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LXXV. The BLIND MAN and the LAME

IT is from our wants and infirmities that almost all the connections of fociety take their rife.-A blind Man being stopped in a bad piece of road, met with a lame Man, and intreats him to guide him through the difficulty he was got into. How can I do that, replied the lame Man, fince I am scarce able to drag myfelf along? But as you appear to be very strong, if you will carry me, we will feek our fortunes together. It will then be my intereft to warn you of any thing that may obftruct your way; your feet fhall be my feet, and my eyes yours. With all my heart, returned the blind Man; let us render each other our mutual fervices. So taking his lame companion on his back, they, by means of their union, travelled on with fafety and pleasure.

LXXVI. The Fox and the CAT.

NOTHE

OTHING is more common than for men to condemn the very fame actions in others, which they practise themselves whenever occafion offers.

A Fox and a Cat having made a party to travel together, beguiled the tedioufnefs of their journey by a variety of philofophical converfation. Of ail the moral virtues, exclaimed Reynard, mercy is fure the nobleft! What fay you, my fage friend, is fo? Undoubtedly, replied the Cat, with a moft demure countenance; nothing is more becoming, in a creature of any fenfibility, than a compaffionate difpofition. While they were thus philofophizing, mutually complimenting each other on the wisdom of their refpective reflections, a Wolf darted out from a wood upon a flock of fheep which were feeding in an adjacent meadow, and without being the leaft affected by the moving lamentations of a poor Lamb, devoured it before their eyes.. Horrible cruelty! exeyes..

claimed

claimed the Cat; why does he not feed on vermin, instead of making his barbarous meals on fuch innocent creatures? Reynard agreed with his friend in the obfervation; to which he added feveral very pathetic remarks on the odioufnefs of a fanguinary temper. Their indignation was rifing in its warmth and zeal, when they arrived at a little cottage by the wayfide; where the tender-hearted Reynard immediately caft his eye upon a fine Cock that was ftrutting about in the yard. And now adieu moralizing: He leaped over the pales, and without any fort of fcruple, demolished his prize in an inftant. In the mean while, a plump Rat, which ran out of the stable, totally put to flight our Cat's philofophy, who fell to the repaft 'without the least commiferation.

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LXXVII. The Two HORSES.

AWO Horfes were travelling the road together; one loaded with a fack of flour, the other with a fum of money. The latter, proud of his fplendid burden, toffed his head with an air of conscious fuperiority, and every now and then caft a look of contempt upon his humble companion. In paffing thro' a wood, they were met by a gang of highwaymen, who immediately feized upon the Horfe that was carrying the treasure; but the fpirited Stead, not being altogether difpofed to stand fo quietly as was neceffary for their purpose, they beat him moft unmercifully; and after plundering him of his boasted load, left him to lament at his leifure the cruel wounds he had received. Friend, faid his defpifed companion to him, (who had now reafon to triumph in his turn) diftinguifhed pofts are often dangerous to thofe who posfefs them: If you had ferved a Miller, as I do, you might have travelled the road unmolefted.

LXXVIII. The

LXXVIII. The ANT and the CATERPILLAR.

Sa Caterpillar was creeping very flowly along one of the alleys of a beautiful garden, he was met by a pert lively Ant, who, toffing up her head with a scornful air, cried,-Prithee get out of the way, thou poor creeping animal, and do not prefume to obftruct the paths of thy fuperiors, by crawling along the road, and befmearing the walks appropriated to their footsteps. Poor creature! thou lookeft like a thing half made, which Nature not liking, threw by unfinished. I could almoft pity thee, methinks; but it is beneath one of my quality to talk to fuch little mean creatures as thee; and fo, poor creeping wretch, adieu.The humble Caterpillar, ftruck dumb with this difdainful language, retired, went to work, wound himself up in a filken cell, and at the appointed time, came out a beautiful Butterfly. Juft as he was inuing forth, he obferved the fcornful Ant paffing by. Stop a moment, Madam, faid he, and liften to what I fhall fay. Let me advise you never to defpife any one for his condition, as there are none fo mean but they may one day change their fortune. You behold me now exalted in the air, whereas you must creep as long as you live.

