as Silk I warrant ye. ’Tis a Slavish Life to be Yoak’d thus, and in Perpetual Labour. What would you give to be as Free and as Easy now as I am? The _Oxe_ kept These Things in his Thought, without One Word in Answer at present; but seeing the _Heifer_ taken up a While after for a _Sacrifice_: Well Sister, says he, and have not you Frisk’d fair now, when the Ease and Liberty you Valu’d your self upon, has brought you to This End?

The MORAL.

_’Tis No New Thing for Men of Liberty and Pleasure, to make Sport with the Plain, Honest Servants of their Prince and Country. But Mark the End on’t, and while the One Labours in his Duty with a Good Conscience, the Other, like a Beast, is but Fatting up for the Shambles._

REFLEXION.

There was never any thing gotten By Sensuality and Sloth, either in Matter of Profit or of Reputation; whereas an Active, Industrious Life carries not only Credit and Advantage, but a Good Conscience also along with it. The Lazy, the Voluptuous, the Proud, and the Delicate, are Struck at in This Fable: Men that set their Hearts only upon the Present, without either Entering into the Reason, or looking forward into the End of Things: Little Dreaming that all this Pomp of Vanity, Plenty, and Pleasure, is but a Fattening of them for the Slaughter. ’Tis the Case of Great and Rich Men in the World; the very Advantages they Glory in, are the Cause of their Ruine. The Heifer that Valu’d it self upon a Smooth Coat, and a Plump habit of Body, was taken up for a _Sacrifice_; but the _Oxe_ that was Despis’d for his Drudgery, and his Raw-Bones, went on with his Work still in the Way of a Safe and an Honest Labour.

FAB. CCL.

A _Dog_ and a _Lyon_.

What a Miserable Life dost thou lead, says a _Dog_ to a _Lyon_, to run Starving up and down thus in Woods and Deserts, without either Meat, or Ease: I am Fat and Fair you see, and it Costs me neither Labour, nor Pains. Nay, says the _Lyon_, you have many a Good Bit no Doubt on’t; but then like a Fool you subject your self to the Clogs and Chains that go along with it: But for my Own Part, let him serve that serve Can, and serve Will, I’ll Live and Die Free.

The MORAL.

_That Man deserves to be a Slave, that Sacrifices his Liberty to his Appetite._

REFLEXION.

The Moral of This is the Same with That of _Dog_ and _Wolfe_, _Fab. 68_.

FAB. CCLI.

A _River-Fish_ and a _Sea-Fish_.

There was a Large Over-grown _Pike_ that had the Fortune to be Carry’d out to Sea by a Strong Current, and had there the Vanity to Value himself above All the Fish in the Ocean. We’ll refer That (says a _Sturgeon_) to the Judgment of the Market, and see which of the Two yields the Better Price.

The MORAL.

_Every Man has his Province Assign’d him, and none but a Mad-man will pretend to Impose; and to give Laws where he has Nothing to do._

REFLEXION.

There’s no Folly like That of Vain Glory, nor any thing more Ridiculous then for a Vain Man to be still Boasting of Himself: For ’tis against All Law and Equity, for a Body to be admitted a Judge in ones Own Case. A second Doctrine may be This (and we find it true by Experience) that _Mony Governs the World_; and that the _Market-Price_ is the _Measure_ of the Worth of _Men_ as well as of _Fishes_; As the _Sturgeon_ left it to the _Fish-monger_ to Determine the Controversy betwixt _Him_ and the _Pike_.

FAB. CCLII.

A _Fox_ and a _Leopard_.

As a _Leopard_ was Valuing himself upon the Lustre of his Party-colour’d Skin; a _Fox_ gave him a Jog, and Whisper’d him, that the Beauty of the Mind was an Excellence, Infinitely above That of a Painted Out-side.

The MORAL.

_A Good Understanding is a Blessing Infinitely beyond All External Beauties._

REFLEXION.

There are Degrees in Good Things. There are Blessings of Fortune, and Those are of the Lowest Rate. The Next above Those Blessings are the Bodily Advantages of Strength, Gracefulness and Health; but the Superlative Blessings, in fine, are the Blessings of the Mind: Fools ’tis true may be allow’d to Brag of Foolish Things; but the _Leopard_’s _Beauty_ without the _Foxes Wit_ is no better then a Fop in a _Gay Coat_.

THE FABLES OF ABSTEMIUS, _&c._

FAB. CCLIII.

