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'Jiii».:  1'  iriiaii  in    *• 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 
In  Memory  of 


Leonore  Rawson  Stock 


rp- 


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in  2008  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arcliive.org/details/fiftyoneoriginalOObircricli 


n.  Cruicksliauk 


Kilt  ask  now  llie  beasts,  ana  they  shall  teach  thee  :    and  the  f.iwls  of  the  air,  and  they  shall  tell  thee. 

Job  xii.  7. 


FDFTY  =  @ 


ORIGINAL     FABLES, 


MORALS  AND   ETHICAL  INDEX, 


BV    Xt.    CRUICILSB ANK : 

Engraved  on  wood  by  Slader,  D.  Dodd,  S.  Williams,  Bonner,  and  others. 


ALSO    A    TRANSLATION    OF 

PLUTARCH'S  BANQUET  OF  THE  SEVEN  SAGES, 

Revised  for  this  Work. 


LONDON: 
PRINTED  FOR  HAMILTON,  ADAMS,  AND  CO 

PATERNOSTER    ROAV. 

S.   BAGSTER,  JUN.,   PRINTEK,   BARTHOLOMEW  CLOSE. 


M.UCCC. XXXIII. 


TO    IITS    MOST    EXCELLENT    MAJESTY 


KING    WILLIAM    THE  IV^^^- 


THIS  VOLUME 


OF 


(2)^0(gaQ^^L   ^/^©Lig   ^m®   m@\?i,^u 


IS    DEDICATED, 


IN   CONFORMITY    WITH 


W^  M^jt^tf^  ^perial  ^ermid^iou 


HIS    MAJESTY'S 


MOST    HUMBT.E 


AND  MOST    DFVOTED  SUBJECT, 


€i)t  llutfjor. 


PREFACE. 


Fable  was  invented  at  a  very  early  stage  of  the 
world,  and  was  adopted  as  a  safe  and  instructive  me- 
dium through  which  superior  knowledge  and  truths 
could  be  so  adroitly  conveyed  to  nations  and  indi- 
viduals as  not  to  savour  of  reprimand  or  dictation. 
It  was  chosen  by  wise  men,  as  the  form  of  reproof  to 
kings  which  might  least  risk  their  displeasure — of 
advice  and  remonstrance  to  rebellious  people,  which 
should  not  wound  their  pride,  or  rouse  their  ven- 
geance— of  wisdom  and  morals  to  youth  which  as^ 
sumed  not  the  sternness  of  coercion — and  to  children 
a  knowledge  of  right  from  wrong  in  so  fascinating  a 
way  as  to  be  rather  a  means  of  amusement  than  a 
scholastic  lecture :  for  these  reasons  the  Philosophers 
of  old  so  highly  approved  of  fables  that  they  recom- 
mended them  as  the  best  mode  of  inculcating  moral 
philosophy  in  the  schools.* 

*  Plato,  although  he  banished  the  stories  of  Hesiod  and  Homer 
from  his  commonwealth,  advised  the  use  of  moral  fables.  Philos- 
tratus  says  "  the  fables  of  j3i!,sop  are  more  proper  than  any  other  to 
inspire  us  with  wisdom;"  and  Quintilian  recommends  them  for  the 
schools. 


It  is  probable  that  Fable  originated  in  Egypt,  the 
land  of  hieroglyphics,  thence  domiciliated  itself  with 
the  Israelites,  whose  figurative  language  it  suited, 
and  finally  travelled  westward  by  the  way  of  Greece 
and  Rome  to  us — always  esteemed  by  the  learned  and 
comprehended  by  the  illiterate.  It  was  adopted  and 
imitated  by  each  nation  as  it  advanced  in  civilization, 
and  oftentimes  with  much  success. 

The  first  Fable  we  have  on  record  is  that  of  "  The 
Trees  and  the  Bramble,"  spoken  by  Jotham  from 
mount  Gerizim  to  the  assembled  men  of  Shechem, 
on  their  raising  Abimelech  to  sovereign  power. 
Judges  ix.  8  ;  the  next  that  occurs  was  addressed  by 
Nathan  with  great  success  to  David,  couching  under 
the  admirable  allegory  of  "  The  Ewe  Lamb"  the 
most  cutting  reproof  to  the  king  for  having  wickedly 
abducted  Uriah's  wife,  2  Sam.  xii.  3  ;  then  follows 
"  The  Cedar  and  Thistle,"  communicated  by  Joash, 
king  of  Israel,  to  Amaziah  of  Judah,  2  Chron.  xxv.  18; 
then  "The  bad  Shepherds  and  the  sheep,"  Ezek.xxxiv. 
3  ;  and  finally,  in  the  Apocrypha,  w^e  meet  with  re- 
ference made  to  the  *^  Two  Pots"*  as  a  known  Fable  ; 
whether  originating  with  the  Hebrews  or  the  Greeks 
may  be  matter  for  curious  research. 

Holy   Writ    indeed    teems   with    allegorical    and 

figurative  writings  (even  to  riddle,  Judges  xiv.  14) ; 

and  so  highly  did  the  Jews  appreciate  this  branch  of 

literature  that,  after  its  being  used  by  princes,  seers, 

*  Ecclesiasticus  xiii.  2. 


and  prophets  for  ages,  it  was  chosen  by  our  Lord,  who 
thought  proper  under  the  guise  of  Parable  to  instruct 
his  disciples  and  followers,  not  only  in  their  duties 
towards  God  and  man,  but  also  in  the  mysteries  of 
the  consoling  religion  he  promulgated. 

Thus  Fable  appears  to  have  been  cradled  and  fos- 
tered in  Judsea,  whence  it  spread  both  east  (for 
India  and  China  have  had  their  fabulists)  and  west, 
where  ^sop  instructed  Greece  with  his  fables ;  and 
to  so  great  extent  were  they  appreciated^  that  Socrates 
thought  it  not  unbecoming  his  dignity  to  translate 
some  of  them  out  of  the  Phrygian  dialect  into  Hellenic 
verse  ;t  and  Plutarch,  after  mentioning  him  honour- 
ably in  his  life  of  Solon,  places  'him  in  his  "  Banquet 
of  the  Sages"  amongst  the  wise  men  who  met  at  the 
court  of  Periander,  king  of  Corinth.J  Samos  en- 
trusted him  with  diplomacy,  and  Suidas  writes  that 
"  he  was  much  beloved  by  Croesus,"  who  felt  his 

*  Priscian  says  "  he  has  never  read  iEsop  "  was  a  term  of  re- 
proach applied  to  ignorant  fellows. 

f  Laertius  has  preserved  two  of  the  lines  :— 

AicrajwoQ  TTOTsXeZ^  KopivOiov  a~v  vti^iovai 
Ml]  Kpivtiv  apsT7]v  XaodiKi)}  aodiT]. 

I  The  account  of  the  banquet  is  extremely  curious,  and  redounds 
much  to  j^sop's  honour,  v.'isdom,  wit,  and  courtesy  ;  it  was  at  this 
banquet  he  introduced  several  of  his  fables,  particularly  the 
"  Arrogant  mule"  and  the  "  Wolf  and  Shepherds."  It  may  be 
interesting  to  give  the  names  of  the  galaxy  of  wise  men  amongst 
whom  ^sop  shone  :  the  company  is  represented  to  have  consisted 
of  king  Periander,   his   wife  Melissa,  and   her  attendant  Eumetis, 


court  at  Sardis  honoured  by  his  presence  as  much  as 
by  the  visits  of  Thales,  Solon,  and  Anacharsis,  and 
employed  him  to  be  his  messenger  with  gifts  to  the 
temple  at  Delphi. 

After  his  death  the  Athenians  commissioned  Lysip- 
pus  to  execute  a  statue  of  him,  of  more  than  ordinary 
dimensions,^  which  they  placed  in  the  temple  of  Mi- 
nerva amongst  those  of  the  seven  Sages,  for  having 
invented  the  best  mode  of  instructing  youth  in  moral 
philosophy. 

Rome  now  adopted  fable,  and  we  are  in  possession 
of  the  remarkable  one  wherewith  Menenius  Agrippa 
calmed  the  rebellious  citizens.  Afterwards  Phsedrus 
translated  sojne  of  ^Esop's  fables  into  Latin  verse, f 
and  succeeded  himself  in  writing  many ;  he  calls 
him  the  "  sage  that  saw  through  nature  ! " 

After  such  instances  of  divine  and  high  heathen 
authority,  let  no  one  fancy  that  Fable  was  wholly 

Thales,  Solon,  Cleobulus,  Chile,  Bias,  and  Pittacus  (the  Seven 
Sages),  iEsop,  Anacharsis,  Naucratites  (sent  by  An)asis,  king  of 
Egypt,  to  consult  Bias  on  a  letter  he  had  received  from  the  King 
of  iEthiopia,  and  to  propound  questions  to  the  company)— Marso- 
philus  from  Athens,  Diodes  and  Ardalus  (priests),  Chersias  a 
poet,  and  Cleodemus,  a  physician. 

*  Phffidrus,  Epist.  to  B.  ii.  1 ,  and  epigram  of  Agathias.  A .  Gellius 
prefers  him  to  all  the  philosophers  for  having  so  well  blended  the 
agreeable  with  the  instructive. 

t  Tatian  says  that  Diagoras  first  collected  .^'.sop's  fables  together 
about  the  time  of  Socrates — and  Demetrius  Phalereus  again  about 
100  years  afterwards. 


designed  for  youth,  and  therefore  treat  it  as  unworthy 
of  their  serious  regard. 

Avienus  followed:  he  wrote  some,  and  called  his 
collection  iEsopian  Fables. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  many  of  ^sop's  are  lost; 
however,  sufficient  of  undoubted  origin  have  been 
preserved  to  sanction  the  praises  that  have  been  be- 
stowed on  them,  and  to  prove  his  just  claim  to 
immortality  as  a  fabulist. 

After  a  considerable  lapse  of  time  Planudes,  a 
monk  of  Constantinople,  in  the  fourteenth  century 
collected  all  the  fables  he  could  find,  whether  of  un- 
doubted or  spurious  birth,  and,  having  foisted  his 
own  into  the  collection,  they  were  published  in  Milan, 
1480,  as  the  Fables  of  "  .Esop  !  '^ 

The  same  mode  has  been  adopted  by  our  country- 
man, Dr.  Croxall ;  and  his  selection,  bearing  ^sop's 
name,  has  been  for  a  long  time  a  class-book  in  schools. 

Most  modern  nations  have  attempted  fable.  Italy 
has  her  Casti,  France  La  Fontaine  and  Le  Motte ; 
Germany  Gehlert  and  Lessing,  and  England  Dry- 
den,  Le  Strange,  Gay,  Moore,  Dodsley,  &c.,  and, 
last  of  all,  the  late  Mr.  Northcote  tried  his  skill. 

Having  thus  faintly  traced  fable  from  the  Judges 
down  to  the  present  time,  it  may  not  be  intrusive  to 
remark  that  a  fable  should  be  short,  original,  and 
pithy — clothed  in  familiar  but  good  language,  and 
that  the  moral  sought  to  be  inculcated  should  be 
pure  and  palpable  ;  that,  after  rationals, — beasts  and 


birds  are  the  most  proper  agents,  possessing,  as  they 
do,  locomotion  and  voice — the  unities  being  less  out- 
raged by  imparting  speech  to  them, — although  we 
have  sufficient  authority  from  the  ancients  for  intro- 
ducing insects,  vegetables,  and  even  inanimate  sub- 
stances to  exonerate  the  modern  fabulists  who  have 
had  recourse  to  them.  At  the  same  time  the  aspiring 
to  originality  should  not  permit  the  introduction  of 
any  other  animal  as  an  emblem  of  sagacity  and  cun- 
ning than  the  fox — of  ma2;nanimity  and  courage  than 
the  lion — of  rapine  and  fraud  than  the  wolf  So  also 
ought  the  actors  to  use  appropriate  dialogue,  which 
not  only  adds  to  the  interest  but  assists  the  develop- 
ment of  the  sense,  particularly  with  children,  and  is 
to  them  a  further  inducement  to  the  study  of  morals 
so  conveyed. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  fable-writing  is  confined 
to  those  possessing  a  peculiar  quality  of  mind ;  pro- 
bably it  is  so,  since  that  leviathan  in  literature  Dean 
Swift*  confesses  himself  incapable,  notwithstanding 
much  trial,  of  producing  a  fable.  Those  who  have 
succeeded  in  this  branch  of  authorship   have  com- 

*  "  There  is  no  writing  I  esteem  more  than  fables,  nor  any 
thing  so  difficult  to  succeed  in,  which  however  you  have  done 
excellently  well,  and  I  have  often  admired  your  happiness  in  such 
a  kind  of  performance,  which  I  have  frequently  endeavoured  at  in 
vain.  I  remember  I  acted  as  you  seemed  to  hint ;  I  found  a  moral 
first,  and  studied  for  a  fable,  but  could  do  nothing  that  pleased  me, 
and  so  left  off  that  scheme  for  ever." — Siviffs  Letter  to  Guy. 


monly  been  less  distinguished  as  men  of  superior 
learning  than  as  close  observers  of  nature,  who  at- 
tentively watched  the  springs  of  human  action  as 
developed  in  the  transactions  of  man  with  man,  and 
held  impartial  converse  with  their  own  hearts.  The 
present  writer  therefore  ventures  to  place  before  the 
public  his  experience  and  the  little  wisdom  he  has 
culled,  in  the  hope  of  benefiting  the  rising  generation 
by  leading  them  in  the  approved  path  to  virtue  and 
honour.  This  path  he  has  attempted  to  enliven  with 
fresh  and  varied  flowers ;  but  how  far  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  producing  interesting  novelty  it  is  for  the 
public  to  judge:  he  feels  assured  however  that  his 
work  contains  no  sentiment,  sentence,  or  word,  that 
can  possibly  offend  the  most  delicate  mind. 

He  has  endeavoured  to  give  satisfaction  by  the 
number  of  the  embellishments,  and  in  their  quality, 
by  having  selected  a  favourite  artist  to  make  the  de- 
signs;— the  printer  and  the  engravers  have  equally 
displayed  their  abilities  in  the  more  mechanical  parts 
of  the  work.  As  to  himself,  he  is  not  aware  of  hav- 
ing slighted  any  recognised  principle,  unless  it  be 
considered  that  he  has  done  so  in  Fable  XXXII., 
where,  in  his  wish  to  add  diversity  to  other  amuse- 
ments, he  has  introduced  Solon,  and  has  given  the 
"  palm"  to  the  moralist  rather  than  to  the  lawgiver. 
In  this  he  is  partially  borne  out  by  Plutarch  and 
Suidas.  For  the  rest,  he  asks  forgiveness  from  the  fas- 
tidious critic. 


8 

And  now  a  word  at  parting.  The  fifty  one  Fables, 
the  Morals,  and  the  Ethical  Index,  are  all  the  ema- 
nations of  his  own  brain  and  the  production  of  his 
own  pen.  He  has  not  the  presumption  to  offer  them 
in  rivalship  to  the  ancients,  yet  he  dares  to  claim  for 
them  a  respectable  place  amongst  the  productions  of 
modern  fabulists.  If  peradventure  Jive  of  them 
should  prove  worthy  of  the  knowledge  of  posterity, 
he  will  be  proud  of  having  added  a  something  towards 
the  social  weal — his  life  will  not  have  been  in  vain — 
and  his  literary  ambition  will  be  satisfied. 

JOB  CRITHANNAH. 

Oct.  30th,  1832. 


It  may  be  proper  here  to  state  that  one  only  of  these  Fables  has 
ever  been  before  the  Public,  namely  "  The  Printer,  Amanuensis, 
and  Harper,"  which  was  sent  to  the  Editor  of  the  Times  at  the 
period  of  the  rioting  in  Paris,  consequent  on  the  application  of 
machinery  to  Printing,  and  which  appeared  in  that  Journal,  Sep. 
13,  1830,  under  the  signature  of  M. 


ETHICAL     INDEX, 


FABLE  I. 


The  Printer,  the  Amanuensis,  and  the  Harper. 

The  general  prosperity  of  a  country  should  not  be  im- 
peded by  either  corporate  or  individual  monopoly. 


FABLE  IL 

The  Palfrey  and  the  Old  Horse. 

We  should  be  very   diffident  of  priding  ourselves  on 
the  score  of  untried  virtues. 


FABLE  in. 

The  Skylark  and  the  Owl. 

True  piety  is  wholly  distinct  from  the  temporising  im- 
portunities of  the  worldly  minded. 


10 


FABLE  [V. 


The  Lion  and  the  Camel. 
Generosity  ought  always  to  secure  gratitude. 


FABLE  V. 

The  Lady  and  the  Violet. 
The  condition  of  native  talent,  when  striving  for  patron- 
age, is  always  precarious. 


FABLE  VL 

The  Bee,  the  Spider,  and  the  Tomtit. 
Intrusive  ignorance  is  a  treason  to  good  sense  and  good 
manners,  and  ought  to  be  punished  accordingly. 


FABLE  VIL 

iEsop  and  the  Libertine. 

The   dissolute   seek   for    expedients ;    the    industrious 
make  means. 


FABLE  VIIL 

The  Monkey  and  the  Wasp. 
Penitence  generally  succeeds  to  rage  ; — disaster  and 
remorse  to  revenge. 


11 


FABLE  IX. 

The  Stork  and  Jupiter. 
Filial  piety  is  a  command  accompanied  by  a  positive  reward. 

FABLE  X. 

The  Hog  and  the  Goat. 

Fashion  knows  no  difference  between  the  proper  and 
the  ridiculous. 


FABLE  XL 

The  Tulip  and  the  Lavender. 

To  be  proud  of  a  superiority  which  is  based  on  extrinsic 
charms  indicates  great  feebleness  of  mind. 


FABLE  XII. 

The  Two  Flies. 

The  tints  wherewith  health  decorates  the  youthful  cheek 
can  never  be  recovered  by  art — paint  only  hides  blemishes. 


FABLE  XIIL 

The  Miser  and  Plutus. 
The  social  virtues  take  flight  at  the  approach  of  Avarice. 


12 


FABLE  XIV. 

The  Turnspit  and  the  Newfoundland. 

Water  may  revive  a  fainting  man  ;  but  strong  cordials 
avail  not  the  dead. 


FABLE  XV. 

The  Swallow  and  the  Sparrow. 

Equity  may  befriend  the  poor  man  ;  but  law  is  the  rich 
man's  triumph. 


FABLE  XVL 


The  Dancing  Bear. 


To  wish  for  companionship  in  misfortune  denotes  ex- 
treme baseness  of  soul. 


FABLE  XVIL 

The  Thistle  and  the  Wheat. 

Our  virtues  must  be  of  a  very  equivocal  nature  if  they 
remain  undiscovered  by  our  neighbours. 


FABLE  XVIIL 

The  Lady  and  the  Monkey. 

When  we  contemplate  ourselves  in  the  mirror,  we  should 
not  forget  that  the  eye  ages  with  the  body. 


13 


FABLE  XIX. 


The  Philosophic  Watchmaker. 

The  more  we  seek  after  happiness  the  further  we  are 
from  it,  contentment  being  happiness. 


FABLE  XX. 

The  Yard  Dog  and  the  Fox. 
Ambition   and  courage    should  be  controlled  by   the 
means  at  our  command. 


FABLE  XXL 


Prometheus  and  Man. 


Importunities  not  reg-ulated  by   real  wants  evince  dis- 
content and  insult  the  benefactor. 


FABLE  XXII. 

The  Bear  and  his  Guests. 

It  is  generally  the  guest,  and  not  the  host,  who  confers 
the  favour. 


FABLE  XXIIL 

The  Farmer  and  the  Pointer. 

He  that  purchases  rye  flour  should  not  expect  ivhite 
bread. 


14 


FABLE  XXIV. 


The  Hedgehog  and  the  Squirrel. 
Much  bustle  is  no  proof  of  extensive  business. 


FABLE  XXV. 

The  Traveller  and  the  Gnat. 

Domestic  comfort  is  too  often  disturbed  by  not  knowing 
and  keeping  our  proper  stations. 


FABLE  XXVL 


The  Conceited  Crow. 


It  ought  to  be  sufficient  for  any  man  to  have  the  conceit 
taken  out  of  him  once  in  his  life. 


FABLE  XXVII. 

The  Lion  and  the  Jackal. 

Never  transact  business  with  the  servant  if  you  can  see 
the  master. 


FABLE  XXVIII. 


Jupiter  and  the  Peacock. 


V^anity  is  a  contemptible  folly ;  not  even  generating  a 
laugh,  except  at  its  own  expense. 


15 


FABLE  XXIX. 


The  Truant  Ass. 


If  repentance    quickly  follows  disobedience,   anger  is 
disarmed   and  affection  regained. 


FABLE  XXX. 

The  Greyhound  and  the  Hare. 

The  guilty  may  get  their  heads  through  the  hedge,  but 
punishment  generally  treads  on  their  heels. 


FABLE  XXXI. 

The  Old  AYoman  and  the  Magpie. 
Knaves  are   never  wanting  to  foster  credulity,  and  to 
cheat  the  superstitious. 


FABLE  XXXIL 

CrCESUS,  iEsOP,  AND  SoLON. 

Envy  is  so  subtile  a  passion  as  to  find  harbour  in  the 
most  exalted  mind. 


FABLE  XXXIII. 

The  Cow  and  the  Goat. 
It  is  the  height  of  presumption  to  fancy  an  individual 
palate  or  opinion  should  govern  society. 


16 


FABLE  XXXIV. 

The  Ass  and  the  Owl. 

We  are  prone  to  seek  the  society  of  those  whose  follies 
assimilate  to  our  own. 


FABLE  XXXV. 

The  Antelope  and  the  Tyger. 

Disinterestedness  is  sometimes  a  lure  to  seduce  virtue  ; 
but  proffered  kindness  from  an  entire  stranger  has  a 
sinister  motive. 


FABLE  XXXVL 

The  Cow  and  the  Farmer. 

Misfortunes  and  poverty  do  not  always  correct  extra- 
vagance. 


FABLE  XXXVIL 

The  Bee  and  the  Ant. 

Gossiping  when  on  an  errand   leads  to  prevarication, 
and  ultimately  to  habitual  untruth. 


FABLE  XXXVIIL 

The  Two  Bulls. 

As  brothers  are  the  most  natural  allies,  so  should  neigh- 
bouring nations  be  governed  by  a  similar  duty. 


17 

FABLE  XXXIX. 

The  Job  Horses. 
The  lessons  of  experience,  if  attended  to,  make  in  the 
wilderness  a  pathway,  and  diminish  the  fatigue  of  labour. 


FABLE  XL. 

The  Cat  and  the  Mouse. 

A  disposition  to  cruelty  cannot  be  too  early  curbed  in 
children. 


FABLE  XLL 


The  Village  Dogs. 


Good  laws  should  be  strictly  administered,  if  they  are 
to  deter  crime. 


FABLE  XLIL 

The  Waruener  and  the  Ferret. 

The  relative  situations  of  master  and  servant  should 
never  be  lost  sight  of. 


FABLE  XLIIL 

The  Hawk  and  the  Worm. 

The  only  possession  man  has  in  this  world  is  the  pre- 
sent. The  most  abject  of  God's  creatures  has  an  equal 
holding. 


18 


FABLE  XLIV. 

The  Boy  and  the  Rattlesnake. 
Conscience  is  a  warning  rattle  to  obviate  disaster. 


FABLE  XLV. 

The  Fox  and  the  Poultry-yard. 

As  habitude  increases  the  adroitness  of  a  thief,  so  in 
an  equal  ratio  it  abates  his  caution. 


FABLE  XLVL 

The  Young  Wild  Boar. 
No  slave  is  so  abject  as  he  who  is  servant  to  sensuality. 


FABLE  XLVIL 

The  Raven  and  the  Owl. 

Pragmatical  advice  puts  forth  no  savoury  odour, 


FABLE  XLVIIL 


The  Fox  and  the  Pig. 


Pugnacity  seldom  succeeds  ;    and,  like  obstinacy,  it  is 
no  match  for  cunning. 


19 


FABLE  XLIX. 

The  Eagle  and  the  Birds. 

Cheap  law  may   be  an  improvement ;    but    equitable 
arbitration  is  better. 


FABLE  L. 

The  Old  Woman  and  the  Cat. 
Prevention  of  theft  by  vigilance  is  more  praiseworthy 
than  detection. 


FABLE  LL 

The  Ruin  and  the  Ivy. 

Education  is  the  most  lasting  dower  a  parent  can  give. 
It  forms  the  young,  briyht  leaf  of  our  old  age. 


TO  THE  READER. 


The  publication  of  this  work,  after  it  had  passed 
through  the  press,  being  delayed  for  a  short  time  on 
account  of  the  Frontispiece,  I  endeavoured  to  make 
myself  more  acquainted  with  "  Plutarch's  Banquet  of 
the  Seven  Sages,"  and  after  much  search  I  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  copy,  but  in  very  old  and  incorrect 
English.  It  however  afforded  me  such  delightful 
peeps  into  the  simplicity  of  those  times  and  the 
wisdom  and  wit  displayed  on  the  occasion  of  the 
Banquet,  that  I  determined  you  should  be  a  participant 
in  the  pleasure  of  which  I  partook.  For  that  purpose 
I  have  had  it  rendered,  with  fastidious  care  as  to  the 
contents,  into  more  modern  English,  and  now  present 
you  with  it.  I  have  not,  however,  increased  the  price 
of  the  volume  on  that  account,  although  the  value  is 
materially  enhanced  to  the  lovers  of  ancient  lore.  The 
subject  is  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  body  of  the  work; 
for  iEsop,  of  whom  so  little  is  positively  known,  takes 
a  very  prominent  part  at  the  banquet.  It  has  also 
given  opportunity  to  alter  the  reading  of  his  fable  of 
the  "  Dog,"  which  has  been  slightingly  treated,  on 
the  ground  that  the  unities  were  violated. 

1  take  the  liberty  here  to  add  my  opinion  to  that 
of  those  persons  who  have  thought  ^sop  to  have 
been  of  a  well-formed  figure,  and  agreeable  disposi- 


tion,  rather  than  a  hunch-backed  cynical  cripple; 
and  for  the  following  reasons  : — 1.  It  is  not  likely  that 
the  same  merchant  who  selected  the  beautiful  Rho- 
dope  for  profitable  traffic  would  have  chosen  deform- 
ity for  the  like  purpose.  2.  Herodotus,  who  relates 
the  circumstance  of  ^sop  and  Rhodope  being  fellow- 
slaves,  mentions  no  singularity  of  form.  3.  Philo- 
stratus,  describing  a  picture  extant  in  his  time, 
merely  states  that  the  limner  had  given  ^Esop  a  con- 
templative countenance,  suffused  by  a  pleasing  smile. 
4.  Would  the  Athenians  have  commissioned  Lysippus 
to  execute  of  more  than  ordinary  dimensions,  the  sta- 
tue of  a  cripple,  and  order  it  to  be  placed  in  their  tem- 
ple of  Minerva  ?  Or,  if  they  had  done  so,  would  no 
ancient  author  have  noticed  it?  5.  The  ready  access 
he  found  to  the  presence  and  friendship  of  kings. 
And,  finally,  had  he  been  remarkable  for  only  slight 
deformity,  would  it  not  have  been  noticed  at  the  ban- 
quet, when  the  cup  had  passed  round,  and  wit  and 
repartee  were  at  their  height, — more  particularly  by 
Anacharsis,  who  owed  him  a  severity  ?  The  total 
absence  of  any  such  allusion,  on  that  and  the  other 
occasions,  may,  I  think,  be  considered  as  conclusive 
on  the  score  of  form. 

And  now,  Gentle  Re.ider !  that  you  may  feel  equal 
satisfaction  and  pleasure  with  myself  in  the  barter  of 
my  moral  refectory  foi  your  gold,  is  the  hope  and 
wish  of 

Your  very  humble  Servant, 

THE  AUTHOR. 
Dec.  \st,  1832. 


23 


FABLE  I. 

THE  PRINTER,  THE  AMANUENSIS,  AND 
THE  HARPER. 


A  PRINTER,  busily  employed  amongst  his  types 
and  presses,  was  attacked  by  a  number  of  Amanu- 
enses on  the  score  of  destroying  their  craft.  The 
Printer,  not  gainsaying  the  charge,  defended  the  prac- 
tice of  his  art,  as  being  conducive  to  the  more  gene- 
ral diffusion  of  knowledge  :  in  fact,  a  boon  to  man- 
kind, for,  said  he,  ^^  In  the  time  you  of  necessity  re- 
quire to  produce  one  copy  of  an  important  work,  at  a 
price  far  beyond  the  power  of  any,  save  the  noble  or 
wealthy,  to  purchase,  I  can  deliver  a  thousand  at  the 
cost  of  but  few  shillings  each." 

His  arguments  failed  however  to  pacify  the  en- 
raged copyists,  who  maintained  that,  owing  to  his  dis- 
covery, the  demand  for  their  labour  had  nearly  ceased, 
and  that  consequently  they  had  a  right  to,  and  would 
insist  on,  an  indemnification. 

A  poor  Harper,  who  had  attentively  listened  to 
their  conversation,  thus  in  gentle  guise  addressed 
them: — "  Prior  to  the  discovery  of  the  art  of  writing, 
my  fraternity,  under  the  names  of  bards  and  min- 
strels, were  considered  of  great  importance ;  through 
them,  the  sciences,  history,  and  poetry  of  the  world 
were  communicated  from  country  to  country ;  to  the 
abodes  of  the  mighty  they  were  invited,  and  account- 


24 


ed  estimable  guests ;  they  were  welcomed  and  ho- 
noured wheresoever  they  went :  but  when  you  intro- 
duced writing,  depicting  sounds  by  a  fixed  combina- 
tion of  letters,  our  calling  became  less  useful,  and  our 
fraternity  were  forced  to  depend  on  the  melody  they 
could  elicit  from  their  harps  for  support.  Your  art 
was  an  improvement  on  our  profession  for  the  benefit 
of  all;  we  demanded  from  you  no  indemnification, 
neither  have  you  a  right  to  obtain  from  the  Printer 
the  wages  of  idleness !  Since  the  usefulness  of 
manuscript  copy  has  decreased,  let  me  advise  you  to 
adopt  some  other  occupation." 

