Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (5)

The _Estriches_ Case seems to be Different from the Other Two. He Fought, (though ’tis not said on which side) and he was Taken in the Battel. He had the Shape, but not the Heart of a _Trimmer_, and it was rather Nature then Fraud, that brought him off. Now there are Many things in an Affair of This Quality that may be Warrantable, even upon the Nicest Scruples of Honour, in him that suffers the Violence, which perchance would not be so in the Aggressor.

FAB. XLII.

A _Wolfe_ and a _Fox_.

A _Wolfe_ that had a mind to take his Ease, Stor’d himself Privately with Provisions, and so kept Close awhile. Why, how now Friend says a _Fox_ to him, we han’t seen You abroad at the Chase this many a day! Why truly says the _Wolfe_, I have gotten an Indisposition that keeps me much at Home, and I hope I shall have Your Prayers for my Recovery. The _Fox_ had a Fetch in’t, and when he saw it would not Fadge; Away goes he presently to a Shepherd, and tells him where he might surprise a _Wolfe_ if he had a mind to’t. The Shepherd follow’d his Directions, and Destroy’d him. The _Fox_ immediately, as his Next Heir, repairs to his Cell, and takes possession of his Stores; but he had Little Joy of the Purchase, for in a very short time, the same Shepherd did as much for the _Fox_, as he had done before for the _Wolfe_.

The MORAL.

_’Tis with_ Sharpers _as ’tis with_ Pikes, _they Prey upon their own kind; And ’tis a Pleasant Scene enough, when Thieves fall out among themselves, to see the Cutting of One Diamond with Another_.

REFLEXION.

’Tis Impossible for an Envious Man to be Happy. He makes the World his Enemies, and the Mischief that he does to Others, returns in a Judgment upon his Own Head. There’s No Trusting of a Crafty Designing Knave. I do not speak of the Trust of Privacy and Confidence only; but a Wise Man would not so much as Venture himself in such Company, nor let him come within distance of so much as knowing how to put a Trick upon him. This Fable shews us the Danger of such Conversation. And it shews us likewise the Just Fate that Attends the Treachery, even of One Traitor to Another: The _Wolfe_ had a Design upon the _Fox_: The _Fox_ had a Counter-Design upon the _Wolfe_: (which was no more then a Couple of Crafty Knaves well Match’d) And the Shepherd did Justice upon them both.

FAB. XLIII.

A _Stag_ Drinking.

As a _Stag_ was Drinking upon the Bank of a Clear Stream, he saw his Image in the Water, and Enter’d upon This Contemplation upon’t. Well! says he, if These Pityful Shanks of mine were but Answerable to this Branching Head, I can but think how I should Defy all my Enemies. The Words were hardly out of his Mouth, but he Discover’d a Pack of Dogs coming full Cry towards him. Away he Scours cross the Fields, Casts off the Dogs, and Gains a Wood; but Pressing through a Thicket, the Bushes held him by the Horns, till the Hounds came in, and Pluck’d him Down. The Last Thing he said was This. What an Unhappy Fool was I, to Take my Friends for my Enemies, and my Enemies for my Friends! I Trusted to my _Head_, that has Betray’d me, and I found fault with my Legs, that would otherwise have brought me off.

The MORAL.

_He that does not throughly know himself, may be well allowed to make a False Judgment upon other Matters that most Nearly concern him._

REFLEXION.

This is to shew us how perversly we Judge of Many Things, and take the Worse for the Better; and the Better for the Worse; upon a very great Mistake, both in what we Despise, and in what we Admire. But we are rather for that which is Fair, and Plausible in Appearance, then for That which is Plain and Profitable in Effect; Even to the Degree of Preferring Things Temporal to Eternal.

He that would Know Himself, must look into Himself. ’Tis only the Resemblance, or the Shadow that he sees in the Glass, Not the Man. ’Tis One Thing to Fancy Greatness of Mind; Another Thing to Practice it; for a Body may Promise, nay and resolve upon many Things in Contemplation, that he can never make good upon Tryal. How did the _Stag_ despise the _Dogs_ here, at the sight of his Armed Head in the Fountain; but his Heart went quite to another Tune, when the Hounds were at the Heels of him. We are likewise taught here, how subject Vain Men are to Glory in that which commonly Tends to their Loss, their Misfortune, their Shame, and their very Destruction; and yet at the same time to take their Best Friends for their Enemies. But there’s a Huge Difference betwixt a False Conception of Things, and the True Nature and Reason of them. The _Stag_ Prided himself in his Horns, that afterwards Shackled, and were the Ruin of him; but made slight of his Pityful _Shanks_, that, if it had not been for his Branching Head, would have brought him off.

FAB. XLIV.

A _Snake_ and a _File_.

There was a _Snake_ got into a Smith’s Shop, and fell to Licking of a _File_. She Saw the _File_ Bloody, and still the Bloodier it was, the more Eagerly she Lick’d it; upon a Foolish Fancy, that it was the _File_ that Bled, and that She her self had the Better on’t. In the Conclusion, when she could Lick no Longer, she fell to Biting; but finding at last she could do no more Good upon’t with her Teeth then with her Tongue, she Fairly left it.

The MORAL.

_’Tis a Madness to stand Biting and Snapping at any thing to no manner of purpose, more then the Gratifying of an Impotent Rage, in the fancy of Hurting Another, when in truth, we only Wound our selves._

REFLEXION.

This Fable sets out the Malignity of some Spiteful People, that take so much Pleasure in the Design of Hurting others, as not to Feel, and Understand that they only Hurt themselves. This is the Case of those that will be Trying Masteries with their Superiors, and Biting of that which is too Hard for their Teeth. There’s no Contending with an Adversary that’s either Insensible or Invincible: And the Rule holds, in Matters, not only of Actual Force and Violence, but of Fortune and Good Name; for ’tis no better then Downright Madness, to strike where we have No Power to Hurt, and to Contend where we are sure to be Worsted. The Doctrine is this, That Every Man should Consider his Own Strength and Act accordingly.