_Demades_ the _Orator_.

This _Demades_ was a very Famous _Orator_, and taking Notice as he was in the Middle of a Discourse to the People upon a Subject of Great Importance, that their Thoughts were Wand’ring upon Something else, he slipt from his Text into This Digression. _Ceres_ (says he) a _Swallow_ and an _Eele_, were Travelling together upon the Way: They came to a River, it seems, and the _Swallow_ flew over it; The _Eele_ made a shift to Swim through it;——And there he stopt. Well (says some of the Company) and what became of _Ceres_? Why (says _Demades_) The Goddess was mightily Offended, to find so many People in the World that are Deaf to any thing they may be the Better for, and yet have their Ears Open to Fooleries.

The MORAL.

_People are sooner Reclaim’d by the Side-Wind of a Surprize, then by Downright Admonition and Councel; for they’ll lend an Ear to a Parable when Nothing else will Down with them._

REFLEXION.

Men Mind the Pleasure, and the Satisfaction of a Fancy, or a Loose Appetite more then they do Better Things; and they are sooner brought to Themselves, and set Right by the _Innuendo_ of a _Parable_, then by the Dint of direct Reason. There are many Men that are Infinitely Tender in Point of Honour, and have very little Regard yet upon the Main, to Truth and Equity. Now such People as These are sooner Wrought upon by Shame then by Conscience, when they find themselves Fool’d and Shamm’d (as we say) into a Conviction. This Fable tells us what we Ought to do in the Case of Attending to Instructive and Profitable Counsels. It tells us also what we are apt to do, in Heark’ning after Fooleries: and loosing the Opportunity of Hearing and Learning Better Things. And it shews us in fine, the Force of an Allegory betwixt Jest and Earnest; which in such a Case as This, is certainly the most Artificial, Civil, and Effectual Manner of Reproche. I call it a _Reproche_, for ’tis an Affront to Good Manners as well as to Ordinary Prudence, not to Hearken to a Man of Authority; That is to say, to the Voice of Wisdom, when she speaks to us out of the Mouth of a Philosopher. Men that have Wandring Thoughts at such a Lecture, deserve as well to be Whipt, as Boys for Playing at Push-Pin, when they should be Learning their Lesson: Beside, that it is only Another way of calling a Man Fool, when no Heed is given to what he says. Now _Demades_ that Understood both his Bus’ness, and the Weak side of Humane Nature perfectly Well, never troubled his Head to bring his Auditory to their Wits again by the Force of Dry and Sober Reason; but Circumvented them by a Delicate Figure, into a Curiosity that led them Naturally to a Better Sense of their Interest, and their Duty.

FAB. CCLIV.

A _Fox_ and a _Hedge-Hog_.

_Æsop_ brought the _Samians_ to their Wits again out of a most Desperate Sedition with This Fable.

A _Fox_, upon the Crossing of a River, was forc’d away by the Current into an Eddy, and there he lay with Whole Swarms of Flies Sucking and Galling of him. There was a _Water-Hedge-Hog_ (we must imagin) at hand, that in Pure Pity Offer’d to Beat away the _Flies_ from him. No, No, says the _Fox_, Pray let ’em Alone, for the Flies that are upon me now are e’en Bursting-full already, and can do me little more Hurt then they have done: But when These are gone once, there will be a Company you shall see of Starv’d Hungry Wretches to take their Places, that will not leave so much as One Drop of Bloud in the Whole Body of me.

_Tiberius Cæsar_ made a very Pertinent Application of This Fancy to a Case of his Own. The Question was, Whether or no he should Casheir some of his Corrupt Governors of Provinces, for Oppressing the People? He gave the World to Understand his Mind by this Fable.

There was a Man lay Miserably Wounded upon the High-way, and Swarms of _Flies_ upon him, Sucking his Sores. A Traveller that was passing by, Pity’d his Condition, and Offer’d him his Service, in Pure Charity to Drive them away. No, No, says T’other, pray let them alone; for when These are gone, I shall have Worse in Their Places. This will be the Case of My Subjects if I Change their Governors.

The MORAL.

_The Force of a Fable._

REFLEXION.