MORAL. 

This  fable  would  inculcate  the  lesson,  that  no  pri- 
vate interest  should  at  any  time  be  permitted  to 
impede  the  march  of  national  knowledge  and  pros- 
perity. It  certainly,  at  first  sight,  appears  to  be 
somewhat  hard  that,  owing  to  an  unlooked-for  dis- 
covery, thousands  should  be  deprived  of  the  means 
of  obtaining  a  comfortable  livelihood  in  the  trade 
wherein  they  were  instructed,  and  which  they  have 
practised  all  their  lives  ; — but,  if  rightly  considered, 
it  will  be  found  that,  of  necessity,  laws,  customs,  char- 
tered, and  even  vested  rights,  must  and  ought  to  suc- 
cumb to  the  public  weal,  or  otherwise  a  flourishing 
nation  would  soon  fall  into  decline ;  and  poverty  and 
barbarism  would  usurp  the  place  of  affluence  and 
learning. 

No  persons  are  so  capable  of  remonstrating  with 
effect  as  those  who  have  been  placed  in  parallel 
situations  ;  and  the  Harper's  advice  was  probably  so 
received,  as  that  the  Copyist  subsequently  engaged 
himself  in  the  service  of  the  Printer. 


27 


FABLE  II. 

THE  PALFREY  AND  THE  OLD  HORSE. 


A  PAMPERED  Palfrey,  not  having  been  saddled 
for  many  days,  was  turned  into  the  yard  for  exercise, 
but  finding  the  gate  ajar  he  got  on  to  the  highway, 
and  strayed  about  until  he  came  to  the  village-pound, 
in  which  was  confined  an  old  half-starved  Horse  ;  the 
latter  earnestly  besought  him  to  step  back  to  his  abode 
of  plenty  and  fetch  him  a  mouthful  of  hay,  alleging 
that  the  pound-keeper  had  neglected  to  bring  him  his 
scanty  pittance  of  provender  for  two  days.  "  Not  I !" 
said  the  Palfrey,  "  You  but  receive  the  just  reward 
of  your  thievery  and  trespassing.  It  would  be 
abetting  you  in  your  crimes  were  I  to  do  as  you  wish ; 
besides  it  would  be  robbing  my  mistress  !  I'd  have  you 
to  know,  Sirrah,  that  I  am  scnipulously  honest." — 
"  Alas  !"  replied  the  old  worn-out  Stager,  "to  repri- 
mand is  easy ;  and  it  is  but  too  common  to  be  haughty 
in  affluence,  and  vain  of  untried  virtues ; — you  have 
never  felt  the  pangs  of  hunger  !" 


MORAL. 


Those  who  have  experienced  none  of  the  ups-and- 
downs  of  life,  but  have  been  placed,  by  the  chance  of 
birth  or  other  good  fortune,  in  affluence,  estimation, 
and  comfort,  should  be  very  diffident  of  their  sup- 


28 


posed  virtues,  and  avoid  boasting  even  of  those  w^liich 
may  have  been  partially  put  to  the  test.  Placed 
above  the  multitude,  should  occasion  require  their 
interference,  they  should  be  careful  not  to  act  too 
rigidly  tow^ards  those  whom  temptation  or  bad  ex- 
ample has  led  into  crime,  or  w^hom  hunger  has  almost 
compelled  to  transgress. 

It  is  quite  enough,  that  the  arrogant  Pharisee  con- 
temptuously pities  from  afar,  or  the  severe  moralist 
steels  his  heart,  and  opposes  a  charitable  feeling  to- 
wards the  poor  and  unfortunate :    but  to  reprobate, 

without  rendering  assistance,  is  not  only  cruel ; 

it  is  imposing  cruelty  on  distress.  Kindness  to 
those  who  are  poor  and  wretched,  compassion  to- 
wards those  who  err,  and  thankfulness  that  our  own 
lot  has  been  cast  otherwise,  would  become  us  more 
than  refining,  as  did  the  Palfrey,  on  a  Virtue  of 
which  (strictly  speaking)  the  best  of  us  possess  but 
little,  and  of  which  the  motive  for  that  little  is  but 
too  often  doubtful ' 


31 


FABLE  III. 

THE  SKYLARK  AND  THE  OWL. 


A  SKYLARK  that  by  chance  awakened  in  the  twi- 
Hght,  took  wing,  and  soared  as  she  was  wont  to  do 
chanting  her  matin  hymn ; — but  finding  the  sun  had 
not  reached  the  eastern  horizon  she  descended  again ; 
when  meeting  the  Owl  for  the  first  time,  hooting  and 
flapping  with  drowsy  wings  the  nether  air,  she  was  so 
much  astonished  at  the  dismal  notes  she  heard,  that 
she  enquired  what  could  be  their  meaning. — "  I  am 
at  my  devotions,"  replied  the   Owl,  "they  are  my 
prayers  for  warm  days  and  sultry  nights ; — for  abun- 
dance of  food  ; — long  undisturbed  repose,  and  a  clever 
progeny.  '     "Methinks  !"  said  the  Lark,  "that  thine 
is  a  wicked  and  lazy  creed,  thy  first  prayer  being  pre- 
sumptuous, and  thy  second  thou  couldest  obtain  by 
activity  : — thy  third  is  foolish, — inasmuch  as  by  vigi- 
lance thou  wouldest  exhibit  to  thine  offspring  a  good 
example,  and  be  able  to  devote  the  requisite  time  to 
their  instruction, — which  would  be  attended  with  the 
acquirement    of    thy  fourth   prayer.       For   my  own 
part,"  continued  the  Lark,  "my  creed  goes  to  thank- 
fulness for  the  past,  praise  for  the  present,  and  confi- 
dence in  the  future."    With  that,  leaving  the  gloomy 
sensualist,  she  ascended  again,  carolling  her  loudest 


32 


praises,  and  then  descended,  warbling  to  her  nestlings 
their  first  and  chiefest  duty. 

MORAL. 

Too  many  adopt  the  doctrines  of  the  Owl ;  they 
acknowledge  a  Deity  of  perfect  wisdom,  yet  are  im- 
portunate with  selfish  and  temporal  requests.  What  a 
chaos  would  they  not  occasion  by  their  absurd  and 
audacious  prayers  for  partial  providences,  were  the 
just  Ruler  of  all  things  swayed  by  their  entreaties  I 

It  were  well  if  religionists  of  every  denomination 
would  be  more  intent  to  practise  the  good  sense  and 
pious  creed  of  the  Lark :  they  would  then  be  indivi- 
dually more  contented  with  their  lot  in  this  world, 
and  society  would  wear  a  smiling  face. 

The  creation  within  our  ken, — how  beautiful  in  its 
construction,  in  its  seasons,  clothing  and  light !  yet  it 
has  failed  to  impress  thousands  with  its  wonders,  or 
to  draw  from  them  either  admiration  of,  or  adoration 
towards  the  Mighty  Artificer,  further  than  a  "  delight- 
ful day,"  because  fine  weather  happens  to  suit  their 
convenience. 


'^■oyc,. 


35 


FABLE  IV. 

THE  LION  AND  THE  CAMEL. 


On  the  arid  sands  of  Africa,  a  tremendous  stiuggle 
once  took  place  between  the  Tyger  and  the  Lion.  Al- 
though victory  crowned  the  prowess  of  the  Lion,  still 
the  conflict  had  left  him  covered  with  wounds  and 
much  exhausted :  too  feeble  to  reach  the  waters 
where  he  might  quench  his  thirst  and  lave  his  body, 
he  was  near  expiring  with  drought,  when  a  Camel 
passed  that  way,  from  whom  he  craved  a  little  water. 
"  Willingly,"  said  the  patient  traveller,  **  would  I 
divide  my  store  with  the  sovereign  of  the  desert,  but 
that  I  have  no  power  to  raise  it  from  my  stomach." 
"  But  the  merchant  has  sometimes  been  relieved  by 
partakmg  thereof!"  "True,"  replied  the  Camel, 
"  but  he,  to  obtain  the  boon,  first  plunges  his  knife 
into  our  hearts  !"  The  Lion,  after  pondering  a  time, 
desired  the  Camel  to  proceed  on  his  journey.  "  No !' 
replied  the  Camel,  "  not  until  I  have  tendered  the 
assistance  I  feel  to  be  in  my  power.  I  can  carry  you 
to  the  waters,  and  will  trust  your  royal  word  for  my 
safety."  The  Lion,  having  with  difficulty  mounted, 
was  borne  to  the  river,  where  he  dismissed  his  pre- 
server with  thanks,  and  promised,  that  he  should  be 
held  in  estimation  by  his  royal  house. 

Some  years  afterwards,  the  Camel,  crossing  the 
same  desert,  was  attacked  by  a  herd  of  hyeenas,  whom 


36 

he  besought  to  spare  his  Hfe,  arging  his  usefulness, 
his  harmless  and  peaceful  disposition,  and  even  his 
having  saved  the  life  of  their  monarch :  but  all  was  in 
vain.  When  at  the  point  of  death,  he  loudly  groaned, 
"  Oh  that  the  Lion  could  hear  me,  he  would  per- 
chance remember  my  past  services,  and  come  to 
my  rescue  !"  At  that  moment  the  Lion,  roused  by 
the  known  voice,  left  his  lair  and  advanced  on  the 
assailants.  Ere  the  Camel  could  express  thankful- 
ness for  his  escape,  the  Lion  thus  accosted  him: 
"  Recognize  in  me,  one  thou  hast  had  the  opportunity 
of  obliging.  I  have  but  lessened  the  debt  of  grati- 
tude I  owe  to  thee :  I  cannot  administer  to  thy  wants 
as  thou  didst  to  mine,  but  I  will  protect  thee  across 
this  desert.  Thou  hast  before  experienced  that  the 
^  royal  word,'  once  given,  is  held  sacred ;  know,  also, 
that  the  remembrance  of  a  favour  is  indelibly  engraven 
on  a  monarch's  memory  !  " 

MORAL. 

The  little  kindnesses  that  occur  b  etween  man  and 
man  in  a  social  state  are  pleasing,  and  we  all  ac- 
quiesce in  the  duty  of  reciprocity.  Visited  by  adver- 
sity, perhaps  reduced  by  untoward  circumstances  to 
the  lowest  ebb  of  fortune,  if  a  friend  opportunelj;^ 
steps  forward  to  relieve  us,  we  cannot  conceive  it  pos- 
sible that  thankfulness,  and  an  ardent  desire  to  prove 
our  gratitude  by  our  actions,  can  ever  be  wanting. 
Alas  !  for  human  nature,  that  the  I'everse  is  too  often 
the  case  !  It  is  true,  the  manner  in  which  assistance 
is  sometimes  rendered,  mars  the  act :  be  it  our  study, 
however,  to  emulate  the  example  placed  before  us  in 
the  Fable. 


39 


FABLE  V. 


THE  LADY  AND  THE  VIOLET. 


A  Lady  was  promenading  in  her  garden  on  a 
fine  spring  day,  and  just  as  she  passed  a  Sweet- 
briar  which  had  not  yet  put  forth  its  perfumed 
leaves,  she  unexpectedly  inhaled  a  fragrance  for 
which  she  could  not  account :  astonished  and  de- 
lighted, she  searched,  but  searched  in  vain  for  the 
cause;  at  last,  addressing  the  Briar,  "tell  me,"  said 
she, "  from  whence  proceeds  this  fragrance,  so  far  sur- 
passing that  of  the  exotic  inmates  of  my  greenhouse, 
in  order  that  I  miay  select  and  cherish  the  plant  in  a 
manner  commensurate  with  its  worth  !"  "  Madam," 
replied  the  Briar,  "  the  source  of  your  pleasurable  sur- 
prise is  the  insignificant  looking  plant  that  but  yes- 
terday unsuccessfully  solicited  your  protection.  It, 
like  myself,  is  a  humble  native  of  your  own  country. 
Alas  !  fair  Lady,  your  notice  and  your  kind  intentions 
come  too  late !  you  have  slighted  it,  because  of  its 
rusticity,  and  have  placed  your  foot  on  the  unas- 
suming plant :  you  have  crushed  its  sweet  flower  and 
destroyed  it  for  ever !" 

MORAL. 

Foreigners, — their  language,  dress,  and" accom- 
plish aients,  are  often  estimated  to  the  exclusion  of 


40 


native  worth.  What  difficulties  does  not  the  poor 
artist  encounter  on  his  road  to  Fame  !  there  is  a  pre- 
judice against  him,  and,  although  but  trifling  patronage 
would  have  sufficed  to  place  him  within  the  Temple 
that  "shines  afar!" — that  little  is  withheld.  Ha- 
rassed to  secure  the  necessaries  of  life,  he  has  not 
the  quiet,  and  cannot  appropriate  the  time,  requisite 
to  give  birth  to  works  of  importance :  his  abilities 
undeveloped,  he  dies  neglected,  perhaps  broken- 
hearted ! 

Instances  there  are  where  chance  has  assisted  to 
bring  merit  before  the  public,  and  it  has  received 
eulogium  and  reward :  then,  perchance,  a  solicited 
Patron  joins  in  the  general  astonishment  that  such 
genius  could  be  so  long  concealed,  although  he 
recognizes  in  the  author  a  scorned  suppliant ! 


43 


FABLE  VI. 

THE  BEE,  THE  SPIDER,  AND  THE  TOMTIT. 


A  Tomtit,  who  had  listened  for  some  considerable 
time  to  a  conversation  between  a  Spider  and  a  Bee, 
relative  to  the  skill  and  mathematical  knowledge 
displayed  in  the  construction  of  their  web  and  comb, 
fancied  he  could  take  a  part,  in  equally  erudite  terms  ; 
so  down  he  flew,  thinking  to  silence  and  astonish 
them  by  discussing  the  superior  merits  of  his  nest. 
"  I  have  overheard  you,"  said  he,  "  disputing  a  length 
of  time  about  the  lines  and  proportions  of  your 
worthless  webs  and  combs,  without  so  much  as  once 
mentioning  my  inimitable  habitation.  What  are  they 
when  compared  with  the  delicate  skill,  just  assort- 
ment of  material,  and  glowing  warmth  displayed  in  the 
fabrication  of  my  nest  ?  There  you  have  Mathematics, 
if  you  please !"  The  Spider  and  Bee  stared  with 
astonishment,  and  at  length  burst  very  unceremo- 
niously into  a  laugh,  which  so  nettled  the  Tomtit  that 
he  quickly  took  to  his  tree  again. 

MORAL. 

Some  persons  have  little  or  no  diffidence,  but,  as  the 
saying  is,  "  dash  at  every  thing :"  be  the  company  how- 
ever constituted,  or  the  topic  what  it  will,  they  must 
join  the  conversation;  nay,  they  do  not  hesitate  to  in- 


44 


trude  opinions  of  their  own,  when  wholly  uncalled  for; 
and  give  them  in  a  decided  manner  on  subjects  of 
which  they  are  almost  totally  ignorant.  Politeness, 
or  pity,  too  often  interferes  to  prevent  their  being  ex- 
posed, and  they  are  suffered  to  continue  their  arro- 
gance; but  that  should  not  be:  the  intruder  should 
be  curbed,  either  by  a  pointed  question,  or  a  stinging 
remark,  both  for  the  comfort  of  others  and  the  future 
benefit  to  himself,  if  delicacy  and  sense  have  not 
wholly  abandoned  him. 


47 


FABLE  VII. 


^SOP  AND  THE  LIBERTINE. 


JEsoVy  when  at  Samos,  walked  along  the  sea  shore 
as  the  new  moon  was  appearing ;  and  chanced  to  ap- 
proach a  young  man  who  was  seated,  and  rummaging 
with  apparent  anxiety  in  a  money  bag.  At  a  loss  to 
account  for  so  strange  an  occupation  in  so  lonely  a 
place,  he  enquired,  what  he  was  so  intent  about,  and 
why  he  chink'd  his  coin  so  loudly?  "I  am  doing 
that  which  I  have  done  fifty  times  before,  I  am  prov- 
ing the  Oracle  a  liar  !"  "  Peace  !  Audacious  !"  re- 
join'd  the  Sage,  "'tis  mortals  who  err  !  but  tell  me, 
what  complaint  hast  thou  to  allege  against  the  God  ?" 
"  After  dissipating  the  greater  part  of  my  patrimony," 
replied  the  spendthrift, "  in  riot, — I  repented,  and  was 
advised  to  apply  to  the  Oracle  at  Delos  :  wherefore, 
making  the  requisite  presents  at  the  temple,  I  desired 
to  know  how  I  might  quickly  obtain  riches  again. 

"  Turn  thy  money  each  neio  Moon, 
And  thou  wilt  be  wealthy  soon  I" 

was  the  answer  of  the  Pythia.  Now  I  have  scrupu- 
lously fulfilled  the  command  of  the  Oracle,  until 
I  am  reduced  to  these  forty  pieces,  which  will  scarcely 
last  me  the  moon  out !"  "  Get  thee  home  Fool!"  said 
the  wise  man,  "  and  contemn  not  the  God  :  let  the 
Oracle  be  accomplished  by  thy  industry,  and  sobriety : 


48 


know  that  thou  shouldst  put  thy  money  into  goods, 
and  turn  thy  goods  again  into  money,  once  a  month  ; 
which,  if  thou  dost  at  a  trading  profit,  thy  present 
Capital  will  have  trebled  itself  in  twelve  Moons." 

MORAL, 

Others  undoubtedly  were  employed  in  arranging 
the  answers  given  by  the  Pythia,  besides  the  half  in- 
toxicated priestess  :  persons  of  wisdom,  who  knew  the 
history  of  the  adj  oining  Countries,  their  power,  and 
policy.  The  oracular  answers  were  subtle,  and  enig- 
matically constructed,  the  better  to  uphold  their  re- 
nown; for  generally  admitting  of  two  solutions,  equally 
palpable  when  known,  the  God  never  err'd  ! — iEsop, 
when  at  Delphi,  possibly  spied  too  deeply  into  the 
mysteries ;  for  one  of  his  biographers  says,  "  that  the 
Delphians,  fearful  that  he  would  speak  disrespectfully 
of  them,  threw  him  from  a  precipice  '' 


L't'uickiihaLIlk 


51 


FABLE  VIII. 

THE  MONKEY  AND  THE  WASP. 


A  Monkey,  whilst  munching  a  ripe  pear,  was 
pestered  by  the  bare-faced  importunities  of  a  Wasp, 
who,  nolens  volenSf  would  have  a  part.  After  threat- 
ening the  Monkey  with  his  anger  if  he  further  hesi- 
tated to  submit  to  his  demand,  he  settled  on  the  fruit  ; 
but  was  as  soon  knocked  off  by  the  Monkey.  The 
irritable  Wasp  now  had  recourse  to  invective, — and, 
after  using  the  most  insulting  language  (which  the 
other  calmly  listened  to),  he  so  worked  himself  up  into 
violent  passion  that,  losing  all  consideration  of  the 
penalty,  he  flew  to  the  face  of  the  Monkey,  and  stung 
him  with  such  rage  that  he  was  unable  to  extricate  his 
weapon,  and  was  compelled  to  tear  himself  away, 
leaving  it  in  the  wound — thus  entailing  on  himself  a 
lingering  death,  accompanied  by  pains  much  greater 
than  those  he  had  inflicted. 


MORAL. 


Some  persons  are  naturally  more  irascible  than 
others : — this  evil  is  generally  nurtured  in  early  life, 
owing  to  the  folly  of  parents  who  do  not  curb  its  first 
appearance  in  the  child,  themselves,  or  do  not  delegate 
sufficient  authority  to  those  who  have  the  care  of  them. 


52 

Impudence,  also,  is  often  taken  for  boldness, 
and  praised  as  such,  by  those  who  ought  to  have 
punished  the  urchin  by  a  tweak  of  the  ear. 

In  the  formation  of  character,  public  schools,  if 
well  regulated,  possess  incalculable  advantages  over 
private  tuition  ;  for,  independently  of  the  even-hand- 
ed justice  administered  by  the  master,  the  boy,  sur- 
rounded by  his  equals,  soon  finds  out  the  necessity 
of  curbing  passion  and  suppressing  sauciness.  What 
the  one  learns  in  theory  the  other  finds  reduced  to 
practice  :  he  experiences  in  himself,  or  is  witness  to, 
the  punishment  inflicted  by  the  members  of  the  little 
community  on  such  as  are  guilty  of  theft,  cheating, 
and  lying — the  disgrace  of  cowardice — the  praise  of 
courage — and  the  renown  attendant  on  bearing  bodily 
pain  heroically. 

The  passionate  man  is  always  his  own  enemy  ;  and 
is  as  blind  to  danger  as  the  bull  that  shuts  its  eyes 
just  before  reaching  an  antagonist,  and  gives  to  the 
"  Matador,''  who  knows  his  propensities,  the  opportu- 
nity of  dispatching  him  with  almost  perfect  security, 
by  merely  shifting  his  position. 

The  giving  way  to  violent  passion  is  awfully  dan- 
gerous; fatal  instances  are  numerous, — indeed  of  daily 
occurrence.  Ought  we  not,  therefore,  to  be  continu- 
ally on  our  guard,  to  obviate  their  recurrence  ?  Phi- 
losophy is,  perhaps,  the  best  antidote. 


iS^ite,  :^ 


RL'T-uickslumK, 


55 


FABLE  IX. 


THE  STORK  AND  JUPITER. 


A  YOUNG  stork,  who  was  bearing  his  aged  sire  to 
a  distant  wilderness,  espied  a  company  of  sportsmen 
dispersed  over  the  field  in  search  of  game  : — too  fa- 
tigued to  soar  to  any  height,  he  preferred  a  hasty 
prayer  to  Jupiter,  that  "  in  the  execution  of  his  filial 
duties,  he  would  shield  them  from  harm  !" 

Jupiter  instantaneously  commanded  a  thick  cloud 
to  envelope  them  until  they  were  out  of  danger. 


MORAL. 


There  are  several  degrees  of  filial  duty : — the  duty 
of  the  Child  towards  a  parent  consists  in  implicit  obe- 
dience to  command : — the  duty  incumbent  on  youth 
is  to  believe  in  the  wisdom  of  parental  admonition, 
and  to  respect  it,  even  if  opposed  to  the  knowledge 
they  may  have  obtained  from  a  liberal  education. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  young  man  attentively  to  listen 
to,  and  receive  with  deference,  the  advice  of  the  aged ; 
for  years  are  usually  accompanied  by  shrewdness  and 
caution,  and  the  deceptive  colourings  of  youth  having 
passed  away  they  see  objects  as  they  are. 


56 


Finally,  the  administering  with  kindness  to  the 
comforts  of  an  aged  and  infirm  parent :  this  stage  of 
duti/  is  the  most  exalted  of  all ;  and  when,  through 
misfortunes,  worldly  or  domestic,  a  Parent  is  reduced 
below  the  social  level,  in  mind,  body,  or  estate,  then, 
if  comforts  and  consolations  be  delicately  supplied, 
"  Filial  Duty  "  becomes  a  godlike  virtue,  alike  honour- 
able in  Man,  and  acceptable  to  the  Creator  ! 


^Me^ 


69 


FABLE   X. 


THE  HOG  AND  THE  GOAT 


"  Good  morning  to  ye  !"  said  a  goat  sarcastically  to 
an  enormous  hog  destined  by  the  farmer  to  obtain  the 
"prize,"  and  whom  he  had  known  when  only  a  curly 
tailed  grunter.  "  Methinks,  our  master  is  killing 
you  with  kindness  ;  surely  you  cannot  feel  comfort- 
able under  so  great  a  load  of  flesh  and  fat :  are  you 
not  dreadfully  troubled  with  dyspepsia  ?"  "  I  am," 
replied  he.  "  If  so,"  said  the  goat,  "  then  tell  me, 
thou  beautiful  piece  of  rotundity,  what  (being  so  cir- 
cumstanced) can  induce  you  to  go  on  thus  glutton- 
izing!"  "Ami  not  admired,  you  fool?"  grunted 
the  hog. 

MORAL. 

With  the  exception  of  part  of  the  interior  Africa  (as 
related  by  Bruce  and  others)  obesity  has  always  been 
considered  odious. 

There  are  but  too  many,  however,  who,  simply  at- 
tracting the  eyes  of  the  public,  construe  amazement 
into  admiration. 

The  folly  of  some  fashionables,  who  seek  notoriety 
in  the  present  day,  is  equally  ridiculous,  although 


60 


quite  opposed  to  the  hog's  notions ;  for,  by  the  dint  of 
starvation  and  lacing,  they  have  succeeded  in  reducing 
their  waists  to  the  "  baboon's  cahbre,"  and,  forsooth  ! 
to  make  themselves  (judging  most  leniently)  more 
fascinating  to  the  ladies,  have  added  a  ^*  curl  ram- 
pant "  to  their  sinister  temple. 

It  is  however  much  to  be  doubted  whether  they  do 
thereby  render  themselves  more  agreeable  to  the  "  fair 
sex,"  but  thus  far  is  certain, — they  become  degraded 
in  the  opinion  of  every  man  of  sense  and  virtue. 


=c\A:A/tX^\AiAi4y^ 


^^':^     ^ji,^    j^J. 


SUlJ'f '■' 


63 


FABLE  XI. 

THE  TULIP  AND  THE  LAVENDER. 


A  Tulip,  which  unexpectedly  brake  into  the 
most  beautiful,  defined,  and  varied  colours,  was  re- 
moved by  the  Florist  into  a  conspicuous  part  of  his 
Garden,  and  named  "The  admirable  !"  for  admi- 
ration was  indeed  felt  by  all  who  beheld  her :  to 
retain  their  worship  she  spared  neither  pains  nor  ex- 
pense to  prolong  her  charms.  She  engaged  a  But- 
terfly, an  exquisite  in  the  art  of  painting,  to  retint, 
where  the  weather,  or  honey-searching  Bee,  had  occa- 
sioned a  blemish.  Not  contented  with  the  just 
praises  of  the  wise,  and  the  flatteries  of  the  silly,  so 
vain  did  she  become  of  her  fancied  perfection,  that  a 
second  Butterfly  was  engaged  to  report  the  real  or 
pretended  adoration  of  Foreign  courts,  whither  she 
imagined  her  unprecedented  celebrity  had  extended. 
Vanity  was  now  coupled  with  the  still  more  perni- 
cious passion  "  Pride"  and  its  usual  attendant "  Haugh- 
tiness." She  wondered  that  a  plant  of  Lavender  that 
grew  some  distance  ofl"  "should  dare  intrude  itself 
within  view  of  her  nobility  !"  At  length,  maugre  the 
Converzatione  and  Painter  butterflies,  signs  of  decai/ 
appeared :  the  vivid  colours  became  less  and  less 
brilliant ;  the  leaves  lost  their  elasticity  and  became 
spread,  and  the  fine  proportioned  cup  was  no  longer 
compact ! 

She  still  however  employed  the  Herald-Butterfly  to 
pamper  her  ear  with  false  reports,  and  urged  the 
Painter  Butterfly  to  be  more  constant  and  ingenious 


64 

in  the  application  of  his  art.     But  all  efforts  were 
unavailing ;  leaf  dropped  after  leaf,  and,  when   all 
that  remained  of  the  once  beautiful  Flower   was    a 
leafless  stalk,  the  despised  Lavender  thus  addressed 
her  : — "  Vainest  of  the  vain  !  behold  /  am  unaltered 
and  filling  the    air  with   odoriferous  sweets,  whilst 
thy  boasted,  but  now  faded  beauties,  lie  scattered  over 
the   soil,   useless    and    contemned !     The    transient 
storms  that  hastened  thy  destruction  did  but  extend 
my  reputation  ;  thy  decay  is  followed  by  corruption 
and  oblivion,  whilst  the  remembrance  of  me  is  agree- 
able, for  my  perfume  survives,  and  I  am  prized,  even 
after  death  ! " 

MORAL. 

Individuals  who  are  endowed  with  form  and  beauty 
surpassing  the  generality  of  human  beings,  commit  no 
error  in  availing  themselves  of  even  sumptuous  habi- 
liments, and  bestowing  the  utmost  attention  on  their 
persons :  on  the  contrary,  it  is  praiseworthy  to  render 
themselves  as  agreeable  to  society  as  possible,  com- 
mensurate with  their  means,  provided  they  neglect 
not  to  cultivate  and  adorn  the  mind.  It  is  the  value 
too  often  attached  to  such  extrinsic  charms  that  is 
blameable. 

To  look  down  with  contempt  on  those  to  whom 
nature  has  not  been  equally  lavish,  or  who  cannot  or 
will  not  array  themselves  in  gay  colours,  indicates 
great  feebleness  or  perversity  of  soul.  Honour, 
honesty,  and  an  exalted  mind,  are  not  unfrequently 
found  beneath  a  rough  exterior.  Beauty  is  but  of 
short  duration  :  Bonhommie  lasts  through  life  :  Learn- 
ing and  Virtue  travel  with  us  to  the  grave,  and  are 
our  fragrance  after  death. 


67 


FABLE    XII. 


THE  TWO  FLIES. 


"Mother,"  said  a  young  fly  in  great  agitation, "  you 
certainly  are  in  error  about  the  beauty  of  these  per- 
sons who  are  so  affronted  with  us  whenever  we  touch 
them.  I  but  just  now  settled  on  the  cheek  of  a  lady  of 
high  fashion  which  appeared  to  be  smooth  and  natu- 
ral :  but  Lord  !  dear  Mother,  I  thought  I  should  never 
get  back  to  you  again,  for  I  stuck  in  this  filthy  red 
mud  ;  and,  with  the  greatest  difficulty  I  got  away : 
only  look  at  my  feet  and  legs  ! 

