But when the senate darts its piercing rays,
Faction unbuttons, and rebates its pace:
The hypocritic cloak is tiresome found,
And the faint zealot pants upon the ground.

FABLE XII.

THE BOAR AND FOREST.

A LION, generous and brave,

For wars renown'd, belov'd in peace;
His lands in royal bounties gave,

And treasures much impair'd by acts of grace.
His ministers whole realms obtain'd;
And courtiers, much inclin'd to want,
His manors begg'd, and forfeits gain'd,
With patents to confirm the royal grant,

The Boar, to shew a subject's love,
Crav'd for the public good a boon,
His ancient forest to improve,
By felling trees, and cutting timber down.
"Alcoves and shady walks, quoth he,
Are laid aside, become a jest ;
Your vistos lofty, wide, and free,
Are à la mode, and only in request."
The grant being pass'd, the ravenous Boar,
A desert of the forest made:

Up by the roots vast oaks he tore,
And low on earth the princely cedars laid,
This act of violence and wrong
Alarum'd all the savage race;
With loud complaints to court they throng,
Stripp'd of their shades, and ancient resting-place.
With generous rage the Lion shook,

And vow'd the Boar should dearly pay;
"I hate, quoth he, a down-cast look,
That robs the public in a friendly way.
"Unhappy groves, my empire's pride!
Lov'd solitudes, ye shades divine!
The rage of tempests ye defy'd,
Condemn'd to perish by a sordid swine.

"Ye rural deities, and powers unknown,
What can so great a loss suffice!
If a hung brawner will atone,
Accept friend Chucky for a sacrifice."

THE MORAL.

The British oak 's our nation's strength and pride, With which triumphant o'er the main we ride; Insulting foes are by our navies aw'd,

A guard at home, our dreaded power abroad.

Like druids then your forests sacred keep,
Preserve with them your empire of the deep.
Subjects their prince's bounty oft abuse,
And spoil the public for their private use;
But no rapacious hand should dare deface,
The royal stores of a well-timber'd chase.

FABLE XIII.

THE FOX AND FLIES.

As crafty Reynard strove to swim The torrent of a rapid stream,

To gain the farther side: Before the middle space was past, A whirling eddy caught him fast, And drove him with the tide.

With vain efforts and struggling spent,
Half drown'd, yet forc'd to be content,
Poor Ren a soaking lay;

Till some kind ebb should set him free,
Or chance restore that liberty

The waves had took away.

A swarm of half-starv'd haggard Flies,
With fury seiz'd the floating prize,
By raging hunger led;

With many a curse and bitter groan,
He shook his sides, and wish'd them gone,
Whilst plenteously they fed.

A Hedge-hog saw his evil plight;
Touch'd with compassion at the sight,

Quoth he," To show I'm civil,
I'll brush those swigging dogs away,
That on thy blood remorseless
prey,

And send them to the Devil."
"No, courteous sir, the Fox reply'd,
Let them infest and gore my hide,

With their insatiate thirst;
Since I such fatal wounds sustain,
"Twill yield some pleasure midst the pain,
To see the blood hounds burst."

THE MORAL; FROM NOSTRADAMUS.
Le sang du juste à Londres fera saute
Brusler par feu, &c.

Thus guilty Britain to her Thames complains,
"With royal blood defil'd, O cleanse my stains!
Whence plagues arise! whence dire contagions come!
And flames that my Augusta's pride consume!"

"In vain," saith Thames; "the regicidal breed Will swarm again, by them thy land shall bleed: Extremest curse! but so just Heaven decreed! Republicans shall Britain's treasures drain, Betray her monarch, and her church prophane! Till, gorg'd with spoils, with blood the leeches burst, Or Tyburn add the second to the first."

FABLE XIV.