If (says _Æsop_) You shall once Destroy your Present Governor, that is Full and Wealthy, you must of Necessity Chuse Others when he is gone, who will be sure to Fill their own Coffers out of what the Other has left ye. This Fable upon the Whole, is very Instructive how People should Behave themselves in the Case of Male-Administration, or Oppression; where there is any Colour or Complaint of Cruelty, or Injustice, under the Cover of Sovereign Power. The _Fox_’s Resolution here is mightily to the Purpose: That is to say, where the Grievance is only the Unrighteous Exercise of a Lawful Authority. The Removal of _Bloud Suckers_ that are already as Full as their Skins will hold, serves only to make way for Others that are Greedy and Empty. This is no Redress of the Evil, No, nor so much as a Change; but in Truth, an Augmentation of it.

It is again to be Consider’d, that as Government is Necessary, Sacred, and Unaccountable, so it is but Equal for us to bear the Infelicities of a Male Exercise of it, as we Enjoy the Blessings of Authority and Publique Order. There’s Nothing Pure that’s Sublunary, but somewhat still of Good Blended with the Bad, and of Bad with the Good; And This Natural Mixture runs through the Whole Course and Condition of Humane Affairs. We are not to be either our Own Carvers, or our Own Chusers, and the Man puts out his Own Eyes that does not see the Folly, and the Iniquity of Struggling with Insuperable Powers, which is Impious in the Practice, and Miserable in the Conclusion. Where Government is Accounted as Bondage, the Exercise of it shall never fail of being call’d Persecution and Oppression: But to put Matters at Worst, Let us for Argument sake, suppose Pilling and Polling Officers, as Busie upon the People as These Flies were upon the _Fox_: Better bear a Tolerable Present Calamity then Exchange it for a Worse; and the _Fox_ had the Wit rather to suffer the Galling of a Parcel of _Flies_ that were full already, then by Beating them off, to make way for a New set of Hungry Sharpers that would do him Fifty times the Mischief.

FAB. CCLV.

A _Mouse_ in a _Chest_.

A _Mouse_ that was bred in a _Chest_, and had liv’d all her days there upon what the Dame of the House laid up in’t, happen’d one time to drop out over the Side, and to Stumble upon a very Delicious Morsel, as she was Hunting up and down to find her way In again. She had no sooner the Taste of it in her Mouth, but she brake out into Exclamations, what a Fool she had been thus Long, to Perswade her self that there was No Happiness in the World but in That Box.

The MORAL.

_A Contented Mind and a Good Conscience will make a Body Happy where-ever he is._

REFLEXION.

’Tis well to be Content in what Place or Condition soever we are; without being yet so Fond of it as not to be prepar’d for any Change or Chance that may Befal us. A Good Patriot loves his Own Country Best, but yet in case of Necessity, or a Fair Convenience, the Whole Globe of the Earth is an Honest Man’s Country, and he reckons himself at home wherever he is. The _Mouse_ was _Well_ in the _Chest_; but she found her self Better afterwards in the World, which serves to tell us that we may be Happy in a Private Life, as well as in a Publique, and that by the Benefit either of a Christian, or a Philosophical Resignation to our Lot, whatever it is, we may be so wherever we are.

FAB. CCLVI.

A _Husbandman_ and _Ceres_.

A Certain _Farmer_ complain’d that the Beards of his Corn Cut the Reapers and the Thrashers Fingers sometimes, and therefore he desired _Ceres_ that his Corn might grow hereafter without Beards. The Request was Granted, and the Little Birds Eat up all his Grain. Fool that I was (says he) rather to lose the Support of my Life, then venture the Pricking of my Servants Fingers.

The MORAL.

_There must be no Refining upon the Works of Providence; for He that thinks to Mend them, Forfeits his Right to the Blessing and Benefit of them._

REFLEXION.

No Man can be perfectly Happy; but if he be either Curious, or Unsteady, he shall Live and Die Craving, and in a Restless Want of something or other that is never to be had. Wherefore we should do well to Weigh our Present Inconveniences against Those that may probably arise in the Future, and not so much as to think of Changing our Condition till we have Ballanc’d the Accounts. We may lay down This, in short, for a Rule without any Exception, that Nothing but a Fool or a Madman will Wish any thing to be Other then as God has Made it. Let us Reform our Lives, and Mend our Manners, and set Every thing Right at Home first, before we take upon us to Correct the Works of Providence and Nature. The Husbandman thought Corn would do better without Beards, till he found that according to the Way he went to Work, he should have neither _One_ nor _T’other_.

FAB. CCLVII.

A _Country-Man_ and a _Hawk_.