If  they  thought  themselves  so  handsome  as  you 
say  they  do,  Fm  sure  they  would  never  cover  their 
faces  with  such  stuff*  as  this  !" 

MORAL. 

Although  we  must  admit  that  Fashion  is  powerful 
and  arbitrary,  yet,  to  the  credit  of  human  nature  and 
good  sense.  Paint  has  never  been  general.  With 
the  exception  of  public  performers,  who  require  its 
aid,  it  is  a  ridiculous  custom ;  for,  independently  of  its 
baneful  qualities,  it  is  of  no  benefit — sometimes  cre- 
ating pity,  sometimes  laughter.  Does  the  addition, 
artfully  laid  on,  cause  the  face  to  captivate  ?  'tis 
but  a  momentary  gratification  ;  the  mere  compliment 
of  being  gazed  at.     If  by  such  deception  a  declam- 


68 


tion  is  hastened,  the  after-knowledge  of  the  fact 
enrages  the  dupe,  and  he  becomes  cold  towards  the 
possessor  of  such  unstable  charms.  To  neither 
father,  mother,  brother,  sister,  nor  child,  can  it  be 
pleasing;  nor  will  a  husband  permit  it,  unless  he  is 
as  sillily  vain  as  the  wearer. 


71 


FABLE  Xlll. 

THE  MISER  AND  PLUTUS. 


A  MISER,  who  by  various  unjust  means  had  amassed 
a  large  quantity  of  gold,  was  desirous  of  having 
more,  and,  if  possible,  by  a  shorter  process :  he  was  in- 
cessantly praying  to  Plutus  that  he  would  double  his 
store,  but  without  success.  At  last  the  God,  tired 
with  his  importunities,  determined  to  punish  the  sordid 
wretch,  by  passing  a  cheat  on  him.  One  evening,  there- 
fore, he  appeared  to  the  Miser,  and  promised  that  his 
wishes  should  be  accomplished  on  a  certain  night, 
when  he  intended  to  become  mortal  for  the  purpose 
of  honouring  him  with  his  company  to  supper ;  pro- 
vided that,  for  once,  he  would  forego  his  penurious 
habits,  and  give  him  honourable  entertainment.  This 
was  faithfully  promised  by  the  Miser,  who  already 
saw,  in  anticipation,  the  long  wished-for  realization 
of  his  prayers.  The  hour  being  fixed,  and  the  night 
appointed,  Plutus,  after  giving  the  pass-word,  de- 
parted ;  and  proceeded  straightway  to  a  notorious 
"  knight  of  Alsatia,"  whom  he  made  acquainted  with 
the  circumstances,  desiring  him  to  perform  his  part 
adroitly,  and  to  benefit  by  the  cheat. 

The  important  hour  at  length  arrived,  but  not  before 
the  Miser  had  piled  his  gold  on  a  table,  and  even 
borrowed    1000  pieces,  that  he   might  increase  the 


72 

sum  to  be  doubled.  The  supposed  God,  having 
punctually  made  his  appearance  at  his  door,  was  ob- 
sequiously received,  and  invited  directly  to  the  sup- 
per table,  which  was  courteously  assented  to.  They  ate 
well,  and  with  the  choicest  viands  drank  the  richest 
Tokay ;  they  conversed,  they  j  ested :  the  Miser  became 
quite  facetious,  and  at  last  sufficiently  inebriated; 
when  the  guest  cried  out,  "  Behold  the  miracle !"  The 
intoxicated  host  cast  his  eyes  towards  his  gold,  and 
saw  the  consummation  of  his  longings,  ''  two  tables," 
each  equally  laden  with  precious  coin ;  he  gloated  on 
his  increased  treasures  for  a  time,  then,  adding  liba- 
tion to  libation,  he  fell  back  in  his  chair  asleep :  of 
which  the  Robber  quickly  took  advantage,  carry- 
ing off  not  only  the  Miser's  own  stock  of  gold,  but  a 
part  of  the  borrowed  money ;  leaving  him,  when  he 
awakened  from  his  drunken  sleep,  to  find  out  that  he 
only  saw  "  double"  from  the  effects  of  the  wine. 

MORAL. 

Avarice  is  an  insatiable,  a  cruel,  and  a  ridiculous 
vice ;  for,  after  having  assisted  to  ruin  others  by  extor- 
tion, the  Miser  ruins  his  own  constitution  by  his 
penury,  and  his  mind  by  anxieties  to  get  more,  and 
fears  for  the  safety  of  that  he  already  has ;  every  stiver 
of  which  he  must  shortly  leave  behind  him,  to  be  dis- 
sipated by  those  to  whom,  during  his  life,  he  would  not 
have  vouchsafed  a  crust, — for  the  fear  of  death  gene- 
rally prevents  such  persons  from  ever  making  a  Will. 


75 


FABLE  XIV 

THE  TURNSPIT  AND  THE  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


An  unlucky  Turnspit  (whose  fate  had  always  been 
to  get  more  "  kicks  than  sops"),  in  the  pursuit  of  a  Rat, 
slipped  off  the  ice  into  a  hole  in  the  farm-house  pond, 
where,  after  making  many  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
get  out,  he  begged  of  his  friend  a  Newfoundland  dog, 
who  was  picking  a  bone,  to  come  to  his  assistance,  for 
that  he  was  in  imminent  danger  of  being  drowned.  The 
other,  being  a  good  swimmer,  and  not  believing  in  the 
immediate  danger,  desired  him  to  "  increase  his  exer- 
tions." The  poor  Turnspit  essayed  again  and  again, 
but  each  time,  when  on  the  point  of  safety,  he  slipped 
back  into  the  water ;  once  more,  however,  mustering 
up  his  remaining  strength,  he  made  a  last  unavailing 
struggle,  slipped  back,  and  disappeared.  The  New- 
foundland, anxious  to  save  him,  sprung  to  the  hole,  dived 
under  the  ice,  and  brought  up  his  companion :  but  he 
was  completely  exhausted,  and  had  only  life  enough  to 
say,  "Your  kindness  comes  too  late!  had  you  attended 
to  my  supplication,  and  granted  me  one  moment's 
assistance  whilst  I  had  strength,  you  would  have  saved 
me,  and  have  secured  to  yourself  a  faithful  friend,  in- 
stead of  suffering  the  pangs  of  remorse  for  having 
delayed  your  help." 


76 


MORAL. 


It  is  the  assistance  that  is  well-timed  which  proves 
of  benefit,  and  is  worthy  of  gratitude.  It  is  not  un- 
common to  have  "  more  exertion*'  recommended  by 
a  well-meaning  friend,  instead  of  receiving  immediate 
help  ;  he  does  not  reflect  on  the  loss  of  strength  and 
power  which  attend  unavailing  struggles,  delays  his 
friendship  until  he  sees  your  total  inability  to  act,  and 
is  then  anxious  to  come  forward.  A  tenth  part  of  his 
now  useless  proffers,  would  have  perhaps  led  to 
independence,  if  granted  when  originally  solicited. 


79 


FABLE  XV. 

THE  SWALLOW  AND  THE  SPARROW. 


A  Swallow,  that  liad  returned  from  her  migration, 
sought  out  the  nest  which  she  had  built  during  the 
past  summer,  intending  to  inhabit  it  again ;  but  found 
it  occupied  by  Sparrows,  who  refused  to  quit,  on  the 
plea  of  not  recognizing  her  identity,  and  of  having 
found  the  nest  empty. 

The  Swallow  threatened  the  trespassers  with  a 
suit  at  law.  "Poh!  poh  !"  said  the  Sparrow,  "don't 
talk  to  me  about  law ;  have  I  not  got  possession  ? 
that  is  nine  points  of  the  law  :  and  I  shall  think  it 
strange  indeed  if  I  do  not  get  the  tenth  on  the  two 
grounds  stated."  "  Well  then,"  said  the  Swallow, 
"  I  will  complain  of  you  to  the  equitable  master  of  the 
house,  who  will  see  me  righted."  "  I  do  not  think 
he  will,"  replied  the  Sparrow,  "  and,  if  he  should,  it 
will  be  of  no  use  to  you  ;  for  he  shall  not  dispossess 
me,  without  first  breaking  the  nest  to  pieces :  besides 
which,  I  will  be  your  bitter  enemy  ever  after." — The 
Swallow  set  about  building  herself  another  nest. 


MORAL. 


The  bold  face,  and  confident  language,  assumed  by 
the  man  of  bad  principles,  too  often  succeed  in  de- 
terring his  victim  from  seeking  redress  through  the 


80 


^'  uncertainty  of  the  law."  It  is  (although  very 
galling)  sometimes  advisable  to  put  up  with  a  bare- 
faced robbery,  rather  than  to  get  involved  in  a  suit 
with  one  who  knows  the  whole  train  of  quirks  and 
quibbles  :  besides,  there  is  the  "  law's  delay ^  The 
honest  straight-forward  man  trusts  too  much  to  the 
justice  of  his  case  ;  the  rogue  slips  out  through  some 
loop-hole,  and  his  antagonist  is  saddled  with  expences 
he  can  but  ill  bear.  Be  the  laws  ever  so  just,  a  law- 
suit is  a  dangerous  experiment  to  the  needy. 


rj^^M^SJ^'^ 


k 


fc^^ 


^Cru.( Jcj/iaa  I 


83 


FABLE  XVI. 

THE  DANCING  BEAR. 


A  Bear,  who  had  been  drilled  to  dancmg,  took  the 
opportunity  given  him  by  the  negligence  of  his  keeper, 
to  wander  into  the  woods,  where,  meeting  some  of  his 
former  acquaintances,  he  began  to  show  off,  by  dancing 
the  Round,  &c.  (fee,  with  as  much  correctness,  and 
truth  to  time,  as  if  the  Bear-leader  had  been  present 
with  his  pipe  and  tabor.  His  accomplishments  so 
astonished  some  of  the  young  ones,  that  a  desire  was 
felt  to  be  equally  learned,  and  they  expressed  a  wish 
to  be  informed  how  he  had  obtained  such  knowledge. 
The  visitor,  (saying  nothing  about  the  hot  bricks, 
&c.)  replied  with  the  utmost  coolness,  "  A  few  lessons 
from  a  friend  in  the  next  town,  and  a  little  prac- 
tice,  ."   At  last,  one  of  them  made  bold  to  enquire 

why  he  wore  a  ring  in  his  nose,  and  what  the  appen- 
dage meant.  "Oh,''  said  he,  "the  ring  is  a  reward 
for  merit,  and  the  chain  attached  is  the  fashionable 
ornament.'^  "  But,"  said  another,  "  what  is  that 
round  your  head,  which  seems  to  confine  your  mouth?" 
"Why  that's  my  helmet  and  vizor  :  'tis  to  protect  my 
head  and  nose  when  I  go  to  war."  "  Oh !  they  are 
invaluable,  then !"  was  the  ejaculation. 

An  old  Bear,  who  had  been  surveying  him  suspi- 
ciously for  some  time,  requested,  now  that  he  was 


84 


not  in  a  state  of  warfare,  but  amongst  his  friends 
and  kindred,  that  he  would  take  off  the  casque,  and 
join  them  in  a  meal  of  roots  ;  which  Bruin  hesitating 
to  do,  they  all  left  him,  sajdng,  '*We  have  a  shrewd 
guess  that  you  are  in  a  state  of  hondagey  and  that 
the  grating  on  your  head  is  more  for  the  protection  of 
others,  than  yourself." 

MORAL. 

The  noble  mind  is  ever  accompanied  by  love  of  liberty 
and  honour:  fi^om  the  dungeon  it  will  frown  defiance  on 
the  tyrant,  and  refuse  the  favour  of  freedom,  if  it  is  to 
be  purchased  by  wearing  a  badge  of  slavery,  or  by 
committing  an  act  of  baseness.  Such  was  Regulus  ! 
imprisonment  could  not  warp  his  probity  of  soul,  or 
the  prospect  of  torture  lessen  his  patriotism.  Others, 
again,  are  so  poor  in  soul,  that,  to  shorten  captivity, 
they  have  even  solicited  permission  to  wear  the  livery 
of  a  conqueror,  and  have  assisted  in  the  subjugation 
of  their  country. 

If  misfortunes  befal  an  individual  of  noble  mind,  he 
does  not  conceal  his  errors  when  the  knowledge  of  them 
is  likely  to  benefit  others ;  on  the  contrary,  he  seeks 
an  opportunity  to  point  out  to  the  inexperienced  the 
rock  on  which  he  has  split,  so  that  they  may  avoid  it. 
Yet,  to  the  dishonour  of  human  nature,  there  are 
some  men  so  base,  as  to  feel  a  Satanic  pleasure  in  in- 
ducing youth  to  commit  the  same  errors  tliat  have 
ruined  their  own  fortunes  ;  and  can  smile  when  such 
become  victims  to  the  debaucheries  that  have  un- 
manned themselves. 


87 


FABLE  XVII. 

THE  THISTLE  AND  THE  WHEAT. 


"  What  an  unarmed,  pusillanimous,  humble  being 
art  thou !"  — said  a  Thistle  to  a  blade  of  Wheat — 
"  without  a  weapon  to  repulse  an  enemy,  and  con- 
tented to  keep  the  benefit  of  thy  acquirements  within 
a  circumscribed  space.  Why  dost  thou  not  make  a 
bustle  in  the  world,  as  I  do,  keeping  every  one  at 
bay,  and  when  I  choose  disseminating  my  opinions 
East,  West,  North,  and  South  ?"  "  I  am  not,"  re- 
plied the  Wheat,  "  aware  of  having  any  enemies,  and 
therefore  need  no  weapon  of  defence.  If  I  possess 
cultivated  abilities,  I  am  satisfied  to  comfort  and  in- 
struct my  immediate  neighbourhood  therewith,  and 
my  instructions  are  received  cordially.  Thou  needest 
not  to  pride  thyself  on  spreading  afar  thy  opinions,  since 
thy  neighbours  wish  not  for  them ;  and,  for  my  own 
part,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that,  wherever  thy  wild 
doctrines  take  root,  they  invariably  prove  a  curse  !" 

MORAL. 

The  well-educated,  virtuous,  and  pious  man  is  a 
blessing  to  his  neighbourhood  and  an  ornament  to 
society :  upright  in  his  intentions  and  conduct,  and 


88 

contemplating  only  good  to  others,  he  is  not  plagued 
with  calculations  of  evil  towards  himself.   He  does  not 
see  in  every  man  a  cheat,  or  in  every  bush  an  assas- 
sin ;  neither  is  his  door  doubly  barred.     Although  he 
suffer  by  a  designing  fellow,  his  loss  does  not  ge- 
nerate in  him  a  bad  opinion  of  human  nature,  or 
induce   a   suspicious   and   lynx-eyed   caution.      His 
religion, — which  is  confidence  in,  and  humility  towards 
God,  and  good-will  and  honesty  towards  man, — is 
consoling  to  himself,  and  he  delights  to  impart  its 
benefits   with  affability  to  those   around  him.     He 
does  not  seek  to  proselyte  strangers,  nor  to  condemn 
those  who  differ  from  him  in  creed :  whilst  others, 
"  honest   according  to   law,"  act  with   caution  (on 
the  most  trivial  occasions)  so  as  to  prevent  being 
deceived,  and  have  all  the  appearance,  to  a  really 
upright  man,  of  intending  to  over-reach ;  they  are  full 
of  groundless  suspicions,  and  cannot  answer  a  plain 
question    off-hand    and  ingenuously,   but  must  stir 
the  fire,  or  use  some  other  subterfuge,  that  they  may 
steal  time  to  conjure  up  a  drift  and  shape  an  answer. 
Opinions,  political  and  religiousj  are  often  promul- 
gated with   intemperance,  activity,   and  arrogance; 
the  very  manner  and  way  adopted   to  disseminate 
them  make  their  qualities  doubtful :  such  preachers 
should  be  avoided,  for  they  are  generally  knaves  and 
make  a  trade  of  both  ! 


■i^CruiAsfiii/ik,, 


91 


FABLE  XVIIl. 

THE  LADY  AND  THE  MONKEY. 


A  LITTLE  Monkey,  the  favourite  of  an  antiquated 
Lady,  had  often  watched  the  process  of  the  toilet- 
table,  and  heard  with  surprise  the  self  gratulations  of 
his  mistress  when  "  made  up''  for  the  drawing-room. 
One  evening,  knowing  that  his  patroness  was  invited 
to  a  large  party,   he  determined  to  be  more  than 
usually  attentive  to  her  proceedings :  when,  her  lady- 
ship having,  in  her  own  opinion,  been  quite  killingly 
successful  in  blending  the  lily  and  the  rose,  she  thus 
rapturously  soliloquized  :     ^'  In  truth   I   was   never 
more  captivating  in  my  life !     Surely  I  shall  make 
an  impression  on  the  young  warrior  to-night."  Then, 
giving  her  eyebrows  a  final  touch :  "  He  must  sur- 
render."   "  No,  he  won't,"  said  Pug.    "  What  means 
the  saucebox?"  said  the  angered  fair.     "  Why,  my 
dear  mistress,"  replied  he,  "  when  you  read  or  write, 
you  put  on  spectacles  to  assist  your  eyes ;  and  when 
you  scrutinize  the  labours  of  your  milliner  you  use 
them :  but  I  have  remarked  that  you  never  require 
their  help  when  you  look  in  the  *  mirror.'     Put  them 
on  nowy  and  you  will  at  once  perceive  what  the  young 
warrior  has  long  since  discovered.'^ 


92 

Poor  Pug  had  the  fan  broken  about  his  unlucky 
head,  and  was  disposed  of  to  the  first  showman  that 
passed  by. 

MORAL. 

The  subordinate  should  be  careful  that,  in  volun- 
teering advice  to  his  superior,  it  be  not  reproof.  The 
favoured  youth  is  not  tolerated  who  too  nicely  spies 
out  the  infirmities  of  body,  or  the  follies  into  which 
the  aged  sometimes  fall  j  for  self-estimation  and  con- 
ceit are  so  interwoven  with  our  nature  that  even  the 
well-intentioned  and  honest  censures  of  an  equal,  or 
superior,  are  scarcely  bearable ;  but,  if  abruptly  given, 
they  are  sure  to  excite  anger  against  the  censor. 

Perhaps  it  is  a  fortunate  circumstance  that  the  eye 
ages  with  the  body;  otherwise  the  foolish  would 
be  repining  at  the  inroads  Time  has  made  in  the  once 
beautiful  face. — With  the  wise,  the  remembrance  of 
what  they  were,  and  the  knowledge  of  what  they  are, 
deters  from  the  absurdity  of  endeavouring  to  appear 
what  they  have  been. 

In  the  downhill  of  life,  affability,  wit,  and  know- 
ledge, are  the  attractions  we  should  cultivate,  if  we 
are  desirous  of  securing  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
others. 

The  anxiety  which  the  fair  sex  generally  show  to 
hide  the  "  yellow  leaf"  is  perhaps  venial ;  but  to  see 
a  sexagenarian,  single-coated,  and  open-breasted,  trip- 
ping along  (as  he  fancies)  with  a  step  perfectly  deho- 
naire,  on  a  frosty  winter  morning,  staring  at  persons 
he  does  not  see,  and  jostling  against  others  because 
he  is  too  vain  to  appear  to  need  the  aid  of  spectacles, 
is  pitiable  indeed  I 


95 


FABLE  XIX. 

THE  PHILOSOPHIC  WATCHMAKER. 


A  WATCHMAKER,  mtcnt   on  putting   together  a 
chronometer,  was  suddenly  disturbed  by  a  violent 
altercation  between  his  parrot,  his  magpie,  and  his 
cat.     After  listening  for  some  time  to  their  dispute, 
he  found  out  that  each  of  them,  dissatisfied  with  its 
form  and  lot,  wished  to  be  something  else.    "  Silence, 
ye  troublesome  animals !"   said  he,  "  and  hear  me. 
You  all  see  this  watch,  and  know  that  I  have  made  it : 
now  suppose  it  to  be  the  world,  and  me  the  Creator ; 
— this  wheel  shall  be  you,  Puss — this  other  wheel, 
being  of  a  different  shape  and  matter,  you.  Jack — 
this  chain  you,  Poll — and  this  piece  of  steel  shall 
be  man.      Each  forms  a  part  of  the  watch,  which 
is   a  perfect  whole;    and   each  in  themselves  are 
equally  perfect  and  fitting,  according  to  my  intention 
when  I  made  them.    Even  so  is  it  in  the  arrangement 
of  Nature  ;  thou.  Puss,  art  perfect  as  a  cat ;  thou. 
Poll,  as  a  parrot ;  and  thou.  Jack,  as  a  magpie :  so 
make  yourselves  contented  with  your  forms  and  sta- 
tions, and  let  me  have  no  more  quarrelling  and  noise, 
I  desire." 

MORAL. 

The  medium  of  fable  is  here  adapted  to  the  pur- 
pose of  making  clear,  to  every  capacity,  a  doctrine  of 


96 

great  importance,  in  a  few  words.  Although  some 
difference  of  opinion  may  exist  on  the  subject  of 
individual  "  perfection,"  none  can  object  to  the 
philosophy  that  inculcates  content^  which  is  worldly 
happiness. 

If  we  permitted  the  moral  of  this  fable  to  operate 
with  due  force  on  our  minds,  we  should  become,  at 
all  events,  better  as  social  beings :  we  should  dismiss 
our  presumption,  and  excessive  vanity;  and  journey 
on  our  path  more  agreeably  to  ourselves^  and  more 
rationally  as  it  respects  our  neighbours. 


m) 


FABLE   XX. 

THE  YARD-DOG  AND  THE  FOX. 


A  FARM-YARD  Dog,  who  iiiglit  after  night  had 
been  kept  on  the  alert  by  a  prowling  Fox,  deter- 
mined, when  next  he  made  his  appearance,  not  to 
confine  his  duty  to  the  protection  of  the  yard,  if  at- 
tacked, but  boldly  to  give  him  chase,  and,  if  possible, 
kill  the  disturber  of  his  repose.  To  insure  this  he 
placed  himself  in  ambush ;  but,  being  of  too  rash  a 
temper,  he  no  sooner  caught  a  glimpse  of  Reynard 
than  he  sprang  forward,  and,  thereby  giving  the  Fox 
notice  of  his  intentions,  he  frustrated  his  own  scheme. 

Reynard  soon  found  out  which  was  the  fleeter ;  so, 
slackening  his  pace  and  keeping  only  at  a  short  dis- 
tance a-head,  he  lured  the  Dog  into  a  thick  wood, 
where  he  was  soon  bewildered ;  then,  using  his  utmost 
speed,  he  got  round  to  the  unguarded  farm-yard, 
devoured  a  couple  of  pullets  for  his  supper,  and  car- 
ried off  with  impunity  the  fattest  goose  he  could 
find,  long  before  the  Dog  had  returned  from  his 
ft'uitless  chase,  tired,  and  heartily  vexed  with  himself. 


MORAL. 


Vigilance  and  courage  are  qualifications  most 
necessary  when  acting  on  the  defensive ;  but  the 
addition  of  j  udgment  and  circumspection  are  requi- 
.site  when  acting  on  the  offensive  or  pursuing  a  re- 
treating foe.     The  beneficial  results  expected  from  a 


100 

hard-contested  battle  have  often  been  thrown  away, 
and  a  palpable  victory  terminated  in  a  shameful 
defeat,  owing  to  the  sanguine  and  incautious  pursuit 
of  a  flying  enemy. 

A  skilful  general  weighs  not  only  the  cause  or 
necessity  of  an  opponent's  retrograde  movement,  but 
also  the  ability  he  himself  possesses  to  follow  with 
effect,  before  he  ventures  from  his  position  and  re- 
sources. An  officer  appointed  to  defend  a  pass,  or 
escort  a  convoy,  commits  a  high  breach  of  duty 
in  being  enticed  from  his  station  to  encounter  even 
inferior  numbers,  or  in  leaving  his  charge  to  skirmish 
with  an  enemy,  although  victory  be  the  result.  So,  in 
private  concerns,  the  book-keeper  has  no  business  on 
'Change,  nor  the  cashier  in  the  granary.  A  tradesman 
would  make  but  a  sorry  figure  who,  leaving  his  shop 
unprotected,  ran  after  a  nimble  thief  with  the  chance 
of  recovering  a  trifle,  and  who  returned,  after  an  un- 
successful chase,  to  find  his  premises  plundered  dur- 
ing his  absence. 


'^'-e/ig 


103 


FABLE  XXI. 


PROMETHEUS  AND  MAN. 


After  Prometheus  had  fashioned  a  Being,  and 
endowed  him  with  Hfe  and  mind,  incurring  thereby 
the  wrath  of  Jove,  Man  was  discontented,  and  fan- 
cied he  still  wanted  something  to  make  him  perfect : 
v^hatf  he  could  not  tell.  For  that  nameless  thing  he 
importuned  Prometheus,  who  in  anger  gave  him  a 
"  Spleen." 

MORAL. 

Man  is  ever  dissatisfied :  something  is  always 
wanting  to  complete  his  happiness.  Does  he  attain 
that  which  he  has  longed  for  to-day  ? — to-morrow 
finds  him  equally  anxious  to  possess  an  "  indispen- 
sable" something  more.  The  remembrance  of  the 
vexations,  sorrows,  and  dangers  we  have  already 
encountered  does  not  intimidate  us  ;   but  we  force 


J  04 


down  upon  our  heads  fresh  masses  of  difficulty  and 
tribulation.  Covered  with  honours  and  surrounded 
by  riches, — or  poor  and  unknown, — it  is  all  the  same. 
Philosophy  and  religion  do  but  regulate  the 
passion ;   the  aspirings  remain. 


107 


FABLE  XXII. 

THE  BEAR  AND  HIS  GUESTS. 


A  Bear,  who  had  seen  rather  more  of  the  world 
than  bears  generally  do,  acquired  a  small  taste  for 
literature.  He  gave  numerous  entertainments,  and 
selected  an  arch  Fox  and  a  witty  Monkey,  with  whose 
stories  and  jokes  he  was  pleased,  to  be  his  constant 
tete-a-tete  guests.  One  day  he  condescended  to 
invite  the  Badger,  a  distant  relation  of  his  own,  a 
somewhat  clever  fellow,  to  join  his  little  party.  The 
dinner  was  good  and  all  were  merry,  when  the  Bear, 
as  usual,  dropt  into  his  afternoon  nap  and  began  to 
snore.  "  Methinks,"  said  the  Badger,  "  this  is  a 
bad  specimen  of  my  cousin's  polish,  and  what  I  con- 
sider excessively  affronting  ;  pray  is  he  wont  to  do 
so  ?"  "  Even  so,"  said  the  Monkey  ;  "  but  we  have 
become  so  used  to  it  that  we  hardly  notice  it  now ; 
indeed  he  rather  does  us  a  favour  ;  for  we  liave  our  own 
conversation  whilst  he  is  dozing."  "  How  the  fellow 
keeps  sucking  his  paws  !"  said  the  Badger;  "  I  won- 
der what  he  is  thinking;  about."  "  Thinkino;  about !" 
said  the  Fox,  "  why  he  is  dreaming  of  the  apiary  he 
once  broke  into ;  and  where  he  got  so  terribly  mauled 
by  the  bees — he  fancies  his  paws  honey."  "  Bravo ! 
bravo  !"  said  the  Badger.  "  Or  it  may  perhaps  be 
the  remembrance  of  the  sores  inflicted  on  his  feet  by 
the  '  hot  tiles'  when  he  took  lessons  in  dancing!'"    At 


108 


this  they  all  set  up  a  roar  of  such  loud  laughter  that 
it  awakened  the  Bear,  who  gruffly  demanded  how 
those  whom  he  had  honoured  by  an  invitation  could 
be  so  impudent  as  to  disturb  him  ?  "  Upon  my 
honour,  cousin,"  said  the  Badger,  *'we  did  not  intend 
to  aftiont  you,  but,  since  you  are  so  irritable  and 
unmannerly,  you  shall  be  informed  of  the  cause  of 
our  laughter.  We  were  wondering  whether  you  were 
sucking  honey  off  your  paws — or  only  healing  the 
blisters  you  got  at  the  dancing  school ;  ha  !  ha  !" 

MORAL. 

It  is  a  false  although  generally  received  maxim 
that  a  favour  is  conferred  on  another  by  an  invitation, 
both  being  of  the  same  rank  :  whereas,  his  company 
being  sought,  it  is  the  guest  who  confers  the  favour. 
A  good  dinner,  with  the  society  of  the  purse-proud 
and  ignorant,  is  a  sorry  compensation  for  a  sensible 
man's  loss  of  time.  An  obligation  may  indeed  be  said 
to  take  place  when  an  invitation  comes  from  superior 
rank  and  learning,  and  the  visitor  is  treated  with 
courteous  affability. 

Hospitality — genuine  hospitality,  as  understood  in 
former  times,  and  still  lauded,  has  been  gradually 
disappearing  from  this  country.  Where  find  we  the 
"festive  board,"  "  the  wassail  cup,"  "the  Maypole  ?" 
Foreign  refinements,  superinduced  affectation,  and 
deprivations  entailed  on  us  by  expensive  wars,  may 
partially  account  for  the  absence  of  the  former ;  but 
where  are  the  village  greens  and  commons  ?  in  too 
many  instances  gone  !  and  with  them  the  hilarity  of 
the  peasantry,  and  the  remembrance  of  the  sports  and 
customs  of  their  Saxon  forefathers. 


m>^m^M7"'  ;1 


R  H(irt/c^*^— =i-^ 


Ill 


FABLE  XXIII. 


THE  FARMER  AND  THE  POINTER. 


A  Farmer,  one  day  seeing  some  hares  feeding  in 
a  clover  field,  that  adjoined  his  landlord's  preserve, 
railed  at  the  game  laws ;  and,  as  he  went  along, 
grumbled  at  the  injustice  of  permitting  such  destruc- 
tive animals  to  destroy  his  property,  himself  not  being 
allowed  to  kill  one  for  his  dinner. 

