Chapter V: Usurers and Curryers., 392 (11)

The _Asses_ are here Complaining (after the Way of the _Mobile_) for being put to the very Use and Bus’ness they were made for; as if it were Cruelty and Oppression to Employ the Necessary Means, which God and Nature has given us, for the Attaining of Necessary Ends. If we Confound Higher and Lower, the World is a _Chaos_ again, and a Level. Is not a Labourer as much a Tool of Providence as the Master Builder? Are not the Meanest Artisans of the same Institution with Ministers of Counsel and State? The Head can no more be without the Body, then the Body without the Head; and neither of them without Hands and Feet to Defend, and Provide, both for the One, and for the Other. Government can no more subsist without Subjection, then the Multitude can Agree without Government: And the Duty of Obeying, is no less of Divine Appointment, then the Authority of Commanding.

Here’s a _Petition_ to _Jupiter_, in Truth, against Himself; and in the Moral, a Complaint to God against Providence; as if the Harmony of Nature, and of the World; The Order of Men, Things, and Bus’ness, were to be Embroil’d, Dissolv’d, or Alter’d, for the Sake of so many _Asses_. What would become of the Universe if there were not Servants as well as Masters? Beasts to Draw, and Carry Burdens, as well as Burdens to be Drawn and Carry’d? If there were not Instruments for Drudgery, as well as Offices of Drudgery: If there were not People to Receive and Execute Orders, as well as others to Give and Authorize them? The Demand, in fine, is Unnatural, and Consequently both Weak and Wicked; and it is likewise as Vain, and Unreasonable, to Ask a Thing that is wholly Impossible. But ’tis the _Petition_ of an _Ass_ at last which keeps up the Congruity of the Moral to the Fable.

The Ground of the Request, is the Fiction of a Complaint, by reason of Intolerable Burdens. Now we have Grievances to the Life, as well as in Fancy; and _Asses_ in _Flesh and Blood_ too, and in _Practice_, as well as in _Emblem_. We have _Herds_ in _Society_, as well as in the _Fields_, and in the _Forests_; And we have _English_ too, as well as _Arcadian Grievances_. What? (Cries the Multitude) are not our Bodies of the same Clay, and our Souls of the same Divine Inspiration with our Masters? Under these Amusements, the Common People put up so many Appeals to Heaven, from the Powers and Commands of their Lawful Superiors, under the Obloquy of Oppressors; and what Better Answer can be return’d to All their Clamorous Importunities, then this of _Jupiter_? Which most Emphatically sets forth the Necessity of Discharging the _Asses_ Part; and the Vanity of Proposing to have it done any Other Way. As who should say, the Bus’ness of Humane Nature must be done. Lay your Heads together, and if you can find any way for the doing it, without one sort of People under Another, You shall have Your Asking. But for a Conclusion, He that’s born to Work, is out of his Place and Element when he is Idle.

FAB. CXCII.

An _Ass_ and the _Frogs_.

An _Ass_ sunk down into a Bog among a Shoale of _Frogs_, with a Burden of Wood upon his Back, and there he lay, Sighing and Groaning, as if his Heart would Break: Hark ye Friend (says one of the _Frogs_ to him) if you make such a Bus’ness of a _Quagmire_, when you are but just fall’n into’t, what would you do I Wonder, if you had been here as long as we have been?

The MORAL.

_Custom makes things Familiar and Easy to us; but every thing is Best yet in its own Element._

REFLEXION.

Nature has Assign’d every Creature its Proper Place and Station: and an _Ass_ in a _Bog_ is out of his Element, and out of his Province. The Fable it self has not much in’t: but it may serve to Teach us in the Moral, that it is a High Point of Honour, and Christianity, to bear Misfortunes, with Resolution, and Constancy of Mind: And that Steadiness, is a Point of Prudence, as well as of Courage; for People are the Lighter, and the Easier for’t. But it was an _Ass_, we see, that _Complain’d_, and (if a Body may play the Fool with him) he was but an _Ass_ for _Complaining_: First, of what he could not Help; and Secondly, to be never the Better for’t. ’Tis with a _Man_ in a _Jayle_, much at the Rate as it was with this _Ass_ in the _Bog_. He’s Sullen and out of Humour at his first coming In; the Pris’ners Gather about him, and there He tells ’em his Case Over and Over I warrant ye. Some make Sport with him; Others Pity him, and this is the Trade they drive for the First Four or Five Days perhaps; but so soon as the Qualm is over, the Man comes to himself again; makes merry with his Companions, and since he cannot be in his Own House, he reckons Himself as good as at Home in the very Prison. ’Tis the same Thing with a _Bird_ in a _Cage_; when she has Flutter’d her self a Weary, she sits down and Sings. This ’tis to be Wonted to a Thing. And were it not a Scandal now, if Philosophy should not do as much with us as Custom, without leaving it to Necessity to do the Office of Vertue. It might be added to this Moral, that what’s Natural to One may be Grievous to Another. The _Frogs_ would have been as much at a Loss in the _Stable_, as the _Ass_ was in the _Bog_.

FAB. CXCIII.

A _Gall’d Ass_ and a _Raven_.

As an _Ass_ with a _Gall’d Back_ was Feeding in a Meadow, a _Raven_ Pitch’d upon him, and there Sate, Jobbing of the Sore. The _Ass_ fell a Frisking and Braying upon’t; which set a Groom, that saw it at a Distance, a Laughing at it. Well! (says a _Wolfe_ that was Passing by) to see the Injustice of the World now! A Poor _Wolfe_ in that _Raven’s_ Place, would have been Persecuted, and Hunted to Death presently; and ’tis made only a Laughing Matter, for a _Raven_ to do the Same Thing that would have Cost a _Wolfe_ his Life.

The MORAL.

_One Man may better Steal a Horse, then Another Look over the Hedge._

REFLEXION.