A _Country Fellow_ had the Fortune to take a _Hawk_ in the Hot Pursuit of a _Pigeon_. The _Hawk_ Pleaded for her self, that she never did the Country-Man any Harm, and therefore I hope, says she, that You’ll do Me None. Well, says the _Country-Man_, and pray what Wrong did the _Pigeon_ ever do you? Now by the Reason of your own Argument, you must e’en Expect to be Treated Your self, as You your self would have Treated This _Pigeon_.

The MORAL.

_’Tis good to Think before we speak, for fear of Condemning our selves out of our Own Mouths._

REFLEXION.

This Fable holds forth to us several Morals. Rapine and Injustice, Meet in the End with Violence. One Murderer is Kill’d by Another. Adulterers are paid in kind; and One Wicked Man Punishes Another. It is but according to the Course of the World, for the Stronger to Oppress the Weaker, and for Thieves Themselves to Rob one Another: But the more Mighty do well however in Avenging Those that are Oppress’d by the Less Mighty. And the Fable has This Prospect too, that Princes are as much Ty’d to Vindicate their Subjects Cause as if it were their Own.

’Tis no News for the Weak and the Poor to be a Prey to the Strong, and the Rich, and the Vindication of the Innocent is no Ill Plea, or Masque for the Oppressing of the Guilty. Birds of Prey are an Emblem of Rapacious Officers. A Superior Power takes away by Violence from Them, That which by Violence they took away from Others: But it falls out too often, that the Equity of Restitution is forgotten, after the Execution of the Punishment. Now what is This way of Proceeding, but Drinking the Blood of the Widow and the Orphan at second hand? for He that takes away from a Thief, That which the Thief, to his Knowledge, took from an Honest Man, and keeps it to Himself, is the Wickeder Thief of the Two, by how much the Rapine is made yet Blacker by the pretence of Piety and Justice. Here’s a _Country-man_ takes a _Hawk_ in the Chase of a _Pigeon_, the _Hawk_ reasons the Case with him; The _Country-man_ Pleads the _Pigeon_’s Cause, and upon a Fair Hearing; The _Hawk_ stands Condemn’d out of her own Mouth, and the Innocent is consequently deliver’d from her Oppressor. Now here’s One Violence Disappointed by Another; A Poor Harmless Wretch Protected against a Powerful Adversary; Justice done upon a Notorious Persecutor; and yet after All this Glorious semblance of a Publique Spirited Generosity, and Tenderness of Nature, the _Man_ only sav’d the _Pigeon_ from the _Hawk_, that he might Eat it _Himself_: And if we look Well about us we shall find This to be the Case of most Mediations, we meet with in the Name of Publique Justice.

FAB. CCLVIII.

A _Swallow_ and a _Spider_.

A _Spider_ that Observ’d a _Swallow_ Catching of _Flies_, fell Immediately to Work upon a Net to Catch _Swallows_, for she lookt upon’t as an Encroachment upon her Right: But the _Birds_, without any Difficulty, brake through the Work, and flew away with the very Net it self. Well, says the _Spider_, _Bird Catching_ is none of My Talent I perceive; and so she return’d to her Old Trade of Catching Flies again.

The MORAL.

_A Wise Man will not Undertake any thing without Means Answerable to the End._

REFLEXION.

Let Every Man Examin his Own Strength, and the Force of the Enemy he is to Cope withal before he comes to Close, and Grapple with him: For he’s sure to go by the Worst that Contends with an Adversary that is too Mighty for him. ’Tis Good Advice not to Contend with Those that are too Strong for us, but still with a saving to Honesty and Justice, for the Integrity of the Mind must be supported against All Violence and Hazzards whatsoever. This of the _Spider_ is a very Foolish Undertaking, and as Unjust a Pretence; for the Equity of the Case is Clearly Mistaken. The Intent of the Fable is to set us Right in the Understanding, and Interpreting of Injuries. ’Tis an unhappy Error to take things for Injuries that are Not so: And then supposing an Injury done, ’tis a Nice Point to Proportion the Reparation to the Degree of the Indignity; and to take a True Measure of our Own Force. It was a Ridiculous Project to think of Catching a _Swallow_ in a _Cobweb_; and the _Spider_ was as much Out too in thinking to Restrain the Common Air to its own Particular Use. The _Swallow_ was a _Fly-Catcher_ as well as the _Spider_, and no more an Inter-loper upon the _Spider_’s Right, then the _Spider_ was upon the _Swallow_’s; for the Flies were in Common to Both. Those People, in short, deserve to be Doubly Laugh’d at, that are Peevish, and Angry; First, for Nothing, and secondly, to no manner of Purpose.