"  You  might  have  one,  at  any  time  in  the  season,  for 
only  asking'^  said  the  squire's  Pointer,  who  just  then 
came  out  of  a  brake  ;  "  and,  as  to  the  injustice  of  the 
case,  I  cannot  make  that  out :  for  you  knew  of  the 
preserve  when  you  took  the  farm,  and  the  rent  was 
fixed  accordingly." 

MORAL. 

Generally  speaking,  farmers  are  the  most  dissatis- 
fied class  of  beings.  According  to  their  account, 
Providence  is  ever  doing  wrong: — "Too  much  rain," 
or  "too  much  drought."  Whether  there  be  a  scanty 
crop,  or  a  plentiful  harvest,  still  "  Corn  fetches  no 
price  !" 


112 


Coming  as  it  were  into  intimate  connexion  with 
Providence,  one  would  think  that  the  continual  expe- 
rience they  have  of  its  wisdom  and  bounty  would 
make  them  contented  and  thankful ;  but  no  !  they 
must  be  for  ever  grumbling.  Even  where  themselves 
have  the  ordering  of  things,  they  are  not  satisfied. — 
They  succeed  in  taking  a  farm,  for  which  there  were 
other  competitors,  at  a  moderate  rate,  subject  to  cer- 
tain clauses,  which  occasioned  an  allowance  in  rent ; 
but,  ere  twelve  months  have  elapsed,  they  complain 
nevertheless. 

Where  is  the  farmer  who  does  not  rail  at  the  pay- 
ment of  tithes  ?  whereas  the  tithes  are  as  much  the 
right  of  the  clergy  of  the  established  religion  as  the 
rental  is  of  the  landlord. 

As  in  the  lapse  of  centuries  great  changes  take 
place  in  the  government,  customs,  laws,  dress,  and 
even  language  of  a  nation,  so  perhaps  some  mode 
might  be  adopted  for  collecting  church  revenue  more 
suited  to  the  present  feelings  of  both  the  clergy  and 
people. 


\w±j^pi^  i_rs"-^-^. 


115 


FABLE  XXIV. 

THE  HEDGEHOG  AND  THE  SQUIRREL. 


A  Squirrel,  having  noticed  for  a  long  time  a 
Hedgehog,  curled  up  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  thought 
proper  to  awaken  him ;  so,  after  hallooing,  and  rolling 
him  about,  he  succeeded :  then,  upbraiding  him  with 
want  of  activity  and  industry,  *'  Be  an  early  riser," 
said  he,  ^*  and  bestir  yourself  as  I  do.    'Twill  improve 

your  body  and  mind,  and "     "  And,"  replied  the 

Hedgehog,  "I  dare  say  you  think  yourself  a  wondrous 
clever  fellow  !  But  I  know  you  to  be  a  skipj  ack,  a 
conceited,  meddling  rascal ;  and  desire  that  you  will 
never  again  dare  to  intrude  your  lectures,  much  less 
audaciously  to  disturb  me,  when  in  a  sound  sleep, 
which  is  both  natural  to  me,  and  conducive  to  my 
health. 


MORAL. 


As  the  external  and  internal  formations  of  bodies 
differ,  so  does  equally  the  construction  of  our  minds. 
Some  men  are  naturally  sedentary — inclined  to  study 
and  contemplation — very  confiding.  Others  are  by 
nature  bustling,  watchful,  suspicious ;  always  "  men  of 
husinesSf"  whether  about  something  or  nothing.  The 
world  is  loud  in  praise  of  the  latter,  who  usually  sue- 


116 


ceed  in  obtaining  riches,  provided  they  confine  them- 
selves to  their  physical  qualifications.  It  is  sufficient 
for  this  class  that  they  fidget  through  life,  and  amass 
a  fortune  which  they  are  incapable  of  rationally  en- 
joying, without  scornfully  treating  the  needy  man  of 
science,  whose  endeavour  has  been  to  store  his  mind 
with  learning,  of  which  he  is  liberal  to  others, — 
rather  than  his  pockets  with  gold  acquired  by  doubt- 
ful means.  Yet  a  Johnson  has  experienced  the  up- 
braidings  of  a  "  Sir  Pennyworth,"  for  idleness;  of 
one  who  thought  the  produce  of  the  brain  might  be 
measured  out,  with  the  same  facility  as  a  yard  of  tape. 
Assiduity  and  perseverance  in  whatever  is  undertaken 
is  both  praiseworthy  and  necessary  to  the  completion 
of  the  obj  ect ;  but,  undoubtedly,  all  the  avocations 
in  life  on  which  competency  depends  may  be  gone 
through  without  the  foolery  of  the  "  very  active  man 
of  business/''  whose  great  virtue,  after  all,  consists  in 
a  constitutional  restlessness  and  cunning. 


Ci'ui-i.'kii'-anic 


119 


FABLE  XXV. 

THE  TRAVELLER  AND  THE  GNAT. 


A  Traveller,  who  had  taken  up  a  night's  lodging 
at  an  inn,  was  so  sorely  pestered  and  bitten  by  Gnats 
that  he  vowed  vengeance  against  them  in  the  morn- 
ing. No  sooner  was  it  light  than  he  got  on  his 
clothes,  and  put  his  threat  into  execution. 

An  old  Gnat,  after  which  he  had  been  long  in  chase, 
and  which  he  had  just  caught,  asserted  its  innocence, 
and  protested  against  the  cruelty  of  such  indiscrimi- 
nating  massacre,  alleging  that  it  was  only  the  female* 
part  of  the  community  which,  contrary  to  their  wishes 
and  commands,  had  been  guilty  of  molesting  him  : — 
that,  as  for  his  sex,  they  were  all  "peace-loving," 
and  never  insulted  any  one.  "  Poh  !  poh  !"  said  the 
Traveller,  "  I  cannot  distinguish  which  is  which :  nei- 
ther know  I  whether  you  are  speaking  truth  or  false- 
hood ;  I  shall  therefore  proceed ;  and  you  may  thank 
y ourselves f  for  not  keeping  your  wives  and  daughters 
in  better  subjection  !" 

*  See  Lattreille's  Nat.  Hist,  of  Insects,  Third  Dis. 


J  20 


MORAL. 


The  petty  vexations  that  almost  daily  occur  may 
be  not  improperly  termed  the  "  gnat-bites "  of  the 
mind. 

The  sting  of  the  gnat  would  cause  but  a  momentary 
pain,  could  we  refrain  from  irritating  the  part  affect- 
ed, by  rubbing  and  scratching : — even  so  we  swell 
trifles  into  importance  by  brooding  on  them,  and 
thereby  become  tetchy,  and  derogate  in  soul.  A  little 
stoicism  only  is  requisite  to  overcome  both. 

But  this  fable  inculcates  a  lesson  of  greater  impor- 
tance, namely,  the  duty  and  necessity  incumbent  on 
the  head  of  a  family  to  keep  all  parties  under  due 
government.  Woman,  the  delight  and  ornament  of 
social  life,  sadly  mars  her  loveliness,  and  destroys  her 
own  happiness,  whenever  she  becomes  too  selfish  to 
be  delicately  alive  to  the  pleasures  and  comforts  of 
those  around  her ;  but  when  she  gives  way  to  ill-tem- 
per, dissatisfaction,  and  love  of  command,  and  tres- 
passes on  the  over-kindness  of  a  good-natured  man,  she 
is  then  the  disturber  of  all  family  and  friendly  inter- 
course,— 'a  scourge,  and  the  miner  of  her  own  and  her 
husband's  peace  of  mind ;  and  too  often  of  their  for- 
tunes, by  extravagance,  or  by  rendering  his  home 
disagreeable,  so  that  he  seeks  consolation  elsewhere, 
to  the  neglect  of  his  temporal  affairs. 

Envy,  jealousy,  inclination  to  bad  temper,  and 
authoritativeness,  cannot  be  too  early  curbed  in  the 
education  of  that  sex  which  is  destined  to  be  the 
blessing  or  curse  of  domestic  life. 


]23 


FABLE  XXVI. 


THE  CONCEITED  CROW. 


A  Crow,  who  had  watched  a  Gull  with  surprise 
Drop  down  to  the  water,  and  then  again  rise 
Aloft  in  the  air,  with  a  delicate  fish, 
Most  ardently  longed  for  so  tempting  a  dish  ; 
And,  having  his  share  of  conceit  and  presumption, 
The  aquatic  to  rival  he  felt  no  compunction ; 
So,  soaring  a  little,  to  eye  the  blue  water, 
Determin'd  the  first  scaly  urchin  to  slaughter. 
He  hover'd  a  time,  and  espied  a  bright  Bleak, 
Which  he  fancied  was  made  for  his  "carrion"  cheek; 
So,  darting  down  rashly,  a  death-blow  to  give  her. 
He  plunged  over  tail  in  the  bed  of  the  river. 
He  rose  to  the  top,  but  no  fish  had  he  caught, — 
Yet  a  lesson  of  wisdom  o'er  dearly  had  bought ; 
For,  after  long  striving  and  struggling  in  vain 
To  mount  in  the  air,  or  the  margin  to  gain. 
Neither  strength,  nor  conceit,  nor  praying,  nor  breath, 
Could  save  the  poor  Crow  from  a  watery  death. 


124 


MORAL. 


So  sufficient,  alas  !  young  folks  are  now  grown, 
They  think  there's  no  head-piece  so  good  as  their  own. 
With  a  glance  of  the  eye,  they  fancy  they  scan 
All  the  myst'ry  of  thought,  and  the  business  of  man. 
If  by  int'rest  or  chance  led  to  traffic  unknown, 
They  are  sure  to  adopt  some  new  way  of  their  own ; 
Or,  thinking  they  copy  with  consummate  skill, 
Plump  into  bad  luck,  and  soon  get  their  fill. 
Experience — remember ! — and  knowledge  are  bought j 
If  not  by  close  practice  and  study  they're  sought. 
All  this  is  most  foolish  in  youthy — but  in  age 
The  absurdity  puts  one  almost  in  a  rage. 
Lo,  the  wrinkled  old  beau  (what  a  woeful  mistake !) 
Who  at  threescore  and  two  tries  to  ape  the  young  rake. 
So  dressy  and  gay,  though  the  winter's  wind  blows ! 
And,  pretendmg  he  sees  an  arm's  length  from  his  nose. 
He  is  ogling  each  lass  wheresoever  he  goes ; 
Until  painfully  warn'd  that  his  sight  won't  avail 
To  guide  his  "  shrunk  shanks"  from  the  milkwoman's 
pail. 


127 


FABLE  XXVII. 


THE  LION  AND  THE  JACKAL. 


The  Jackal,  after  in  vain  soliciting  to  be  taken 
into  the  service  of  the  Tyger,  Leopard,  and  Panther, 
humbly  requested  first  the  one,  then  the  other,  ttiat 
they  would  report  him  to  the  Lion.  From  them  all 
he  received  a  courteous,  but  doubtful  promise.  ^-Tliey 
would  consider  his  case — an  opportunity  might  chance 
when  they  should  feel  at  liberty  to  do  so  : — that  he 
should  be  mindful  to  increase  his  knowledge  and  be 
always  within  call." — At  length,  tired  of  attending  and 
soliciting  an  introduction  through  them,  he  deter- 
mined boldly  to  approach,  and  state  his  own  cause, 
the  first  time  he  met  the  monarch  alone.  That  soon 
happened,  when,  acquainting  the  Lion  with  his  unsuc- 
cessful applications,  he  respectfully  preferred  his  qua- 
lifications, and  begged  to  be  taken  into  his  service. 
"  Thy  size  and  countenance  truly  are  not  much  in  thy 
favour,"  replied  the  monarch,  benignly  ;  ^^  but,  as 
outward  appearances  are  not  always  to  be  depended 
upon,  I  will  make  trial  of  thee  myself.  Attend  me 
to  the  chase  to-morrow !" 

The  Lion  invited  the  Tyger,  Leopard,  and  Panther  to 
the  hunt,  where  the  Jackal  fully  redeemed  his  pledge, 
by  leading  them   to  abundance   of  sport.      "What 


128 

think  ye,"  said  the  Lion,  of  the  abilities  of  my  new 
servant  ?"  "  We  acknowledge  his  merit,"  said  they, 
"  and  the  great  discernment  of  your  majesty." 

The  Lion  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  Jackal 
that  he  immediately  took  him  into  his  service  and 
society,  and  created  him  leader  of  his  hunt,  to  the 
no  small  mortification  of  the  other  beasts. 

MORAL. 

It  is  always  advisable  to  go  to  the  fountain  head, 
if  possible.  Many  a  worthy  man  has  lost  his  time 
and  shoes  in  waiting  on  Mr.  A.,  to  beg  that  he  would 
request  Mr.  B.  to  use  his  influence  with  Mr.  C,  to 
obtain  a  petty  favour  ;  whereas,  had  he  passed  by  the 
Jacks  in  office,  and  applied  to  the  Principal  direct, 
it  is  more  than  probable  that  the  protection  sought 
would  have  been  accorded,  and  that  the  patron  him- 
self would  have  felt  a  satisfaction  in  the  opportunity 
of  judging  merit,  without  the  opinion  of  another. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  ignorance,  masked  by 
effrontery  and  a  good  address,  is  so  often  successful ; 
when  respectable  knowledge  and  abilities,  because 
accompanied  by  diffidence  and  timidity  in  preferring 
a  request,  have  failed  to  obtain  the  object  sought. 
Those  who  have  acumen  select  the  latter,  and  expe- 
rience a  return  beyond  expectation :  whereas  those 
who  choose  the  former  are  rewarded  by  disappoint- 
ment, vexation,  and  most  likely  insult. 


131 


FABLE  XXVTII. 

JUPITER  AND  THE  PEACOCK. 


When  Jove  called  the  first  assemblage  of  the 
birds,  he  was  so  vexed  at  the  excessive  vanity  of  their 
females  that  he  deprived  them  of  voice,  and  ordered 
the  obliteration  of  their  brilliant  colours.  The  Pea- 
cock, possessing  great  beauty,  was  chosen  by  Juno 
for  her  attendant,  and  the  Goddess  roughly  rated 
Jove  for  his  uncourteous  conduct  towards  her  sex. 
This  distinction  of  the  Peacock  caused  the  pride  of 
that  bird  to  become  so  intolerable  that  Jupiter  substi- 
tuted the  harsh,  dissonant  tones  of  his  consort,  for  its 
melodiousness  of  song. 

MORAL. 

We  have  nothing  to  be  vain  of;  and  pride  has 
been  denounced  in  every  age.  If  it  were  pardonable 
in  any  instance,  it  would  be  so  in  the  man  of  learning 
and  science;  but  knowledge,  far  from  encouraging 
pride,  humbles  us  in  our  own  estimation.    To  be  vain 


132 


of  the  person,  or  of  the  beautiful  face  which  so  soon 
fades,  and  in  the  formation  of  which  we  have  had  no 
hand,  is  a  great  weakness.  To  be  vain  of  dress  is 
contemptible;  of  riches,  folly  ;  of  poverty,  hypocrisy  ; 
of  religion,  impiety  ! 


J35 


FABLE  XXIX 

THE  TRUANT  ASS. 


A  LITTLE  Sweep  had  once  a  pet  Donkey,  to  which 
he  was  very  kind,  giving  him,  besides  a  warm  shed 
to  sleep  in,  all  the  hay  and  corn  he  could  buy,  beg, 
or  borrow  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  little  fellow  ex- 
pended all  he  earned  upon  him,  the  Ass,  fancying  he 
could  better  his  condition,  strayed  away.  He,  how- 
ever, soon  found  out  that  thistles  and  road-side  grass 
were  but  a  poor  substitute  for  good  corn  ;  so  he 
hired  himself  to  a  mountebank,  who  made  him  great 
promises  ;  but  this  change  proved  more  woeful  than 
the  former,  for  his  vagrant  load  and  the  cudgel  were 
seldom  off  his  back.  "  Alas  !  alas  !"  said  the  Don- 
key, "  what  an  ungrateful  fool  have  I  been  to  leave 
my  good  little  master,  to  become  the  slave  of  this 
lying  fellow  !  Half  a  measure  with  kindness  is  much 
better  than  a  whole  one  with  cruelty  :  if  ever  I  have 
an  opportunity,  I'll  go  back  again." 

It  happened  not  long  afterwards  that  they  passed 
a  guide-post  at  the  head  of  cross  roads,  one  of  w^hich 
the  Donkey  recognized  ;  so,  notwithstanding  the 
scolding,  tugging,  and  beating  he  received  from  his 
enraged  master,  he  started  full  gallop  down  the  hill, 
and  soon  reached  his  village,  where  he  met  the  Sweep, 


136 

still  sorrowing  for  his  loss,  and  who  no  sooner  saw 
his  truant  Donkey  than  he  forgot  his  anger,  hung 
round  his  neck,  and  welcomed  him  back  again; — 
then,  quickly  unseating  the  clown,  he  mounted  in  his 
place,  and  fairly  hunted  him  out  of  the  village,  to  the 
great  merriment  of  the  beholders. 

MORAL. 

Violent  changes  are  seldom,  if  ever,  made  for  the 
better.  It  behoves  the  youth  who  feels  dissatisfied 
with  home,  or  a  master,  to  pause  and  well  consider 
before  he  flees  from  the  paternal  or  friendly  roof,  to 
encounter  ills  and  disasters  he  never  dreamed  of. 

Virtue  does  not  quit  the  bosom  at  once,  and  for 
ever :  ere  long,  the  heart  feels  a  returning  ray,  and 
the  inclination  is  to  retrace  the  faulty  step,  and  seek 
pardon :  that  moment  is  precious,  and  if  seized  with 
avidity,  and  without  hesitation,  it  will  lead  to  the 
re-establishment  of  confidence  and  friendship. 

Not  only  does  an  ingenuous  acknowledgment  of 
error  disarm  anger,  but  the  very  remembrance  of 
ingratitude  is  often  forgotten,  and  the  beloved  rene- 
gade is  received  with  open  arms.  But  suffer  that 
moment  of  strong  compunction,  through  pride,  or 
false  shame,  to  pass,  and  a  thorough  plunge  into 
wickedness  ensues  :  conscience  becomes  blunted ;  and 
the  end  is  ruin,  disease,  and  debasement  of  mmd. 


139 


FABLE  XXX. 


THE  GREYHOUND  AND  THE  HARE. 


A  YOUNG  Greyhound,  crossing  a  meadow,  chanced 
to  start  a  Hare,  wliich  made  with  all  speed  for  the 
adjoining  wood.  The  Dog,  thinking  it  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  treat  himself  with  so  delicate  a  bit  in  safety 
and  secresy,  followed  with  his  utmost  ardour,  and 
was  within  a  length  of  her  when  she  gained  the  wood. 
He  (not  as  on  ordinary  occasions,  when  on  duty,  con- 
tenting himself  with  having  done  his  best)  became 
more  desperately  anxious  to  possess  the  object  of  his 
criminal  appetite, — and  in  a  moment  dashed  out  his 
brains  against  a  tree. 


MORAL. 


The  youth  who  spurns  the  advice  and  cautions  of 
the  aged,  arising  oftentimes  from  the  experience  they 
themselves  have  full  dearly  bought,  will  sorely,  and 
too  late,  repent  his  transgression.  —  Some  are  con- 
ceited beyond  counsel ;  and,  with  upstart  confidence 
in  their  own  fancied  abilities,  embark  in  speculations 
the  most  foolish,  because  they  have  calculated  ;  and 
they  must  succeed  !  Encountering  a  first  loss,  they 
are  not  contented  to  withdraw  their  capital  in  time, 
but  obstinately  persevere,  rather  than  that  the  world 


140 


should  doubt  their  judgment.  Embarked  in  a  forbid- 
den or  dishonourable  transaction,  and  fearing  disclo- 
sure, they  cannot  brook  disappointment ;  repulse  but 
adds  to  their  impetuosity,  and  ruin  generally  ensues. 
It  is  bad  enough  when  (as  with  the  dog)  the  mis- 
chief alights  only  on  themselves  ;  but  it  is  not  un- 
common for  their  own  disgrace  to  be  accompanied  by 
family  disasters. 


143 


FABLE  XXXI. 


THE  OLD  WOMAN  AND  THE  MAGPIE. 


An  Old  Woman,  who  had  brought  up  a  Magpie 
from  a  nestling,  until  it  had  attained  its  full  plumage, 
was  determined  that  it  should  be  a  **  good  talker." 
She  accordingly  engaged  the  village  Blacksmith,  who 
never  failed  in  making  "  clever  birds,"  to  cut  his 
tongue.  He  received  the  reward  first  (as  is  cus- 
tomary), and  borrowed  of  the  Old  Woman  an  old 
silver  sixpence  to  perform  the  operation  with,  which 
he  readily  pretended  to  accomplish,  and  then  wished 
her  good  day.  "  Thou  art  a  silly  old  body,"  said  the 
Magpie,  "to  be  gulled  thus :  my  capability  of 
speech  was  the  same  before  as  since ;  notwithstanding 
the  wry  faces  he  made,  he  merely  stretched  my  beak, 
and  gave  me  some  pain,  so  as  to  colour  the  cheat ; 
and  he  has  now  walked  off  with  the  old  sixpence  into 
the  bargain,  laughing  at  your  credulity  !" 


MORAL. 


No  matter  how  small  the  community,  some  one 
will  always  be  found  to  encourage  superstition  and 
to  profit  by  the  weakness  of  the  credulous.     Educa- 


144 


tioi],  which  ought  to  assist  people  in  thinking  and 
examining  for  themselves,  seems  to  have  done  little 
or  nothing;  for,  throughout  the  "  country,"  these 
follies  are  still  believed  and  practised. 

Only  a  few  months  ago,  amongst  other  items  of 
debt  proved  by  a  mistress  against  her  servant  girl, 
in  one  of  the  Courts  of  Request,  was  ^'  Lent  Mary 
one  shilling — that  she  might  turn  money  at  the  first 
sight  of  the  new  moon  !" 


147 


FABLE  XXXII. 

CRCESUS,  MSOF,  AND  SOLON. 


When  iEsop  was  at  Sardis,  at  the  court  of  Croesus, 
tlie  king,  to  try  whether  the  report  brought  to  him 
by  his  ambassadors  (who  were  just  returned  from 
Samos)  of  his  ready  wit  and  great  wisdom  was  well 
founded,  took  the  occasion  of  his  first  audience  to 
propound  to  him  two  questions  :'viz.,  What  would 
best  assuage  grief  ?  and  what  is  the  cure  for  anger  ? 
iEsop  replied,  "  Wine  and  dance  will  assuage  the 
former;  the  only  cure  for  the  latter  is — water  and 
prayer."  On  another  occasion  (at  the  suggestion  of 
Solon,  who  was  highly  esteemed  by  Croesus,  and  then 
sojourned  at  his  court)  that  he  might  perplex  the 
Samian,*  the  king  ordered  ^Esop  to  be  called  before 
him,  and  proposed  the  following  questions  : — 

"  Who  is  the  most  avaricious  man  ?  and  what  is 
the  cure  for  avarice?"  ^Esop  answered,  "The '  richest 
man  '  is  the  most  avaricious  man  ;  and  the  certain 
cure  for  avarice  is  for  him  to  lose  all  his  treasures, 
and  be  forced  to  live  by  borrowing ;  for,  the  money 
he  then  spends  not  being  his  own,  he  will  assuredly 

*  Perhaps  '  Phrygian'  would  have  been  more  correct — but,  as 
his  wisdom  and  wit  were  developed  at  Samos,  the  above  national 
distinction  is  used,  the  more  so  as,  in  all  probability,  from  i^sop's 
obscure  derivation  he  was  known  only  as  a  *  Samian.' 


148 

be  lavish  of  it."  Solon,  thinking  he  had  iEsop  in 
his  meshes,  said,  "  The  mighty  Croesus,  is  he  not  the 
richest  of  mortals  ?  and  is  he  not,  at  the  same  time, 
the  most  liberal  and  magnificent?''  jEsop  smiled 
as  he  sharply  regarded  Solon,  and  replied,  "Croesus, 
the  greatest  of  monarchs,  is  worthy  of  his  immense 
treasures  and  unbounded  fame ;  for  he  is  the  ex- 
ception." The  king  extolled  jEsop's  wisdom  and 
wit,  and,  looking  towards  Solon,  "  I  will,"  said  he, 
"  propose  yet  one  more  question  to  be  propounded. 
Who  is  the  wisest  lawgiver  ?"  "  He,"  replied  iEsop, 
"  whose  laws  are  so  just  that  they  are  obeyed  with 
alacrity,  so  few  that  they  can  be  easily  remembered, 
and  so  plainly  worded  that  they  admit  not  of  a 
double  construction.  Lawsuits  will  then  be  seldom, 
and  the  lawyers  eat  bread  and  olives." 

Croesus  commanded  that  ^sop  should  be  honour- 
ably entertained  during  his  stay  in  Sardis,  and  re- 
quested him  to  prolong  it. 

MORAL. 

Jealousy  is  a  subtle  passion,  and  is  so  closely  in- 
terwoven with  our  virtues  that  it  retains  its  position, 
despite  philosophy,  in  the  minds  even  of  the  most 
exalted  moralists.  It  may  be  refined  and  subdued  ; 
but  never  effectually  eradicated. 


liMMMri 


151 


FABLE  XXXIII. 

THE  COW  AND  THE  GOAT. 


A  Cow  was  grazing  in  a  rich  meadow,  when  rais- 
ing her  head  she  observed  a  Goat  tearing  some  ivy 
from  a  tree  that  grew  hard  by.  Interested  for  his 
welfare,  "  Desist,"  said  she,  "from  browsing  on  those 
poisonous  leaves,  and  partake  with  me  of  this  de- 
licious herbage."  To  this  warning  the  Goat  paid  no 
attention,  but  continued  to  eat.  At  last  the  Cow 
thought  proper,  in  kindness,  to  employ  her  superior 
strength,  and  drove  him  away.  "  I  doubt  not,"  said 
the  Goat,  "  that  your  intentions  are  good,  and  that 
you  consider  you  are  doing  me  a  personal  favour ;; — 
as  such  I  give  you  credit  for  your  good-will ;  but 
permit  me  to  tell  you  that  your  solicitude  savours 
too  much  of  the  powerful  to  be,  under  any  circum- 
stances, convincing  ;  and  in  this  instance,  founded  as 
it  is  in  ignorance  of  what  is  wholesome  for  me  and 
delicious  to  my  palate,  it  is  absurdly  intrusive. 


MORAL. 


Most  people  have  their  fancies  and  antipathies ; 
yet  some  are  so  unmannerly  and  egotistical  as  to 
demand  that  others   subscribe  to    their  crude  doc- 


152 


trines,  whims,  and  tastes.  With  a  Uttle  superficial 
knowledge,  they  denounce  opinions  opposed  to  theirs 
as  heterodox  ;  or,  guided  solely  by  their  own  palates, 
they  stamp  certain  viands  baneful,  because,  per- 
chance, they  have  used  those  viands  immoderately 
and  suffered  by  the  excess,  or  because  they  prove 
inimical  to  their  particular  constitutions. 

The  stomach,  if  allowed  "  fair  play,"  would  never 
choose  wrongly ;  indeed,  if  it  were  consulted  oftener 
as  to  the  provision  for  dinner,  the  ingredients  of  many 
pills  and  draughts  would  remain  unmixed  in  the 
apothecary's  shop.  It  is  when  the  head  presump- 
tuously dictates  to  the  stomach  that  the  system  be- 
comes deranged.  Enough ^  nicely  cooked,  and  eaten 
with  relish,  is  conducive  to  health  and  strength,  and 
not  what  is  called  the  "  hearty  dinner"  from  off  many 
dishes.  Animals  in  a  wild  state  are  seldom  if  ever 
ill ;  and,  should  they  feel  so,  their  instinct  leads 
them  to  select  an  antidote.  Dogs  eat  grass  at  times, 
and  fowls  stones,  by  order  of  the  stomach. 


155 
FABLE  XXXIV. 

THE  ASS  AND  THE  OWL. 


An  Ass,  after  ruminating  for  some  time,  beneath 
the  fohage  of  an  oak,  on  the  causes  of  the  low  esti- 
mation in  which  his  species  were  held  by  man,  at 
length  brayed  out :  "  The  neigh  of  the  horse — the  low 
of  the  cow — the  bleating  of  the  sheep — and  even  the 
bark  of  the  dog,  are  not  only  tolerated,  but  often  ad- 
mired.    Yet,  if  I  do  but  dare  to  open  my  mouth,  they 
cry  out, '  Oh !  horrible ! ' — and  then,  again,  my  ears  of- 
fend their  eyes  !      Now,  for  my  own  part,  I  deem  my 
voice  to  be  both  strong  and  melodious  ;  and  though 
my  ears  are,  perhaps,  rather  of  the  longest,  there  can  be 
no  great  difficulty  in  having  them  cropped,  if  the 
fashion  continues."     At  that  moment,  an  Owl,  who 
was  perched  near  the  top  of  the  oak,  and  who  had 
attentively  listened  to  the  soliloquy,  uttered  a  loud 
screech.     "  There  now,"  said  the  Ass,  "that's  what 
I  call  a  fine  voice,  and  in  my  opinion  superior  to  the 
shrill  tones  of  the    birds  they  so    much   prize !     I 
wonder  whence   it  proceeds."     The  Owl,  delighted 
with  the  unexpected  praise,  lost  no  time  in  making 
herself  known,  and  descended  to  the  lowest  branch 
of  the  tree. 