FAB. XLV.

A League betwixt the _Wolves_ and the _Sheep_.

There was a time when the _Sheep_ were so Hardy as to Wage War with the _Wolves_; and so long as they had the _Dogs_ for their Allies, they were upon all Encounters, at least a Match for their Enemies. Upon This Consideration, the _Wolves_ sent their Embassadors to the _Sheep_, to Treat about a Peace, and in the mean Time there were Hostages given on Both Sides; the _Dogs_ on the part of the _Sheep_, and the _Wolves Whelps_ on the Other Part, ’till Matters might be brought to an Issue. While they were upon Treaty, the _Whelps_ fell a Howling; The _Wolves_ cryed out Treason; and pretending an Infraction in the Abuse of their Hostages, fell upon the _Sheep_ immediately without their _Dogs_, and made them pay for the Improvidence of leaving themselves without a Guard.

The MORAL.

_’Tis senseless in the Highest Degree to think of Establishing an Alliance among those that Nature her self has Divided, by an Inconciliable Disagreement. Beside, that a Foolish Peace is much more Destructive then a Bloody War._

REFLEXION.

To take This Fable in a Political Sense; a Peace that puts People out of Condition of Defence, in Case of a War, must expect a War; and such a State as leaves them at the Mercy of an Enemy, is Worse then War it self. There’s no Trusting to the Articles and Formalities of an Out-side Peace, upon the pretended Reconciliation of an Implacable Enemy. Christian Religion bids us Forgive: But Christian Prudence bids us have a Care too, whom we Trust. ’Tis just in the World as it is in the _Apologue_. Truces, and Cessations, are both Made, and Broken, for Present Convenience; and where the Allies find they may be the Better for’t, we may lay down this for an undoubted Truth, that there can never want a Colour for a Rupture, where there’s a Good Will to’t. ’Tis No New Thing in the World for the _Dogs_ that are to keep the _Wolves_ from Worrying the _Sheep_, to be deliver’d up to the Enemy for Hostages, for fear the _Sheep_ should Worry the _Wolves_. This was our very Case within the Memory of Man, when Matters were brought to the same Issue in the Kingdom by’t, that they are here in the Fable: Witness the several and several Treaties and Proposals that were set on foot under the Countenance of a Good Will to Peace: Where only such Conditions were insisted upon by the Designing Party, as would be almost Equally Destructive to all Honest Men, whether they were Granted or Refused. The One Way the _Wolves_ were to have the _Sheep_ left at Mercy; and the Other Way, the Scandal was turn’d upon the Refusers, as the Enemies of an Accommodation; Nay and the very _Dogs_ were turn’d into _Wolves_ too; while Lawyers, and Divines, made the Law and the Gospel _Felons of themselves_, and suborn’d the Scriptures against the very Christ and his Apostles.

FAB. XLVI.

An _Axe_ and a _Forrest_.

A Carpenter that had got the Iron-Work of an _Axe_ already, went to the Next _Forrest_ to beg only so much Wood as would make a Handle to’t. The Matter seem’d so small, that the Request was Easily Granted; but when the Timber-Trees came to find that the Whole Wood was to be Cut down by the Help of this Handle; _There’s No Remedy_, they cry’d, _but Patience, when People are undone by their own Folly_.

FAB. XLVII.

A _Tree_ and a _Wedge_.

A Workman was Cutting down a _Tree_ to make _Wedges_ of it. Well! says the _Tree_, I cannot but be extremely Troubled at the Thought of what I am now a doing; And I do not so much Complain neither, of the _Axe_ that does the Execution, as of the Man that Guides it; but it is My Misery that I am to be Destroy’d by the Fruit of my own Body.

FAB. XLVIII.

The _Eagle_ and _Arrow_.

An _Eagle_ that was Watching upon a Rock once for a _Hare_, had the Ill Hap to be struck with an _Arrow_. This _Arrow_, it seems was Feather’d from her own Wing, Which very Consideration went nearer her Heart, she said, then Death it self.

FAB. XLIX.

A _Thrush_ taken with _Birdlime_.

It was the Fortune of a Poor _Thrush_, among other Birds, to be taken with a Bush of _Lime-Twigs_, and the Miserable Creature Reflecting upon it, that the Chief Ingredient in the _Birdlime_ came out of her own Guts: I am not half so much Troubled, says the _Thrush_, at the Thought of Dying, as at the Fatality of Contributing to my Own Ruine.

The MORAL of the Four FABLES above.

_Nothing goes nearer a Man in his Misfortunes, then to find himself Undone by his Own Folly, or but any way Accessary to his own Ruine._

REFLEXION.

The Fables of the _Ax-Handle_, and the _Wedge_, serve to precaution us not to put our selves Needlessly upon an After Game, but to Weigh before hand what we Say, and Do. We should have a Care how we Arm our Enemies against our Selves; for there’s Nothing goes Nearer a Man then to be Undone by his Own Improvidence; and Nothing afterward more Ridiculous, then to Blame Fortune for our own Faults: Though we are so Fram’d by Nature, in respect of our Souls and Bodies, that One Part of a Man is still Wounded by the Other. Nothing so much Troubled the _Eagle_ and the _Thrush_, as the Thought of assisting to their own Destruction.