This Envious Injustice is Frequent in the World, for why should People think to Engrosse and Appropriate the Common Benefits of Fire, Air, and Water to Themselves; Not but that there are Swarms of This sort of _State-Spiders_ in the World, that Reckon Every _Fly_ that’s taken out of the Common-Stock, as a _Penny_ out of their _Own Pockets_. The Bounties of God and of Princes ought to be Free, both alike, without making Every Morsel of Bread that an Honest Man puts in his Mouth to be the Robbing of a Minion, Wherefore let Every Man Compute, First, What he ought to do. Secondly, What he is Able to do. Provided Thirdly, That he Govern himself by the Rules of Vertue and Discretion. This Consideration beforehand, would have sav’d the Foolish _Spider_ the Trouble of Setting Nets for Swallows.

FAB. CCLIX.

A _Country-man_ and a _River_.

A _Country-man_ that was to Pass a River Sounded it up and down to try where it was most Fordable; and upon Tryal he made This Observation on’t: Where the Water ran Smooth, he found it Deepest; and on the contrary, Shallowest where it made most Noise.

The MORAL.

_There’s More Danger in a Reserv’d and Silent, then in a Noisie, Babbling Enemy._

REFLEXION.

Great Talkers are not always the Greatest Doers, and the Danger is Greatest, where there’s least Blustering and Clamour.

Much Tongue, and much Judgment seldom go together, for Talking and Thinking are Two Quite Differing Faculties, and there’s commonly more Depth where there’s Less Noise. We find it to be Thus Betwixt your Superficial Men, and Men that are well Founded in Any Art, Science, or Profession. As in Philosophy, Divinity, Arms, History, Manners. The very Practice of Babbling is a Great Weakness, and not only the Humour, but the Matter shews it so; though upon the Main, it is not Capable either of Much Good, or of Much Evil; for as there’s No Trusting in the Case, so there’s No Great Danger from them, in the Manage of any Design; for Many and Rash Words Betray the Speaker of them. As to the Man of Silence and Reserve, that keeps himself Close, and his Thoughts Private, He Weighs, and Compares Things, and Proceeds upon Deliberation. It is good to see and sound however, before a Man Plunges; for a Body may as well be Over-born by the Violence of a Shallow, Rapid Stream, as Swallow’d up in the Gulph of a smooth Water. ’Tis in This Case with _Men_ as ’tis with _Rivers_.

FAB. CCLX.

A _Pigeon_ and a _Pye_.

A _Pye_ was Wond’ring once to a _Pigeon_, why she would Breed still in the same Hole, when her Young Ones were constantly taken away from her before they were able to fly. Why That’s my Simplicity, says the _Pigeon_. I mean no Harm, and I suspect None.

The MORAL.

Do as You would be done by, _is a Better Rule in the Doctrine, then in the Practice: For_ Trust as you would be Trusted, _will not hold betwixt a Knave and an Honest Man. There’s no Dealing with a Sharper but at his Own Play._

REFLEXION.

The Truer Hearted any Man is, the more Lyable is he to be Impos’d upon: And then the World calls it _Out-witting_ of a Man; when, in truth he’s only _Out-knav’d_: And oblig’d, even in Charity and Good Nature, to Believe till he be Couzen’d. And we find the Country-man’s Observation Confirm’d by Daily Experience. This does not yet Hinder a sincere Singleness of Heart from being a Vertue so necessary for the Comfort and Security of Mankind, that Humane Society cannot subsist without it. And therefore ’tis a Thousand Pities it should be so Discountenanc’d, and Abus’d, as in the Common Practice of the World we find it is. But it stands Firm however to the same Tenor of Life. As the _Pigeon_ kept still to the same Hole to lay her Eggs in what’ere she Lost by’t.

FAB. CCLXI.

A _Cuckow_ and a _Hawk_.