"  My  friend,"  said  she,  "  the  notes  you  have  so 
justly  admired  proceeded  from  myself  I  revere  your 
judgment— and  am  bold  to  declare  that  the  world  is 
prejudiced  against  you  without  cause  :  and,  did  you 


156 

possess  the  agility  of  the  horse,  I  would  then  take 
upon  myself  to  pronounce  you  his  equal.*'  '^  There 
again,"  said  the  Ass,  "  even  in  the  estimation  of 
"  absolute  wisdom "  I  am  accounted  inactive  !  but, 
since  I  respect  your  discrimination,  I  will  convince 
you  to  the  contrary."  The  Ass  now  reared  up,  trot- 
ted, galloped,  and  went  through  all,  and  more  than 
all,  his  paces  :  for  which  he  received  the  Owl's  "  Bra- 
vissimo  !"  This  so  elated  him  that,  determining  to 
outdo  all  that  he  had  done  before,  and  to  effect  a 
novel  gambol,  he  put  his  head  betweenhis  legs : — but, 
alas  !  flinging  out  too  high,  he  had  the  misfortune  to 
kick  his  friend  the  Owl  from  off  his  judgment  seat. 

MORAL. 

Providence  has  wisely  implanted  in  every  human 
being  a  liberal  portion  of  self-esteem.  Without  that 
ample  quantity  our  lot  in  this  world  would  be  far 
less  bearable,  and  contentment  at  indeed  an  immea- 
surable distance.  But  self-esteem  should  not  render 
us  blind  to  our  own  defects,  nor  so  envious  of  a  qua- 
lification possessed  by  another  as  to  induce  us  to 
become  ridiculous  by  a  hopeless  attempt  at  rivalry — 
on  the  contrary,  it  ought  to  stimulate  us  to  cultivate 
the  ability  more  peculiarly  our  own  to  its  highest  at- 
tainment, and  thereby  secure  universal  regard. 

Some  persons  are  so  exceedingly  perverse  as  to 
wholly  mistake  their  talent ;  and  set  about  studying 
a  science  or  profession  for  which  Nature  herself  shows 
she  never  intended  them,  by  the  incapacity  she 
thought  wise  to  inflict :  this  is  most  commonly  ex- 
emplified in  music  and  singing.  The  praise  of  dunces 
is  acceptable  to  besotted  fools. 


159 


FABLE  XXXV. 

THE  ANTELOPE  AND  THE  TYGER. 


An  Antelope,  being  hunted  by  a  Leopard,  and 
almost  exhausted:  chanced  in  her  flight  to  pass  near  to 
the  lair  of  a  Tyger  who  had  but  recently  gorged  himself. 
The  rush,  however,  roused  him  from  his  cover,  and  he 
gruffly  reprimanded  the  Leopard  for  trespassing  on 
his  domain.  The  inferior  brute  shrank  back,  and 
desisted  from  pursuing  his  prey ;  which  the  tired, 
timid  Antelope  seeing,  halted,  and  fondly  thought 
that  such  interposition  could  only  proceed  from  a 
generous  mind  in  kindness  to  herself.  Strongly 
impressed  with  gratitude,  she  hastened  to  return  thanks 
to  the  Tyger  for  her  preservation ;  and,  being  gra- 
ciously receivprl,  she  felt  unbounded  confidence  and 
sufficient  courage  to  ask  permission  to  abide  and 
browse  under  her  benefactor's  protection  ;  which  the 
Tyger  with  deceitful  courtesy  assented  to. 

The  Antelope  now  slaked  her  thirst  without  fear, 
and  congratulated  herself  on  the  prospect  of  long  life 
and  comfort,  under  the  powerful  guardianship  of  one 
who  had  displayed  such  disinterested  friendship. 

But,  alas  !  the  following  morning  too  fatally  proved 
the  poor  Antelope's  error ;  for  no  sooner  did  hunger 
return  than  the  treacherous  Tyger  made  a  meal  of  his 
fooUshly-confiding  guest. 


160 


MORAL. 

Alas,  for  human  nature,  that  it  is  so  ! — Never- 
theless, it  is  but  too  true  that  there  are  monsters 
of  our  o^n  species,  both  male  and  female,  practised 
in  more  atrocious  acts  than  the  Tyger  is  represented 
to  have  committed  in  the  fable.  In  the  round  of  vil- 
lanies  there  is  not  any  thing  more  base  or  more 
common,  than,  by  apparently  kind  attentions,  oppor- 
tune show  of  friendship,  or  tender  of  protection,  to 
secure  the  confidence  of  the  young  and  unsuspecting, 
to  their  ruin, — or,  by  a  display  of  bolder  interference, 
to  cause  the  admiration  and  gratitude  of  the  more 
experienced,  and  equally  betray  them  to  destruction. 


163 


FABLE  XXXVT. 

THE  COW  AND  THE  FARMER. 


During  a  hard  -vvintsr  an  old  half -famished  Cow 
approached  a  farm-yard  and  begged  a  little  straw,  or 
refiise-hay,  for  that  the  common  was  quite  bare  and 
she  almost  stained.  The  tender-hearted  housewife, 
beheving  her  tale,  took  compassion  on  her  miserable 
plight  and  admitted  her  into  the  stack-yard  ;  then, 
placing  before  her  an  abundant  quantity  of  good  hay, 
she  recommended  her  to  make  a  hearty  meal  and 
depart, — but  on  no  wise  to  touch  the  stacks.  No 
sooner,  however,  had  the  Cow  stilled  the  first  crav- 
ings of  hunger  than  she  grew  dainty  and  discontented, 
and  fell  to  tearing  one  of  the  stacks  to  pieces  in 
search  of  delicacies ;  and,  having  eaten  to  loathing, 
so  careless  did  she  become  of  the  injunction  as  to 
lie  down  in  the  midst  of  the  sweetest  hay. 

When  the  Farmer  returned  home  he  reproved  his 
wife  for  her  ill-placed  kindness ;  and,  taking  a  hedge- 
stake,  he  belaboured  the  Cow  out  of  his  yard,  saying, 
*  Ungrateful  pauper !  in  pity  you  were  admitted  and 
provided  with  provender  beyond  your  request ;  but 
the  return  you  have  made  for  such  unhoped-for  kind- 
ness has  been,  wantonly  to  waste  the  provisions  I  had 
stored  up  for  my  own  cattle  during  the  winter  '  Go — 
you  are  unworthy  of  charity." 


164 


MORAL. 


The  deceptions  that  are  daily  passed  on  the  kind- 
hearted,  and  the  ingratitude  too  often  experienced 
by  the  benevolent,  cause  the  generous  hand  to  be 
sometimes  closed  against  the  solicitations  of  real 
poverty  and  wretchedness.  When  compassion  has 
been  excited  to  rescue,  not  only  from  starvation,  but 
to  clothe  and  place  a  fellow-creature  in  a  comparative 
state  of  comfort, — to  be  then  rewarded  by  extrava- 
gance, abuse,  and  perhaps  theft,  is  disheartening 
indeed. 


167 
FABLE  XXXVn. 

THE  BEE  AND  THE  ANT. 


A  Bee  was  busily  employed  on  a  rose,  when  an 
Ant  made  his  appearance  in  the  same  flower.  "  Good 
afternoon  to  you,"  said  the  Ant ;  ^^  I  am  sent  by  the 
doctor  of  our  community  to  dip  a  sippet  of  wheat  in 
the  sweetness  of  the  rose,  for  a  sick  fellow-citizen." 
"  You  are  quite  welcome  to  the  honey,"  said  the  Bee, 
"  for  my  present  business  is  to  collect  wax  ;  and,  as  I 
have  nearly  got  enough,  and  there  is  plenty  of  honey 
for  your  sippet,  I  think  we  may  spare  a  short  hour 
to  have  a  little  chat  touching  our  diiferent  govern- 
ments." The  Ant  (republican  like)  was  nothing 
loath  to  a  dish  of  politics,  so  to  it  they  went ;  praising, 
attacking,  and  defending  their  respective  systems 
with  such  warmth,  that  the  sun  had  sunk  below  the 
horizon  ere  they  were  conscious  of  the  time  they  had 
wasted. 

The  Bee,  on  anxious  wings,  hurried  to  the  hive — but 
arriving  too  late,  he  was  conducted  before  the  Queen, 
and,  unheard,  degraded  to  the  rank  of  Drone. 

The  Ant,  in  his  fright,  forgot  the  sippet,  and  had 
nearly  reached  home  before  he  discovered  that  he  had 
left  it  behind  him ;  he  therefore  set  about  inventing 
a  feasible  excuse.  Arrived  at  the  citadel,  he  also 
was  taken  into  custody,  and  brought  before  a  judge 
and  jury;  when  he  was  charged  with  breach  of  "  or- 
ders," and  wasting  the  property  of  the  commonwealth. 
The  Ant,  secure  in  his  excuse,  thus  undauntedly  stated 
his  defence: — "As  commanded  by  the  doctor,  I  satu- 
rated the  sippet  in  the  choicest  honey  of  the  rose,  and 
was  on  my  return  with  it,  when  I  was  attacked  by 


168 

some  citizens  of  the  adjoining  republic.  I  dropt  my 
charge,  and  defended  myself;  after  an  obstinate  and 
protracted  conflict  with  one  of  them,  I  prevailed,  and 
I  have  now  the  satisfaction  to  congratulate  my  fel- 
low-citizens on  having  added  one  more  trait  of  suc- 
cessful *  single  combat '  to  the  annals  of  our  repub- 
lic.— As  to  the  sippet,  I  sought  for  it  in  vain,  after 
I  had  gained  the  victory,  and  must  suppose  thai 
some  dastard  filched  it  away  during  the  encounter." 
"  Prisoner,"  said  the  judge,  "  you  know  full  well  that 
the  international  laws  of  our  republics  protected 
your  person  and  charge,  when  carrying  food  for  a 
sick  fellow-citizen,  by  the  doctor's  order.  How  many, 
and  where  are  the  wounds  you  received  in  this  pre- 
tended combat  ?"  The  Ant  trembled,  and  was  mute. 
He  was  found  guilty  of  both  the  charges,  and,  for 
having  added  a  disgraceful  lie  to  his  crime,  the 
punishment  of  "  death"  was  adjudged. 

MORAL. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  the  laws  of  a  republican 
government  are  more  sanguinary  than  those  of  a  mon- 
archy ;  probably  it  may  be  so,  and  arise  from  their  ab- 
horrence of  slavery,  or  long,  or  unlimited  imprisonment. 

Neglect  of  duty,  or  breach  of  orders,  is  sure  to  lead 
to  lying;  in  which  having  succeeded,  falsehood  be- 
comes a  propensity.  Truth  should  be  cultivated  in 
the  young  mind,  by  example,  praise,  and  reward  ;  and, 
should  an  inclination  to  prevaricate  be  observed,  the 
promise  ^^  not  to  punish  if  the  truth  he  told^'  should 
be  most  scrupulously  adhered  to;  reproving  only  by 
remonstrance  and  advice.  This  fable  points  to  the 
error  of  what  is  called  "staying  on  errands,"  and  is  a 
wholesome  lesson  for  children  and  dependents. 


17 


FABLE  XXXVIII. 

THE  TWO  BULLS. 

Two  Bulls  had  been  fighting  for  mastery  with 
equal  strength  and  obstinacy  for  a  length  of  time  ; 
and,  though  both  were  gored  and  tired,  and  no  pro- 
spect of  deciding  the  question,  they  still  continued  to 
struggle,  when,  all  at  once,  one  of  them  espying  a 
Tyger,  cried  out,  "  Hold,  cousin  Bull ;  yonder  I  see 
an  enemy  approaching  :  no  doubt  he  hopes  to  take 
advantage  of  our  dissensions  to  make  a  booty  of  one 
or  both  of  us."  "  If  that  be  the  case,"  said  the  other, 
''  we'll  make  peace,  if  you  please,  and  oppose  our 
united  strength  to  the  invader." 

The  Tyger  no  sooner  saw  that  friendship  was  re- 
stored between  them  than  he  slunk  back  to  his  lair 
in  the  forest. 

MORAL. 

It  were  well  if  neighbouring  nations  would  seek  to 
cultivate  a  good  understanding  with  each  other,  rather 
than  be  captious  about  trifles,  and  waste  their  strength 
and  resources  in  war,  instead  of  husbanding  them,  to 
oppose  a  stranger.  It  is  true  that  mutual  danger 
often  reconciles  states  to  a  just  and  wise  policy  ;  but, 
alas  !  such  alliances,  being  the  result  of  necessity, 
they  generally  take  place  too  late,  and  seldom  work 
well. 


172 


Much  is  it  to  be  regretted  that  a  nation  composed 
of  "  unions  "  should  consider  it  necessary  to  with- 
hold from  a  large  portion  of  the  people  their  civil 
rights,  owing  to  a  difference  in  religion.  The  strength 
of  a  state  consists  in  commerce,  love  of  country,  and 
respect  for  the  government ;  but  the  one  will  not 
flourish  to  its  greatest  extent,  or  the  others  be  univer- 
sally felt,  so  long  as  any  class  is  proscribed,  without 
imperative  cause,  from  a  fair  participation  in  the 
legislature. 


175 


FABLE  XXXIX. 


THE  JOB  HORSES. 


A  YOUNG  horse  got  by  chance  into  the  possession 
of  a  coach  Jobber,  and  was  harnessed  by  the  side  of 
an  old  stager  to  draw  a  "party  of  pleasure"  into  the 
country.  They  had  not  proceeded  many  miles,  when 
the  novice,  who  had  fumed  and  fretted,  until  he  was 
hot,  with  endeavouring  to  get  over  the  ground  quicker, 
reproved  the  old  horse  for  not  stepping  out  as  he 
did ;  "  for,"  said  he,"  "  the  sooner  we  have  performed 
our  journey,  the  sooner  we  shall  get  back  to  the  stable, 
and  be  made  comfortable  for  the  rest  of  the  day." 

"  It  is  not  for  want  of  courage,  or  inclination  "  (said 
the  old  stager),  "  to  join  you  cordially,  where  a  fixed 
distance  is  to  be  done  : — but  I  overheard  them  say  it 
was  to  be  a  Country  trip  :  now,  experience  has  taught 
me,  that  such  parties  never  think  they  get  enough  la- 
bour for  their  money,  out  of  us  poor  slaves  ! 

They  intend  working  us  for  a  certain  number  of 
Hours,  and  whether  we  travel  at  my  pace,  or  yours, 
it  is  only  the  difference  of  fatigue  to  ourselves,  for  we 
shall  not  be  allowed  to  get  home  one  minute  the  sooner 
even  were  we  to  go  at  our  utmost  speed  !" 

MORAL. 

It  is  fortunate  to  have  a  friend,  who  has  travelled 


176 


the  same  road  we  ourselves  are  about  to  start  on,  and 
for  whose  judgment  we  have  a  respect ;  for,  by  mak- 
ing use  of  his  experience,  we  may  so  regulate  our 
conduct  as  to  avoid  many  dangers  and  disappoint- 
ments which  we  should  otherwise  of  necessity  undergo. 

Humanity  should  extend  itself,  in  the  shape  of 
kindness,  towards  all  the  inferior  creation  : — more 
particularly  to  those  from  whom  we  require  labour, 
and  which  are,  as  it  were,  of  our  own  family — Horses, 
Dogs,  &;c.  Thoughtlessness  is  often  attended  with 
the  same  pain  to  the  poor  animal,  as  the  cruel  man's 
ill  treatment.  We  are  bound  to  feed  well,  gently  use, 
and  not  over-work  them ;  aye,  and  to  speak  kindly 
to  them ! 

Some  mistresses  might  act  with  more  humanity 
than  they  do  towards  their  servants,  who,  after  having 
pressed  upon  them  the  propriety  of  getting  through 
their  work  in  good  time,  are  disordered  in  their  tem- 
pers should  they  surprise  them  in  the  evening,  seated 
comfortably  before  the  kitchen  fire  and  enjoying  a 
cessation  from  labour;  and  then,  forsooth,  conjure  up 
some  unnecessary  occupation  to  prevent  Idle  habits ! 
fie  on  them ! 


%S2L^lfQ 


179 


FABLE  XL. 

THE  CAT  AND  THE  MOUSE. 


A  CAT,  having  caught  a  Mouse,  gave  it  to  her 
kitten  to  play  with,  herself  darting  upon  it  as  it 
escaped  from  young  Grimalkin's  paws,  and  bringing 
it  back,  with  the  fracture  of  a  rib  or  two  on  each  re- 
capture. 

After  this  sport  had  been  carried  on  for  a  length 
of  time,  and  all  chance  of  escape  had  vanished,  the 
poor  exhausted  "wee-bit  thing  "  uttered  its  complaint 
in  these  words : — "  I  cannot  conceive  what  satisfaction 
you  find  in  thus  tormenting  me,  unless  it  be  to  practise 
*  young  Treachery^  in  the  art  of  destroying  z/s ;  yet  that 
were  unnecessary,  since  a  few  weeks  will  make  him 
your  image  both  in  body  and  accomplishments.  If  I 
am  to  die  (which  undoubtedly  is  to  be  my  fate),  caase 
this  cruelty,  and  dispatch  me  at  once  !" 

MORAL. 

Children  are  too  prone  to  acts  of  cruelty  :  the  first 
appearance  of  such  an  inclination  should  be  carefully 
watched, — the  barbarity  explained, — and  the  act  re- 


180 


proved.  It  often  commences  in  early  infancy  by 
maiming  insects,  and  proceeds,  if  unchecked,  to  in- 
humanity towards  birds  and  beasts.  It  requires  but 
good  example,  and  instruction  given  in  due  season 
and  in  a  gentle  manner,  to  mould  the  heart  to  kind- 
ness. If  children  be  permitted  to  keep  birds,  or 
animals,  a  positive  injunction  should  be  laid  on  them 
that  they  themselves  attend  to  their  food  and  com- 
forts ;  which  if  they  neglect,  they  should  at  least 
be  punished  by  the  deprivation  of  that  amusement. 
Where  the  life  is  forfeit  by  the  law,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  the  royal  mercy,  speedy  execution  is  but 
righteous  compassion  towards  the  unhappy  male- 
factor- 


183 


FABLE  XLl. 

THE  VILLAGE  DOGS. 


The  young  Dogs  in  a  village  becoming  increasingly- 
noisy  and  troublesome  to  travellers,  occasioned   an 
old  Mastiff,  who  had  the  welfare  of  the  community 
at  heart,  to  remonstrate  with  them  on  the  folly  of 
such  behaviour,  and  the  disastrous  consequences  it 
might  entail  on  them  all :  at  the  same  time  he  gave 
them   notice   that  he  would  visit   the  first   offender 
with  severe  punishment :  but  no  sooner  did  a  stranger 
appear,  than  they  all  fell  to  barking,  and  snapping 
at  his  heels,  as  heretofore  ;   upon  which  the  Mastiff 
seized  the  ringleader  by  the  throat,  and  tore  him  to 
pieces.    The  rest  quickly  left  following  the  traveller, 
and  fell  to  railing  against  the  Mastiff,  charging  him 
with  tyranny  and  cruelty ;  to  which  he  calmly  replied 
— "  I  stated  to  you  the  danger  that   might  ensue  to 
us  all  from  such  improper  conduct.     I   advised  you 
to  desist,  but  at  the  same  time  threatened  the  first 
transgressor  with  punishment.     You  were  heedless  : 
it  became,  therefore,  necessary  for  me  to  make  an 
example  of  one  for  the  benefit  of  all.'' — They  now 
sought  their  homes,  muttering  disobedience  as  they 
went ;    but   the   remembrance  of  the  Mastiff's  seve- 
rity operated  beneficially. 


184 

MORAL. 

As  laws  are  made  for  the  benefit  of  general  society, 
and  the  penalties  attached  to  the  breach  of  thejn  are 
as  much  for  the  deterring  others  from  committing 
crime  as  for  the  punishment  of  the  culprits  them- 
selves ;  so  the  penalties  should  be  commensurate  to 
the  offence,  and  the  laws  be  promptly  and  strictly 
enforced.  If  experience  prove  that  a  particular  punish- 
ment be  too  severe  for  a  particular  crime,  the  law 
should  then  be  altered  without  delay  so  as  to  suit 
the  feelings  of  the  people. 

It  is  much  better  for  a  nation  to  have  a  dauntless, 
firm,  and  even  severe  minister,  appointed  by  the 
executive  to  superintend  its  internal  welfare,  than  one 
who  is  reputed  humane  and  virtuous,  and  an  excel- 
lent '^  private  character,"  but  who  is  weak  and  bigot- 
ed ;  for  the  former  is  not  operated  upon  by  whisper- 
ings, or  party ;  and  should  it  be  necessary  to  alter 
laws,  or  should  treason,  in  reality,  be  abroad,  he  acts 
with  promptness  and  decision  ; — whereas  the  other 
suffers  the  reports  of  the  timid,  or  the  forebodings  of 
a  sect,  to  rule  his  actions — ^he,  in  his  anxiety  not  to 
do  wrong,  omits  to  do  good;  and,  to  frustrate  a  sup- 
posititious plot,  is  ever  ready  to  suspend  the  laws 
without  just  cause,  and  to  employ  "  spies"  to  hunt 
out  a  treason  that  never  existed,  and  who  (that 
their  missions  should  not  prove  fruitless),  turn  some 
"  half-famished,  dissatisfied  wretch  "  into  an  arch- 
traitor.  Trajan's  answer  to  Pliny  on  the  subject  of 
"spies"  ought  to  be  ever  in  the  memory  of  statesmen. 


187 


FABLE  XLII. 

THE  WARRENER  AND  THE  FERRET. 


A  Warrener,  having  put  his  best  hunting  Fer- 
ret into  a  burrow,  and  placed  his  bags  to  receive  the 
rabbits,  was  much  astonished  and  sorely  disappointed 
to  find  that  neither  rabbits  nor  Ferret  made  their 
appearance — so  after  calling  and  waiting  in  vain, 
he  went  grumbling  home,  vowing  vengeance  on 
the  Ferret,  should  he  ever  catch  him  again.  This 
happened  not  many  days  afterwards  : — "  You  little 
wretch  !"  said  he,  squeezing  his  neck,  "  what  have 
you  to  say  for  yourself  in  extenuation,  that  I  dash  not 
your  brains  out  against  the  bank  ?"  "  Why,"  replied 
the  Ferret,  "  this  have  I  to  say ; — if  you  destroy  me, 
you  but  revenge  yourself  upon  your  own  property, 
and  that  would  not  be  acting  with  your  usual  cun- 
ning— again,  if  you  think  my  services  are  valuable, 
then  am  I  worthy  of  my  food ;  but,  if  you  do  not,  then 
ought  you  to  send  me  about  my  business.  Had  you 
fed  me  regularly  and  in  sufficient  quantity  the  other 
morning,  I  should  not  have  proved  false  to  you.*' — 
The  Warrener  put  the  Ferret  into  his  bag  gently y  and 
walked  off. 

MORAL. 

The  relative  situation  of   master  and    servant    is 


188 

often  overlooked — it  requires  on  the  one  side  kind 
treatment  and  wages,  as  much  as  labour,  respect,  and 
honesty,  on  the  other.  When  this  is  not  attended  to 
a  grievous  error  exists.  The  superior,  by  correct 
conduct,  may  fairly  calculate  on  being  well  and  faith- 
fully served  ;  and,  should  he  chance  to  meet  with 
an  instance  of  ingratitude,  he  will  still  have  the  con- 
solation of  having  fulfilled  his  part  of  the  contract, 
although  bestowed  on  the  unworthy. 

To  render  servitude  as  little  galling  as  possible  is 
the  duty  of  every  mail.  It  is  too  certain  that  there 
are  many  hard  task  -  masters  even  in  this  happy 
country ; — some  who,  getting  riches  by  the  labour  of 
orphans,  do  not  hesitate  to  filch  from  the  little 
authors  of  their  own  comforts  a  portion  of  their  food, 
and  hours  for  rest.  Unenviable  indeed  must  be  the 
feelings  of  such  persons,  and  awful  their  account 
hereafter. 

To  be  served  with  alacrity,  and  a  smiling  face,  is  a 
pleasure  which  only  the  truly  good  and  benevolent 
can  know. 


'i/'i^^'^.^f 


flxici 


191 


FABLE  XLIII. 

THE  HAWK  AND  THE  WORM. 


As  a  Worm  was  crawling  along  a  bank  that  over- 
hung a  river  it  was  thus  tauntingly  accosted  by  a 
Hawk  from  a  neighbouring  tree  : — "  What  a  shape- 
less, miserable  reptile  art  thou  !  grovelling  on  the 
earth  ;  the  prey  of  birds,  fishes,  and  even  insects ; 
for  ever  trampled  on  by  man  and  beast  ,•  and  inca- 
pable of  avoiding  threatened  danger.  For  what 
purpose  thinkest  thou  so  unsightly  a  creature  was 
made  ?"  "  That  I  am  a  helpless  being,"  replied  the 
Worm,  "  is  most  certain  ;  nevertheless,  I  am  not  so 
miserable  as  you  suppose.  Like  yourself  (if  one 
so  abject  dare  make  a  comparison),  I  shall  live 
to  a  good  old  age,  should  I  not  meet  a  premature 
death ;  and  you,  like  myself,  with  all  your  superiority, 
can't  tell  what  may  happen."  Just  then  a  loose 
piece  of  clay  rolled  down  the  bank  and  precipitated 
the  Worm  into  the  water — it  was  swallowed  by  a 
young  pike  in  pursuit  of  a  gudgeon,  which  the  Hawk 
espying,  made  a  stoop  —  trussed  —  and  bore  off; — 
but,  ere  he  could  soar  to  any  height,  a  Sportsman 
crossing  the  field  levelled  his  gun  and  brought  him 
down.  The  worthless  bird  he  cast  away  ;  but  disen- 
trailed  the  fish,  and  put  it  in  his  pouch  for  supper  : 
thus  the  Worm,  vvhose  death  appeared  inevitable, 
obtained  his  liberty,  and  was  the  survivor. 


*  192 

MORAL. 

The  presumed  distance  between  the  brute  creation 
and  man,  when  contemplated,  is  far  from  encouraging 
pride,  or  justifying  contemptuous  comparisons.  He 
possesses  but  the  same  property  in  life  that  does  the 
most  minute  and  unsightly  of  Nature's  creatures — 
namely — the  present ; — he  knows  not  more  than  they 
the  event  of  the  ensuing  moment.  His  diet  is  not 
less  earthly — nor  do  youth  and  health  secure  him 
from  disaster  and  death.  His  superior  faculties  may 
meditate  on  those  truths — but  does  his  superior  rea- 
son proportionably  appear  in  his  moral  conduct  ?  It 
may  be  doubtfully  answered,  yes  ;  but,  when  it  does 
not  so, — is  he  their  superior?  Form  cannot  justify 
the  immeasurable  distance,  it  being  founded  on 
opinion ;  but,  admitting  the  pre-eminence  of  the  ex- 
alted Erect,  does  not  his  boasted  wisdom  aid  him  to 
befool  it  by  fashions  ? 

As  to  the  workmanship  of  the  ^'  Great  Artificer,"  it 
is  equally  elaborate  in  the  animal,  and  perhaps  more 
delicate  and  wonderful  in  the  insect.  The  senses 
are  to  him  an  imperfect  possession. — Is  it  speech  and 
sociality  ?  Is  not  the  first  so  prostituted  as  to  become 
the  disturber  instead  of  the  encourager  of  the  second  ? 
—  Can  it  be  laughter  ? — that  is  oftener  the  result  of 
immorality,  drunkenness,  or  folly,  than  the  offspring 
of  joy  or  wit.  What  then  remains  to  constitute  the 
asserted  superiority  ?  Intellectual  research  into,  and 
amazement  at,  the  beauty  and  order  of  the  visible  vmi- 
verse  ;  a  little  reason,  and  a  longing  after  knowledge, 
immortality,  and  happiness  !  But  does  he  employ 
his  superior  endowments  rationally  and  religiously? 
'*  Sometimes.'^ 


c  DCRmnarcN. 


195 


FABLE  XLIV. 


THE  BOY  AND  THE  RATTLESNAKE. 


A  Boy  was  once  bitten  by  a  Rattlesnake,  whom 
he  charged  with  deceit,  revenge,  and  every  evil  pas- 
sion.— "  You  are  unjust  in  your  reproaches,"  rephed 
the  reptile ;  "  for,  so  far  was  I  from  premeditating 
harm,  that  I  gave  you  timely  notice  of  my  own  fear 
and  your  danger  by  shaking  my  rattle  ;  but  you  were 
heedless  of  the  warning.  Your  foot  menaced  my  life ; 
and  you  were  as  well  acquainted  with  my  incapacity 
to  get  quickly  out  of  your  path  as  with  my  possessing 
a  dire  weapon  of  defence,  in  the  event  of  being 
driven  to  its  use." 


MORAL. 


Accidents  seldom  happen  without  some  intimation 
of  danger, — and  did  we  but  attend  to  the  warning 
given,  and  use  moderate  precaution,  most  bodily  ca- 
sualties might  be  avoided. 

The  hoof  of  the  horse — the  rumbling  of  the  car- 
riage— the  smoke  and  smell  of  fire — the  dilapidated 
state  of  the  house — the  inadequacy  of  the  boat  to  the 
party  are  all  *'  warning  rattles." 


196 


The  boy,  in  pursuit  of  that  which  is  forbidden, 
lays  caution  aside,  and  trusts  the  ice  before  it  has 
attained  the  necessary  thickness ;  or,  intent  on  the 
nest,  ventures  on  the  treacherous  bough. 

Our  misfortunes  chiefly  happen  when  we  are 
transgressing,  yet  conscience  is  incessantly  usuig 
her  RATTLE  to  obstruct  them. 


—  J"    I     '        --iD      ^~K 


Ra 


199 


FABLE  XLV. 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  POULTRY-YARD. 