The Same Thing in One Person or Respect, is not always the Same Thing in Another: The Grooms Grinning at the Gambols of the _Ass_, tells us that there are Many Cases that make People Laugh without Pleasing them, as when the Surprize, or Caprice of some Fantastical Accident happens to strike the Fancy: Nay, a Body cannot forbear Laughing Sometimes, when he is yet Heartily Sorry for the Thing he Laughs at; which is, in Truth, but an Extravagant Motion, that never comes near the Heart: wherefore the _Wolfe_ was Out in his Philosophy, when he call’d it a _Laughing-Matter_; Besides, that he should have Distinguish’d upon the Disproportion betwixt the Worrying of a _Wolfe_, and the Pecking of a _Raven_; That is to say, betwixt a Certain Death on the One Hand, and only a Vexatious Importunity on the Other. The _Raven_ understood what sort of Spark he had to do withal, and the Silly _Ass_ stood Preaching to Himself upon the Text of _No Remedy but Patience_.

FAB. CXCIV.

A _Lyon_, _Ass_, and _Fox_.

As an _Ass_ and a _Fox_ were together upon the Ramble, a _Lyon_ Meets them by the Way. The _Fox_’s Heart went _Pit-a-Pat_; but however to make the Best of a Bad Game, he sets a Good Face on’t, and up he goes to the _Lyon_, Sir, says he; I am come to Offer Your Majesty a Piece of Service, and I’ll Cast my self upon Your Honour for my Own Security. If you have a Mind to my Companion, the _Ass_ here,’tis but a Word Speaking, and You shall have him Immediately. Let it be Done then, says the _Lyon_. So the _Fox_ Trepann’d the _Ass_ into the Toyl, and the _Lyon_, when he found he had Him sure, began with the _Fox_ Himself, and after that, for his Second Course, made up his Meal with the Other.

The MORAL.

_We Love the Treason, but we hate the Traytor._

REFLEXION.

This Fable Advises Every Man in Prudence to be sure of Knowing his Company before he Embarque with them in any Great Matter; Though He that Betrays his Companion, has the Fortune commonly to be Betray’d Himself.

Here’s the Folly of the _Ass_ in Trusting the _Fox_ that he knew to be a Treacherous Companion; and here’s the _Knavery_ of the _Fox_ in Betraying the _Ass_, which was but according to his Nature. Now this does not hinder yet, but that the _Lyon_ Forfeited a Point of Honour in the Worrying of him; And this Fiction throughout is but the Emblem of Things that are Familiar to us in the World. The _Lyon_ might have been Allow’d an Aversion to the _Fox_ as a Perfidious Creature, but the Devouring of him upon these Terms, was Another Treachery in Himself. There may be this said at last for the Congruity of the Fancy, that a Just and Generous _Lyon_, would not have Sunk so Low as to hold any Communication with a _Fox_, much less to Concert with him in his False Dealing. But this _Lyon_ was meant for the Figure of a Wicked Governour, Conferring upon Frauds with Wicked Ministers. Now if he had spar’d the _Ass_, for his Simplicity, and Pinch’d the _Fox_ for his Perfidy, the Proceding might have had some Semblance of a Generous Equity: But an Honourable Mind will scorn to make Advantage of a Treacherous Instrument. That is to say, by Assenting to the Treachery: So that the Moral seems to carry more Force with this Biass. Upon the Whole Matter, here’s the Silly _Ass_ pays Dear for the Credulity and Folly of Keeping Ill Company. The _Fox_ is Met withal in his Own Way, for Breaking the Faith of Society; but still there wants some Judgment Methinks, to Attend the _Lyon_; for he that Encourages One Treason, does not only Practice, but Promote Another; and lays the Foundation of a Doctrine, that will come Home to Himself in the Conclusion. When a _Prince_ fails in Point of _Honour_ and _Common Justice_, ’tis enough to Stagger his _People_ in their _Faith_ and _Allegiance_. But the _Lyon_ here in the _Fable_ came off better then our _Political Lyons_ usually do in the _World_.

FAB. CXCV.

A _Hen_ and a _Swallow_.

There was a Foolish _Hen_ that sat Brooding upon a Nest of _Snakes Eggs_. A _Swallow_, that Observ’d it, went and told her the Danger on’t. Little do you think, says she, what you are at this Instant a Doing, and that You are just now Hatching Your Own Destruction; for This Good Office will be your Ruine.

The MORAL.

_’Tis the Hard Fortune of many a Good Natur’d Man to_ breed up a Bird to Pick out his Own Eyes, _in despite of All Cautions to the Contrary_.

REFLEXION.

This is the Case of Many People in the World, that spend their Time in Good Offices for Others, to the Utter Ruine of Themselves: And there’s No Better to be Expected from a Wicked Age, and an Ill Natur’d People. They that want Foresight, should do well to Hearken to Good Council. He that thinks to Oblige Hard-Hearted People by an Officious Tenderness, and to fare the Better Himself for putting it into Their Power to Hurt him, will find only so much Time, Pains, and Good-Will, utterly cast away, at the Foot of his Account. ’Tis Good however, to Hope, and to Presume the Best, provided a Man be Prepar’d for the Worst. The Mistake lies in This, that the Charity begins Abroad that Ought to begin at Home. They that cannot see into the End of Things, may well be at a Loss in the Reason of them; and a Well-Meaning Piety is the Destruction of many an Honest Man, that sits Innocently Brooding upon the Political Projects of Other People, though with the Heart all the While, of a Patriot, and a True Friend to the Publique. Tell him the Consequences of Matters, and that he is now Hatching of _Serpents_, not of _Chickens_: A Misguided Zeal makes him Deaf and Blind to the true State and Issue of Things. He sits his Time out, and what’s the End on’t; but the Plot Naturally Discloses it self in a Common Ruine? It is a Great Infelicity to make a Wrong Choice of a Friend: But when Men are Advertis’d of the Danger beforehand, it is as Great a Fault, if they will take No Warning. The _Hen_ was told on’t, but the _Swallow_ had the Fate, as well as the Gift of _Cassandra_; to speak Truth, and not to be believ’d: Which has been the Misfortune of many an Honest Man in All Times, and particularly in the very Age we live in.