By the Beak, and the Claws of a _Cuckow_, one would take her for a kind of _Hawk_; only the One Lives upon Worms, and the Other upon Flesh: Insomuch that a _Hawk_ Twitted a _Cuckow_ One Day with her course way of Feeding. If you’ll _Look_ like a _Hawk_, Why don’t you _Live_ like a _Hawk_? The Cuckow took This a little in Dudgeon; but passing by a _Pigeon-House_ some short time after, what should she see but the Skin of This very _Hawk_ upon a Pole, on the Top of the _Dove-House_: Well! says the _Cuckow_ (in Conceit) to the _Hawk_, and had not you as good have been Eating _Worms_ now, as _Pigeons_.

The MORAL.

_Pride is an Abomination in the Sight of God, and the Judgment is Just upon us, when the Subject of our Vanity becomes the Occasion of our Ruine._

REFLEXION.

A Safe Mediocrity is much better then an Envy’d, and a Dangerous Excellency. They that in their Prosperity Despise Others, shall be sure in their Adversity to be Despis’d Themselves. It is much the same Case with Men of Prey, that it is with Birds of Prey. They take it for a Disparagement to Sort themselves with any Other then the Enemies of the Publique Peace: But Men that Live upon Rapine, are set up for a Marque, as the Common Enemy; and all Heads and Hands are at Work to destroy them.

FAB. CCLXII.

A _Country-man_ and an _Ass_.

As a _Country-man_ was Grazing his _Ass_ in a Meadow, comes a Hot Alarum that the Enemy was Just falling into their Quarters. The _Poor Man_ calls presently to his _Ass_, in a Terrible Fright, to Scoure away as fast as he could Scamper: for, says he, we shall be _Taken_ else. Well, quoth the _Ass_, and what if we should be _Taken_? I have One Pack-Saddle upon my Back already, will they Clap Another a Top of that d’ye Think? I can but be a Slave where-ever I am: So that _Taken_, or not _Taken_, ’tis all a Case to Me.

The MORAL.

_It’s some Comfort for a Body to be so Low that he cannot fall: And in such a Condition already that he cannot well be Worse. If a Man be Born to be a Slave, no matter to what Master._

REFLEXION.

Here’s a Fiction of an _Alarum_, and we’ll suppose it to be a False One too; for the Inventor has not Determin’d the Point. Now the Fancy will have more Force and Quickness in’t that Way, then T’other; and the _Asses_ Reasoning upon the Case, will hold good both Ways alike: Only the _Asses_ in the _Moral_ are more Frightful then the _Asses_ in the _Fable_. _We shall be Taken else_, is the Song of All Popular Male-Contents, when they design a Change of Government: And so they Hurry the Mobile Head-long upon the very Dread of Imaginary Chains and Shackles, into the Slavery they Fear’d: But _some Asses_ are Wiser then _Others_: for the _Multitude_ would Answer their Masters else in the _One Instance_, as the _Animal_ here in the Emblem Answer’d His, in the _Other_: Here was no Scampering away at a Venture, without Fear, or Wit; No Sollicitous Enquiry whether the News was True or No: But the _Mythologist_ has prudently, and for our Instruction, Cast those Two Circumstances out of the Question, and laid the Stress of it upon This single Issue. As who would say; In all Governments there must be Burdens to be Born, and People to Bear them: And who so proper to bear Those Burdens, as Those that Providence and Policy have Appointed and Design’d for that Office and Station? So that ’tis all one to the Common People who’s Uppermost (That is to say, upon the Matter of Ease and Liberty) for _Asses_ must be _Asses_ still, whoever _Rides_ them, and Providence will keep the World in Order still, whoever Grumbles at it.

FAB. CCLXIII.

A _Fox_ and a _Knot_ of _Gossips_.

A _Fox_ that was taking a Walk one Night Cross a Village, spy’d a Bevy of _Jolly, Gossiping Wenches_, making Merry over a Dish of _Pullets_. Why Ay, says he; Is not this a Brave World now? A Poor Innocent _Fox_ cannot so much as Peep into a Hen Roost, though but to keep Life and Soul together, and what a Bawling do you make on’t presently with your Dogs, and your Bastards! And yet You your selves can lie Stuffing your Guts with your _Hens_, and your _Capons_, and not a Word of the Pudding. How now _Bold-Face_, crys an _Old Trot_. Sirrah, we Eat our _Own Hens_, I’d have you to know; and what you Eat, you Steal.

The MORAL.

_There are Men of Prey, as well as Beasts of Prey, that Account Rapine as good a Title as Propriety._

REFLEXION.