A  Fox,  who  had  for  a  long  lime  been  the  scourge 
of  the  poultry-yard,  and  had  eluded  by  his  practice 
in  cunning  all  the  traps  set  to  catch  him ;  chose  one 
night  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring  to  visit  a  rich 
farmer's  premises  who  was  very  curious  in  his  breed 
of  fowls.  Having  entered  the  hen-house,  he  found  to 
his  delight  several  broods  of  chickens  :  for  these  he 
felt  a  mighty  appetite  immediately  ; — so,  contraiy  to 
his  custom  (which  was  to  seize  a  couple  of  pullets, 
and  make  his  escape),  he  fell  to  devouring  the  young 
ones  on  the  spot. — "  This  night,"  said  he,  after  a 
short  pause,  '^  shall  be  my  chef  d'ceuvre ;  I  will  fill 
my  stomach  with  tender  fare,  and  get  off  unsus- 
pected ;  for,  by  not  having  hurt  or  carried  away 
any  of  the  old  ones,  the  blame  will  be  sure  to  fall  on 
the  rats."  So  to  it  he  fell  again  ;  nor  did  his  craving 
cease,  or  he  think  of  the  time,  until  he  had  picked 
the  bones  of  the  last  chicken.  He  now  took  his 
leave,  but,  to  his  dismay,  he  found  that  twilight  was 
nearly  arrived,  and  that  there  had  been  a  heavy  fall 
of  snow  during  his  occupation  of  the  hen-house.  He, 
however,  got  away  unperceived,  and  by  a  circuitous 
route  reached  his  kennel  in  safety. 

The  farmer,  rising  early,  as  was  his  practice,  first 
visited  his  poultry  ;  when  he  soon  discovered  the  loss 


200 


he'  had  sustained,  and,  as  the  Fox  calculated,  cursed 
heartily  the  rats ;  but,  crossing  his  orchard,  to  see 
that  all  was  safe  in  the  piggery,  he  espied  on  the 
new-fallen  snow  the  prints  of  Reynard's  feet ;  taking 
therefore  two  of  his  men,  armed  with  pickaxe  and 
spade,  and  his  terrier,  he  tracked  master  Reynard  to 
his  home :  then,  stopping  up  all  his  holes  but  one,  he 
sent  the  terrier  in,  who  soon  returned,  dragging  out 
the  culprit  by  the  throat. 

MORAL. 

Crime  may  for  a  time  be  committed,  and  the  per- 
petrator pass  undiscovered  ;  but,  if  persevered  in,  he 
is  sure  to  be  found  out,  and  to  undergo  its  punish- 
ment. 

Although  the  successful  thief  increases  his  cunning 
by  habitude,  he  loses  his  circumspection  in  an  almost 
equal  ratio  ;  impunity  gives  him  confidence,  and  con- 
fidence begets  carelessness.  Crime  is  a  hard  task- 
master ;  he  takes  from  his  victim  "  peace  of  mind,'' 
and  forces  the  once  undaunted  eye  to  scowl  on  all 
who  pass,  dreading  an  avenger — he  avoids  the  com- 
pany of  the  virtuous — his  associates  are  the  wicked 
and  the  debauched — and  his  liberty,  perhaps  his 
life,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  most  abandoned  wretches, 
who  only  wait  until  "  premium  enough  "  be  offered 
for  his  caption,  to  deliver  him  over  to  the  insulted 
laws  of  his  country. 


203 


FABLE  XLVI. 

THE  YOUNG  WILD  BOAR. 


One  very  severe  winter,  w^hen  acorns  w^ere  scarce, 
and  the  snow  lay  thick  in  the  woods,  a  young,  half- 
famished  wild  Boar,  who  had  remarked  the  good  case 
and  contentedness  of  the  domestic  hog,  determined 
to  present  himself  at  the  farm-house  door. 

He  was  cordially  received,  a  warm  sty  allotted  to 
him,  and  plenty  of  peas  and  barley-meal  served  out ; 
— he  throve  apace  ;  and  so  satisfied  was  he  with  his 
quarters  that  he  calculated  on  nothing  less  than 
living  to  an  old  age,  in  idleness  and  plenty.  He  had, 
however,  one  trouble  ; — he  could  not  account  for  the 
disinterestedness  of  the  farmer  ! 

One  day,  the  sty  door  being  left  unbolted,  he  took 
a  fancy  to  a  little  exercise,  and,  lured  by  a  more 
than  commonly  delicious  savoury  smell,  he  walked 
off  towards  the  kitchen  door,  whence  he  thought  it 
proceeded ;  and,  peeping  in,  saw  something  brown 
twirling  round  and  round  before  the  fire,  and  at  times 
making  a  strange  noise.  Much  amazed  at  what  he 
saw,  he  asked  the  cook  the  meaning  thereof.  "  What 
you  see,''  said  she,  ^'  is  the  leg  of  such  an  animal  as 
1/ou  are, — a  piece  of  pork, — that  I  am  roasting  for  my 


204 


master's  dinner."  The  curl  immediately  left  his  tail 
— "  Unhappy  swine  that  I  am  !  "  said  he,  as  he 
sorrowfully  paced  back  to  his  sty,  *^  if  the  farmer 
likes  pork,  then  is  my  trouble  about  his  generosity 
solved,  and  my  doom  certain.  How  willingly  would 
I  now  exchange  luxuries  and  comforts  for  the  uncer- 
tain life,  and  scanty  dinners,  I  was  so  glad  to  leave  !" 

MORAL. 

Those  who  love  idleness  and  gluttony,  rather  than 
occupation,  may  search  a  long  time  before  they  find 
any  one  to  support  them  therein;  but,  should  they 
be  successful  in  their  application,  like  the  hog  in  the 
fable,  they  probably  will  soon  find  out  the  cause  of 
such  apparent  disinterestedness  to  be  of  the  most  selfish 
kind  ;  themselves  being,  in  fact,  slaves  in  body  and 
in  mind — enthralled  in  fetters  they  cannot  or  dare 
not  break. 


207 
FABLE  XLVJI. 

THE  RAVEN  AND  THE  OWL. 


An  Owl,  seeing  a  Raven,  one  summer  evening, 
perched  on  the  top  of  a  tree  hard  by,  and  looking 
vastly  melancholy,  surmising  that  it  arose  from  some 
domestic  loss,  was  curious  to  know  all  about  it ; 
— so,  calling  to  him  from  his  hollow  abode,  he  in- 
vited him  to  a  friendly  chat;  to  which  the  Raven 
acceded.  "  Pray  what  is  the  matter  with  you?" 
said  the  Owl ;  '^  I  shall  be  happy  to  condole  with 
you  :  have  you  been  robbed  of  your  young,  or  slan- 
dered by  neighbours  ?  if  I  can  render  you  any  assist- 
ance, command  my  services."  The  Raven  informed 
the  Owl  that  he  had  been  unsuccessful  in  his  search 
for  food  that  day,  and  that  he  had  no  hope  of  better 
luck  on  the  morrow,  for  the  setting  sun  foreboded 
heat,  when  neither  worms  nor  slugs  would  make 
their  appearance  ;  that  that  was  the  cause  of  his 
sorrow,  not  any  family  affliction.  "  My  young  friend," 
said  the  Owl,  in  a  solemn  tone,  "  instead  of  moping, 
and  anticipating  future  evils,  you  should  bestir  your- 
self more  than  you  are  wont  to  do  ; — carefully  hunt 
an  hour  after  dark,  and  rise  an  hour  before  the  sun — 
you  should  visit  the  neighbouring  lake,  in  the  hope  of 
finding  a  sick  fish  floating  on  the  surface — or,  by  pacing 
the  hedge-rows,  you  may  luckily  surprise  a  delicate 
snake,  basking  in  the  sun  at  noon-day.  But,  above 
all  things,  I  recommend  you  in  future  to  employ 
yourself,  in  the  season  of  plenty,  to  collect  a  store 


208 

against  a  time  of  need."  ^'  I  thank  you,"  replied  the 
Raven,  "  for  these  emanations  of  your  wisdom,  and 
tender  feelings  for  my  future  welfare  ;  but  I  must 
inform  you  that  my  eyes  are  of  no  service  to  me  in 
the  dark,  and  that  I  have  been  on  the  wing  all 
day,  but  to  no  good  purpose." 

"  However,  since  you  have  been  liberal  in  your 
instructions,  and  have  proffered  me  assistance,  I 
surely  cannot  trespass  when  I  state  that  I  shall  be 
very  much  obliged  if  you  will  give,  or  lend  me,  a 
couple  of  mice  from  your  store,  that  I  may  make  a 
comfortable  supper,  and  be  in  heart  to  practise  the 
whole  of  your  recommendations  to-morrow."  "  Hem !" 
said  the  Owl,  "  I  should  feel  pleasure  in  assisting 
you,  Sir — but — but  a  short  time  ago  I  made  a  loan  to 
a  relation  of  mine,  who  has  not  repaid  me ;  since 
which  I  have  vowed  never  to  lend  again.  As  to  mak- 
ing a  present,  you  must  excuse  me,  for  my  family 
is  large,  and  you  know  it  is  my  duty  to  provide  for 
them  —  'Charity  begins  at  home.' — So,  good 
bye.  But,  harkee  !  Should  you,  to-morrow,  chance 
on  a  fine  fat  snake  (of  which  I  am  dotingly  fond)  I 
will  barter  with  you  for  it  on  most  liberal  terms. " 

MORAL. 

Advice,  unfortunately,  is  generally  proffered  when 
other  help  can  alone  be  of  service.  Were  persons 
as  ready  to  offer  it  when  assistance  is  not  wanted, 
as  to  be  pragmatical  when  it  is — there  would  be 
honesty,  courage,  and  perhaps  kindness,  in  it.  The 
old  distich  says : — 

"  If  thou  hast  gold  to  lend,  he  is  thy  monied  friend, 
But,  if  thou  need'st  Jus  aidy  his  money's  in  his  trade." 


211 


FABLE  XLVIII. 

THE  FOX  AND  THE  PIG, 


A  Fox,  seeing  a  Pig  running  home  with  a  large 
marrow-bone  in  his  mouth,  felt  a  great  desire  for 
some  of  its  delicious  contents.  He  therefore  followed, 
in  hope  that  some  lucky  chance  would  help  him  to  a 
taste.  When  the  Pig  reached  his  sty,  he  rushed,  to 
get  in  in  safety  ;  but  the  two  ends  of  the  bone  struck 
against  the  door-posts  with  such  force  as  nearly  to 
break  the  Pig's  jaw  ;  he  tried  and  tried  again  to 
enter  with  the  bone  in  his  mouth,  but,  persevering 
without  altering  the  position  of  his  head,  he  could 
not  accomplish  it.  Reynard,  remarking  this,  said, "  My 
friend,  if,  instead  of  obstinately  persisting  to  go  in  head 
foremost,  you  will  turn  round,  and  back  in  sharply, 
you  will  find  no  difficulty."  The  silly  Pig  did  as  he 
was  artfully  advised,  and  with  violence  drove  the 
much  prized  marrow-bone  out  of  his  mouth — which 
the  Fox  in  a  moment  picked  up,  and  scampered  off 
with. 


MORAL. 


Perseverance  and  obstinacy,  although  they  resem- 
ble each  other,  are  very  different  in  their  operations  : 
the   one  seeks  the  object,  and   varies   the  mode  of 


212 


attaining  it,  according  to  circumstances  ;  whereas  the 
other,  having  the  same  object  in  view,  pugnaciously 
adheres  to  the  plan  first  adopted,  and  rejects  any 
other,  until  too  late.  Baffled,  half  ruined,  and  chap- 
fallen,  the  obstinate  man  is  very  liable  to  act  on  the 
most  foolish  suggestion,  and  to  ruin  himself  wholly : — 
an  artful  person  who  chooses  to  watch  his  humour 
can,  at  any  time,  make  a  prey  of  him. 


215 


FABLE  XLIX. 


THE  EAGLE  AND  THE  BIRDS. 


The  Eagle,  as  monarch  of  the  Birds,  at  last  grew 
so  tired  of  hearing  their  incessant  complaints,  and 
adjusting  the  quarrels  of  his  feathered  subjects,  that 
he  determined,  if  possible,  to  stop  their  propensity  to 
litigation  and  dissatisfaction  ;  he  therefore  moved  his 
abode  from  the  oak  to  the  summit  of  the  most  inac- 
cessible mountains,  and  deputed  the  Owl  to  be  his 
representative. 

The  Owl  contented  himself  with  receiving  their 
complaints  with  complacency  —  he  heard  all  the 
litigants  had  to  say  ;  but,  appropriating  only  a  few 
hours  daily  to  business,  and  weighing  too  cautiously 
the  speeches  as  well  as  the  evidence  on  both  sides 
— he  got  so  bewildered  that  a  decision  was  sel- 
dom given.  This  made  the  Birds  more  discontented 
than  ever,  and  they  besought  the  Eagle  again  to  be 
their  j  udge ;  who,  finding  his  first  intentions  frus- 
trated, consented,  on  condition  that  both  plaintiffs 
and  defendants  employed  Hawks  to  plead  their  suits 
before  him. — It  was,  however,  not  long  before  the 
litigants  found  out  that,  whether  successful  or  not, 
they  got  so  bepluckt  by  their  legal  friends,  that  their 


216 


love  of  law  subsided,  and  they  managed  to  settle 
their  future  disputes  amongst  themselves,  contented 
and  satisfied  with  their  sovereign. 

MORAL. 

Delay  in  law  is  certainly  grievous ;  but  whether 
cheap  law  would  add  to  the  happiness  of  the  people 
is  doubtful.  Indeed  it  is  a  question  whether  it  would 
not  stimulate  to  a  multiplication  of  law-suits.  Arbi- 
tration might  in  most  instances  be  resorted  to  as  the 
most  cheap,  prompt,  and  equitable  way  to  settle  dif- 
ferences, and  it  would  prove  satisfactory  in  nine  cases 
out  of  ten  to  the  honest  man,  if  the  arbitrators  were 
well  chosen. 


CvaCcksKanh 


219 


FABLE  L. 


THE  OLD  WOMAN  AND  THE  CAT. 


A  PENURIOUS  Old  Woman  had  long  begrudged 

her  Cat  his  daily  allowance  of  meat,  notwithstanding 

he  kept  her  house  so  free  from  vermin,  that  neither 

rat  or  mouse  dared   to  venture  near.     At  last  the  old 

hag  determined  to  drown  her  companion  and  faithful 

servant ;  but,  fortunately  for  poor  puss,  a  neighbour 

passed  by  at  the  time,  and   begged   him  from  the 

beldame.   It  was,  however,  not  long  before  her  abode 

swarmed  with  such  audacious  rats  that  no  sooner  did 

she  sit  down  to  a  meal  than  they  took  possession  of 

her  table  and  its  contents.     To  put  a  stop  to  such 

goings-on  she  hobbled  out  to  her  neighbour's — where, 

after    fondling    puss,  she    requested    him    to    come 

back  to  her  and  destroy  her  enemies,  promising  at  the 

same  time  to  treat  him  sumptuously  in  future.    "  No, 

no,"  said  the  Cat,  "  I've  had  enough  oi you. — When 

your  ends  were  served  you  deprived  me  of  food  and 

wanted  to  murder  me. — I  am  comfortable  where  I  am 

now,  and  my  services    are  liberally  rewarded.     You 

need  not  entice  me,  for  none  of  my  assistance  shall 

you  have,  depend  upon  it." 


220 


MORAL. 


Some  people  have  very  treacherous  memories,  or 
an  amazing  stock  of  impudence.  They  act  as  though 
a  few  fair  w^ords  were  sufficient  to  obUterate  injuries — 
and  some  persons  have  even  the  presumption  to  ask 
favours  from  those  they  have,  but  a  short  time  before, 
grossly  wronged — and  with  all  the  coolness  imagin- 
able ;  nay,  to  stare  with  astonishment  if  they  meet  a 
refusal. 


223 


FABLE  L[. 

THE  RUIN  AND  THE  IVY. 


The  last  remaining  castle-tower,  that  had  been  ivy- 
clad  for  ages,  at  length  mouldering  away,  dropped 
from  the  embraces  of  her  companion, — leaving  the 
Ivy,  strengthened  by  time,  erect  and  green  as  in 
youth.  Ere  it  became  but  a  heap  of  rubbish  it  thus 
pathetically  addressed  the  Ivy  :■ — "  When  first  you 
unceremoniously  climbed  my  walls,  I  was  displeased, 
and  considered  you  an  intruder  and  a  destroyer;  but 
the  experience  of  centuries  has  proved  you  to  be 
my  protector  from  the  north  wind  and  the  sup- 
port of  my  tottering  old  age.  You  have  not  only 
hidden  from  observation  the  inroads  time  has  made 
in  my  frame — but  you  have  been  my  ornament 
and  pride — and  will  remain  a  memorial  of  my  once 
stately  structure." 


MORAL. 


Education — which  in  childhood  is  forced  upon  us, 
and  to  which  in  youth  we  so  reluctantly  take — if  fol- 
lowed up  by  study,  becomes  the  honourable  pride  and 
pleasure  of  manhood  and,  the  ornament  of  our  old 


224 


age.     Its  emblem  is  the  Ivyy  and  it  will  be  our  most 
lasting  memorial. 

The  subject  of  the  foregoing  Fable  was  suggested 
by  the  ruins  of  Berkhampstead  Castle  a  few  years 
ago.  Stems  of  ivy  were  then  standing  more  than 
arm-thickf  and  thirty  or  forty  feet  high — at  the 
same  time  there  were  no  remains  of  the  baronial 
structure  to  which  they  had  once  clung,  save  only  a 
trifling  heap  of  rubbish. 


b.S 


2'2o 


ALPHABETICAL  INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Antelope  and  Tiger 

Engraved  by  Slader 

158 

Vignette 

Whimper 

160 

iEsop  and  Libertine 

D.  Dodd 

46 

Vignette 

Slader 

48 

Ass  and  Owl      . 

Lee 

154 

Bear  and  Guests 

Slader 

106 

Bee  and  Ant 

ditto 

166 

Bee,  Spider,  and  Tomtit 

.    Dorritigton 

42 

Vignette 

ditto 

44 

Boy  and  Rattlesnake 

ditto 

194 

Vignette 

.      Hart 

166 

Cat  and  Mouse 

.       D.  Dodd 

178 

Vignette 

ditto 

180 

Conceited  Crow 

Slader 

122 

Vignette 

Whimper 

124 

Cow  and  Farmer 

ditto 

162 

Vignette 

ditto 

164 

Cow  and  Goat 

Slader 

150 

Vignette 

ditto 

150 

CrcESus,  .^sop,  and  Solon     . 

ditto 

146 

Dancing  Bear 

ditto 

82 

Eagle  and  Birds 

.       D.  Dodd 

214 

Vignette 

ditto 

216 

Farmer  and  Pointer 

Hart 

110 

Vignette 

.     Slader 

112 

Fox  and  Pig 

ditto 

210 

Vignette 

D.  Dodd 

212 

Fox  and  Poultry  Yard 

Slader 

198 

226 


PAGE. 

Greyhound  and  Hare 

Engraved  by  Slader 

138 

Vignette 

Whimper 

140 

Hawk  and  Worm 

.     Slader 

190 

Hedgehog  and  Squirrel 

ditto 

114 

Vignette 

Whimper 

116 

Hog  and  Goat 

Bonner 

58 

Vignette 

Dorrington 

60 

Job  Horses 

Slader 

174 

Vignette 

D.  Dodd 

176 

Jupiter  and  Peacock 

Slader 

130 

Vignette 

ditto 

132 

Lady  and  Monkey 

.  Dorrington 

90 

Lady  and  Violet 

S.  Williams 

38 

Vignette 

.  Dorrington 

40 

Lion  and  Camel 

ditto 

34 

Lion  and  Jackal 

ditto 

126 

Miser  and  Plutus 

Slader 

70 

Monkey  and  Wasp 

ditto 

50 

Vignette     . 

D.  Dodd 

52 

Old  Woman  and  Cat 

Slader 

218 

Vignette     . 

Whimper 

220 

Old  Woman  and  Magpie 

Slader 

142 

Vignette     , 

ditto 

144 

Palfrey  and  Old  Horse 

.       D.  Dodd 

26 

Vignette 

.     Slader 

28 

Philosophic  Watchmaker     . 

ditto 

94 

Vignette 

Whimper 

96 

Printer,  Amanuensis,  and  Harper 

Bonner 

22 

Prometheus  and  Man 

.     Slader 

102 

Vignette 

Hart 

104 

Raven  and  Owl 

.     Slader 

206 

Ruin  and  Ivy 

.       D.  Dodd 

222 

Vignette 

.     Slader 

224 

Skylark  and  Owl      . 

.       D.  Dodd 

30 

Vignette 

Dor7ington 

32 

Stork  and  Jupiter 

Slader 

54 

Vignette 

D.  Dodd 

56 

227 


PAGE. 

Swallow  and  Sparrow 

.   Engraved  by  Dodd 

78 

Vignette 

ditto 

80 

Thistle  and  Wheat 

Sluder 

86 

Traveller  and  Gnat 

ditto 

118 

Truant  Ass 

S.  Williams 

134 

Tulip  and  Lavender 

.     Slader 

62 

Turnspit  and  Newfoundland  Dog 

ditto 

74 

Vignette 

Dorrington 

76 

Two  Bulls 

Slader 

170 

Vignette 

D.  Dodd 

172 

Two  Flies 

ditto 

66 

Vignette 

Dorrington 

68 

Village  Dogs 

Slader 

182 

Warrener  and  Ferret 

D.  Dodd 

186 

Vignette 

ditto 

188 

Yard-Dog  and  Fox 

Hart 

98 

Vignette 

Whimper 

100 

Young  Wild  Boar 

Slader 

202 

Vignette 

D.  Dodd 

204 

THE    BANQUET 

OF    THE 

SEVEN    SAGES, 

BY   PLUTARCH; 

Being  the  Relation  of  what  occurred  on  that  occasion  bij  Diodes,  a  priest 
of  Venus,  to  his  friend  Nicarchus. 


II 


The  company  present  at  the  Banquet. 


I 


Periander,  king  of  Corinth, 

Pittacus,  king  of  Lesbos, 

Solon, 

Thales,  /"  the  Seven  Wise  Men. 

Chilo, 

Cleobulus, 

Bias, 

Anacharsis,  a  Scythian. 

Mnesiphilus,  an  Athenian. 

^sop,  on  a  mission  from  Croesus. 

Cleodemus,  a  physician. 

Ardalus,  a  priest  of  the  Muses  and  a  minstrel. 

Chersias,  a  poet. 

Diodes,  priest  and  augur. 

Niloxenus,  on  a  mission  from  Amasis,  king  of  Egypt. 

Gorgias,  brother  to  Periander  and  naval  commander. 

Melissa,  queen  of  Corinth. 

Eumetis,  daughter  of  a  king  and  companion  to  Melissa. 


THE 


BANQUET  OF  THE  SEVEN  SAGES. 


Wonder  not,  my  friend  Nicarchus,  that  we  find  old  truths 
disguised,  and  the  words  and  actions  of  celebrated  men  grossly 
misrepresented,  since  we  see  how  readily  even  sensible  people 
give  ear  and  credit  to  the  fictions  of  but  yesterday.  Not  only 
were  there  seven  persons  present  at  the  Banquet  (as  you  were  in- 
formed), but  more  than  twice  that  number,  myself  being  one,  at 
the  invitation  of  Periander,  in  virtue  of  my  office  and  my  ac- 
quaintance with  the  king;  indeed,  it  was  at  his  request  thatThales 
sojourned  at  my  house.  Whoever,  therefore,  gave  you  that  account 
of  our  feast  must  have  founded  it  on  hearsay,  not  on  personal 
knowledge. 

Being  now  met  and  at  leisure,  and  as  we  may  perhaps  not  live 
to  have  a  more  fitting  opportunity,  I  will,  since  you  desire  it,  give 
you  a  faithful  account  of  the  whole  proceedings. 

Periander  had  invited  us  to  an  entertainment;  not  at  his  town 
palace,  but  at  his  country  residence  or  dormitory,  which  adjoined 
the  temple  dedicated  to  Venus,  to  whom  he  intended  on  that  day  to 
sacrifice,  not  having  so  done  since  the  death  of  his  mother,  seeking 
thereby  to  atone  for  the  long  omission  of  such  a  duty  :  and  to  this  he 
was  also  advised  by  the  dreams  of  Melissa,  his  queen.  It  was  the 
summer  season ;  and  the  road  to  die  sea-side  being  scarcely  passable, 
by  reason  of  the  great  throng  of  people  and  the  clouds  of  dust, 
chariots  were  ordered  to  attend  on  each  of  the  guests. 

As  soon  as  Thales  espied  the  chariots  in  attendance  at  my  door, 
he,  with  a  smile,  dismissed  tliem,  and  proposed  that  we  should  ac- 
company him  on  foot  by  the  field  way,  avoiding  thereby  the 
jostling,  noise,  and  dust.  There  was  in  our  company  a  third 
person,  Niloxenus  by  name,  an  eminent  man  of  Naucratis,  well 
known  to  both  Solon  and  Thales,  whose  acquaintanceship  he 
made  when  they  were  in  Egypt.     He  was  the  bearer  of  a  message 

B  2 


232 

and  a  sealed  packet  to  Bias  from  King  Araasis,  the  contents  of 
which  he  did  not  know,  but  surmised  that  it  contained  a  second 
question  to  be  resolved,  because  he  had  it  in  commission,  in  case 
Bias  declined  answering  it,  to  lay  it  before  the  wisest  men  in 
all  Greece. — "  What  a  fortunate  circumstance  it  is,"  said  Niloxe- 
nus,  "  that  you  should  be  all  about  to  meet !  for  the  packet  I 
bear  I  am  commanded  to  show  to  you  all,  singly  and  collectively." 
— Thales  observed,  in  his  wonted  smiling  manner,  "  If  it  contain 
any  thing  of  value,  away  with  it  to  Priene  :  Bias  will  solve  it  with 
the  same  facility  as  he  did  your  former  problem." — "  What  problem 
was  that?"  said  he. — "  Why,"  rejoined  Thales,  "  a  beast  was  sent 
him  for  sacrifice,  with  this  command,  *  That  he  should  return  that 
part  of  the  flesh  which  was  the  best  and  the  worst.''  Our  philoso- 
pher very  gravely  and  wisely  cut  out  the  tongue  of  the  animal,  and 
sent  it  to  the  donor,  which  single  act  procured  him  the  name  and 
reputation  of  a  very  wise  man." — "  It  was  not  that  act  alone 
which  raised  him  so  much  in  the  estimation  of  the  world,"  replied 
Niloxenus,  "  but  seeking  what  you  so  carefully  shun,  —  the 
acquaintance  and  friendship  of  kings  and  great  men.  King 
Amasis  certainly  honours  you  for  various  accomplishments ;  but  he 
more  particularly  admires  you  for  having,  with  so  little  labour,  and 
with  no  help  from  any  mathematical  instrument,  estimated  so  accu- 
rately the  height  of  one  of  the  pyramids ;  for,  by  only  fixing  your 
staff  perpendicularly  at  the  point  of  the  shadow  which  the  pyramid 
cast,  you  made  two  triangles,  and  demonstrated  that  the  proportion 
which  the  stick  bore  to  the  shadow  of  the  stick  the  pyramid  bore  to 
its  shadow.  But,  as  I  said,  owing  to  your  manner,  you  are  ac- 
cused of  being  a  hater  of  royalty  ;  and  some  false  friends  of  yours 
have  even  presented  to  Amasis  a  paper  full  of  reproachful  sen- 
tences towards  majesty,  as  spoken  by  you.  For  instance,  being 
asked  by  Molpagoras,  the  Ionian,  what  you  had  observed  as  most 
seldom  occurring,  you  are  stated  to  have  replied,  '  an  old  king* 
On  another  occasion,  when  a  dispute  arose  in  your  presence  about 
the  nature  of  animals,  you  affirmed,  that  of  wild  beasts  a  king, 
of  TAME  beasts  a  flatterer,  was  the  worst.  Such  apophthegms 
must  needs  be  unacceptable  to  kings,  who  maintain  that  there  is  a 
vast  difference  between  them  and  tyrants." — "  That  was  Pittacus's 
reply  to  Myrsilus,  and  it  was  spoken  in  jest,"  replied  Thales.  "As 
to  the  other,  I  did  not  say  an  old  king,  but  an  old  pilot. — The 
mistake  puts  me  in  mind  of  the  boy  who,  throwing  a  stone  at  a 
chienne,  hit  his  stepmother  instead,  saying,  '  n/i/  throxo  is  not  lost, 


233 

however ;'  and  I  am  much  of  the  youth's  opinion.  It  is  true  that 
I  esteemed  Solon  a  very  wise  and  good  man  from  the  moment  I 
understood  that  he  had  refused  empire;  and  so  I  should  Pittacus, 
had  he  never  exclaimed,  *  Oh  ye  gods,  how  hard  a  matter  it  is  to 
be  good r  And  Periander,  although  no  doubt  sick  of  his  father's 
disease,  is  much  to  he  commended  for  giving  ear  to  wholesome  re- 
monstrance, and  choosing  rather  the  conversation  of  wise  and  good 
men  than  the  advice  of  my  countryman  Thrasybulus,  who  would 
have  persuaded  him  to  chop  off  the  heads  of  the  noble,  that  he 
might  tyrannize  over  the  base.  A  prince  that  would  rather  govern 
slaves  than  freemen  is  like  the  foolish  farmer,  who  throws  his 
wheat  and  barley  into  the  street,  to  make  room  in  his  granary  for 
locusts  and  birds  ;  for  government  has  but  one  good  to  make 
amends  for  the  many  evils  attending  it;  namely,  honour  and 
glory.  When  good  men  select  a  person,  and  prefer  him  to  the 
throne,  because  he  has  no  equal  for  virtue  and  goodness, — and  when 
wise  men  elect  a  superior  to  rule  over  them, — then,  should  the 
elected  be  mindful  of  his  own  interest  and  ease  more  than  the  wel- 
fare of  his  subjects,  he  is  unworthy  of  his  high  office,  and  is 
better  fitted  to  tend  sheep,  drive  horses,  or  feed  cattle,  than  to  rule 
over  beings  endowed  with  reason.  But  this  our  visitor  has  insti- 
gated us  to  irrelevant  chat,  when  our  discourse  ought  to  be  suitable 
to  the  occasion  and  end  of  our  meeting ;  for  doubtless  it  behoves 
the  guest  as  well  as  the  host  to  make  some  preparation, 

"  It  is  reported,"  continued  Thales,  "  of  the  Sybarites,  that  when 
they  invited  their  neighbours  to  a  feast,  they  gave  their  wives  a  whole 
twelvemonth's  notice,  that  they  might  appear  appropriately  adorned ; 
and,  for  my  part,  I  am  of  opinion  that  much  preparation  is  required 
at  all  times,  if  we  would  acquit  ourselves  becomingly  at  an  enter- 
tainment ;  it  being  more  difficult  to  compose  the  mind  and  arrange 
the  thoughts  than  to  fit  and  select  our  dress.  For  a  sensible  man  goes 
not  to  a  banquet  to  gratify  his  appetite  for  choice  meats  and  wine, 
but  to  improve  and  be  improved  ;  to  be,  as  occasion  may  demand, 
sometimes  grave,  sometimes  merry;  sometimes  to  listen  attentively 
to  others,  at  other  times  to  be  the  discourser  of  what  may  instruct  or 
divert  the  company,  if  the  meeting  was  convened  for  any  good  pur- 
pose. Such  persons,  if  the  meats  please  not,  eat  sparingly ;  or,  if  the 
wine  is  not  of  the  best,  take  water :  but  it  is  otherwise  with  an  unpre- 
pared, weak,  unmannerly,  impertinent  fellow  ;  he  mars  both  mirth 
and  music,  and  spoils  the  best  of  entertainments.  It  is  also  un- 
pleasant to  be  in  the  company  of  one  of  a  sullen  temper ;  for  such 


234 

will  often  be  touchy,  even  in  his  cups,  and  will  construe  fun  into 
affront,  and  retain  hate  from  the  remembrance  of  a  supposed  pro- 
vocation, even  to  his  dying  day.  For  that  reason  Chilo  did  well 
and  wisely :  when  invited  to  a  feast,  he  would  not  promise  to  go 
until  he  was  made  acquainted  with  the  names  of  all  those  he  was 
to  meet;  'for,'  said  he,  'it  is  quite  sufficient  if  I  am  forced  to 
voyage  in  a  ship,  or  constrained  to  serve  in  the  wars,  that  I  be  con- 
tented with  the  company  I  fall  into,  be  it  ever  so  disagreeable  to 
my  nature  and  humour;  hui  voluntarily  and  needlessly  to  associate 
myself  with  riff-raff,  would  ill  become  a  man  pretending  only  to 
common  discretion/  The  Egyptian  custom  of  introducing  a 
mummy*  at  their  feasts,  with  this  advice,  *  Forget  not  in  your 
meniment  how  shortly  you  may  he  as  this  ! '  although  it  was  not  a 
very  agreeable  sight  (as  may  be  supposed),  yet  it  had  this  use  —  it 
tended  to  deter  them  from  luxury  and  drunkenness,  and  incite  them 
to  friendship ;  persuading  them  not  to  waste  a  life  at  best  short  and 
uncertain  by  a  course  of  wickedness." 