FAB. CXCVI.

A _Pigeon_ and a _Picture_.

A _Pigeon_ saw the _Picture_ of a _Glass_ with Water in’t, and taking it to be Water indeed, flew Rashly and Eagerly up to’t, for a Soup to Quench her Thirst. She broke her Feathers against the Frame of the _Picture_, and falling to the Ground upon’t, was taken up by the By-Standers.

The MORAL.

_Rash Men do many things in Haste that they Repent of at Leisure._

REFLEXION.

’Tis not Good to be Over Fierce upon any Thing, for fear of Mistaking, or Misunderstanding the Matter in Question. Moderation is a High Point of Wisdom, and Temerity on the Other Hand, is ever Dangerous: For Men are Subject to be Couzen’d with Outward Appearances, and so take the Vain Images, and Shadows of Things, for the Substance. All Violent Passions have somewhat in them of the Rashness of This _Pigeon_; and if That Rashness be not as Fatal in the One Case, as This was in the Other, ’tis a Deliverance that we are more Indebted for, either to the Special Grace of an Over-ruling _Providence_, or to the Mediation of That which we call _Chance_, then to any thing of our own Government and Direction. One Man may have the Advantage of Another in the Benefit of a Presence of Mind, which may serve in a Great Measure, to Fortifie us against Surprizes, and Difficulties not to be foreseen: But a sound Judgment is the Result of second Thoughts, upon Due Time and Consideration, which way to bring Matters to a Fair Issue. This Precipitate Temper is little better then a Physical Madness; for there is somewhat of an Alienation in’t, when People proceed, not only Without, but Contrary to Reason. How many Instances do we see daily, of People that are Hurry’d on, without either Fear or Wit, by Love, Hatred, Envy, Ambition, Revenge, _&c._ to their Own Ruine: which comes to the very Case of the _Pigeon_’s breaking her Wing against the _Picture_, and the Miscarriage is Every jot as Ridiculous.

FAB. CXCVII.

A _Pigeon_ and a _Crow_.

A _Pigeon_ that was brought up in a Dove-House, was Bragging to a _Crow_ how Fruitful she was. Never Value Your self, says the _Crow_, upon That Vanity; for the More Children, the More Sorrow.

The MORAL.

_Many Children are a Great Blessing; but a Few Good Ones are a Greater; All Hazzards Consider’d._

REFLEXION.

The Care, Charge, and Hazzard of a Brood of many Children, in the Education and Proof of them, does, in a Great Measure, Countervail the Blessing: Especially where they are gotten in a State of Slavery. Sorrow and Vexation is Entail’d upon the whole Race of Mankind. We are Begotten to’t; We are Born to’t; and as it has Descended to us, so it is by us to be Handed down to Those that come after us. The Stress of the Fable lies upon the Hazzard of having a Numerous Stock of Children, which must of Necessity, whether they Live or Dye, furnish Matter of Great Anxiety to the Parents. The Loss of them is Grievous to us. The Miscarriage of them, by falling into Lewd and Vicious Courses, is much Worse: And one such Disappointment is sufficient to Blast the Comfort of All the Rest. Nay, the very Possibility, or rather the Likelyhood and Odds, that some out of such a Number will Prove Ungracious and Rebellious, makes our Beds Uneasie to us; Fills our Heads and our Hearts with Carking Thoughts, and keeps us in Anxiety Night and Day for fear they should be so, and prove like Vipers, to eat out the Belly of their Own Mothers.

FAB. CXCVIII.

A _Woman_ and her Two _Daughters_.

A _Woman_ that had _Two Daughters_, Bury’d one of them, and Mourners were Provided to Attend the Funeral. The _Surviving Daughter_ Wonder’d to see Strangers so much concern’d at the Loss of her Sister, and her Nearest Relations so Little. Pray Mother, says she, What’s the Reason of This? Oh, says the _Mother_, We that are a-Kin to her, are never the Better for Crying, but the Strangers have Money for’t.

The MORAL.

_Mourners are as Mercenery as Common Prostitutes; They are at His Service that bids Most for them._

REFLEXION.

Funeral Tears are only Civilities of Course, but there must be Wringing of Hands yet, and Ejulations, some where or Other; and where the Relations are not in Humor for’t, ’tis the Fashion to Provide Mercenaries to do the Office. The Moral of this will reach to All the Pompous Solemnities of our Mourning Processions, which upon the Whole, Amount to no more then Dress and Pageantry, to make the Show look Dismal, and so many Sowre Faces that are Hir’d to Adorn the _Hypocrisie_. This was the Widow’s Case, that Cry’d her self half Mad and Blind with a Thousand Passionate Interjections, for the loss of her Dear Husband. [_Never so Dear, so Dear a Man!_] This Woman, I say (when she had done All This, and Renounc’d the World, the flesh and the Devil, with as much Solemnity as ever she did in her Baptism) was at the Long-Last prevail’d upon to hear the Will read: But when she found in the Conclusion, that the _Dear Man_ she so often call’d upon, had left her Nothing that he could keep from her, but her Wedding Ring and her Apron-Strings, Up she started, Wip’d her Eyes, Rais’d her Voice, [_And is this all with a Pox_] she cry’d; and with Those Words in her Mouth, she came to her self again. Now This Widow, in the Pure Strength of Flesh and Blood, cry’d as Arrantly for _Money_ as the Mercenaries in the Fable.

FAB. CXCIX.

A _Shepherd_ and his _Sheep_.

In Old time when _Sheep_ fed like _Hogs_ upon Acorns, a Shepherd drove his Flock into a Little Oak-Wood, spread his Coat under a Tree, and up he went to shake ’em down some Mast. The Sheep were so Keen upon the Acorns, that they Gobbled up now and then a Piece of the Coat along with ’em. When the Shepherd took Notice of it: What a Company of Ungrateful Wretches are you, says he, that Cloath all Other People that have No Relation to you, and yet Strip your Master, that gives ye both Food and Protection!

The MORAL.