This gives us to Understand, first, that a Man may do what he will with his Own; but he has Nothing to do with the Propriety of Another Body. _Secondly_, That People may do any Thing with Impunity, where there’s No body to call ’em to Account for’t; And that which is Death for One to do is Lawful for Another.

There are several Starts of Fancy, that Off-hand look well enough; but bring them to the Test, and there’s Nothing in ’em. The _Fox_’s Reproche here upon the _Gossips_, was a Frolique Pleasant enough; but without any Colour, or Congruity of Reason; and the Fallacy lies, from the same Thing done by several Persons, to the same Right of Doing it; though under Circumstances so Different, that there’s no Parity at all betwixt them upon the Collation. This Freak has somewhat of the Air in’t of the Young Fellow’s Conceit to his Father, when he took him Ruffling his Grand-Mother. _Why may not I lie with your Mother_, says he, _as well as You lie with mine_? These _Foxes_ should do well to Consider, that High-Way-Men, and Other Criminals have as much to say for themselves, where there’s a Breach of Law, and Common Justice in the Case. This Instance of the _Fox_ and the _Gossips_, comes to the Old Proverb; that _One may better Steal a Horse then Another look over the Hedge_.

FAB. CCLXIV.

_Capons Fat_ and _Lean_.

There were a Great many _Cramm’d Capons_ together in a Coop; some of ’em very Fair and _Fat_, and Others again that did not Thrive upon Feeding. The _Fat_ ones would be ever and anon making Sport with the _Lean_, and calling them _Starvelings_; till in the End, the Cook was Order’d to Dress so many _Capons_ for Supper, and to be sure to take the Best in the Pen: when it came to That once, they that had most Flesh upon their Backs, wish’d they had had Less, and ’twould have been Better for ’em.

The MORAL.

_Prosperity makes People Proud, Fat, and Wanton; but when a Day of Reckoning comes, They are the First still that go to Pot._

REFLEXION.

The _Fat Capons_ in This Fable, are the Rich, the Great, and the (Externally) Happy Men in the World. People Weigh Vertue, in Common Reputation, as they do Flesh in the Market, at so much a Pound. They Agree too in the Contempt of Men of a Less Size and Quality, and they Meet with the same Fate in the End too, by a Just Judgment upon them for their Insulting Vanity. They are made the very Mark for Envy, and Avarice to shoot at: and Equally in danger of being Sacrific’d, either to Tyranny, or to Faction. The Poor, in fine, have This Consolation, that their Condition is safer, and easier, then That of the Rich: And All People in the World will agree with Those _Capons_ in the Fable, that it is better to _Live Lean_ then to _Dye Fat_.

FAB. CCLXV.

_Oxen_ and a Piece of _Timber_.

The _Timber_ was Complaining of the Ingratitude of the _Oxen_. How often, says the _Timber_, have I fed ye with my Leaves, and reliev’d ye under my Shadow? and for You to Drag me now at this rate, over Dirt and Stones! Alas! cry’d the _Oxen_: Do not you see how we Pant and Groan, and how we are Goaded on, to do what we Do? The _Timber_ Consider’d how unwillingly they did it, and so Forgave them.

The MORAL.

_What we are forc’d to do by an Over-Ruling Power and Necessity, is not properly our own Act._

REFLEXION.

’Tis not the Thing that is Done, but the Intention in the Doing of it, that makes the Action Good, or Evil. There’s a Great Difference betwixt what we do upon Force, and what upon Inclination; and the Good Will is nevertheless Obliging, though by some Unlucky Accident it should be Diverted to my Ruine. Where there is neither Privity, nor Consent, there can be no Malice, and consequently no Crime, or Disobligation. For All other Misadventures Amount to no more in Truth, then That which we call Ill Luck, in the Accidents of Life, wherefore the _Timber_ was in the Right to Forgive the _Oxen_ here, and so shall We be too, if after the Doctrine, and Example of This Fable, we forgive one Another.

FAB. CCLXVI.

_Trees Streight_ and _Crooked_.

There was a Delicate Plantation of _Trees_ that were All _Well-grown_, _Fair_ and _Smooth_, save only One Dwarf among them that was _Knotty_, and _Crooked_, and the Rest had it in Derision. The Master of the Wood, it seems, was to Build a House, and Appointed his Workmen to supply the Timber out of That Grove, and to Cut down Every Stick on’t that they found fit for Service. They did as they were Order’d, and This _Ill Favour’d Piece_ was left Alone.