There’s No living in This World without an Exchange of Civil Offices, and the Need we have One of Another, goes a Great Way towards the Making of us Love One Another. How is this Amity, and Communication to be entertain’d now, but by the Commerce of Giving and Receiving? Reason, and Experience, are Sufficient to convince us of the Necessity of such a Correspondence; And this Fiction of the _Axe_ and the _Forrest_, and so of the _Tree_ and the _Wedge_, shews us the Danger of it too, if it be not Manag’d with a Provident Respect to All the Niceties of Circumstance, and Contingency in the Case. People have got a Custom, ’tis true, of Computing upon the Present Need, and Value of things, without ever heeding the Consequences of them: As if all our Askings, and our Grantings were to be Governed by the Standard of the Market. _’Tis so pityful a Bus’ness_, says One, and _it was so small a Thing_, says Another; And yet this _Pityful Bus’ness_, and this _Small Thing_, proves at last to be as much as a Man’s Life, Honour, and Estate is Worth. Alas! What’s a _Handle_ for an _Axe_, out of a whole _Forrest_! What’s the Writing of a Man’s Name, or the saying Ay, or No to a Question? And yet the very Safety and Honour of our Prince and Country, and the Summ of our Well-being lies many a time at Stake upon the Issue of doing either the One or the Other. Nay and let the People we have to do withal be never so Just and Honest, it is yet a Temerity, and a Folly Inexcusable, to deliver up our selves Needlesly into Anothers Power: For He that does anything Rashly, must be taken in Equity of Construction to do it willingly: for he was free to Deliberate or not: ’Tis Good Advice to Consider, First, what the Thing is that is Desired. 2. The Character of the Person that Asks. 3. What use may be made on’t to the Detriment of him that Grants the Request, and so to Resolve how far in Duty, Humanity, Prudence, Justice, and Respect, we are to Comply with it. Wheresoever there is Moral Right on the One Hand, No Secondary Interest can Discharge it on the Other. A Pris’ner upon Parole must surrender himself upon Demand, though he Die for’t. A Man may Contribute to his own Ruin Several Ways; but in Cases not to be Foreseen, and so not to be Prevented, it may be his Misfortune, and the Man not to blame. We are not to omit Precaution however, for fear an Ill Use should be made of those Things that we do, even with a Good Intention; but we are still to Distinguish betwixt what may Possibly, and what will Probably be done, according to the Best Measures we can take of the End of Asking; for there would be No Place left for the Functions of Humane Society, if the Possibility of Abusing a Kindness, should wholly Divert us from the Exercise of Charity and Good Nature. There may be Great Mischief Wrought yet, without any thing of a Previous Malice, and it may be Hazardous to Yield, even where the Proposal is wholly Innocent. There may be other Propositions again, that were Originally Design’d for Snares, to the Short-sighted and Credulous. Now ’tis the Art of Life, Critically to Discern the One Case from the Other.

There needs Little more to be said to the Emblems of the _Eagle_ and the _Thrush_, then to observe, that both by Chance, and by Nature, we are made Accessary to our Own Ruins: and That’s enough to Trouble a Body, though not to Condemn him.

FAB. L.

The _Belly_ and _Members_.

The _Commoners of Rome_ were gone off once into a Direct Faction against the _Senate_. They’d pay no _Taxes_, nor be forc’d to bear _Arms_, they said, and ’twas against the _Liberty of the Subject_ to pretend to Compel them to’t. The Sedition, in short, ran so High, that there was no Hope of Reclaiming them, till _Menenius Agrippa_ brought them to their Wits again by This _Apologue_:

The _Hands_ and the _Feet_ were in a Desperate Mutiny once against the _Belly_. They knew No Reason, they said, why the One should be Lazing, and Pampering it self with the Fruit of the Others Labour; and if the _Body_ would not Work for Company, they’d be no longer at the Charge of Maintaining it. Upon This Mutiny, they kept the _Body_ so long without Nourishment, that All the Parts Suffer’d for’t: Insomuch that the _Hands_ and _Feet_ came in the Conclusion to find their Mistake, and would have been willing Then to have Done their Office; but it was now too Late, for the _Body_ was so Pin’d with Over-Fasting, that it was wholly out of Condition to receive the Benefit of a Relief: which gave them to understand, that _Body and Members are to Live and Die together_.

The MORAL.

_The Publick is but One Body, and the Prince the Head on’t; so that what Member soever withdraws his Service from the Head, is no Better then a Negative Traitor to his Country._

REFLEXION.

This Allegory is a Political Reading upon the State and Condition of Civil Communities, where the Members have their Several Offices, and Every Part Contributes respectively to the Preservation and Service of the Whole. ’Tis true, their Operations are More or Less Noble, but the Mechanical Faculties can no more be Spar’d then the Intellectual, and those that Serve in Council under an Appearance of Rest, are yet as Busie, and as Necessary, in their Functions, as those that are Actually and Visibly in Motion. Here’s a Caution in fine, to the _Members_, to have a care how they withdraw themselves from their Duties, till it shall be too late for their Superiours to make use of them.

There is so Near an _Analogy_ betwixt the State of a Body Natural, and Politique, that the Necessity of Government and Obedience, cannot be better Represented. The Motions of a Popular Faction are so Violent, and Unreasonable, that neither Philosophy, Prudence, Experience, nay, nor the Holy Writ it self, has the Power (ordinarily speaking) to Work upon them. If People would allow themselves Time for Thought and Consideration, they would find that the Conservation of the _Body_ depends upon the Proper Use and Service of the Several _Parts_; and that the Interest of Every Distinct _Member_ of it, is wrapt up in the Support, and Maintenance of the _whole_, which obliges them all to Labour in their Respective Offices and Functions for the Common Good. There are Degrees of Dignity (no doubt on’t) in Both Cases, and One Part is to be Subservient to Another, in the Order of Civil Policy, as well as in the Frame of a Man’s Body: so that they are mightily out of the way, that take Eating and Drinking, and Un-Eating, and Un-Drinking, in a course of Vicissitude, with other Offices of Nature that are common to Beasts with Men, to be the Great Bus’ness of Mankind, without any further Regard to the Faculties, and Duties of our Reasonable Being: For Every _Member_ has its Proper, and Respective Function Assign’d it, and not a Finger suffers but the _Whole_ Feels on’t.

FAB. LI.

An _Ape_ and a _Fox_.

