Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (10)

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

FAB. CLXVIII.

_Fishing_ in Troubled _Waters_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXIX.

An _Ape_ and a _Dolphin_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXX.

_Mercury_ and a _Statuary_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXI.

_Mercury_ and _Tiresias_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXII.

A _Hound_ and a _Mastiff_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXIII.

An Unhappy _Match_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

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

FAB. CLXXIV.

A _Wolfe_ and a _Kid_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXV.

A _Fox_ and a _Crab_.

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

The MORAL.

_No Body Pities a Man for any Misfortune that Befals him, in Matters out of his Way, Bus’ness, or Calling._

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXVI.

A _Musician_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXVII.

_Thieves_ that Stole a _Cock_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXVIII.

A _Crow_ and a _Raven_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

The Affectation of Powers and Faculties, that are Above us, is not only Vain and Unprofitable, but Ridiculous; for the Matter, upon Examination, will not abide the Test. _Your Empyricks_, _Piss-Pot Prophets_, _Fortune-Tellers_, and _Buffon-Pretenders_ to _State_ and _Government_, Fall under the Lash of this Moral. And so do All your little Smatterers in Arts and Sciences of what Kind, or Quality soever: But there goes more to the Making of a Prophet, then _Nodding_ or _Croaking_. ’Tis not the _Gown_ and the _Cap_ that makes the _Doctor_; Neither is it the Supercilious Gravity of Countenances and Forms that presently Dubbs any Man a Philosopher. Not but that a Fool may Put himself in the Garb, and so far imitate the Meen, and Motions of a Wise Man, as at first Blush to Put a Body to a Stand what to Make of him: But upon further Consideration, the Original is as Easily known from the Copy, as the Ass in his _borrow’d Skin_ was from the _Lyon_: Or I might have said, as the _Crow_ here from the _Raven_: Their Ears and their Tongues Betray them.

FAB. CLXXIX.

A _Crow_ and a _Dog_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXX.

A _Raven_ and a _Snake_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXI.

A _Daw_ and _Pigeons_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXII.

A _Daw_ with a _String_ at’s _Foot_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXIII.

_Jupiter_ and _Fraud_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXIV.

_Jupiter_ and _Modesty_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

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

FAB. CLXXXV.

_Jupiter_’s _Wedding_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

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

FAB. CLXXXVI.

A _Wolfe_ and a _Sheep_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXVII.

_Hares_, _Foxes_, and _Eagles_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXVIII.

An _Ant_ formerly a _Man_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CLXXXIX.

_Travellers_ by the _Sea side_.

A Company of People that were walking upon the Shore, saw somewhat come Hulling toward them a great Way off at Sea. They took it at first for a Ship, and as it came Nearer, for a Boat only; but it prov’d at last to be no more then a Float of Weeds and Rushes: Whereupon they made this Reflexion within Themselves, _We have been Waiting here for a Mighty Bus’ness, that comes at last to just Nothing_.

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

FAB. CXC.

A _Wild Ass_ and a _Tame_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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

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

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

FAB. CXCI.

_Asses_ to _Jupiter_.

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

The MORAL.

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

REFLEXION.

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