The Belly has no Ears; _and a Ravenous Appetite Guttles up whatever is Before it, without any regard either to Things or Persons_.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Freak mightily in Fashion among some People to Affect a Singularity in their Lives and Manners, and to Live in a Direct Opposition to the Ordinary Rules of Prudence and Good Nature, As in returning Evil for Good for the Purpose; Nay, and in some Cases, Good for Evil too; where ’tis done more to be seen of Men then for God’s sake, and where the Vanity of Doing it Destroys the Merit of the Virtue. The Fable will also bear This Moral, That Eager Appetites have not a Right Tast of Things; for the _Coat_ goes down as well as the _Acorns_; but the main Stress of it falls upon Those that _Rob Peter_, as we say to _Pay Paul_, and take the Bread out of their Masters Mouths to give it to Strangers. And the Kindness of the Master is yet a further Aggravation of the Crime. We have abundance of Cases in Practice, as well as in Story, that strike upon This Topique. Have we never read of a Sacrilegious Convocation of _Divines_, that at the same Time that they liv’d upon the Altar, Betray’d it; and while they robb’d God himself of his Due, Divided the Spoils of the Church among the Rabble. Have we never heard of Men that Gobbled the Priviledges and Revenues of the Crown, and then Squander’d them away in Donatives upon the Common People? Or, What shall we say of the Scoffing Atheist, that turns all the Powers and Faculties of his Soul, as much as in him lies, to the Reproche of his Maker, and yet at the same time too, as Pleasant Company to the World, as the Wit of a Libertine can make him. What is all this now but a Sheep Stripping his Master, and Cloathing Strangers.

FAB. CC.

_Jupiter_ and a _Herds-Man_.

A _Herds-man_ that had lost a Calf out of his Grounds, sent up and down after it; and when he could get No Tydings on’t, he betook himself at last to his Prayers, according to the Custom of the World, when People are brought to a Forc’d-Put. Great _Jupiter_ (says he) Do but shew me the _Thief_ that stole my Calf, and I’ll give thee a Kid for a Sacrifice. The Word was no sooner pass’d; but the _Thief_ appear’d; which was indeed a _Lyon_. This Discovery put him to his Prayers once again. I have not forgotten my Vow, says he, but now thou hast brought me to the _Thief_, I’ll make That _Kid_ a _Bull_, if thou’lt but set me Quit of him again.

The MORAL.

_We cannot be too Careful, and Considerate what Vows, and Promises we make; for the very Granting of our Prayers turns many times to our Utter Ruine._

REFLEXION.

This Fable Condemns All Rash Vows and Promises, and the Unsteadiness of those Men that are first mad to have a Thing, and as soon Weary of it. Men should Consider well before hand what they Promise, what they Vow; nay, and what they wish for, least they should be Taken at their Words, and afterward Repent. We make it half our Bus’ness to Learn our Gain, and Compass those Things, which when we come to Understand, and to have in our Possession, we’d give the whole Earth to be Rid of again: Wherefore he that Moderates his Desires without laying any Stress upon Things Curious, or Uncertain; and Resigns himself in All Events to the Good Pleasure of Providence, succeeds Best in the Government of his Fortune, Life, and Manners. The Herds-man was in a State of Freedom, we see, till he made himself a Voluntary Slave, by Entering into a Dangerous and Unnecessary Vow; which he could neither Contract without Folly, nor Keep without Loss and Shame; For Heaven is neither to be Wheedled, nor Brib’d. Men should so Pray, as not to Repent of their Prayers, and turn the most Christian and Necessary Office of our Lives into a Sin. We must not Pray in One Breath to _Find_ a Thief, and in the Next, to get shut of him.

FAB. CCI.

A _Gnat_ Challenges a _Lyon_.

As a _Lyon_ was Blustering in the Forrest, up comes a _Gnat_ to his very Beard, and Enters into an Expostulation with him upon the Points of Honour and Courage. What do I Value your Teeth, or your Claws, says the _Gnat_, that are but the Arms of Every Bedlam Slut? As to the Matter of Resolution; I defy ye to put That Point Immediately to an Issue. So the Trumpet Sounded, and the Combatants Enter’d the Lists. The _Gnat_ Charg’d into the Nostrils of the _Lyon_, and there Twing’d him, till he made him Tear himself with his Own Paws. And in the Conclusion he Master’d the _Lyon_. Upon This, a Retreat was Sounded, and the _Gnat_ flew his way: But by Ill-hap afterward, in his Flight, he Struck into a Cobweb, where the _Victor_ fell a Prey to a _Spider_. This Disgrace went to the Heart of him, after he had got the Better of a _Lyon_, to be Worsted by an _Insect_.

The MORAL.

_’Tis in the Power of Fortune to Humble the Pride of the Mighty, even by the most Despicable Means, and to make a_ Gnat _Triumph over a_ Lyon: _Wherefore let no Creature, how Great or how Little soever, Presume on the One side, or Despair on the Other_.

REFLEXION.

There is Nothing either so Great, or so Little, as not to be Lyable to the Vicissitudes of Fortune, whether for Good or for Evil. A Miserable _Fly_ is sufficient, we see, to take down the Stomach of a _Lyon_; and then to Correct the Insulting Vanity of That _Fly_, it falls the next Moment into the Toyl of a _Spider_. ’Tis Highly Improvident not to Obviate small Things; and as Ridiculous to be Baffled by them; and it is not the Force neither, but the Importunity that is so Vexatious and Troublesome to us. The very Teizing of the _Lyon_ Gall’d him more then an Arrow at his Heart would have done. The Doctrine is this, That no Man is to Presume upon his Power and Greatness, when every Pitiful Insect may find out a Way to Discompose him. But That Pitiful Insect again is not to Value himself upon his Victory neither; for the _Gnat_ that had the Better of the _Lyon_, in the very next breath, was Worsted by a _Spider_.

THE FABLES OF BARLANDUS, _&c._

FAB. CCII.

A _Lyon_ and a _Frog_.