The MORAL.

_Celebrated Beauties are seldom Fortunate._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Felicity to be Plain, and Inconsiderable, where ’tis Dangerous to be otherwise. There are a Thousand Inconveniences that Attend Great Beauties and Fortunes, which the Poor and Deformed are Free from; Not but that it is Better to fall Honourably in the Service of the Publique, then to Survive, in the Scandal of an Unprofitable, and an Inglorious Life. The Moral gives us also to Understand, that _Pride will have a Fall_, and that No Personal Advantages can either Justifie, or Protect Great Men in their Insolence over their Inferiors. The _Beautiful Trees_ go all to _Wrack_ here, and only the _Mis-shapen_ and _Despicable Dwarf_ is left _Standing_.

FAB. CCLXVII.

A _Swan_ and a _Stork_.

A _Stork_ that was Present at the Song of a Dying _Swan_, told her ’twas contrary to Nature to Sing so much out of Season; and Ask’d her the Reason of it? Why, says the _Swan_, I am now Entering into a State where I shall be no longer in Danger of either Snares, Guns, or Hunger: and who would not joy at such a Deliverance.

The MORAL.

_Death is but the Last Farewel to All the Difficulties, Pains, and Hazards of Life._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Great Folly to Fear that which it is Impossible to Avoid; and it is yet a Greater Folly to Fear the Remedy of All Evils: For Death Cures All Diseases, and Frees us from All Cares. It is as Great a Folly again, not to Prepare our selves, and Provide for the Entertainment of an Inevitable Fate. We are as sure to go Out of the World, as we are that ever we came In to’t; and Nothing but the Conscience of a Good Life can Support us in That Last Extremity. The Fiction of a _Swan_’s Singing at her Death, does, in the Moral, but Advise, and Recommend it to us, to make ready for the Chearful Entertainment of our last Hour, and to Consider with our Selves, that if Death be so Welcome a Relief even to _Animals_, barely as a Deliverance from the Cares, Miseries, and Dangers of a Troublesome Life, how much a Greater Blessing, ought All Good Men to Account it then, that are not only Freed by it from the Snares, Difficulties, and Distractions of a Wicked World, but put into Possession (over and above) of an Everlasting Peace, and the Fruition of Joys that shall never have an End!

FAB. CCLXVIII.

The _Inconsolable Widow_.

There was a Poor Young _Woman_ that had brought her self e’en to Death’s Door with Grief for her Sick Husband, but the Good Man, her Father, did All he could to Comfort her. Come, Child, says he, We are All Mortal: Pluck up a Good Heart, my Girl; for let the Worst come to the Worst, I have a Better Husband in store for thee, when This is Gone. Alas, Sir, says she, what d’ye talk of _Another Husband_ for? why you had as good have Struck a Dagger to my Heart. No, No; If ever I think of Another Husband, may——Without any more ado the Man dies, and the Woman immediately breaks out into such Transports of Tearing her Hair, and Beating her Breast, that every Body thought she’d have run Stark-Mad upon’t: But upon second Thoughts, she Wipes her Eyes; Lifts ’em up, and cries _Heaven’s Will be done_; and then turns to her Father, _Pray, Sir_, says she, _About T’other Husband you were speaking of, Is he here in the House?_

The MORAL.

_This Fable gives us to Understand, that a Widow’s Tears are quickly Dry’d up, and that it is not Impossible for a Woman to Out-live the Death of her Husband; and after All the Outrages of her Funeral Sorrow, to Propose to her self many a Merry Hour in the Arms of a Second Spouse._

REFLEXION.

Here’s the Figure of a Worldly Sorrow, and of a Worldly Love, drawn to the Life, from the Heart and Humour of a Right, Worldly Woman. Hypocrisie Out-does the Truth, in Grief, as well as in Religion. ’Tis too Fierce and Noisie, to be Natural; but the Ostentation supplies the Place of the Duty. If the Wives Transports had not been Counterfeit, they would have been as Certain Death as the Husband’s Disease: For Flesh and Blood is not able to bear up under so Intolerable a Weight. It is in short, only the Acting a Part, not the Discharge of a Flowing Passion; she takes the Hint; Plays her Roll; Cries out her _Set time_, and when the Farce is over, betakes her self from her Infirmity to her Philosophy; not forgetting the Politique Part all this while, of making her Mourning for One Husband, a Prologue to the Drawing on of Another.