In  conversation  of  this  kind  we  shortened  the  way,  and  were  now 
arrived  at  the  mansion,  where  Thales  refused  to  wash,  having 
anointed  himself  previously  to  starting.  He  therefore  took  a  round 
to  the  race-course  and  wrestling-place,  and  the  grove,  which  is  by 
the  water-side,  and  which  had  been  recently  trimmed  and  beautified 
by  Periander.  This  he  did,  not  so  much  to  satisfy  curiosity  (for  he 
seldom  expressed  admiration  at  any  thing  he  saw),  but  to  compli- 
ment Periander,  and  not  seem  to  overlook  or  despise  the  glory  and 
magnificence  of  our  host.  All  the  rest,  after  washing  and  anointing, 
were  summoned  to  a  room  purposely  prepared  for  us.  The  ser- 
vant, in  conducting  us,  passed  by  the  porch,  where  we  found  Ana- 
charsis  seated,  and  a  certain  young  lady  combing  and  anointing  his 
hair.  The  lady,  recognizing  Thales,  stepped  forward  to  welcome 
him,  who  saluted  her,  and,  with  his  usual  smile,  said,  "  Madam, 
our  host,  who  is  by  nature  affable  and  obliging,  will  on  this  day, 
under  the  influence  of  your  good  company,  prove  himself  more 
agreeable  than  ever;  for  I  am  sure  that  no  frown  will  dare  intrude 
itself  where  you  are  present."  I  became  curious  to  know  who  the 
lady  might  be  whom  Thales  had  thus  complimented.  "  What !" 
said  he,  "  do  you  not  know  the  wise,  the  worthy,  and  high-born 
Eumetis?  for  so  her  father  calls  her,  though  others  name  her, 
after  him,  Cleobulina." — "  Doubtless,"  said  Niloxenus,  "  they  call 

*  Rather  a  model,    wbicli    passed    from   guest   to   guest. — Vide 
Herodotus. 


235 

her  so  from  the  celebrity  of  her  wit  and  judgment,  which  dives 
into  even  the  abstruse  and  recondite  parts  of  learning ;  for  I  myself 
have  heard  and  read,  even  in  Egypt,  problems  first  propounded  and 
discussed  by  lier  of  which  she  with  'reason  might  be  proud." — 
"  Not  so,"  said  Thales  ;  ''  for  she  uses  her  wit  as  men  do  dice,* — 
flinging  it  amongst  all  she  meets,  without  study  or  premeditation. 
She  is  a  young  lady  of  admirable  understanding,  of  a  politic, 
capacious  mind;  most  pleasing  in  conversation;  and  who  has 
used  her  rhetoric  and  sweetness  of  temper  to  prevail  on  her 
father  to  govern  his  subjects  with  the  greatest  mildness.  How 
unostentatious  she  is  may  be  drawn  from  the  elegant  simplicity 
of  the  dress  she  wears." — "  But  pray,"  continued  Niloxenus, 
"why  does  she  show  such  marked  attention  towards  Anacharsis?" 
"  Because,"  replied  Thales,  "she  is  a  lover  of  knowledge,  and 
he  is  a  temperate  and  learned  man,  who  fully  and  freely  makes 
known  to  her  the  wisdom  of  his  country  on  the  subjects  of  diet  and 
physic,  and  the  treatment  of  sick  persons,  as  practised  in  Scythia ; 
and  I  have  no  doubt  the  kindness  she  is  now  showing  to  the  old 
gentleman  will  gain  her  the  information  she  seeks." 

As  we  passed  by  the  banqueting  room  we  met  Alexidemus,  the 
illegitimate  son  of  Thrasybulus,  the  tyrant  of  Miletus,  rushing  out, 
evidently  much  disturbed,  and  muttering  some  words  which  were 
indistinct  to  me ;  but  seeingThales  he  recovered  himself  a  little,  and 
complained  that  Periander  had  passed  an  unpardonable  affront  on 
him.  "He  would  not  permit  me  to  sail,  although  I  earnestly  impor- 
tuned him  ;  but,  forsooth,  I  must  accept  his  invitation  to  the  ban- 
quet :  and  now  that  I  am  come,  I  find  the  seat  appointed  for  me  de- 
grading to  my  high  rank.  Cohans  and  islanders  and  nobody  knows 
who,  are  placed  above  me  !  whence  his  intention  plainly  is  to 
treat  my  father  meanly  by  the  disrespect  he  would  show  towards 
his  son."  "  Say  you  so  ?  "  said  Thales  :  "what !  are  you  afraid  that 
the  place  will  diminish  the  lustre  or  worth  of  the  person,  as  the 
Egyptians  fancy  the  stars  themselves  increase  or  lessen  according 
to  their  positions,  whether  in  the  upper  or  lower  part  of  the 
sphere?  what!  will  you  show  less  wisdom  than  the  Spartan  who, 
masking  his  dislike  to  the  director  of  the  music  for  placing  him  on 
the  lowest  seat  in  the  choir,  said,  'This  is  wisely  done,  for  it  is 
the  best  plan  he  could  have  adopted  to  render  this  a  seat  of  repute 
and  esteem  for  the  future  V  It  is  of  trifling  consideration  where  or 
below  whom  we  sit,  so  that  we  adapt  ourselves  to  the  comfort  and 

*  Most  probably  a  sort  of  sweetmeat,  made  in  the  form  of  dice. 


236 

entertainment  of  our  right  and  left-hand  neighbours  and  the  com- 
pany in  general,  that  we  may  appear  worthy  their  friendship  :  not 
showing  pettishness  towards  the  host;  for,  after  all,  he  who  is  dis- 
turbed on  account  oi place  passes  the  greatest  affront  on  those  who 
are  his  immediate  companions."  "  It  is  all  very  well  for  you  to  say 
so,  but  I  have  remarked  that  even  you,  who  are  one  of  the  most 
wise  and  moderate  of  men,  have  an  ample  share  of  ambition." 
Thales,  seeing  us  somewhat  astonished  at  the  youth's  insolence, 
declared  thathe  wasnaturally  of  astupid,  wayward,  dogged  temper, 
that  when  he  was  but  a  boy  he  took  a  parcel  of  costly  perfume  that 
had  been  presented  to  Thrasybulus,  poured  it  into  a  bowl,  and 
mixing  a  quantity  of  wine  with  it,  drank  it  off": — he  was  ever 
disliked.  As  Thales  was  talking  in  this  fashion,  a  servant  came 
in,  and  informed  us    that  it  was   Periander's    pleasure   that  we 

should  join   him When   we   entered    the  banqueting 

hall,  Thales,  raising  his  voice,  enquired  for  the  seat  refused  hy 
AlexidemuSy  which  being  pointed  out,  he  placed  himself  in  it,  re- 
questing us  to  sit  beside  him  ;  "  and,"  said  he, "  I  would  purchase 
with  money  if  necessary,  the  pleasure  of  sitting  near  and  eating 
with  Ardalus."*  This  Ardalus  was  a  Troezenian  by  birth ;  by 
profession  a  minstrel,  and  a  priest  of  the  Ardalian  Muses,  to  whom 
old  Ardalus  had  founded  and  dedicated  a  temple,  ^^sop,  who 
was  sent  by  Crcesus  to  visit  Periander,  and  also  to  consult  the 
oracle  at  Delphi,  sat  by,  and  lower  than  Solon,  and  told  the  com- 
pany this  Fable.f 

"  A  Lydian  mule,  viewing  his  own  form  in  a  river,  admired  the 
size  and  beauty  of  his  body;  and  raising  his  crest  he  waxed  proud, 
resolving  to  imitate  the  horse  in  his  gait  and  fleetness,  but  presently 
recollecting  his  base  extraction, — that  his  father  was  but  an  ass  at 
best,  he  stops  his  career  and  checks  his  haughtiness." 

Chilo  replied  after  this  abrupt  manner  ; — "You  are  yourself  slow, 
and  therefore  mulish."  Amidst  this  conversation  Melissa  came 
in,  and  sat  herself  beside  Periander :  Eumetis  followed  shortly  after. 
Supper  having  commenced,  Thales  calling  to  me  (I  had  seated 
myself  above  Bias)  said  "  Why  do  you  not  inform  Bias  that  there 
are  again  certain  problems  sent  him  from  King  Amasis  by  Niloxe- 
nus  that  he  may  warily  weigh  them  ?"  Bias  answered  t/iat  he  had 
been  aheady  scared  by  the  news.     "  I  have  known,"  continued  he, 

*  The  person  whose  company  had  more  particularly  affronted  the 
young  Milesian. 

t  Alluding  proba})ly  to  Alexidemus. 


237 

"  Bacchus  to  be  termed  the  ^  Powerful,'  and  for  his  wisdom  the 
*  Interpreter.'  I  shall  therefore  with  your  permission  postpone  the 
undertaking  until  I  have  more  wine."  Thus  they  jested  and  in- 
dulged in  repartee  all  the  time  the  table  remained.  Observing 
the  unwonted  frugality  displayed  by  Periander  on  this  occa- 
sion, I  said  to  myself,  The  entertainment  of  the  wise  and  virtuous 
is  even  good  husbandry  ;  for,  so  far  from  increasing  a  man's  ex- 
penses, it  in  truth  serves  to  lessen  the  usual  expenditure  ;  to  wit, 
the  charge  of  foreign  unguents  and  the  waste  of  costly  wines  in  which 
Periander's  state  and  greatness  require  him  daily  to  be  profuse. 
Such  being  here  useless,  Periander  shows  his  wisdom  in  his  fru- 
gality. Moreover  his  queen  had  laid  aside  her  robes  and  ap- 
peared in  a  simple  but  very  becoming  dress.  Supper  being  now 
ended, Melissa  distributed  the  garlands,  and  we  offered  libations,  after 
which  the  minstrel  played  a  tune  or  two.  Ardalus  then  enquired 
of  Anacharsis  whether  there  were  female  musicians  in  Scythia  : 
he  replied  smartly,  "  there  are  no  vines  there.''  Ardalus  asked  a 
second  question,  "whether  the  Scythians  had  any  gods." — "  Yes," 
replied  Anacharsis,  "  and  they  understand  what  men  sai/  to  them  ; 
for  we  Scythians  are  not  of  opinion  with  the  Grecians  (however 
they  may  be  the  better  orators)  that  the  gods  are  more  pleased 
with  the  sounds  of  pipes  and  flutes  than  the  voices  of  men."  "  My 
friend,"  said  ^ILsop,  "  what  would  you  say  were  you  to  see  our 
present  pipe- waA'ers  abandon  the  bones  of  the  fawn  to  use  throse  of 
the  ass,  affirming  that  they  yield  a  sweeter  and  more  melodious 
sound  ?  therefore  the  music  Cleobulus  elicited  from  his  Phrygian 
pipe  (they  say)  did  so  powerfully  affect  the  very  beasts  that  they 
listened  to  him  with  attention  and  admiration.  One  would  wonder 
that  the  ass  being  so  impure  an  animal,  and  no  lover  of  music, 
should  yet  afford  bones  so  fitted  for  harmony."  "  It  is,  doubtless," 
said  Niloxenus,  "  for  that  reason  the  Egyptians  accuse  us  Naucra- 
tians  of  folly  for  using  pipes  made  from  asses'  bones  ;  it  being  an 
insufferable  transgression  in  any  of  them  to  listen  to  our  flute  or 
cornet,  saying  that  the  sound  thereof  is  like  the  braying  of  an  ass  ; 
but  you  must  know  the  ass  is  hateful  to  the  Egyptians  ever  since 
the  affair  of  Typhon." 

There  happened  now  a  short  silence ;  when  Periander,  observing 
a  willinonessbut  diffidence  on  the  part  of  Niloxenus  to  speak,  said, 
"  I  cannot  but  admire  the  correct  civility  of  those  persons  who  give 
audience  first  to  the  stranger  and  afterwards  to  their  own  citizens  : 
wherefore  I  judge  it  expedient  that  we  suspend   our  present  con- 


238 

versalion,  and  tliat  attention  be  given  to  those  royal  propositions 
sent  to  us  from  Egypt,  which  the  worthy  Niloxenus  is  commissioned 
to  deliver  to  Bias,  that  he  and  we  may  examine  them  together: 
for  where,  or  in  what  company,  would  a  man  more  joyfully  adven- 
ture an  opinion  than  in  this  ?  and  since  it  is  his  Egyptian  Majesty's 
pleasure  that  I  should  give  judgment  first,  in  obedience  to  his 
request  I  do  so."  Then  Niloxenus  delivered  the  packet  to 
Bias,  who  broke  the  seal  and  gave  it  to  be  read  aloud  :  the  con- 
tents were — 

"  Amasis  the  king  of  Egypt  to  Bias  the  wisest  of  the  Greeks, 
health.  There  is  a  contest  between  my  brother  of  Ethiopia  and 
myself;  and  he,  being  baffled  in  divers  particulars,  now  demands 
of  me  a  very  absurd  and  impracticable  thing — for  he  requires  me 
to  drink  up  the  ocean.  If  I  be  able  to  solve  this  riddle,  many 
cities  and  towns  now  in  his  possession  are  to  be  annexed  to  my 
kingdom  ; — but  if  I  should  not  resolve  this  hard  sentence,  and  give 
him  the  right  meaning,  he  requires  of  me  to  renounce  my  right  to 
all  towns  bordering  on  Elephantina.  Consider  with  speed  the 
premises  and  let  me  receive  your  thoughts  by  Niloxenus  :  pray  lose 
no  time. — If  in  any  thing  I  can  be  serviceable  to  your  city, 
relations,  or  allies,  you  may  command  me.     Farewell !" 

Bias  having  perused,  and  for  a  short  time  meditated  on  the  Letter, 
whispered  something  to  Cleobulus  who  sat  by  him. — "  What 
a  narration  is  here,  O  Niloxenus !  will  Amasis,  who  governs  so 
many  men,  and  possesses  so  flourishing  a  country,  attempt  to  drink 
up  the  ocean  for  the  paltry  gain  of  a  few  villages?" — Niloxenus 
replied  with  a  smile,  "  consider,  good  Sir!  what  may  be  done." — 
"  Why  then,"  said  Bias,  "  let  Amasis  require  that  the  Ethiopian 
king  as  a  preliminary  step  do  dam  up  the  streams  that  from  all 
parts  flow  and  empty  themselves  into  the  ocean,  until  he  shall  have 
drunk  it  dry  ;  for  he  must  of  course  mean  the  present  waters,  not 
those  that  are  continually  flowing  in." — Niloxenus  was  so  overjoyed 
at  this  answer  that  he  embraced  and  kissed  Bias  ; — the  whole  com- 
pany joined  in  his  opinion;— and  Chilo,  laughing,  recommended  Ni- 
loxenus to  go  immediately  on  board  ship  while  yet  there  was  water 
enough — and  to  tell  his  master  to  be  more  attentive  to  the  good 
government  of  his  people  than  how  he  should  swallow  a  quantity 
of  salt  water.  "Bias  understands  these  things  well,  and  how  to 
oblige  your  lord  with  very  useful  instructions,  which  if  he  vouch- 
safe to  attend  to  he  will  no  longer  find  it  necessary  to  wash  his  feet 
in  a  golden  vessel  that  his  subjects  n)ay  stand  in  awe  of  him  ; — 


239 

for  then  they  will  love  and  honour  him  for  his  virtues,  even  were  he 
ten  thousand  times  more  ugly  than  he  now  is." — "It  were  M'ell 
and  worthily  done,"  said  Periander,  "  if  all  of  us  did  offer  him 
our  first  fruits  in  this  kind  (as  Homer  said)  :  such  a  course 
would  bring  him  an  accession  of  knowledge,  but  the  honour  would 
be  chiefly  ours." 

"And  it  is  fitting  that  Solon  should  speak  first,"  said  Chilo, 
"  not  only  ^because  he  is  the  oldest  in  the  company,  and  therefore  sits 
uppermost  at  the  table,  but  because  he  governs  and  gives  laws  to 
Athens, — the  most  complete  and  flourishing  republic  in  the 
world."  Here  Niloxenus  whispered  in  my  ear,  "  O  Diodes  !  how 
many  reports  fly  about  and  are  believed — and  how  some  men  de- 
light in  lies,  either  fabricating  them  themselves  or  greedily  swal- 
lowing them  from  the  mouths  of  others  !  for  in  Egypt,  but  now,  I 
heard  it  reported  that  Chilo  had  renounced  all  friendship  and  cor- 
respondence with  Solon,  because  he  maintained  the  mutability  of 
laws." — "  A  ridiculous  fiction,"  I  rejoined,  "  for  then  he  and  we 
must  have  renounced  Lycurgus,  who  changed  the  laws  and  govern- 
ment of  Sparta !" 

Solon,  after  a  pause,  gave  his  opinion  in  these  words,  "  I 
conceive  that  monarch,  %\hether  king  or  tyrant,  were  infinitely  to 
be  commended  who  would  exchange  his  monarchy  for  a  common- 
wealth." Bias  subjoined,  "  and  would  be  first  and  foremost  in 
conforming  to  the  laws  of  his  country." — Thales  added,  "  I  reckon 
that  prince  happy  who  dies  of  a  good  old  age  and  of  a  natural 
death  in  his  own  bed."  "  If  he  be  a  wise  man  ;''  said  Anachar- 
sis. — Cleobulus,  "  If  he  trust  neither  courtier  nor  favourite,  nor  even 
his  council  too  much." — "  And,"  continued  Pittacus,  "  If  his  sub- 
jects bear  greater  love  to  his  person  than  fear  for  his  power." — 
Lastly,  Chilo  concluded  thus,  "A  magistrate  of  such  high  dignity, 
should  have  thoughts,  purposes,  and  resolutions  suitable  to  his 
greatness ;  not  mean  and  creeping,  but  high  as  his  place ; — di- 
vine, immortal."  When  they  had  all  given  their  judgments 
upon  that  point,  we  requested  Periander  that  he  would  give  the 
company  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  his  thoughts  on  the  subject; — 
flurry  and  discontent  appeared  on  his  countenance :  "  These  opi- 
nions," said  he,  "  are  enough  to  scare  any  wise  man  from  affecting 
rule  !" — "  These  things,"  said  ^sop,  addressing  the  company  after 
his  sarcastic  way,  "  ought  rather  to  have  been  discussed  amongst 
ourselves,  lest  we  be  accounted  antimonarchical  whilst  we  de- 
sire to   be  esteemed  as    friends   and   loyal  counsellors." — Solon, 


240 

gently  tapping  him  on  the  shoulder  and  smiling,  said,  "  Do  you 
not  perceive  the  aim  of  our  friends  is  to  persuade  the  king  to  mo- 
deration, and  to  become  an  agreeable  tyrant,  or  not  to  reign  rather 
than  to  reign  ill  ?" — "  Then  we  must  believe  you  before  the  ora- 
cle," said  iEsop,  "  who  pronounced  that  city  happy  which  had  but 
07ie  common  crier  in  it !" — "  Yes,"  replied  Solon,  "  and  Athens, 
though  now  a  commonwealth,  hath  but  one  common  crier,  and  that 
is  the  law,  although  the  government  is  democratical.  But  you,  my 
friend,  have  been  so  accustomed  to  the  croaking  of  ravens  and  the 
prating  of  jays,  that  you  forget  your  own  right  reason."  ^sop 
replied,  "  It  should  seem  so  in  him  who  maintains  that  it  is  the 
happiness  of  a  city  to  be  under  the  command  of  one  man  only,  and 
yet  accounts  it  praiseworthy  at  a  feast  that  liberty  be  allowed  to 
every  man  to  speak  his  mind  freely  upon  what  subject  he  pleases." 
— "  Why,  you  have  not  prohibited  drunkenness  in  your  servants, 
though  you  have  forbidden  them  the  use  of  ointments  !"  Solon 
laughed  at  this: — iE.sop  proceeded. — Thales  showed  indications 
of  weariness. — Periander,  laughing,  said,  "  We  suffer  deservedly  ; 
for  before  we  have  perfected  our  remarks  on  the  Letter,  we  have 
permitted  discussion  on  matters  strangely  foreign  to  the  subject. 
I  therefore  pray  you,  Niloxenus,  to  read  aloud  the  remainder  of 
your  lord's  letter." — "  The  command  of  the  king  of  Ethiopia  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than,  to  use  Archilochus's  phrase,  'inscrutable 
if  not  ridiculous ;' — but  our  king  was  more  consistent  with  sense  in 
his  questions,  for  he  commanded  him  merely  to  resolve  what  was 
most  ancient,  most  beautiful,  greatest,  wisest,  most  common,  and 
withal  most  profitable,  most  pernicious,  most  strong,  and  most  easy." 
"Did  he  resolve  every  one  of  these  questions?"  said  Periander. 
"  He  did,"  replied  Niloxenus ;  "  and  do  you  judge  of  the  sound- 
ness of  his  answers  ;  for  it  is  my  prince's  purpose  not  to  condemn 
where  he  can  praise,  nor  to  suffer  error  to  pass  without  correc- 
tion. The  answers  to  the  aforesaid  questions  I  will  now  read 
to  you  : — '  What  is  most  ancient  ?  Time.  What  is  the  greatest  ?  The 
World.  What  is  wisest?  Truth.  What  is  most  beautiful?  The 
Light.  What  is  the  most  common?  Death.  What  is  most  profita- 
ble? God.  What  is  most  pernicious?  An  evil  Genius.  What  is 
strongest?  Fortune.  What  is  most  easy?  That  which  is  most 
pleasant.^ " 

When  Niloxenus  had  read  the  answers,  a  short  silence  ensued  : 
— at  length  Thales  desired  Niloxenus  to  inform  him  if  Amasis 
approved  of  the  answers.     Niloxenus  said,  "he  approves  of  some 


241 

and  dislikes  others."  "There  is  not  one  of  them  sound,"  replied 
Thaies :  "  all  are  woefully  incorrect.  As  for  instance,  how 
can  that  be  most  ancient  whereof  a  part  is  past,  a  part  is  present, 
and  a  part  is  to  co?ne?  As  to  his  answer  that  truth  is  the 
most  wise  thing,  it  is  only  judging  by  halves,  it  is  as  when 
he  judges  of  light  by  shutting  one  eye  and  staring  upwards  with 
the  other,  which  causing  him  to  overlook  the  world,  he  affirms  that 
light  is  the  most  beautiful/  As  to  his  solutions  concerning  the  Gods 
and  men,  good  or  evil  genii,  they  are  full  of  presumption  and 
peril.  What  he  says  of  Fortune  is  void  of  sense ;  for  her  incon- 
stancy proceeds  from  want  of  power : — nor  is  Death  the  most 
common  thing — the  living  are  still  at  liberty,  it  hath  not  arrested 
them.  But,  lest  we  be  censured  as  men  that  have  the  faculty  of 
finding  fault  only,  we  will  lay  dow^n  our  opinions  of  these  things 
opposed  to  those  of  the  Ethiopian ;  and  I  offer,  if  it  pleases  Niloxe- 
nus,  to  give  my  opinion  first  on  each  question  in  the  order  in 
which  they  were  read  to  us. 

1.  What  is  most  ancient?     God;  for  he  had  no  beginning. 

2.  What  is  greatest?  Space;  the  world  contains  all  other  things; 
that  surrounds  the  world. 

3.  What  is  most  beautiful  ?  The  World;  for  whatever  is  framed 
by  art  or  method  is  but  part  and  parcel  of  it. 

4.  W' hat  is  most  wise  ?  Time,  for  it  has  found  out  many  things 
already,  and  it  will  find  out  the  rest  hereafter. 

5.  What  is  most  common?  Hope,  for  they  that  are  in  want  of 
every  thing  else  have  it. 

6.  What  is  most  profitable  ?  Virtue;  for  by  a  right  manage- 
ment of  things  she  makes  them  most  beneficial  and  advantageous. 

7.  What  is  most  pernicious  ?  Vice ;  for  it  depraves  the  best  of 
our  enjoyments. 

8.  What  is  the  most  strong?  Necessity ;  for  that  alone  is  insu- 
perable. 

9.  What  is  most  easy  ?  That  which  is  most  agreeable  to  nature  ; 
for  pleasures  themselves  are  often  tedious  and  nauseating." 

All  the  company  approved  the  solutions  offered  by  Thaies  : — 
Then  said  Cleodemus,  "  My  friend  Niloxenus,  it  well  becomes 
kings  to  propound  and  resolve  such  questions  as  these;  but  to 
one  so  insolent  as  the  barbarian  has  proposed,  such  an  answer 
should  be  given  as  the  repartee  Pittacus  returned  to  Alyattes,  who 
sent  a  haughty  letter  to  the  Lesbians — '  Your  time  would  be 
better  employed  in  eating  hot  bread  and  garlick  !'  " 


242 

Periander  here  assumed  the  discourse.  "  It  was  the  manner  of 
the  ancient  Grecians,  O  Cleodemus,  to  propound  doubts  to  each 
other ;  and  we  are  told  that  the  most  eminent  poets  used  to  meet 
at  the  tomb  of  Amphidamus  in  Chalcis,  where  Homer  and  Hesiod's 
excellency  was  pre-eminent,  and,  their  questions  being  propounded 
in  verse,  the  difficulty  of  solution  became  increasingly  hidden. — 
At  length  they  dwindled  into  such  riddles  as  this,  '  Tell  me,  muse, 
what  those  things  are  which  never  were,  nor  ever  will  be  ;'  which 
so  vexed  Homer  that,  to  put  an  end  to  such  puerilities,  he  gave 
this  solution — 

"  When  the  fiery,  thunder-sounding,  trumpet 

"  Nostrill'd  steeds,  straining  for  victory,  shall 

"  Smash  their  chariots  at  the  tomb  of  ever-living  Jove." 

For  this  reply,  which  was  infinitely  commended,  the  Oracle  pro- 
nounced him  chief  of  poets." 

"  Pray  tell  me,"  said  Cleodemus,  "  what  difference  there  is 
between  such  riddles  and  those  of  Eumetis,  whicli  for  her  amuse- 
ment slie  invents  with  as  much  facility  as  other  maids  make  nets 
and  girdles  ?  They  may  be  fit  to  puzzle  women  withal^  but  for 
men  to  cudgel  their  brains  to  find  out  the  mystery  is  truly  ri- 
diculous." Eumetis  was  evidently  hurt,  for  a  blush  suffused  her 
cheek,  and  she  looked  as  if  inclined  to  reply,  but  her  modest 
feelings  restrained  her :  which  iEsop  remarking  took  on  himself 
her  vindication,  by  asking  "  whether  it  were  not  more  ridiculous 
that  none  could  resolve  the  riddle  she  propounded  to  us  previous 
to  the  supper.  I  will  repeat  it  to  you,"  said  he,  *'  that  you  may 
guess : — 

•'  *  T  saw  five  glittering   spears   of  brass  enter  by  fire  a  hero's 

shoulder  :  — 
You'd  think  him  kill'd  in  such  a  case,  whereas  he  livelier  grew, — 

and  bolder  ! ' 

there  now, — solve  it,  for  to  you  it  must  of  course  be  easy." — 
"  Truly,"  said  Cleodemus,  "  the  knowledge  of  it  can  profit  me 
nothing."  "  And  yet,"  replied  iEsop,  "  no  man  understands  the  matter 
better,  or  practises  with  the  answer  more  judiciously  and  success- 
fully than  yourself,  which  if  you  doubt,  I  have  a  witness  ready  in 
your  *  cupping  apparatus.''  "  Cleodemus  laughed  outright,  for 
of  all  the  physicians  in  his  time  none  were  so  successful  in  the 
application  thereof. 