A _Lyon_ that was Ranging about for his Prey, made a Stop all on a Sudden at a Hideous Yelling Noise he heard, which not a little Startled him. The Surprize put him at first into a Shaking Fit; but as he was looking about, and Preparing for the Encounter of some Terrible Monster, what should he see but a Pitiful _Frog_ come Crawling out from the Side of a Pond. And is This All? (says the _Lyon_) and so betwixt Shame and Indignation, he put forth his Paw, and Pash’d out the Guts on’t.

The MORAL.

_There’s no Resisting of_ First Motions; _but upon Second Thoughts we come immediately to our selves again_.

REFLEXION.

The Surprize of the _Lyon_ is to teach us, that no Man living can be so Present to Himself, as not to be put beside his Ordinary Temper upon some Accidents or Occasions; but then his Philosophy brings him to a Right Understanding of Things, and his Resolution carries him through All Difficulties. It is Another _Emphatical_ Branch of This Emblem, that as the _Lyon_ himself was not Thorough-Proof against This Fantastical _Alarum_; so it was but a Poor Wretched _Frog_ all this while, that Discompos’d him, to shew the Vain Opinion and False Images of Things, and how apt we are to be Transported with Those Fooleries, which, if we did but Understand, we should Despise. Wherefore ’tis the Part of a Brave, and a Wise Man to Weigh, and Examine Matters without Delivering up himself to the Illusion of Idle Fears, and Panick Terrors. It was in truth, below the Dignity of a _Lyon_ to Kill the Poor Creature, but This, however may be said in Plea for’t, that he was asham’d to leave behind him a Witness of his Weakness.

FAB. CCIII.

An _Ant_ and a _Pigeon_.

An _Ant_ dropt, Unluckily into the Water as she was Drinking at the Side of a _Brook_. A _Wood-Pigeon_ took Pity of her, and threw her a little Bough to lay hold on. The _Ant_ sav’d her self by that Bough, and in That very Instant, spies a Fellow with a Birding-Piece, making a Shoot at the _Pigeon_. Upon This Discovery, she presently runs up to him and Stings him. The _Fowler_ starts, and breaks his Aim, and away flies the _Pigeon_.

The MORAL.

_All Creatures have a Sense of Good Offices, and Providence it self takes Care, where Other Means fail, that they may not Pass Unrewarded._

REFLEXION.

The Practice of Requiting Good Offices is a Great Encouragement to the Doing of them; and in truth, without Gratitude there would be Little Good Nature; for there is not One Good Man in the World that has not need of Another. This Fable of the _Ant_ is not All together a Fiction, for we have many Instances of the Force of Kindness; even upon Animals and Insects: To pass over the Tradition of _Androclus_’s Lyon, the Gratitude of Elephants, Dogs and Horses is too Notorious to be Deny’d. Are not Hawks brought to the Hand, and to the Lure? And in like manner, are not _Lyons_, _Tygres_, _Bears_, _Wolves_, _Foxes_, and other Beasts of Prey Reclaim’d by Good Usage? Nay, I have seen a Tame Spider, and ’tis a Common Thing to have a Lizzard come to Hand. Man only is the Creature, that to his Shame no Benefits can Oblige, no, nor Secure, even from seeking the Ruine of his Benefactor: So that This _Pismire_ sets us a Lesson here in her Thankfulness to her Preserver.

FAB. CCIV.

A _Peacock_ and a _Pye_.

In the Days of Old, the Birds liv’d at Random in a Lawless State of _Anarchy_; but in time they began to be Weary on’t, and Mov’d for the Setting up of a King. The _Peacock_ Valu’d himself upon his Gay Feathers, and put in for the Office: The Pretenders were heard, the Question Debated; and the Choice fell upon the Poll to King _Peacock_: The Vote was no sooner pass’d, but up stands a _Pye_ with a Speech in his Mouth to This Effect: _May it please your Majesty_, says he, _We should be glad to Know, in Case the_ Eagle _should fall upon us in your Reign; as she has formerly done, how will you be able to Defend us?_

The MORAL.

_In the Bus’ness of either Erecting, or Changing a Government, it ought to be very well Consider’d before-hand, what may be the Consequences, in case of such a_ Form, _or such a Person_.

REFLEXION.

Kings are not to be Chosen for the Beauty or the Gracefulness of their Persons, but for the Reputation they have in the World, and the Endowments of their Minds. This Fable shews likewise the Necessity of Civil Order, and the Danger of Popular Elections, where a Factious Majority commonly Governs the Choice. Take the Plurality of the World, and they are neither Wise, nor Good; and if they be left to Themselves, they will Undoubtedly Chuse such as They Themselves Are. ’Tis the Misery of _Elective Governments_, that there will be Eternally Corruption and Partiality in the Choice; for there’s a Kind of a Tacit Covenant in the Case, that the King of their Own making shall make his Makers Princes too: So that they Work for Themselves all this while, not for the Publique: But the _Pye’s_ Question stopt all their Mouths, and it was wisely let fall too without a Reply, to Intimate that it was Unanswerable.

FAB. CCV.

An _Impertinent_ Dr. and his _Patient_.

A _Physician_ was told One Morning that a Certain _Patient_ of his was Dead, why then _the Lord’s Will be Done_, says he: We are All Mortal; but if This Man would have Forborn Wines, and Us’d Clysters, I’d have Warranted his Life This Bout for God-a-Mercy. Well, says one, but why did you not rather give him This Advice when it might have done him Good, then stand Talking of it to no manner of Purpose Now the Man is Dead?

The MORAL.

_’Tis to no Purpose to think of Recalling Yesterday; and_ when the Steed is Stoll’n, of Shutting the Stable Door.

REFLEXION.