An _Ape_ that found Many Inconveniences by going _Bare-Arse_, went to a _Fox_ that had a Well-spread, Bushy _Tayle_, and begg’d of him only a little piece on’t to Cover his Nakedness: For (says he) you have enough for Both, and what needs more then you have Occasion for? Well, _John_ (says the _Fox_) be it More, or be it Less, you get not one Single Hair on’t; for I would have ye know, Sirrah, that the _Tayle_ of a _Fox_ was never made for the Buttocks of an _Ape_.

The MORAL.

_Providence has Assign’d Every Creature its Station, Lot, Make and Figure; and ’tis not for Us to stand Correcting the Works of an Incomprehensible Wisdom, and an Almighty Power._

REFLEXION.

This is to Reprove the Impertinent, Useless, and Unreasonable Demands of Those that first Ask what Another cannot Part with, unless he be a Stark Fool, or a Mad-Man. And, 2. That which if they could obtain would be of No Use, or Benefit to them at all. The Old Moral carries it to Those also that will Part with Nothing to the Poor, even out of their Superfluities: But it seems to be Abominably Wrested, for neither did the One want, nor had the other Any Thing to spare.

There are Certain Rules to be observed, as well in Asking, as Denying. Things against Nature are unreasonable on Both Sides. Things Impossible are Ridiculous in the very Proposal; and Things which the One cannot Spare, and the Other will be never the Better for, fall naturally within the Compass of Exceptions. That is to say, Those Things that we know not what to do withal if we Had them; and Those Things again, which Another Cannot Part with but to his own Loss and Shame. These Points are the very Conditions of This Fable. Here’s a General Caution against Extravagant Desires, and yet let the Refusal be never so Just, it is Possible however, that a Man may Oppose a most Unconscionable Request for an Unjustifiable Reason; As in the Case for the Purpose, of an Ill Natur’d Denyal, out of a Dislike of the Man, rather then of the Thing it self.

The Application of This Fable to Avarice, that will part with Nothing, seems to be Wrested; for it strikes more properly upon the Folly of Peoples not being satisfied with the Appointments of Nature. An _Ape with a Tayl_, would be as scandalous, as a _Fox without_ One. Why should not Any One Creature Envy the Whole, as well as any One Part of Another: And why should not an _Ape_ be as much Troubled that he has no _Wings_, as that he has no _Tayl_? This Grumbling Humour has Envy in it, Avarice and Ingratitude, and sets up it self in fine against all the Works of the Creation.

FAB. LII.

A _Lark_ and her _Young Ones_.

There was a Brood of Young _Larks_ in the Corn, and the _Dam_, when she went abroad to Forrage for them, laid a Strict Charge upon her _Little Ones_, to pick up what News they could get against she came back again. They told her at her Return, that the Owner of the Field had been there, and Order’d his Neighbours to come and Reap the Corn. Well, says the _Old One_, there’s no Danger yet then. They told her the next Day that he had been there again, and Desir’d his Friends to Do’t. Well, well, says she, there’s no Hurt in That neither, and so she went out Progging for Provisions again as before. But upon the Third Day, when they told their Mother, that the Master and his Son appointed to come Next Morning and do’t Themselves: Nay then, says she, ’tis time to look about us: As for the Neighbours and the Friends, I fear ’em not; but the Master I’m sure will be as good as his word; for ’tis his own business.

FAB. LIII.

The _Stag_ and the _Oxen_.

A _Stag_ that was hard set by the Huntsmen, betook himself to a Stall for Sanctuary, and prevailed with the _Oxen_ to Conceal him the Best they could, so they cover’d him with Straw, and by and by in comes the Keeper to Dress the Cattel, and to Feed them; and when he had done his Work he went his Way without any Discovery. The _Stag_ reckon’d himself by This Time to be out of all Danger; but one of the _Oxen_ that had more Brains then his Fellows, advis’d him not to be too Confident neither; for the Servant, says he, is a Puzzling Fool, that heeds Nothing; but when my Master comes, he’ll have an Eye _Here and There and Everywhere_, and will most certainly find ye out. Upon the very Speaking of the Word, in comes the Master, and He spies out Twenty Faults, I warrant ye; This was not Well, and That was not Well; till at last, as he was Prying and Groping up and down, he felt the Horns of the _Stag_ under the Straw, and so made Prize of Him.

The MORAL of the Two FABLES above.

_He that would be sure to have his Bus’ness Well Done, must either Do it Himself, or see the Doing of it; Beside that many a Good Servant is Spoil’d by a Careless Master._

REFLEXION.

Interest Does more in the World then Faith and Honesty; for Men are more sensible in their own Case then in Anothers; which is all but according to the Old Saying, _Command your Man, and Do’t Your Self_. Neither, in Truth, is it Reasonable, that Another should be more Careful of Me, then I am of myself. Every Man’s Bus’ness is Best Done when he looks after it with his Own Eyes: And in short, _when Every Man looks to One, the Care is taken for All_.

We are likewise given to understand, in the Misfortune, and Mistake of the _Stag_, how Rare a Felicity it is for a Man in Distress, to find out such a Patron as has the Will and the Resolution, the Skill, and the Power, to Relieve him; and that it is not Every Man’s Talent neither to make _the Best of a Bad Game_. The Morality of this Caution is as good a Lesson to Governments, as to Private Families. For a Prince’s Leaving his Bus’ness Wholly to his Ministers without a Strict Eye over them in their respective Offices and Functions, is as Dangerous an Errour in _Politiques_, as a Master’s Committing All to his Servants is in _Oeconomicks_. It is Effectually a Translation of the Authority, when a Superiour trusts himself Implicitly to the Faith, Care, Honesty and Discretion of an Inferiour. To say nothing of the Temptation to Bribery and False Dealing, when so much may be Gotten by’t with so Little Hazzard, either of Discovery, or Punishment. Beside the Desperate Inconvenience of setting up a Wrong Interest, by drawing Applications out of the Proper Channel; and Committing the Authority and Duty of the Master to the Honesty and Discretion of the Servant. Men will be True to themselves how Faithless soever to One Another.

