of the Elephant; and trufting that he should find him as unfit to fight as to fly, he bounded towards him, and fnatched, with open jaws, at his probofcis. The Elephant inftantly contracted it, with great presence of mind; and receiving the furious beaft on his tuiks, toffed him up a confiderable height into the air. Stunned with his fall, the Tiger lay motionlefs fome time; and the generous Elephant, difdaining revenge, left him to recover from his bruifes. When the Tiger came to himself (like the aggreffor in every quarrel) he was enraged at the repulfe; and purfuing his injured and peaceful adverfary, he again affailed him with redoubled violence. The refentment of the Elephant was now roufed: He wounded the Tiger with his tufks, and then beat him to death with his trunk.

Does the ferocity of the Tiger merit the honourable appellation of Courage? Or will you not rather apply that epithet to the calm intrepidity of the inoffenfive Elephant ?-True courage is always exerted in repelling, not in offering injuries.

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IV. The DRAGON and the two FOXES.

Treasure being hid in a deep cave, a Dragon watched it night and day. Two crafty Foxes, who had always made thieving their business, by their Batteries, foon worked themselves into his favour; and fo foothed the Dragon, that he made them his bofom confidents. We must not always conclude the most complaifant the trueft friends. They talked to him with refpect, admired every one of his whims, were of his opinion in every thing, and in their fleeves laughed at their cully. One day the Dragon fell asleep, and they directly ftrangled him, and took poffeffion of his treafure: But now the difficulty was how to fhare it, for villains feldom agree but in the execution of their villainy. One of them began to moralize thus: "What good will all this money do us; a fmall bit of flesh would be

more

more ferviceable; gold is too hard to be eaten or digefted: Men furely muft be fools to delight in riches, but let not us imitate their folly." The other pretended that these reflections had made an impreffion upon him, and told his companion, "That he would live as became a philofopher, and carry all his wealth about with him." In this mood they both abandoned the treasure; but foon returning, met with each other, quarrelled, and tore one another to pieces. As they lay, fide by fide, expiring, a man accidentally paffed by, who, informed of the occafion of their quarrelling, told them "they were both fools." "And fo is your whole race then," replied one of the foxes; "for it is not in your power, more than ours, to feed upon gold, and yet for the fake of it you put one another to death. That which was brought in amongst you for convenience fake, has proved your greatest misfortune; and whilft you are fecking imaginary wealth, you lofe what is really good."

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y. The BEE S.

Young Prince, in that feafon of the year when all Nature fhews itfelf in the greatest degree of perfection, took a walk one day through a delicious garden; he heard a great noife, and looking about, perceived a hive of Bees. He approached that object, which was entirely new to him, and obferved, with amazement, the order, care, and business of that little commonwealth. The cells began to be formed into a regular figure, and one party of the Bees was storing them with nectar, while another was employed in fupplying them with thyme, which they gathered from among all the riches of the Spring. Lazinefs and Inactivity were banished the fociety; every thing was in, motion, without confufion or diforder. The more confiderable gave out their orders, and were obeyed by their inferiors, without any manner of murmur, jea

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loufy,

loufy, or unwillingness. The Prince was extremely furprised, as having never seen any thing equal to their polity before; when a Bee, who was confidered as Queen of the hive, addreffed him thus: "The view you have before you, young Prince, must be entertaining, but may be made inftructive. We fuffer nothing like diforder, nor licentioufnefs among us; they are moft efteemed who, by their capacity and diligence, can do moft for the public weal. Our first places are always bestowed where there is moft merit; and laft of all, we are taking pains day and night for the benefit of man. Go, and imitate us, introduce that order and discipline among men you so much admire in other creatures."

M

VI. The BELLY and the MEMBERS.

ENENIUS AGRIPPA, a Roman Conful, being deputed by the Senate to oppofe a dangerous tumult and fedition of the people, who refused to pay the taxes neceffary for carrying on the business of the ftate, convinced them of their folly, by delivering to them the following fable :

"My friends and countrymen, faid he, attend to my words. It once happened that the members of the human body, taking fome exception at the conduct of the belly, refolved no longer to grant him any more fupplies. The tongue firft, in a feditious fpeech, aggravated their grievances; and after highly extolling the activity and diligence of the hands and feet, fet forth how hard and unreasonable it was, that the fruits of their labour fhould be fquandered away upon the infatiable cravings of a fat and indolent paunch, which was entirely ufelefs, and, unable to do any thing towards helping himself. This fpeech was received with unanimous applaufe by all the members. Immediately the hands declared they would work no more; the feet determined to carry no farther the load of guts

with which they had hitherto been oppreffed; nay, the very teeth refufed to prepare a fingle morfel more for his ufe. In this diftrefs, the belly befought them to confider maturely, and not foment fo fenfelefs. a rebellion. There is none of you, fays he, but may be fenfible, that whatfoever you beftow upon me is immediately converted to your ufe, and difperfed by me for the good of you all into every limb. But he remonftrated in vain; for during the clamours of paffion, the voice of reafon is always unregarded. It being therefore impoffible for him to quiet the tumult, he was ftarved for want of their affiftance, and the body wafted away to a skeleton. The limbs, grown weak and languid, were fenfible at last of their error, and would fain have returned to their refpective duty; but it was now too late, death had taken poffeffion of the whole, and they all perished together.

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VII. The Fox and the RAVEN.

Fox obferving a Raven perched on the branch of a tree, with a fine piece of cheese in her mouth, immediately began to confider how he might poffefs himself of fo delicious a morfel. Dear madam, faid he, I am extremely glad to have the pleasure of feeing you this morning; your beautiful fhape and fhining feathers are the delight of my eyes; and would you condefcend to favour me with a fong, I doubt not but your voice is equal to the rest of your accomplishments. Deluded with this flattering fpeech, the tranfported Raven opened her mouth, in order to give him a fpecimen of her pipe; when down dropt the cheese, which the Fox immediately fnatched up, bore away in triumph, leaving the Raven to lament her credulous vanity at her leisure.

VIII. AVARICE

OUR

VIII. AVARICE and the EARTH.

UR old mother Earth once lodged an indictment against Avarice, before the court of Jupiter, for her wicked and malicious council and advice, in tempting, inducing, perfuading, and traiterously feducing the children of the plaintiff, to commit the deteftable crime of parricide upon her, by mangling her body, and ranfacking her very bowels for hidden treafure. The indictment was very long and verbose; but we must omit a great part of the repetitions and synonimous terms, not to tire our readers too much with our tale. Avarice being called to answer to this charge, had not much to fay in her own defence. The injury was clearly proved upon her. The fact indeed was notorious, and the injury had been frequently repeated. When therefore the plaintiff demanded justice, Jupiter readily gave fentence in her favour; and his decree was to this purpose: "That fince dame Avarice, the defendant, had thus grievously injured dame Earth, the plaintiff, the was hereby ordered to take that treasure, of which the had feloniously robbed the Earth, by ranfacking her bofom, and in the fame manner as before, opening her bofom, restore it back to her, without diminution or retention. From this fentence it fhall follow (fays Jupiter to the by-ftanders) that in all future ages the retainers of Avarice fhall bury and conceal their riches, and thereby restore to the Earth what they took from her."

1x. The WOLF and the SHEPHERDS.

apt men are to

HOW apt men

condemn in others what they practise themselves without fcruple!— A Wolf, fays Piutarch, peeping into a hut, where a company of Shepherds were regaling themselves with a fhoulder of mutton; Lord, said he, what a clamour would thefe men have raised, if they had catched me at fuch a banquet!