This Fable Recommends to us the Doing of Every thing in its Due Season, for either too Soon or too Late signifies Nothing. It is but _making Almanacks for the Last Year_, to stand Talking what Might have been done; when the Time of Doing it is past. When a Battle is Lost, This or That, we say, might have Prevented it. When a Tumult is Emprov’d into a Rebellion, and a Government Overturn’d by’t, ’tis just to as much purpose to say, This or That might have Sav’d All: As for our _Doctor_, here to say, when his _Patient_ was Dead, that it was for want of going such or such a way to Work. We have abundance of These Wise Men in the World that are still looking backward without seeing One Inch of the way before them. Not but that the Experience of Things Past, may be very Instructive to us toward the Making of a Right Judgment upon Things to come, but in such a Case as This, it is wholly Vain and Unprofitable, to all manner of Intents. ’Tis the Bus’ness of a Substantial, and a Well-Grounded Wisdom, to be still looking forward, from the First Indispositions, into the Growth, and Progress of the Disease. It Traces the Advance of Dangers step by step, and shews us the Rise and Gradations of the Evil; and gives us Light, either toward the Preventing, or the Suppressing of it. We have in such an Instance as This, the means before us, of a True, and an Useful Perception of Things, whereas Judgments that are made on the Wrong side of the Danger, amount to no more then an Affectation of Skill, without either Credit or Effect. Let Things be done when they May be done, and _When_, and _As_ they _Ought_ to be done: As for the Doctor’s _Iffing_ upon the Bus’ness, when his _Patient_ was Dead, it was just to as much purpose as Blowing Wind in’s Breech.

FAB. CCVI.

A _Lyon_, _Ass_ and _Fox_.

There was a Hunting-Match agreed upon betwixt a _Lyon_, an _Ass_, and a _Fox_, and they were to go Equal Shares in the Booty. They ran down a Brave Stag, and the _Ass_ was to Divide the Prey; which he did very Honestly and Innocently in to Three Equal Parts, and left the _Lyon_ to take his Choice: Who never minded the _Dividend_; but in a Rage Worry’d the _Ass_, and then bad the _Fox_ Divide; who had the Wit to make Only One Share of the Whole, saving a Miserable Pittance that he Reserv’d for Himself. The _Lyon_ highly approv’d of his Way of Distribution; but Prithee _Reynard_, says he, who taught thee to Carve? Why truly says the _Fox_, I had an _Ass_ to my Master; and it was His Folly made me Wise.

The MORAL.

_There must be no Shares in Sovereignty. Court-Conscience is Policy. The Folly of One Man makes Another Man Wise; as One Man Grows Rich upon the Ruines of Another._

REFLEXION.

This Fable is sufficiently Moraliz’d Elsewhere; but it gives us further to Understand, that Experience is the Mistress of Knaves as well as of Fools. Here was the Innocence of the _Ass_, and the _Craft_ of the _Fox_, Both in One. He sav’d his Skin by the Modesty of the Division, and left enough for himself too, over and above! For _Asses_ are No great _Venison Eaters_.

FAB. CCVII.

A _Wolfe_ and a _Kid_.

As a _Wolfe_ was passing by a Poor Country Cottage, a _Kid_ spy’d him through a Peeping-Hole in the Door; and sent a Hundred Curses along with him. Sirrah (says the _Wolfe_) If I had ye out of your Castle, I’d make ye give Better Language.

The MORAL.

_A Coward in his Castle, makes a Great Deal more Bluster then a Man of Honour._

REFLEXION.

The Advantages of Time and Place are enough to make a Poultron Valiant. There’s Nothing so Couragious as a Coward, if you put him out of Danger. This way of Brawl and Clamour, is so Arrant a Mark of a Dastardly Wretch, that he does as good as Call himself so that Uses it. The _Kid_ behind the Door has the Priviledge of a Lord _Mayors Fool_. He’s under Protection: The One is Scurrilous, and the Other Sawcy; and yet These are the Two Qualities that pass but too frequently in the World for Wit and Valour.

FAB. CCVIII.

An _Ass_ to _Jupiter_.

A Certain _Ass_ that serv’d a Gard’ner, and did a great deal of Work for a very little Meat, fell to his Prayers for _Another Master_. _Jupiter_ Granted his Request, and turn’d him over to a _Potter_, where he found Clay and Tile so much a Heavier Burden then Roots and Cabbage, that he went to Prayers once again for Another Change. His next Master was a Tanner; and there, over and above the Encrease of his Work, the very Trade went against his Stomach: For (says he) I have been only Pinch’d in my Flesh, and Well Rib-Roasted sometimes under my Former Masters; but I’m In now for Skin and All.

The MORAL.

_A Man that is ever Shifting and Changing, is not, in truth, so Weary of his Condition, as of Himself; And he that still Carries about him the Plague of a Restless Mind, can never be pleas’d._

REFLEXION.

’Tis a High Point of Prudence for any Man to be Content with his Lot. For ’tis Forty to One that he that Changes his Condition, out of a Present Impatience and Dissatisfaction, when he has try’d a New one, Wishes for his Old One again: and Briefly, the more we shift, the Worse Commonly we are. This Arises from the Inconstancy of our Minds, and One Prayer does but make way for Another. Those People, in fine, that are Destin’d to Drudgery, may well Change their Masters, but never their Condition.

He that finds himself in any Distress, either of Carcass, or of Fortune, should do well to Deliberate upon the Matter, before he Prayes for, or Resolves upon a Change. As for Example now, what is it that Troubles me? Is there any Help for’t or no? What do I want? Is it Matter of Necessity or Superfluity? Where am I to look for’t? How shall I come at it? _&c._