FAB. LIV.

A _Fox_ and a _Sick Lion_.

A Certain _Lion_ that had got a Politique Fit of Sickness, made it his Observation, that of All the Beasts in the Forest, the _Fox_ never came at him: And so he wrote him Word how Ill he was, and how Mighty Glad he should be of his Company, upon the Score of Ancient Friendship and Acquaintance. The _Fox_ return’d the Complement with a Thousand Prayers for his Recovery; but as for Waiting upon him, he desir’d to be Excus’d; For (says he) I find the Traces of abundance of Feet Going In to Your Majesty’s Palace, and not One that comes Back again.

The MORAL.

_The Kindnesses of Ill Natur’d and Designing People, should be throughly Consider’d, and Examin’d, before we give Credit to them._

REFLEXION.

There’s but a Hair’s Breadth here, betwixt an Office of Great Piety, Humanity and Virtue, and an Action of Extreme Folly, Improvidence, and Hazzard. But the _Fox_ saw through the Complement, and that it was, in Truth, but an Invitation of him to his own Funeral. We meet with many of These Dangerous Civilities in the World, wherein ’tis a Hard Matter for a Man to Save, both his Skin and his Credit.

’Tis a Difficult Point to Hit the True _Medium_, betwixt Trusting too Much, and too Little, for fear of Incurring a Danger on the One Hand, or giving a Scandal on the Other. Complements are only Words of Course, and though One External Civility may be Current Payment for Another, yet a Man would be loth to Venture his All upon a Figure of Speech, where the Meaning is so Nicely Divided betwixt Jest and Earnest. ’Tis a Base Thing to suspect a Friend, or an Honest Man, Nay ’tis a Base Thing to suspect any Man, that but Looks like One; so as to Wound him; That is, either in a Word, or in a Thought. But then ’tis Death perhaps to be Impos’d upon by an Hypocrite under that Masque. So that the Character of a Wise Man, lyes at Stake upon Matter of Judgment, One Way, and of a Good Natur’d Man, the Other Way. The Middle Course is to Hide our Distrust where we are doubtful, and to be Free, and Open, where we may be Secure. There’s No Living without Trusting some body or Other, in some Cases, or at some Time or Other: But then if People be not Cautious, Whom, When, and Wherein, the Mistake may be Mortal; for there must be somewhat of a Trust to make way for a Treachery; since No Man can be Betray’d that does not either Believe, or seem to Believe: So that the _Fox_ did well to Weigh All Circumstances before he came to a Resolution. The _Lion_’s Design was well enough Cover’d under the Disguise of a Counterfeit Sickness, and a Dissembled Tenderness and Respect, for the Drawing of the _Fox_ into the Toyle. For there was the Civility of an Invitation, on the One Hand, and some Colour of a Right to a Visit, though but out of Compassion and Good Manners, on the Other: But the _Foxes_ Sagacity, and the Prints of the Feet Spoil’d All. This Fable in One Word more, bids us be Careful how we Trust in Any Case without looking Well about us: for ’tis Half the Bus’ness of One part of the World to put Tricks upon T’other. The Heart of Man is like a Bog, it looks Fair to the Eye; but when we come to lay any Weight upon’t, the Ground is False under us. Nothing could be more Obliging and Respectful then the _Lyon_’s Letter was, in Terms and Appearance; but there was _Death_ yet in the True Intent and Meaning on’t.

FAB. LV.

A _Fox_ and a _Weazle_.

A Slam, Thin-Gutted _Fox_ made a Hard Shift to Wriggle his Body into a Hen-Roost, and when he had stuff’d his Guts well, he squeez’d hard to get out again; but the Hole was too Little for him. There was a _Weazle_ a pretty way off, that stood Learing at him all This While. Brother _Reynard_; (says he) Your Belly was Empty when you went In, and you must e’en stay till Your Belly be Empty again, before you come Out.

The MORAL.

_Temperance keeps the Whole Man in Order, and in a Good Disposition, either for Thought or Action, but the Indulging of the Appetite brings a Clog, both upon the Body and Mind._

REFLEXION.

In a Middle State, both of Body, and of Fortune, a Man is better Dispos’d for the Offices of Humane Society, and the Functions of Reasonable Nature; and the Heart is also freer from Cares and Troubles. There are Unwieldy Minds as well as Unwieldy Bodies, and the Fumes of the One Obstruct the Operations of the Other. The Head of a Philosopher will never do well upon the Shoulders of an Epicure. The Body and the Soul are Inseparable Companions, and it is against the Nature of This Reasonable Union, for the One to be a Clog to the other. The _Foxes_ here, is the Case of many a _Publick Minister_, that comes Empty In, but when he has Cram’d his Gutts well, he’s fain to squeeze hard before he can get off again; and glad to Compound with his very Skin for his Carcase.

FAB. LVI.

A _Boar_ and a _Horse_.

A _Boar_ happen’d to be Wallowing in the Water where a _Horse_ was going to Drink, and there grew a Quarrel upon’t. The _Horse_ went presently to a _Man_, to Assist him in his Revenge. They agreed upon the Conditions, and the _Man_ immediately Arm’d himself, and mounted the _Horse_, who carry’d him to the _Boar_, and had the satisfaction of seeing his Enemy Kill’d before his Face. The _Horse_ Thank’d the Cavalier for his Kindness, but as he was just about to take leave, the _Man_ say’d he should have further Occasion for him, and so Order’d him to be Ty’d up in the Stable. The Horse came by This Time, to Understand, that his Liberty was gone, and No Help for’t, and that he had paid Dear for his Revenge.

FAB. LVII.

A _Stag_ and a _Horse_.

