air of a philofopher, thus admonished them: Ye children of men, learn diffidence and moderation in your opinions. It is true, you happen, in the prefent inftance, to be all in the right, and have only confidered the fubject under different circumftances: But pray, for the future, allow other men to have eye-fight as well as yourselves; nor wonder if every one prefers the teftimony of his own fenfes, to that of another.

LX. GENIUS, VIRTUE, and REPUTATION.

ENIUS, Virtue, and Reputation, three great

Great-Britain, to fee whatever might be worthy of obfervation. But as fome misfortune, faid they, may happen to separate us; let us confider before we fet out, by what means we may find each other again. Should it be my ill fate, faid Genius, to be fevered from my friends, which Heaven forbid! you may find me kneeling in devotion before the tomb of Shakespeare; or wrapt in fome grove where Milton talked with Angels; or mufing in the grotto where Pope caught infpiration. Virtue, with a figh, acknowledged that her friends were not very numerous; but were I to lofe you, fhe cried, with whom I am at prefent fo happily united; I fhould chufe to take fanctuary in the temples of Religion, in the palaces of royalty, or in the ftately domes of minifters of state; but as it may be my ill fortune to be there denied admittance, enquire for fome cottage where Contentment has a bower, and there you will certainly find me. Ah, my dear friends, faid Reputation very earneftly, you, I perceive, when mitling, may poffibly be recovered but take care, I intreat you, always to keep fight of me; for if I am once loft, I am never to be retrieved.

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LXI. The WOLF and the LAMB.

Flock of Sheep were feeding in a meadow, while their dogs were afleep, and their fhepherd at a diftance playing on his pipe beneath the fhade of a fpreading elm. A young unexperienced Lamb, obferving a half-ftarved Wolf peeping through the pales of the enclosure, entered into converfation with him. Pray, what are you feeking here, faid the Lamb? I am looking, replied the Wolf, for fome tender grafs; for nothing, you know, is more pleafant than to feed in fresh pafture, and to flake one's thirst in a cryftal ftream; both which, I perceive, you enjoy within thefe pales in their utmoft perfection. Happy creature! continued he, how much I envy your lot! who are in poffeffion of the utmost I defire; for I have long been taught by philofophy, to be fatisfied with a little. It feems then, returned the fimple Lamb, that thofe who fay you feed on flefh, accufe you falfely, fince a little grafs will eafily content you. If this be true, let us for the future live like brethren, and feed together. So faying, the fimple Lamb crept through the fence, and became at once a prey to our pretended philofopher, and a facrifice to her own inexperience and credulity.Prudence bids us take great care whom we put our trust in.

LXII. The COUNTRY MAID and her MILK-PAIL.

WHEN

HEN men fuffer their imagination to amufe them with the profpect of diftant and uncertain improvements of their condition and circumftance; they frequently fuftain real loffes, by their inattention to thofe affairs in which they are immediately concerned.

A Country Maid was walking very deliberately with a Pail of Milk upon her head, when the fell into the following train of reflections. The money for which I fhall fell this milk, will enable me to in

creafe

crease my stock of eggs to three hundred. These eggs, allowing for what may prove addled, and what may be deftroyed by vermin, will produce at least two hundred and fifty chickens. The chickens will be fit to carry to market about Chriftmas, when poultry always bears a good price; fo that by May-day I cannot fail of having money enough to purchafe a new gown. Green-let me confider,yes, green becomes my complexion beft, and green it fhall be. In this dress I will go to the fair, where all the young fellows will strive to have me for a partner; but I fhall perhaps refufe every one of them, and with an air of difdain tofs from them.--Tranfported with this triumphant thought, fhe could not forbear acting with her head what thus paffed in her imagination, when down came the Pail of Milk, and all her imaginary happiness vanished like a dream.

LXIII. The CORMORANT and the FISHES.

Tis very imprudent to trust an enemy, or even a

A Cormorant, whofe eyes were become fo dim by age, that he could not difcern his prey at the bottom of the waters, bethought himself of a ftratagem to fupply his wants. Hark you, friend, faid he to a Gudgeon, whom he obferved fwimming near the furface of a certain canal, if you have any regard for yourself or your brethren, go this moment, and acquaint them from me, that the owner of this piece of water is determined to drag it in a week henee. The Gudgeon immediately fwam away, and made his report of this terrible news to a general affembly of the Fith; who unanimoufly agreed to fend him back as ambaffador to the Cormorant. The purport of his commiflion was to return him their thanks for the intelligence; and to add their intreaties, that as he had been fo good as to inform them of their danger, he

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would be graciously pleafed to put them into a method of efcaping it. That I will, moft readily, returned the artful Cormorant, and affift you with my beft fervices into the bargain. You have only to collect yourselves together at the top of the water, and I will undertake to tranfport you fafely, one by one, to my own refidence, by the fide of a folitary pool, to which no creature but myfelf ever found the way. The project was perfectly well approved by the unwary Fith, and with great expedition executed by the deceitful Cormorant; who having placed them in a fhallow water, the bottom of which his eye could eafily difcern, they were all devoured by him in their turns, as his hunger or his luxury required.

D'

LXIV. The FALCON and the HEN.

IFFERENT circumftances and fituations make the fame actions right or wrong, a virtue or a vice.-- Of all the creatures I ever knew, said a Falcon to a Hen, you are certainly the most ungrateful. What inftance of ingratitude, replied the Hen, can you justly charge upon me? The greateft, returned the Falcon; ingratitude to your highest benefactors, men. Do they not feed you every day, and helter you every night? Neverthelefs, when they endeavour to court you to them, you ungratefully forget all their kindness, and fly from them as from an eneInv. Now I, who am wild by nature, and no way obliged to them; yet upon the leaft of their careffes, faffer myfelf to be taken, and go or come at their command. All this is very true, replied the Hen, but there may be a fufficient reafon both for my fear, and your familiarity: I believe you never faw a fingle Falcon roafting at the fire; whereas I have feen a hundred Hens truffed for the fpit.

LXV. The

LXV. The TORTOISE and the two DUCKS.

VANITY

ANITY and idle curiofity are qualities which generally prove destructive to thofe who fuffer themselves to be governed by them.—~—A Tortoise, weary of paffing her days in the fame obfcure corner, conceived a wonderful inclination to vifit foreign countries. Two Ducks, whom the fimple Tortoife acquainted with her intention, undertook to oblige her upon the occafion. Accordingly they told her, that if fhe would faften her mouth to the middle of a pole, they would take the two ends and tranfport her wherever the chofe to be conveyed. The Tortoife approved of the expedient; and every thing being prepared, the Ducks began, their flight with her. They had not travelled far in the air, when they were met by a crow, who enquiring what they were bearing along, they replied, The Queen of the Tortoifes. The Tortoife, vain of the new and unmerited appellation, was going to confirm the title, when opening her mouth for that purpofe, the let go her hold, and was dafhed to pieces by her fall.

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LXVI. The CAT and the old RAT.

Certain Cat had made fuch unmerciful havock among the vermin of his neighbourhood, that not a fingle Rat or Moufe dared venture to appear 2broad, Pufs was foon convinced, that if affairs remained in their prefent fituation, he must be totally unfupplied with provision. After mature deliberation therefore, he refolved to have recourfe to ftratagem. For this purpofe, he fufpended himfelf from a fhelf with his head downwards, pretending to be dead. The Rats and Mice obferving him, as they peeped from their holes, in this dangling attitude, concluded he was hanged for fome misdemeanor; and with great joy fallied forth in queft of their prey. Pufs, as foon as a fufficient number were collected together, quitting

her