THE BEAR AND MOUNTERANK,

THERE liv'd a quack in high repute,
By virtue of a velvet suit,

And celebrated bill;

As for his knowledge, 'tis allow'd,
He had enough to cheat the crowd,
And that's good modern skill.
Once as this orator held forth
On topics of his medicines' worth,

And wondrous cures they wrought;
Though not a word they understood,
His eloquence so charm'd the crowd,

That still they gap'd and bought. Midst his harangue, one day it chanc'd, Tom Dove the Bear that way advanc'd, In procession to his stake; The rabble quit their doctor straight, And with huzzas on Bruin wait,

Who thus the chief bespake:

"D'ye hear, ye pack of bawling louts,
Compos'd of vermin, stink, and clouts,
Why all this noise and do?

Though through my nose a ring is got,
And here I'm baited like a sot,

Still I resemble you.

1 Tom Dove has been celebrated by Dryden and King.

*Observe that Mountebanking fool,
Perch'd yonder on his three-legg'd stool,
With poisonous drugs to sell;
See o'er his shoulder how he sneers,
Three hours to lug you by the ears,
Yet pleases wondrous well.
"With fulsome lyes and stupid stuff,
He cheats and banters you enough,

Yet there ye flock by shoals;

But if by chance a bear 's brought out,
At him ye hollow, laugh, and shout,
And who's the greater fools?
"So, brother monsters, face about,

The quack, your keeper, wants his rout;
For, underneath the rose,

Another sort of brutes there are,
Besides a stupid Russian bear,
That's misled by the nose."

THE MORAL.

I'll ministers, like quacks, the crowd deceive, Defraud them for their good; and they believe: At France and Rome they rail with specious arts, And, whilst they cheat the vulgar, gain their hearts. But if sagacious Bruin smells them out, Their frauds exposing to the injur'd rout; To mischief prone, implacable, and strong, Ten thousand tongues and hands revenge the wrong.

FABLE XV.

THE PEACOCK PROCLAIMED KING,

A VULTURE, old and feeble grown, Took up and much reform'd his life; His beak decay'd, and talons gone, Yet still he relish'd noise and strife: Once a young Peacock to the birds brought forth, On his high birth harangued, and blooming worth.

"The isles and watery realm," said he,

66

'This hopeful monarch shall command!

His sceptre to depend on me,

And rule the tributary land;

Reserving only for our royal use,

Whate'er the seas and fertile coasts produce."

The Peacock, a pert dapper spark,
Made the sagacious Vulture's choice;
His title and descent, though dark,
Soon gain'd the whole assembly's voice,
The Pye except, a member of the board,
Who, midst their acclamations, crav'd a word.
"His highness' merits and desert,"
Quoth he, " 'tis needless to dispute!
In giving empires we 're too pert,
With neither right nor power to do 't;

You've made a Peacock king: pray now 'tis done,
What champion here conducts him to his throne,
"Where the Imperial Fagle reigns,
Renown'd for arms and warlike might,
Who such a feeble youth disdains,
And Vultures dares engage in fight?

A SAGE Laconic, truly wise,
Whose conversation was concise,

Train'd up in rigid schools;
Once, when a single word would do,
Had lavishly made use of two,

In high contempt of rules.
A bill against him was preferr'd,
The charge by evidence averr'd,

That fully prov'd the fact:
The judges aggravate the crime,
In words as few, and little time,
As answer'd men compact.
Quoth one," The being too verbose
A misdemeanor is so gross,

Of that pernicious kind!

The punishment must reach your sense,
And reason smart for this offence,
By torturing your mind.
"Read Jura Populi o'er twice,
Pittis and Bunyan, books of price,

And Oats's modest vein :

Read Baxter's volumes, Tindal's works,
Yorkshire Petish with that of Bucks,
True cant and libel strain,

"For solid nonsense, thoughtless words,
The Vindication of the Lords,

That answers Mackworth's State:
Read first and second paragraph,
If possible drudge on through half,
Your crime you'll expiate."

The wretch with strong convulsions shook,
Despair and anguish in his look,

To Heaven for mercy cry'd: Quoth he, "Send gibbets, racks, or wheel, Algiers and gallies please me well,

Such torments I'll abide.
"But damn me not for one offence,
To volumes unally'd to sense,

Vainly to waste my breath:
That answer to the Commons' Rights
With labour'd dullness so affrights,

The thoughts are worse than death."