Yet wanting fenfibility) the man
-Who needlessly fets foot upon a worm.
An inadvertant ftep may crush the fnail
That crawls at evening in the public path,
But he that has humanity, forewarn'd,
Will tread afide, and let the reptile live.
Ye therefore who love mercy, teach your fons
To love it too. The fpring time of our years
Is foon difhonour'd and defiled in moft

By budding ills, that afk a prudent hand
To check them. But Alas! none fooner fhoots,
If unreftrain'd, into luxuriant growth,

Than cruelty, moft dev'lifh of them all.
Mercy to him who fhews it, is the rule
And righteous limitation of its act,

By which heav'n moves in pardoning guilty man;
And he that shows none, being ripe in years,
And confcious of the outrage he commits,
Shall seek it, and not find it in his turn.

WILLIAM AND THOMAS; OR, THE CONTRAST BE TWEEN INDUSTRY AND INDOLENCE.

IN a village at a fmall diftance from the metro

polis, lived a wealthy hufbandman, who had two fons, William and Thomas, of whom the former was exactly a year older than the latter.

On the day that the fecond fon was born, the husbandman fet in his orchard two young appletrees of an equal fize, on which he bestowed the

fame care in cultivating, and they throve fo much alike, that it was a difficult matter to fay which claimed the preference.

As fon as the children were capable of ufing. garden implements, their father took them, on a fine day early in the fpring, to fee the two plants he had reared for them, and called after their names. William and Thomas having much admired the beauty of thofe trees, now filled with bloffoms, their father told them, that he made them a prefent of them in good condition, and that they would continue to thrive or decay, in proportion to the labour or neglect they received.

Thomas, though the younger fon, turned all his attention to the improvement of his tree, by clear-ing it of infects as foon as he discovered them, and. propping up the stem that it might grow perfectly upright. He dug all around it to loofen the earth, that the root might receive nourishment from the warmth of the fun, and the moisture of the dews. No mother could nurfe her child more tenderly in its infancy, than Thomas did his tree.

His brother William, however, purfued a very different conduct; for he loitered away all his time in the most idle and mifchievous manner, one of his principal amufements being to throw ftones at

people as they paffed. He kept company with all the idle boys in the neighbourhood, with whom he was continually fighting and was feldom without , a black eye or a broken fhin. His poor tree was neglected and never thought of, till one day in the autumn, when, by chance, feeing his brother'stree loaded with the finest apples, and almost ready to break down with the weight, he ran to fee his own tree, not doubting but he fhould find it in the fame pleafing condition.

Great indeed was his difappointment and furprife, when, instead of finding the tree loaded with excellent fruit, he beheld nothing but a few withered leaves, and branches covered with mofs. He inflantly went to his father, and complained of his partiality in giving him a tree that was worthlefs and barren, while his brother's produced the most luxuriant fruit. He therefore thought, that his brother should, at least give him one half of his apples.

His father told him that it was by no means reasonable, that the induftrious fhould give up part of their labour to feed the idle. If your tree, faid he, has produced you nothing, it is but a just reward of your indolence, fince you fee what the induftry of your brother has gained tree was equally full of bloffoms, and grew in the fame foil; but you paid no, attention to the

him. Your

culture of it. Your brother fuffered no visible infect to remain in his tree; but you neglected that caution and left them even to eat up the very buds. As I cannot bear to fee even plants perish through neglect, I must now take this tree from you, and give it to your brother, whofe care and attention may poffibly reftore it to its former vigour. The fruit-it fhall produce muf be his property, and you must no longer confider yourself as having any right therein. However you may go to my nurfery, and there choose any other, which you may like better, and try what you can do with it; but if you neglect to take proper care of it; I' fhall alfo take that from you, and give it to your brother, as a reward for his fuperior industry and attention."

This had the defired effect on William, who clearly perceived the juftice and propriety of his father's reafoning, and inftantly got into the nurfery to choose the most thriving apple-tree he could there meet with. His brother Thomas affifted him in the culture of his tree, advising him in what manner to proceed; and William made the best use of his time, and the inftructions he received from his brother. He left off all his mifchievous tricks, forfook the company of idle boys, applied himself cheerfully to work, and in autumn received the reward of his labour, his tree being then loaded with fruit.