Now All our Grievances are either of Body or of Mind, or (in Complication) of Both, and either the Remedy is in our Own Power, or it is not. There are some Things that we cannot do for our selves, without the Help of Others: There are some Things again, that Other People Cannot do for Us, nor are they any way else to be done but by Our selves. In the One Case we are to seek abroad for Relief, and in the Other, Whoever Consults his Reason, and his Duty, will find a Certain Cure at Home: So that it goes a Great way in the Philosophy of Humane Life, to Understand the Just Measures of what we are Able to do, and what we are Oblidg’d to do, in Distinction from the Contrary; for Otherwise we shall spend our Days with _Æsop_’s Ass, in Hunting after Happiness where it is not to be found, without ever looking for’t where it is. ’Tis allow’d us, to be sensible of Broken Limbs, and Diseased Bodies: And Common Prudence sends us to Surgeons and Physicians, to Piece, and Patch them up again. But in These Cases, we Examine the Why, the What, and the How of Things, and Propose Means Accommodate to the End. ’Tis Natural to be Mov’d with Pain, and as Natural to Seek Relief; And it is well done at Last, to do That which Nature bids us do; But for Imaginary Evils, Every Man may be his Own Doctor. They are Bred in our Affections, and we may Ease our selves. If the Question had been a Spavin, or a Gall’d Back, and the _Ass_ had Petition’d to _Jupiter_ for Another _Farryer_, it might have been a very Reasonable Request. Now if he had but Pitch’d upon such or such a Particular Master, it might have done well enough too: But to grow Weary of One Master, or of One Condition, and then to be presently Wishing in General Terms for Another: This is only an Inconsiderate Ejaculation thrown off at Random, without either Aim or Reason. Upon the Whole Matter, it is but laying our own Faults at the Door of Nature and Providence, while we Impute the Infirmities of our Minds to the Hardship of our Lot.

To proceed according to the Distribution of my Matter; it is much with Us in This Case, as it was with the Man that fell from his Horse and could not get up again. He was sure he was Hurt, he said, but could not tell Where. That is to say, _first_ our Grievances are Fantastical where they are not Corporal. _2ly._ It is Another Error in us, that in All our Fantastical Disappointments, we have Recourse to Fantastical Remedies. _3ly._ Providence has Allotted Every Man a Competency for his State and Business. All beyond it is Superfluous, and there will be Grumbling without End, if we come to reckon upon’t, that we want This or That, because we Have it Not, instead of Acknowledging that we have This or That, and that we want Nothing. These Things duly Weigh’d, what can be more Providential then the Blessing of having an _Antidote_ within our selves against all the Strokes of Fortune! That is to say, in the Worst of Extremeties, we have yet the Comfort left us of Constancy, Patience, and Resignation.

’Tis not for a Wise and an Honest Man, to stand Expostulating with the Nature of Things. As for Instance, Why should not I be This or That, or be so or so, as well as He or T’other? But I should rather say to my self after This manner: Am not I the Creature of an Almighty Power; and is it not the same Power and Wisdom that Made and Order’d the World, that has assign’d me this Place, Rank or Station, in’t? This Body, This Soul, This every Thing? What I am, I must be, and there’s no Contending with Invincible Necessity; No Disputing with an Incomprehensible Wisdom: To say Nothing of the Impiety of Appealing from an Inexplicable Goodness. If I can Mend my Condition by any Warrantable Industry and Virtue, the Way is Fair and Open; And That’s a Priviledge that Every Reasonable Creature has in his Commission: But without Fixing upon some Certain Scope, and Prescribing Just and Honourable Ways to’t, there’s Nothing to be done. ’Tis a Wicked Thing to Repine; and ’tis as Bootless, and Uneasy too; for One Restless Thought, Begets, and Punishes Another. We are not so Miserable in our Own Wants, as in what Others Enjoy: And then our Levity is as Great a Plague to us as our Envy, so that we need Nothing more then we have, but Thankfulness, and Submission, to make us Happy. It was not the Ground of the _Asses_ Complaint, that it was Worse with _Him_ then with _Other Asses_; but because he was an _Ass_: And he was not so Sick of his _Master_, as of his _Work_. His Fortune was well enough for such an _Animal_, so long as he kept himself within his Proper Sphere and Bus’ness: But if the Stones in the Wall will be taking upon them to Reproche the Builder; and if Nothing will please People unless they be Greater than Nature ever Intended them; What can they Expect, but the _Asses_ Round of Vexatious Changes, and Experiments; and at last, when they have made Themselves Weary and Ridiculous, e’en glad to set up their Rest upon the very Spot where they Started.

FAB. CCIX.

A _Woman_ and her _Maids_.

It was the Way of _a Good Housewifely Old Woman_, to call up her _Maids_ every Morning just at the _Cock-Crowing_. The _Wenches_ were loth to Rise so soon, and so they laid their Heads together, and Kill’d the Poor _Cock_: for, say they, if it were not for his Waking our _Dame_, she would not Wake _us_: But when the Good Woman’s Clock was gone, she’d Mistake the Hour many times, and call ’em up at Midnight: So that instead of Mending the Matter, they found themselves in a Worse Condition Now then Before.

The MORAL.

_One Error makes way for another. First, we Complain of small things: Then we Shift, and instead of Mending the Matter, we find it Worse, till it comes at last to the Tinker’s Work of_ Stopping One Hole, and Making Ten.

REFLEXION.

’Tis a Common Thing for People that are Uneasy, to fly to Remedies that are Worse then the Disease; wherefore Men should Deliberate before they Resolve; and say to Themselves, This we suffer at Present, and This or That we Propose to Get by such and such a Change; and so set the One against the Other. The _Wenches_ were call’d up too Early, they thought, and so for fear of having too Little Sleep, they ran the Risque of having no Sleep at all. And it fares much at the same Rate in Publique Grievances that it does in Private; When rather then bear the Importunity of a Flea-biting, we are apt to run our selves Hand over Head into a Bed of Scorpions; which is such another kind of an Expedient, as if a Body should Beat out his Brains to Cure the Head-Ach. Flesh and Bloud is Naturally impatient of Restraint; beside the Itch and Curiosity that we have, to be Prying and Searching into Forbidden Secrets; and to see (as one says) _What Good is in Evil_. ’Tis Natural to us to be Weary of what we have, and still to be Hankering after something or other that we have Not: And so our Levity Pushes us on from One Vain Desire to Another, in a Regular Vicissitude, and Succession of Cravings and Satiety. We want (as I say) what we have not, and grow Sick on’t when we have it. Now the Wise Man Clears the Whole Matter to us, in Pronouncing _All things under the Sun_ (That is to say, the Pomp, the Pleasures, and the Enjoyments of This World) to be _Vanity of Vanities_, and _All, Vanity_. The Truth of it is, we Govern our Lives by Fancy, rather then by Judgment. We Mistake the Reasons of Things, and Impute the Issue of them to Wrong Causes. So that the Lesson given us here, is Preceptive to us, not to do any thing but upon due Consideration. The _Wenches_ Kill’d the _Cock_ for calling them up so soon, whereas the Crowing of the _Cock_ was the Cause, in Truth, that they were call’d up no sooner.