Mnesiphilus  the  Athenian,  a  friend  and  favourite  with  Solon, 


243 

said,  "  O  Periander,  our  discourse,  as  our  wine,  ought  to  be  dis- 
tributed, not  according  to  power  or  priority,  but  freely  and  equally, 
as  in  a  popular  state ;  for  what  has  been  already  discussed  has 
concerned  only  kingdoms  and  empires,  and  is  of  little  interest  to 
us  who  live  under  a  democracy.  I  therefore  propose  that  every 
one  present  should  freely  and  impartially  declare  his  opinion  of  a 
popular  government,  and  let  Solon  be  the  judge  and  take  the  lead." 
The  motion  pleased  the  whole  party.  Then  said  Solon,  "  My 
friend  Mnesiphilus,  you  have  heard,  together  with  the  rest  of  this 
good  company,  my  opinion  concerning  republics,  but,  since  you 
wish  to  hear  it  again,  I  will  repeat  it.  I  hold  that  city  or  state 
happy,  and  the  safety  thereof  much  secured,  in  which  as  well 
those  who  are  not  injured  as  those  who  are  come  forward  to  correct 
wrong-doers." 

Bias  said,  "  where  all  fear  the  law  as  they  would  fear  a  tyrant." 

Thales. — "  Where  the  citizens  are  neither  too  rich  nor  too  poor." 

Anacharsis. — "  Where,  although  in  other  respects  they  are  equal, 
yet  the  virtuous  only  are  advanced,  and  the  vicious  degraded." 

Cleobulus. — "  Where  the  rulers  fear  reproof  and  shame  more 
than  the  law." 

Pittacus, — "  Where  upright  men  only  are  elected  to  places  of 
power,  and  evil  men  prohibited;  and  where  the  first  indication  of 
injustice  or  delinquency  is  punished  by  degradation." 

Chilo  (after  a  pause)  said,  that  the  best  and  most  durable 
state  was  where  the  subject  minded  more  the  law  than  the  lawyers 
and  orators. 

Periander  concluded  with  this  opinion, — that  that  was  the  best 
democracy  which  approached  neai'est  to  an  aristocracy. 

This  discourse  having  ended,  I  begged  they  would  condescend 
to  direct  how  a  house  should  be  managed,  inasmuch  as  there 
were  few  who  had  cities  or  kingdoms  to  govern  compared  with 
those  who  had  houses  and  families. 

^sop  laughingly  said,  "  I  hope  you  except  Anacharsis ;  for  he 
has  no  house,  and  is  contented  with  a  car,  in  imitation  of  the  sun  : 
for  he  and  his  countrymen  say  that  the  sun  is  whirled  about  the 
heavens  in  a  chariot."  "  Therefore,"  said  Anacharsis,  "  he  alone 
or  he  principally  enjoys  the  most  liberty  amongst  the  Gods.  He 
governs  all  and  is  subject  to  none.  He  rides  and  reigns ;  and  did 
you  form  an  adequate  judgment  of  his  magnificent  capacious  cha- 
riot, you  would  not  vilify  it  by  a  comparison  with  our  Scythian  cars. 
Or  pride  yourself  on  possessing  a  wood  and  mud  house,  as  one 


244 

'who  might  call  the  shell  and  not  the  living  animal  a  '  snail  !' 
from  the  same  cause  you  laughed  when  Solon  told  you  that  the 
sight  of  the  palace  and  its  sumptuous  furniture  was  not  sufficient 
to  furnish  an  opinion  as  to  whether  Croesus  was  happy  or  not,  but 
that  it  was  necessary  to  examine  the  mind  of  the  possessor :  for  a 
man's  happiness  does  not  consist  in  the  outward  and  visible  favours 
of  fortune,  but  in  the  inward  and  unseen  contentment  and  riches  of 
the  mind — indeed  you  seem  to  have  forgotten  your  own  fable  of 
the  Fox,  who  contending  with  the  Leopard  requested  the  umpire 
not  to  judge  by  outside  appearances,  for  that  he  had  more  cunning 
tricks  in  his  head  than  the  other  had  spots  on  his  skin.  You 
seem  to  estimate  only  the  craft  of  the  carpenter  and  the  mason, 
calling  their  handy  work  a  house — not  that  which  is  within  :  the  chil- 
dren, his  wife,  his  friends,  and  attendants;  with  whom,  if  a  man  lived 
in  a  cart  or  a  tent,  enjoying  the  ordinary  comforts  of  life  in  peace, 
that  man  may  be  affirmed  to  live  a  happy  and  fortunate  life.  This 
is  my  answer  to  iEsop,  and  I  tender  it  to  Diodes  as  ray  share  in 
the  discussion." 

Solon  thought  that  house  most  happy  where  the  income  was 
obtained  without  injustice,  kept  without  distrust,  and  spent  with- 
out remorse. 

Bias. — "That  house  is  happy  where  the  master  voluntarily  does 
what  the  law  would  else  compel  him  to  do." 

Thales  held  that  house  to  be  most  happy  where  the  master  had 
most  leisure  or  respite  from  business. 

Cleobulus,  "  That  in  which  the  master  is  more  beloved  than 
feared." 

Pittacus,  "  That  is  most  happy  where  superfluities  are  not  re- 
quired, and  necessaries  are  not  wanting." 

Chilo  added,  "  That  house  is  most  happy  whose  peace  is  not 
disturbed  by  divers  masters,  but  where  one  only  rules  as  a  monarch 
does  in  a  kingdom  :"  and  he  continued,  "  When  a  certain  Lace- 
daemonian requested  Lycurgus  to  establish  a  democracy  in  their 
city,  '  go  you  my  friend,'  said  he,  '  and  try  the  experiment  first  in 
your  own  house  I'  " 

When  they  had  all  given  in  their  opinions,  Melissa  and  Eumetis 
withdrew.  Then  Periander  called  for  a  large  bowl  of  wine  and 
drank  to  Chilo.  Chilo  pledged  him  and  drank  to  Bias.  Ardalus 
standing  up  called  to  iEsop,  saying,  "  Will  you  not  pass  the  cup 
to  your  friends,  but  retain  it  at  your  end  as  if  it  were  Bathycles's 
cup  ?"     ''  The  cup  appears,"  replied  iEsop,  "  to  be  no  public  cup, 


245 

although  it  has  stood  so  long  by  Solon.''  Then  Pittacus,  calling 
to  Mnesiphilus,  "  why  does  not  Solon  drink,  but  act  thus  in  con- 
tradiction to  his  own  verses  ? 

"  '  I  love  the  rubv  god  whose  blessings  flow,'  "  &c. 

Anacharsis  subjoined,  "  he  fears  i/our  severe  law,  my  friend 
Pittacus,  wherein  you  decree  double  punishment  to  the  drunkard !" 
"  You  seem  not,  however,  to  fear  the  penalty,  since  you  would 
break  thatlawnow,  as  you  have  done  heretofore  even  in  my  presence, 
and  then  demanded  the  '  crown.'  "  "  Why  not,"  said  Anacharsis, 
"  if  a  reward  is  promised  to  the  hardest  drinker  ?  Why  should 
I  not  demand  the  reward,  having  drunk  down  all  my  fellow^s  ? 
You  perhaps  can  inform  me  what  end  a  man  has  in  view  in  drink- 
ing deep,  if  it  be  not  to  get  drunk."  Pittacus  laughed  at  the  reply, 
and  Ji,sop  communicated  this  fable — "  A  wolf,  seeing  a  number 
of  shepherds  in  a  tent  feeding  heartily  off  a  lamb,  approached  them 
and  said,  '  what  a  bustle  and  uproar  you  would  make  were  I  to 
attempt  doing  what  you  now  do  !' "  "Ah,"  said  Chilo,  "  TEsop  has 
very  justly  revenged  himself  on  us,  who  awhile  ago  interrupted 
him."  He  then  observed  that  we  had  prevented  Mnesiphilus's  reply 
to  the  question  why  Solon  did  not  drink  his  wine.  Mnesiphi- 
lus then  spake  to  this  effect — "  I  know  this  to  be  the  opinion  of 
Solon,  that  in  every  art  and  faculty,  divine  and  human,  the  work 
which  is  done  is  more  desired  than  the  instrument  wherewith  it  is 
done,  and  the  end  than  the  means  conducing  to  that  end ;  as  for 
instance,  the  iveaver, — he  thinks  the  cloak  more  properly  his  luork 
than  the  shuttles  or  the  motions  of  his  beams  : — the  smith  values 
more  the  welding  of  the  iron  or  the  sharpening  of  the  axe  than 
the  occurrences  preparatory  to  the  completion :  yet  farther,- — a 
carpenter  would  justly  blame  us  if  we  should  affirm  that  it  is  not 
his  work  to  build  a  house,  but  to  bore  holes : — and  the  Muses 
would  be  implacably  incensed  against  those  who  should  say  that  their 
business  was  only  to  make  harps  and  pipes,  and  not  the  institution 
and  correction  of  manners  and  the  government  of  the  passions. 
And  so  the  worship  of  Venus  is  not  grossness,  or  of  Bacchus  drun- 
kenness; but  love  and  friendship,  affection  and  familiarity.  Solon 
terms  their  works  divine,  and  professes  he  loves  them  even  in  his 
declining  years ;  *  for,'  says  he,  '  many  that  would  have  re- 
mained unacquainted,  and  strangers,  have  over  a  cup  of  wine 
contracted  a  firm  and  lasting  friendship  ;  for  like  fire  it  often 
softens    the  temper  and  disposes  persons  to  form  a  happy  union. 

S 


246 

But  in  such  a  company   as  Periander  has  invited  there  can  be 
no  imperative   need  even  of  cup  or  chalice." 

As  Mnesiphilus  was   discoursing  after  this   manner,    in  came 

Chersias  (whose  father  Periander  had  pardoned  and  received  into 
favour  on  Chilo's  mediation)  :  "  Does  not,"  said  he,  "  Jupiter  dis- 
tribute to  the  Gods,  as  Agamemnon  did  to  the  commanders,  their 
portions,  that  the  guests  might  have  wherewithal  to  pledge  one 
another  ?"  "  If,"  said  Cleodemus,  "  certain  wood-pigeons  with  much 
hardship,  because  of  those  high  mountains  (which  Homer  calls 
-TrXayyal),  bring  him  his  quantum  of  liquor  for  every  meal,  can  you 
blame  him  for  the  frugality  of  dealing  out  to  his  company  by 
measure?"  "I  am  satisfied,"  said  Chersias;  "and  since  we  have 
fallen  on  our  old  topic,  house-keepings  which  of  the  company  can 
recollect  where  we  left  off?  There  remains,  if  I  mistake  not,  to  show 
what  may  be  termed  a  competency."  Cleobulus  answered,  "  I 
will  tell  you  a  story  I  once  heard  my  father  relate  to  my  brother  : 
— Once  on  a  time  the  Moon  begged  of  her  mother  a  garment  that 
should  fit  her.  *  How  can  that  be  done  V  replied  the  mother,  '  since 
you  are  sometimes  full,  sometimes  one  half  of  you  appears  lost,  and 
at  other  times  only  a  pair  of  horns  appear?'  So,  my  Chersias,  to  the 
desires  of  a  foolish  man  no  certain  measure  can  be  fitted,  for  his  ne- 
cessities increase  or  diminish  according  to  the  ebb  and  flow  of  his 
appetite — not  unlike  iEsop's  dog,  who  in  winter,  being  half  starved 
and  pinched  with  cold,  bethought  himself  to  find  a  snug  air-tight 
abode ;  but,  when  summer  came,  and  the  sun  was  hot,  he  found  it 
too  close  and  strait,  and  stretching  himself  in  the  sun  thought 
himself  monstrously  increased  in  size,  and  that  he  required  a  house. 
And  have  you  not  observed,  O  Chersias,  many  a  man  whilst  poor 
living  sparingly  and  miserably,  and  anon,  by  some  change  of  for- 
tune, becoming  uncharitable  and  covetous,  and  then  living  as  if  city 
and  country,  and  the  riches  of  kings,  could  not  satisfy  him,  or 
administer   sufficiently  to  his    sensuality  ?" 

When  Chersias  had  concluded,  Cleodemus  began  thus  : — "  We  see 
you  that  are  wise  men  possessing  these  outward  goods  after  an  unequal 
manner."  "  Good  Sir,"  answered  Cleobulus, "  the  law  (weaver-like) 
has  distributed  to  every  man  a  fitting  and  adequate  portion — and  in 
your  profession  reoson  does  what  the  law  does  here  :  when  you  feed, 
diet,  and  physic  your  patient,  you  give  him,  not  what  he  desires, 
but  what  you  judge  to  be  most  convenient  for  him  in  his  circum- 
stances." Ardalus  enquired,  *'  What  law  compels  our  friend  and 
Solon's  host  Epimenides  to  abstain  from  all  victuals,  save  a   little 


247 

composition  of  his  own  called  aXiiiogl  this  he  takes  into  his  mouth 
and  chews,  and  eats  neither  dinner  nor  supper."  The  company  were 
now  silent  for  a  time,  until  Thales  in  a  jesting  way  replied  that 
"  Epimenides  did  very  wisely,  for  thereby  he  saved  the  trouble 
and   charge  of  grinding   and    boiling   his    meat  as   Pittacus    did. 
When  I  was  sojourning  at  Lesbos,"  said  he,  "  I  remember  hear- 
ing  my  landlady  as  she  was  busy  at  her  hand-mill  singing  as  she 
worked,  '  Grind  mill,  grind  mill,  for  Fittacus  the  prince  of  great 
Mitylene  grinds  /' "  Solon  remarked,  "I  wonder,  Ardalus,  that  you 
have  never  read  the  law  of  Epimenides's  frugality  in   Hesiod's 
writings."     "  For  my  part,"  said  Cleodemus,  "  I  think  /Esop  de- 
serves much  more  the  name  of  Hesiod's  scholar  than  Epimenides, 
whose  great  and  excellent  wisdom  the  fable  of  the  '  Nightingale  and 
Hawk'  demonstrates ;  but  I  would  gladly  hear  Solon's  opinion  in 
this  matter, — for,  having  sojourned  long  in  Athens,  and  being  fa- 
miliarly acquainted  with  Epimenides,  it  is  more  than  probable  he 
might  learn  of  him   the  grounds   upon    which,   and   the  reasons 
wherefore,  he  accustomed  himself  to  so  spare  a  diet."     "  To  what 
purpose  should  I  trouble  him  or  myself  to  make  enquiry  about  a 
matter  so  plain?"  said  Solon;  "  if  it  be  a  blessing  next  to  the 
greatest  to  need  little  victuals,    then  it  is  the  greatest  to  need  none 
at  ally     "■  If  I  may  have  liberty  to  deliver  my  opinion,"  said 
Cleodemus,    "  I    must  profess   myself  of  a   different  judgment : 
especially  when  we  sit  at  table,  which  is  not  removed  until  the 
meat  is  taken  away,  and  then  consecrated  to  the  gods,  that  are 
the  patrons  of  friendship  and    hospitality."     "  As  upon    the   re- 
moval of  the  loaded  earth,"  said  Thales,  "  there  must  needs  follow 
a  confusion  of  all  things,  so  in  forbidding  men  meat  there  must  fol- 
low the  dispersion  and  dissolution  of  the  family — the  sacred  fire — 
the  cups — the  feasts  and  entertainments,  which  are  the  principal 
and  most  innocent  divertisement  of  mcinkind  ;  and  so  all  the  com- 
forts of  society  are  at  an  end.     To  men  of  business  some  recrea- 
tion is  necessary,  and  the  preparation  and  the  use  of  victuals  con- 
duces much  thereto  :  again,  to  be  without  the  use  of  victuals  would 
tend  to  the  destruction  of  husbandry,  for  want  whereof  the  earth 
would  soon  be  overgrown  with  weeds,  and   through  the  sloth  of 
man  be  nearly  overflowed  by  water;  besides  which  the  arts,   that' 
are  supported  and  encouraged  thereby,  would  fail,  and  hospitality 
and  the  worship    of  the  gods  would  perish :  the  sun  would  have 
but  small,  and  the  moon  yet  less  reverence,  if  they  afforded^only 
light  and  heat.     Who  would  build  an  altar  or  offer  sacrifice  to 


248 

Jupiter  Pluvius,  or  to  Ceres  the  patroness  of  husbandry,  or  to  Nep- 
tune the  preserver  of  plants  and  trees — or  how  could  Bacchus  be 
any  longer  termed  the  donor  of  all  good  things,  if  men  were  to 
make  no  use  of  the  good  things  he  gives  ?  What  would  men  have  to 
sacrifice?  What  first  fruits  would  they  offer ?  In  short,  the  sub- 
version and  confusion  of  the  greatest  blessings  attend  that  opinion. 
Promiscuously  and  indefatigably  to  pursue  pleasure  I  admit  is 
brutish,  and  to  avoid  it  as  with  aversion  I  hold  equally  stu- 
pid. Let  the  mind  freely  enjoy  such  pleasures  as  are  agree- 
able to  its  nature  and  temper;  but  for  the  body  there  is  certainly 
no  recreation  more  harmless  and  commendable  than  that  which 
springs"  from  the  hospitable  board,  around  which  men  converse 
with  each  other,  and  enjoy  with  more  appetite  the  viands.  As 
to  the  pleasure  of  sleep,  the  night  is  allotted  for  that  enjoyment, 
as  being  the  inferior  portion  of  the  day,  as  it  is  of  life." 

Cleodemus  having  finished  his  long  explanation,  I  said,  "  You 
omit  one  thing,  my  friend :  those  that  decry  food  must  decry 
sleep,  and  of  course  dreams  ;  consequently  they  destroy  the  primi- 
mitive  and  ancient  mode  of  divination :  add  to  this  our  whole 
life  would  be  too  uniform,  and  our  body  of  no  use.  For  the  princi- 
pal parts  are  purposely  formed  to  be  the  organs  of  nutriment — 
the  tongue,  the  teeth,  the  stomach,  the  liver,  whereof  none  are 
idle ;  in  other  words,  man  would  have  no  need  of  himself.  This  I 
have  thought  proper  to  offer  in  vindication  of  the  body  :  if  Solon 
or  any  other  present  has  an  objection  to  raise  to  what  I  have  said, 
I  should  be  glad  to  hear  it."  "  Yea,  doubtless,"  replied  Solon, 
**  or  we  might  be  reputed  not  so  wise  as  the  Egyptians,  who  cast 
away  the  internal  parts  of  the  body  as  being  dishonourable,  &c. 
Verily  one  may  observe  the  souls  of  some  men  confined  to  their 
bodies,  as  it  were  in  a  house  of  correction,  basely  to  do  its  drudgery ; 
which  was  our  own  case  but  even  now.  Whilst  we  were  attentive 
to  our  stomachs,  we  had  neither  eyes  to  see,  nor  ears  to  hear ;  but 
now  the  table  is  removed  we  enjoy  the  conversation  of  each  other ; 
and,  if  this  condition  wherein  we  at  present  are  would  last,  having 
no  wants  to  fear  nor  riches  to  covet,  would  not  our  lives  be  much 
more  comfortable,  and  life  itself  increasingly  desirable  ?  Doubt- 
less ;  but  Cleodemus  maintains  the  necessity  of  eating  and  drink- 
ing, lest  Ceres  and  Proserpine  should  want  cups  and  other  uten- 
sils to  furnish  their  temples  withal ;  by  a  parity  of  reasoning, 
there  should  be  wars,  that  men  should  raise  bulwarks  and 
fortifications,  and    build  citadels  and  fleets — and  the   slaying  of 


249 

hundreds,  that  hecatombs  be  offered,  after  the  Messenian  fashion, 
&c. — But  why  should  I  trouble  you  or  myself  to  form  a  catalogue 
of  the  many  vexations  that  attend  the  man  who  is  necessitated  to 
provide  food  for  a  family  ?  For  my  own  part  I  verily  believe  that 
Homer  had  in  his  eye  this  very  view  of  the  case ;  for,  when  he 
would  prove  the  immortality  of  the  gods,  he  said  '  they  were  such 
because  they  used  no  victuals ;'  intimating  thereby  that  meats  were 
the  cause  of  death^  as  well  as  the  means  of  supporting  life — and 
thence  proceeds  divers  distempers,  caused  more  by  repletion  than 
fasting,  for  to  digest  what  we  have  eaten  frequently  proves  more 
difficult  than  to  provide.  We  fret  and  toil  for  food,  for  want  of 
better  judgment.  As  slaves  who  have  gained  their  freedom  but 
seldom  do  the  drudgeries  for  themselves  they  were  heretofore  forced 
to  do  for  their  masters'  advantage,  so  the  mind  of  man,  which  at  pre- 
sent is  enslaved  by  the  body,  when  it  once  becomes  free,  will  take 
care  of  itself,  and  spend  its  time  in  contemplating  truth  undis-^ 
turbed  by  physical  wants."  Such  were  our  discourses,  O  Nicar- 
chus  !  but,  before  Solon  had  finished,  in  came  Gorgias,  Perian- 
der's  brother,  who  had  just  returned  from  Tsenarus,  whither  he  had 
been  sent  by  command  of  the  Oracle  to  sacrifice  to  Neptune — and 
who,  at  the  request  of  Periander,  recounted  a  strange  story  of  one 
Arion,  a  minstrel,  who  was  rescued  from  drowning  by  a  shoal  of 
dolphins.  Having  finished  his  incredible  tale,  "  Gentlemen," 
said  ^sop,  "you  may  remember  how  you  spake  deridingly  of  my 
daws  and  rooks,  and  yet  you  can  believe  and  admire  this  impro- 
bable story  of  the  dolphins."  "  Not  so,"  I  replied,  "  for  there  is 
a  similar  extraordinary  story  recorded  in  the  annals  of  Ino  and 
Athamas,  which  took  place  above  a  thousand  years  ago."  '*  These 
passages,"  said  Solon,  "  are  supernatural  and  much  above  our  rea- 
son :  what  befel  Hesiod  is  more  proper  for  discussion,  and  if  you 
have  not  heard  of  it  before  I  will  recount  the  story.  When  Hesiod 
sojourned  at  the  house  of  a  certain  Milesian  at  Locris,  he  was 
charged  with  a  circumstance  of  which  he  was  innocent;  but,  that 
not  availing,  he  and  his  friend  Troilus  were  basely  way-laid  and 
murdered  by  a  part  of  the  family  in  the  forest  of  Locris,  and  their 
bodies  were  thrown  into  the  sea  ; — that  of  Troilus  was  carried  into 
the  river  Daphnus,  and  rested  on  a  rock,  which  bears  his  name  to 
this  day. — The  body  of  Hesiod,  however,  was  no  sooner  in  the 
water  than  a  company  of  dolphins  received  it  and  conveyed  it  to 
Rios.  It  happened  that  the  Locrians  were  assembled  at  Rios  that 
day  to  feast  and  make  merry.     As   soon  as  they  perceived   a  body 


250 

floating,  or  rather  swimming  towards  them,  with  astonishment  they 
hastened  to  see  who  it  was,  and  recognizing  the  body  of  Hesiod 
they  resolved  to  search  out  the  nmrderers.  It  proved  an  easy  dis- 
covery. After  conviction  they  threw  them  headlong  into  the  sea, 
and  ordered  their  houses  to  be  demolished.  Now,  if  dolphins  so 
favour  a  dead  man,  is  it  not  likely  that  they  have  a  stronger  affec- 
tion towards  the  living,  especially  for  such  as  delight  in  song  ?  for 
this  we  certainly  know  that  these  creatures  delight  much  in  mu- 
sic— they  love  it — and,  if  a  person  sing  or  play  by  the  water-side, 
they  will  quickly  repair  as  near  as  possible  to  the  party,  and  listen 
patiently  until  the  music  cease.  When  children  bathe  in  the  wa- 
ter you  may  see  a  parcel  of  them  sport  and  swim  about  them ; 
and  they  do  so  securely,  since  it  is  a  breach  of  the  law  of  nature  to 
hurt  them — you  never  heard  of  any  man  fishing  for  them  purposely, 
or  hurting  them  wilfully."  *'  I  also  remember  that  the  Lesbians 
told  me  of  a  maid  of  their  town  being  preserved  from  drowning 
by  dolphins."  "  And  it  is  a  very  true  story,"  said  Pittacus, 
*' and  there  are  many  alive  to  attest  it."  Solon  continued,  and 
after  some  more  examples  he  concluded  thus  : — "  To  sum  up  all  in 
a  few  words,  he  that  knows  how  to  distinguish  between  the  impos- 
sible and  the  imusual — between  the  unlikely  and  absurd — to  be 
neither  too  credulous  nor  too  distrustful,  hath  learnt  your  lesson, 
'  Ne  quid  nimis.^  " 

Anacharsis,  after  this  long  discourse,  spake  thus  : — *'  Since  Thales 
has  asserted  the  being  of  a  soul  in  all  the  principal  and  most  noble 
parts  of  the  universe,  it  is  no  wonder  to  me  that  the  most  commend- 
able actions  are  governed  by  an  overruling  power ;  for,  as  the  body 
is  subservient  to  the  soul,  so  is  the  soul  an  instrument  in  the  hand 
of  God.  Now  as  the  body  has  many  motions  proceeding  from 
itself  (the  best  and  most  are  from  the  soul) — so  the  soul  does  some 
things  by  its  own  power,  but  in  most  things  it  is  ruled  by  the 
will  and  power  of  God,  whose  glorious  instrument  it  is.  To  me 
it  seems  highly  improbable  that  tlie  gods  should  use  fire,  water, 
winds,  and  clouds,  for  the  preservation  of  some  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  others,  if  at  the  same  time  they  made  no  use  of  living 
creatures,  who  are  doubtlessly  more  serviceable  to  their  ends  than 
bows  are  to  the  Scythians,  or  harps  and  pipes  to  the  Greeks." 

Chersias,  the  poet,  broke  off  this  discourse,  and  told  the  com- 
pany of  several  persons  who  were  miraculously  preserved  to  his 
ceitain  knowledge,  and  more  particularly  Cypselus  (Periandcr's 
father),  who  being   newly  born,  a  party   of  fellows  were  sent   to 


251 

murder  hiin.    They  found  the  child  in  the  nurse's  arms  :  he  smiling 
innocently,  they  had  not  the  heart  to  hurt  him,  and  so  departed ; 
but  presently,  considering  the  peremptory  nature  of  their  orders,  they 
returned,  but  searched   in  vain,  for  his  mother  had  carefully  hid 
him  in  a  secret  chamber.     When  he  came  to  years  of  discretion, 
and  was  fully  aware  of  his  great  deliverance,  he  consecrated  that 
house  to  Apollo,  by  whose   care  he    considered  himself  prevented 
from  crying  at  the  critical  moment.     Pittacus,  addressing  himself 
to  Periander,  said,  "  It  is  well  done  of  Chersias  to  make  mention 
of  your  house,  for  it  brings  to  my  mind  a  question  I  have  often- 
times proposed  to  ask  you,  namely  "  To  what  intent  those  frogs 
were  carved  upon  the  palm  tree  before  the  door — and  how  they 
affected  either  the  deiti^  or  the  dedicator  V     Periander  referred  him 
to  Chersias  for  the  answer,  as  having  been  present  when  Cypselus 
consecrated  the  house.     But  Chersias,  smiling,  would  not  satisfy 
him,  until  the  company  resolved  him  these  aphorisms, — "  Do  not 
overdo!"     "Know    thyself!"    but   particularly  this,  which  had 
frightened  so  many  from  wedlock  and  other  bonds,  indeed  some  even 
from  speaking, — "  Promise,  and  you  are  ruined  I"     "  What  need,'' 
said  I,  "  for  explaining  to  you  these  things,  when  you  yourself  have  so 
mightily  magnified  iEsop's  comment  on  them?"     j^sop  replied, 
"  When  Chersias  is  disposed  to  jest  with  me  on  these  subjects  (indeed 
he  often  gives  his  serious  a  touch  of  the  comic),  he  will  find  me  ready. 
We  will  elucidate  them  from  Homer.    Does  he  not  bring  in  Hector 
at  one  time  furiously  flying  at  others,  at  another  time  and  place 
flying  from  Achilles  ? — and  Ulysses,  does  he  not  solve  the  second 
sentence  when  he  beseeches  his  friend  Diomedes  not  to  commend 
him   too   much,    nor   to    censure   him    too    much  ?  —  and    as   to 
suretiship  it  is  always  unsafe,  but  highly  dangerous  to  be  bound 
for  a  bad    man."     Chersias    now  told   how  Jupiter  himself  was 
once  unable  to  perform  his  promise,  as  in  the  case  of  the  birth  of 
Hercules,  and  for  which  Ate  was  hurled  from  heaven  because  she 
was  present  when  the  vow  was  made."  "  Enough  of  this  discourse," 
said  Solon,  "  and  since  you   are  so  fond  of  Homer  give  me  leave 
to  quote  a  verse  from  that  poet ;  ^  Nv?  ^  i]^i]  reXeOei,'  &c.      Night 
draws  on,  and  therefore  it  is  time  to  break  up.     If  it  please  the 
company  then  we  will  sacrifice  to  the  Muses,  to  Neptune,  and  to 
Venus,  and  then  bid  each  other  adieu  for  this  night."   This  was  the 
contents,  and  this  the  conclusion,  my  friend  Nicarchus,  of  that  re- 
markable Banquet. 

FINIS. 


ij.  Bagster,  Ji;u.,Printei,  14,  Bartholomew  Close,  London. 


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