Upon a Dispute betwixt a _Stag_ and a _Horse_ about a piece of Pasture, the _Stag_ got the Better on’t, and beat the Other out of the Field. The _Horse_, upon This Affront, Advis’d with a _Man_ what Course to Take; who told him, that if he would Submit to be Bridled, and Sadled, and take a _Man_ upon his Back with a Lance in his Hand, he would undertake to give him the Satisfaction of a Revenge. The _Horse_ came to his Terms, and for the Gratifying of a Present Passion, made himself a Slave all the days of his Life. _Stesichorus_ made use of This Fable to Divert the _Himerenses_ from Chusing _Phalaris_ the Tyrant for their General. This _Horses_ Case, says he, will be Yours, if you go on with your Proposals. ’Tis true, You’l have your _Revenge_, but you’l lose your _Liberties_; Upon which Words the Motion fell.

The MORAL of the Two FABLES above.

_Let every Man take a True Measure of Himself, what he is Able to do, and what Not; before he comes to any Peremptory Resolution how to Proceed. He is a Madman, that to Avoid a Present, and a Less Evil, runs Blindfold into a Greater; and for the Gratifying of a Froward Humour, makes himself a Slave All the Days of his Life._

REFLEXION.

These Fables lay Open to us the Folly of Those People that make themselves Slaves to their Revenge; for no Man should be so Angry with Another, as to Hurt Himself for’t. We should likewise Consider, that there’s More Hazard in the succour of a New Powerful Friend, then in the Hostility of an Old Dangerous Enemy; and that the Greatest Empires upon the Face of the Earth, have had their Rise from the Pretence of Taking up Quarrels, or Keeping the Peace.

These Fables tell us, that it is a Rule of Good Discretion in all Matters of Quarrel, and Controversie, for Him that is Worsted to have a Great Care Whom he calls to his Aid: Especially when there’s more of Passion then Necessity in the Case. The _Horse_ might have Quench’d his Thirst with Troubled Water; or he might have stay’d the Clearing of it; Or Chang’d his Wat’ring Place; Or when he was forc’d out of One Pasture he might have taken up in Another, which would have Preserv’d his Liberty upon the Main, though not as to this Particular: But his Stomach was too Great, it seems, to Digest the Affront, without having his Enemy at his Feet: so that he gives up his Freedom to Gain his Revenge. He has Fair Words however, Rich Trappings, and Large Promises; but Works only for his Master; and if at any time he does but Slacken his Pace, or abate, either in his Zeal, or in his Mettle, the Spur is immediately in the Flank of him: Or if he be Unruly, the Bit’s upon the Check to keep him to his Duty. The _Stag_ was too hard for the _Horse_; and the _Horse_ flyes for Succour to One that’s too Hard for _Him_, and Rides the One to Death, and Outright Kills the Other. It were Well, if Possible, to keep All Potent Enemies to the Behaviour in such a Case as This, Especially if they Appear under the Shape of Friends: But if People will Venture Life, Liberty and All, for the Clawing of an Itch, and lay Violent Hands upon Themselves, there’s no Fence for’t.

That which _Men_ are to _Horses_, in the Scale of Creatures, Men in Power and Authority, are in some Proportion to the Poor and Weak: That is to say in the _Analogy_ of Servitude, and Drudgery; and in the carrying of some sort of Burdens that are a Shame to the Bearer. They Toyl and Moyl for the Interest of their Masters, that in requital, break the very Hearts of them for their Pleasure; and the Freer they are of their Flesh, the more Scandalous is the Bondage. When they have done All that _Horses_ can do, they are Lash’d, Spurr’d, Revil’d, and Ill Treated, for not being able to do More: They are Hurry’d on without either Respite or Reason; And after they have carry’d their Riders safe over All Leaps, and through All Dangers, and by All Ways and Means Contributed to the Ease, Credit, and Security of their Masters, what comes of them in the End, but to be Strain’d, Founder’d, or Broken Winded; Old Age Overtakes them, and they are e’en Glad to take up in a Mill at last with Grains and Thistles, and there spend the Remainder of a Wretched Life in a Circulation of Misery and Labour. If any Man of War, or State, shall find this Case to be his Own, and Himself Touch’d in the Moral of This Fable, let him keep his Own Councel, and learn to be Wiser hereafter. And we may learn This Lesson of the _Horse_ too, not to Sacrifice our Honour, Liberty, and Conscience, to a Freak.

FAB. LVIII.

Two _Young Men_ and a _Cook_.

_Two Young Fellows_ Slipt into a _Cook’s_ Shop, and while the Master was Busie at his Work, One of them Stole a piece of Flesh, and Convey’d it to the Other. The Master Miss’d it immediately, and Challeng’d them with the Theft. He that Took it, Swore He had None on’t. And He that Had it, Swore as Desperately that He did not Take it. The _Cook_ Reflecting upon the Conceit: Well, My Masters, (says he) These Frauds and Fallacies may pass upon Men; but there’s an Eye Above that sees through them.

The MORAL.

_There’s No Putting of Tricks upon an All-Seeing Power; as if He that Made our Hearts, and knows Every Nook and Corner of them, could not see thorough the Childish Fallacy of a Double-Meaning._

REFLEXION.

This Fable concerns those that think to Deceive God with Fallacies of Words, Equivocations, Mental Reservations, and Double Meanings; but though Frauds and Perjuries may pass upon Men for a Season, they are as Open as the Light yet to Him that Searches the Heart. A Man had better be a Downright _Atheist_, then in such a Case as This, an Equivocating _Hypocrite_: For He that Denies a Providence, or Doubts whether there be any God at all, is much more Pardonable, then Another that Acknowledges, and Confesses an All-Seeing and an Almighty Power; and yet at the Same Time, most Blasphemously Affronts it. ’Tis a Great Unhappiness that Children should be so much Addicted (as we see they are) to This Way and Humour of Shuffling: But it is a Greater Shame and Mischief, for Parents, Governours, and Tutors, to Encourage, and Allow them in’t, and so (Effectually) to Train them up to One of the most Dangerous Corruptions they are Capable of, in Countenancing the very Ground Work of a False and Treacherous Life. There must be no Paradoxing or Playing Tricks with Things Sacred. Truth is the Great Lesson of Reasonable Nature, both in Philosophy, and in Religion. Now there is a Truth of Opinion; a Truth of Fact, and a Truth in Simplicity and Sincerity of Thought, Word, and Deed. The Last of the Three is the Truth that is here in question. The Knack of _Fast and Loose_ passes with a world of Foolish People for a Turn of Wit; but they are not aware all this while, of the Desperate Consequences of an Ill Habit, and that the Practice of Falsifying with Men, will lead us on Insensibly to a Double Dealing even with God Himself.