LXXIX. The Two FOXES.

WO Foxes formed a ftratagem to enter a hen

Trooft; which having fuccesfully executed, and

killed the cock, the hens, and the chickens, they began to feed upon them with fingular fatisfaction. One of the Foxes, who was young and inconfiderate, was for devouring them all upon the fpot; the other, who was old and covetous, propofed the referving fome of them for another time: For experience, child, faid he, has made me wife, and I have feen many unexpected events fince I came into the world. Let us E 2

provide,

provide, therefore, against what may happen, and not confume all our ftore at one meal. All this is wonderous wife, replied the young Fox; but for my own part, I am refolved not to ftir till I have eaten as much. as will ferve me a whole week; for who would be mad enough to return hither, when it is certain the owner of thefe fowls will watch for us, and if he should catch us, would infallibly put us to death!-After this fhort discourse, each purfued his own fancy; the young Fox eat till he burft himfelf, and had fcarcely ftrength to reach his hole before he died. The old one, who thought it much better to deny his appetite for the prefent, and lay up provifion for the future, returned the next day, and was killed by the Farmer.-Thus every age has its peculiar vice: The Young fuffer by their infatiable thirft after pleafure; and the Old by their inordinate avarice.

IT

LXXX. The PASSENGER and the PILOT.

T had blown a violent ftorm at fea, and the whole crew of a veffel were in imminent danger of fhipwreck. After the rolling of the waves was fomewhat abated, a certain Paffenger who had never been at fea before, obferving the Pilot to have appeared wholly unconcerned even in their greatest danger, had the curiofity to ask what death his father died. What death? faid the Pilot; why, he perished at fea, as my grandfather did before him. Are not you afraid of trusting yourself to an element that has proved thus fatal to your family? Afraid! by no means; why, we must all die Is not your father dead? Yes, but he died in his bed. And why then are not you afraid of trusting yourself to your bed? Because I am there perfectly fecure. It may be, replied the Pilot; but if the hand of Providence is equally extended over all places, there is no more reason for me to be afraid of going to sea, than for you to be afraid of going to bed.

LXXXI. The

LXXXI.

WE

The Dove and the ANT.

E fhould always be ready to do good offices, even to the meaneft of our fellow-creatures, as there is no one to whofe affiftance we may not, upon fome occafion or other, be greatly indebted.

A Dove was fipping from the banks of a rivulet, when an Ant, who was at the fame time trailing a grain of corn along the edge of the brook, inadvertently fell in. The Dove, obferving the helplefs infect struggling in vain to reach the Thore, was touched with compaffion; and plucking a blade of grafs, dropped it into the ftream; by means of which, the poor Ant, like a fhip-wrecked failor upon a plank, got fafe to land. She had scarcely arrived there, when the perceived a fowler juft going to discharge his piece at her deliverer: Upon which, fhe inftantly crept up his foot, and ftung him on the ankle. The portiman ftarting, occasioned a rustling among the boughs, which alarmed the Dove, who immediately fprung up, and by that means escaped the danger with which the was threatened.

A

LXXXII. The NOBLEMAN and his SON.

Certain Nobleman, much infected by fuperftition, dreamed one night his only Son, a youth about fifteen years of age, was thrown from his horfe as he was hunting, and killed upon the fpot. This idle dream made fo ftrong an impreffion upon the weak and credulous Father, that he formed a refolution never more to fuffer his Son to partake of this his favourite amufement. The next morning that the hounds went out, the young man requested permiffion to follow them; but instead of receiving it, as ufual, his Father acquainted him with his dream, and premptorily enjoined him to forbear the fport. The youth, greatly mortified at the unexpected refufbi,

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