FAB. CCX.

A _Lyon_ and a _Goat_.

A _Lyon_ spy’d a _Goat_ upon the Crag of a High Rock, and so call’d out to him after this Manner: Hadst not thou better come Down now, says the _Lyon_, into This Delicate Fine Meadow? Well, says the _Goat_, and so perhaps I would, if it were not for the _Lyon_ that’s there Before me: But I’m for a Life of Safety, rather then for a Life of Pleasure. Your Pretence is the Filling of My Belly with Good Grass; but your Bus’ness is the Cramming of your Own Guts with Good _Goats-Flesh_: So that ’tis for your Own Sake, not Mine, that you’d have me come down.

The MORAL.

_There’s no Trusting to the Formal Civilities and Invitations of an Enemy, and his Reasonings are but Snares when he pretends to Advise us for our Good._

REFLEXION.

He that Advises another to his Own Advantage, may be very Reasonably Suspected to give Councel for his Own Ends. It may so fall Out, ’tis True, as to be Profitable for Both: But all Circumstances would be Well Examin’d in such a Case before we Trust. This is the Song of your Men of Prey, as well as of your Beasts of Prey, when they Set up for the Good of the _Goats_ and _Common People_. How many Fine Things have we had told as in the Memory of Man, upon the Subject of our _Liberties_, _Properties_, and _Religion_, and the Delivering us from the _Fears_ and _Jealousies_ of _Idolatry_, and _Arbitrary Power_! And what was the Fruit of All This in the End, but Vision and Romance on the Promising Hand, and an _Exchange of Imaginary Chains, for Real Locks and Bolts_, on the Other: But _Æsop_’s Beasts _saw further into a Mill-Stone_ then our _Mobile_: And that the _Lyon_’s Invitation of the _Goat_ from the Rocks into the _Fool’s Paradise_ of a Delicate Sweet Meadow, signify’d no more, in Plain _English_, then _Come down that I may Eat ye_.

FAB. CCXI.

A _Vultur_’s Invitation.

The _Vultur_ took up a Fit of a very Good Humour once, and Invited the Whole Nation of Birds to make Merry with him, upon the Anniversary of his Birth-Day. The Company came; The _Vultur_ shuts the Doors upon them, and Devours his Guests instead of Treating them.

The MORAL.

_There’s no Meddling with any Man that has neither Faith, Honour, nor Good Nature in him._

REFLEXION.

’Tis Dangerous Trusting to specious Pretexts of Civility and Kindness, where People are not well assur’d of the Faith and Good Nature of Those they have to do withal; In which case, the Butchery, and the Breach of Hospitality Represented in This Fable, under a Masque of Friendship, was no more, then what might Reasonably enough be Expected under such Circumstances. There are Men of Prey as well as Beasts and Birds of Prey, and for Those that Live upon, and Delight in Bloud, there’s no Trusting of them: For let them pretend what they will, they Govern themselves, and take their Measures according to their Interests and Appetites. ’Tis a Hard Case yet, for Men to be forc’d upon Ill Nature, in their Own Defence, and to suspect the Good Faith of Those, that gives us All the Protestations and Assurance of Friendship, and Fair Dealing that One Man can give Another. Nay the very Suspicion is an Affront, and almost sufficient to Authorize some sort of Revenge. He that Violates the Necessary Trust and Confidence that One Man ought to Repose in Another, does what in Him lies, to Dissolve the very Bond of Humane Society; for there’s no Treachery so Close, so Sure, and so Pernicious, as That which Works under a Veil of Kindness. We set Toyls, Nets, Gins, Snares, and Traps for Beasts and Birds ’tis True; and we Bait Hooks for fishes; But All This is done in their Own Haunts, and Walks, and without any Seal of Faith and Confidence in the Matter: But to break the Laws of Hospitality and Tenderness; To betray our Guests under our Own Roofs, and to Murder them at our Own Tables; This is a Practice only for _Men_ and _Vulturs_ to be guilty of.

FAB. CCXII.

_Bustards_ and _Cranes_.

Some Sports-men that were abroad upon Game, spy’d a Company of _Bustards_ and _Cranes_ a Feeding together, and so made in upon ’em as fast as their Horses could carry them. The _Cranes_ that were Light, took Wing immediately, and sav’d themselves, but the _Bustards_ were Taken; for they were Fat, and Heavy, and could not Shift so well as the Other.

The MORAL.

_Light of Body and Light of Purse, comes much to a Case in Troublesome Times; Only the One saves himself by his Activity, and the Other scapes because he is not worth the Taking._

REFLEXION.

_Camerarius_ makes This to be an Emblem of the Taking of a Town, where the Poor scape better then the Rich; for the One is let go, and the Other is Plunder’d and Coop’d up. But with Favour of the Moralists, it was not at the Fowler’s Choice, which to Take, and which to Let go; for the _Cranes_ were too Nimble, and got away in spite of him: So that This Phansie seems rather to Point at the Advantages that some have over Others, to make Better shift in the World then their Fellows, by a Felicity of Make, and Constitution, whether of Body or of Mind: Provided always, that they Play Fair, and Manage all Those Faculties with a Strict Regard to Common Honesty and Justice.

FAB. CCXIII.

_Jupiter_ and an _Ape_.

_Jupiter_ took a Fancy once to Summon all the Birds and Beasts under the Canopy of Heaven to appear before him with their Brats, and their Little ones, to see which of ’em had the prettiest Children: And who but the _Ape_ to put her self Foremost, with a Brace of her _Cubs_ in her Arms, for the Greatest Beauties in the Company.

FAB. CCXIV.

An _Eagle_ and an _Owl_.