FAB. LIX.

A _Dog_ and a _Butcher_.

As a _Butcher_ was Busy about his Meat, a _Dog_ runs away with a Sheeps Heart. The _Butcher_ saw him upon the Gallop with a piece of flesh in’s Mouth, and call’d out after him, Heark ye Friend (says he) you may e’en make the Best of your Purchase, so long as Y’ave made me the Wiser for’t.

The MORAL.

_It may serve as a Comfort to us in All Our Calamities and Afflictions, that He that Loses any thing and gets Wisdom by’t, is a Gainer by the Loss._

REFLEXION.

No Man is to Account any thing a Loss, if he gets Wisdom by the bargain: Beside, that _Bought Wit is Best_. It is in some Proportion, in the Business of this World, as it is in that of the Next: In the Cases, (I mean, of Losses, Miscarriages and Disappointments): We are in Both Respects the Better for them (Provided they be not Mortal, that is) for they are Monitory and Instructive. Affliction makes a Man Both Honest and Wise; for the smart brings him to a sense of his Errour, and the Experiment to the Knowledge of it. We have I know not how many _Adages_ to back the Reason of This Moral, _Hang a Dog upon a Crab-Tree_ (we say) _and He’ll never love Verjuyce_. And then we have it again in That Common saying, _The Burnt Child Dreads the Fire_. ’Tis Wandring Many times, whether it be in Opinion, or in Travelling, that sets a Man Right in his Judgment, and brings him into the way. The _Dogs_ running away with the Flesh, Does as good as bid the _Cook_ look Better to’t Another time.

A _Dog_ and a _Sheep_. See Fable and Moral 29.

FAB. LX.

A _Wolfe_, a _Lamb_, and a _Goat_.

As a _Lamb_ was following a Goat, Up comes a _Wolfe_, wheedling, to get him aside, and make a Breakfast of him: Why what a Fool art thou, says the _Wolfe_; that may’st have thy Belly full of Sweet Milk at Home, to leave thy _Mother_ for a Nasty Stinking _Goat_! Well, says the _Lamb_, but my Mother has Plac’d me here for my Security; and you’d fain get me into a Corner to Worry me. Pray’e, which of the Two am I to Trust to Now?

The MORAL.

_Where there’s the Order of a Parent on the One side, and the Advice of an Ill Man, and a Profess’d Enemy, on the Other, in Opposition to That Command; Disobedience would be Undoubtedly the Ready Way to Destruction._

REFLEXION.

This Fable Preaches both Obedience and Caution; the One as a Matter of Duty, the Other as a Point of Prudence. The _Wolfe_ sings directly the same Note here with the Common Seducers and Incendiaries, that we Meet with in the world. And to the same End too; for they are both Agreed upon’t, that so soon as ever they shall have withdrawn the _Lambs_, or the _People_, from their _Religion_ and _Allegiance_, and gotten them out of the Pale, and Protection of their Parents and Governours, they’l make a Prey of ’em Themselves. What’s the Wheedling of the _Lamb_ out of the Station where Authority had Plac’d him, to go home again for a Belly-full of Sweet Milk; but a State-Trick of Inveigling the Multitude into a Fools-Paradise, without Understanding One Word of the Matter in Question! But some _Lambs_ are Wiser and Honester then some _Men_: And this very _Lamb’s_ Answer might have become the Mouth of a Good Christian and a Good Subject. For a Conclusion; The _Wolves_ Preaching to the _Sheep_, and the _Foxes_ Preaching to the _Geese_, hold forth the same Moral.

FAB. LXI.

A _Cat_ and _Venus_.

A _Young Fellow_ that was Passionately in Love with a _Cat_, made it his Humble Suit to _Venus_ to turn _Puss_ into a _Woman_. The Transformation was wrought in the Twinkling of an Eye, and Out she comes, a very Bucksome Lass. The Doting Sot took her home to his Bed; and bad Fair for a Litter of Kittens by her That Night: But as the Loving Couple lay Snugging together, a Toy took _Venus_ in the Head, to try if the _Cat_ had chang’d her Manners with her Shape; and so for Experiment, turn’d a _Mouse_ loose into the Chamber. The _Cat_, upon This Temptation, Started out of the Bed, and without any regard to the Marriage-Joys, made a Leap at the Mouse, which _Venus_ took for so High an Affront, that she turn’d the Madam into a _Puss_ again.

The MORAL.

_The Extravagant Transports of Love, and the Wonderful Force of Nature, are unaccountable; The One carries us Out of our Selves, and the Other brings us Back again._

REFLEXION.

This is to lay before us the Charms and Extravagances of a Blind Love. It Covers all Imperfections, and Considers neither Quality, nor Merit. How many Noble Whores has it made, and how many Imperial Slaves! And let the Defects be never so Gross, it either Palliates, or Excuses them. The _Womans_ Leaping at the _Mouse_, tells us also how Impossible it is to make Nature Change her Biass, and that _if we shut her out at the Door, she’ll come in at the Window_.

Here’s the Image of a Wild and Fantastical Love, under the Cover of as Extravagant a Fable, and it is all but Fancy at last too; for Men do not See, or Tast, or Find the Thing they Love, but they Create it. They Fashion an Idol, in what Figure or Shape they please; Set it up, Worship it, Dote upon it; Pursue it; and in fine, run Mad for’t. How many Passions have we seen in the World, Ridiculous enough to Answer All the Follies of this Imagination! It was much for _Venus_ to turn a Cat into a Woman, and for that Cully again to take That _Cat_ for a _Woman_: What is it Less now, for a Fop to Form an _Idea_ of the _Woman_ he Dyes for, Every jot as Unlike That _Woman_, as the _Cat_ is to the _Mistress_? Let This Suffice for the Impostures, and Illusions of That Passion.

We are further given to Understand that No Counterfeit is so Steady, and so Equally Drawn, but Nature by Starts will shew her self thorough it; for _Puss_, even when she’s a _Madam_, will be a _Mouser_ still. ’Tis the Same Thing with a Hypocrite, which is only a Devil dress’d up with a Ray about him, and Transform’d into an Angel of Light. Take him in the very Raptures of his Devotion, and do but throw a parcel of _Church-Lands_ in his way, he shall Leap at the Sacrilege from the very Throne of his Glory, as _Puss_ did at the _Mouse_; and Pick your Pocket, as a _French Poet_ says of a _Jesuit_, in the Middle of his _Paternoster_.

FAB. LXII.

A _Father_ and his _Sons_.

It was the Hap of a very Honest Man to be the _Father_ of a Contentious Brood of _Children_. He call’d for a Rod, and bad ’em Take it, and Try One after Another with All their Force, if they could Break it. They Try’d, and could not. Well (says he) Unbind it now, and take Every Twig of it apart, and see what you can do That Way. They Did so, and with Great Ease, by One and One, they snapt it all to pieces. This (says he) is the True Emblem of Your Condition. Keep Together and Y’are Safe, Divide, and Y’are Undone.

The MORAL.

_The Breach of Unity puts the World, and All that’s in’t, into a state of War, and turns Every Man’s Hand against his Brother; but so long as the Band holds, ’tis the Strength of All the Several Parts of it Gather’d into One._

REFLEXION.

This is to Intimate the Force of Union, and the Danger of Division. What has it been but Division that has Expos’d Christendom to the Enemies of the Christian Faith? And it is as Ruinous in Private as ’tis in Publique. A Divided Family can no more Stand, then a Divided Common-Wealth; for every Individual Suffers in the Neglect of a Common Safety. ’Tis a Strange Thing that Men should not do That under the Government of a Rational Spirit and a Natural Prudence, which Wolves and Boares do by the Impulse of an Animal Instinct. For they, we see, will make Head, _One and All_ against a Common Enemy; whereas the Generality of Mankind lye Pecking at One Another, till One by One, they are all Torn to Pieces, Never considering (with the _Father_ here) the Necessity and Strength of Union.

FAB. LXIII.

A _Laden Asse_ and a _Horse_.

As a _Horse_ and an _Asse_ were upon the way together, the _Asse_ cryed out to his Companion, to Ease him, of his Burden, though never so little, he should fall down dead else. The _Horse_ would not; and so his Fellow-Servant sunk under his Load. The Master, upon This, had the _Asse_ Flay’d, and laid his Whole Pack, Skin and All, upon the _Horse_. Well (says he) This Judgment is befall’n me for my Ill Nature, in refusing to help my Brother in the Depth of his Distress.

The MORAL.

_It is a Christian, a Natural, a Reasonable, and a Political Duty, for All Members of the same Body to Assist One Another._

REFLEXION.

The Bus’ness of the World, is more or less, the Bus’ness of Every Man that lives in’t; And if the Great and the Small do not Joyn in One Common Assistance, where the Matter requires it, they are in Danger to be Both Undone; So that it is for the Good of the Whole, that the Several Parts take care One of Another.

We have here set before us the Mischiefs of Ill Nature, and Imprudence, both in One; and the Folly of not Heeding the Duty, as well as the Common Necessity of Helping One Another. [_This is None of My Bus’ness_] we Cry: never considering, that in Things Requisite to be done, what One Cannot, Another Must: Beside, that in the Case of a Fellow-Servant, or an Honest Neighbour, I am as much bound to save him from Sinking under a Heavy Burthen, as I am to give him a Cup of Drink, or a Morsel of Bread, to keep him from Choaking or Starving: It makes a Breach in a Community, when Particular Men shall take upon them to Divide from the Common Service of the Body: And He that sets up a Private Interest, Separate from the Publique, Discontinues the Connexion of the Government, by Cutting off That Link of the Chain. But the Miseries and Calamities that follow upon departing from the Known Rules and Measures of Political Order, are sufficient to Enlighten us in the Reason of Political Methods, and to Excite us to an Agreement in all Reciprocal Services, One with Another. There’s the Duty of Charity in’t, and the Foundations of Governing Prudence; Beside, that we are likewise Mov’d to’t, by a Sense of Tenderness, Honour and Justice.

The Churlish Humour of this _Horse_, is too much the Humour of Mankind, even in the Case of Subjects to the same Master; but such is the Vanity that many People draw from their Titles, and their Trappings, that they look down upon their Fellows, as if they were not All made of the same Clay. To speak the Plain Truth of the Matter, ’Tis the Little People that support the Great; and when the Foundation fails, the whole Fabrick must either drop into Rubbish, or otherwise Rest upon the Shoulders of their Superiours.

FAB. LXIV.

A _Collier_ and a _Fuller_.

A _Fuller_ had a very kind Invitation from a _Collier_ to come and Live in the House with him. He gave him a Thousand Thanks for his Civility; but told him that it would not Stand with his Convenience; for (says he) as fast as I make any thing Clean, You’ll be Smutting it again.

FAB. LXV.

A _Thrush_ and a _Swallow_.

Ah my Dear Mother! says the _Thrush_, Never had any Creature such a Friend as I have, of this same _Swallow_. No, says she, nor ever any Mother such a Fool to her Son as I have, of this same _Thrush_: To talk of a Friendship betwixt People that cannot so much as live together in the same Climate and Season. One is for the Summer, T’other for the Winter; And that which keeps You Alive, kills your Companion.

The MORAL of the Two FABLES above.