mufic, dancing, feafting, and revelry; when immediately entered a Lady, with a bold lafcivious air, and a flushed and jovial countenance: She was attended on one hand by a troop of cooks and bacchanals; and on the other, by a train of wanton youths and damfels, who danced half-naked to the fofteft musical inftruments: Her name was INTEMPERANCE. She waved her hand, and thus addreffed the crowd of difeafes: Give way, ye fickly band of pretenders, nor dare to vie with my fuperior merits in the service of this great monarch. Am not I your parent? The author of your beings? Do you not derive your power of fhortening human life almoft wholly from me? Who then fo fit as I myself, for this important office? The grifly monarch grinned a finile of approbation, placed her at his right hand, and fhe immediately became his prime favourite, and principal minifter.Intemperance cuts down all,-as a deadly poifon.

XC. The CAT, the Cock, and the Young MOUSE.

A Young Moufe, who had feen very little of the

world, came running one day to his mother in great hafte --O mother, faid he, I am frighted almoft to death! I have feen the most extraordinary creature that ever was. He has a fierce angry look, and ftruts about upon two legs. A ftrange piece of flesh grows on his head, and another under his throat, as red as blood. He flapped his arms against his fides, as if he intended to rife into the air; and ftretching out his head, he opened a fharp-pointed mouth fo wide, that I thought he was preparing to fwallow me up; then he roared at me fo horribly, that I trembled every joint, and was glad to run home as fast as I could. If I had not been frighted away by this terrible monfter,. I was just going to fcrape acquaintance with the prettieft creature you ever faw. She had a foft fur ikin, thicker than ours, and all beautifully

waved with black and grey; with a modeft look, and a demeanour fo humble and courteous, that methought I could have fallen in love with her. Then she had a fine long tail, which the waved about fo prettily, and looked fo carneftly at me, that I believe the was juft going to speak to me, when the horrid monster frighted me away. Ah, my dear child, faid the mother, you have indeed escaped being devoured, but not by that monfter you was fo much afraid of; which in truth was only a bird, and would have done you no manner of harm. Whereas the fweet creature, of which you feem fo fond, was no other than a Cat who, under that hypocritical countenance, conceals the most inveterate hatred to all our race, and subfifts entirely by devouring Mice. Learn from this incident, my dear, never whilft you live to rely on outward appearances.

A

XCI. The FARMER and his DOG.

Farmer, who had juft ftepped into his field to mend a gap in one of his fences, found at his return the cradle, where he had left his only child afleep, turned upside down, the cloaths all torn and bloody, and his dog lying near it befmeared alfo with blood. Immediately conceiving that the creature had deftroyed his child, he inftantly dafhed out his brains with the hatchet in his hand; when turning up the cradle, he found his child unhurt, and an enormous ferpent lying dead on the floor, killed by that faithful Dog, whofe courage and fidelity in preferving the life of his Son, deferved another kind of reward. Thefe affecting circumftances afforded him a ftriking leffon, how dangerous it is, too haftily, to give way to the blind impulfe of a fudden paffion,

XCII. The

A

XCII. The GNAT and the BEE.

Gnat, half-starved with cold and pinched with hunger, came early one morning to a beehive, begged the relief of charity, and offered to teach mufic in the family, on the humble terms of diet and lodging. The Bee received her petitioner with a cold civility, and defired to be excufed. I bring up all my children, faid fhe, to my own useful trade, that they be able, when they grow up, to get an honeft livelihood by their induftry. Befides, how do you think I could be fo imprudent as to teach them an art, which I fee has reduced its profeffor to indigence and beggary?

may

XCIII. The OSTRICH and the PELICAN.

HE Ostrich one day met the Pelican, and ob

Terving her breaft all bloody, Good God! fays The to her, what is the matter? What accident has befallen you! You certainly have been feized by fome favage beaft of prey, and have with difficulty efcaped from his mercilefs claws. Do not be furprized, friend, replied the Pelican; no fuch accident, nor in

deed

any thing more than common hath happened to me, I have only been engaged in my ordinary employment of tending my neft, of feeding my dear little ones, and nourishing them with the vital blood from my bofom. Your anfwer, returned the Oftrich, aftonishes me ftill more than the horrid figure you make. What, is this your practice, to tear your own fleth, to fpill your own blood, and to facrifice yourself in this cruel manner to the importunate cravings of your young ones? I know not which to pity moft, your mifery or your folly. Be advised by me, have fome regard for yourfelf; and leave off this barbarous cuftom of mangling your own body: As for your childrep, commit them to the care of Providence, and

make yourself quite eafy about them. My example may be of use to you. I lay eggs upon the ground, and juft cover them lightly over with fand; if they have the good luck to efcape being crufhed by the tread of man or beaft, the warmth of the fun broods upon, and hatches them; and in due time my young ones come forth: I leave them to be nurfed by nature, and fostered by the elements; I give myself no trouble about them, and I neither know nor care what becomes of them. Unhappy wretch, fays the Pelican, who hardeneft thyfelf againft thy own offspring, and through want of natural affection rendereft thy travail fruitless to thyfelf! who knoweft not the sweets of a parent's anxiety; the tender delight of a mother's fufferings! It is not I, but thou, that art cruel to thine own flesh. Thy infenfibility may exempt thee from a temporary inconvenience, and an inconfiderable pain; but at the fame time it makes thee inattentive to a moft neceffary duty, and incapable of relishing the pleasure that attends it: A pleasure the moft exquifite that nature hath indulged to us; in which pain itself is fwallowed up and loft, or only ferves to heighten the enjoyment.

XCIV. The SENSITIVE PLANT and the THISTLE.

A

Thiftle happened to fpring up very near to a Senfitive Plant. The former obferving the extreme bashfulness and delicacy of the latter, addreffed her in the following manner: Why are you so modest and reserved, my good neighbour, as to withdraw your leaves at the approach of ftrangers? Why do you fhrink as if you were afraid, from the touch of every hand? Take example and advice from me: If I liked not their familiarity, I would make them keep their diftance, nor fhould any faucy finger provoke me unrevenged. Our tempers and qualities, replied the other, are widely different: I have neither the ability

nor

nor inclination to give offence: You, it feems, are by no means deftitute of either. My defire is to live peaceably in the ftation wherein I am placed; and though my humility may now and then cause me a moment's uneafinefs, it tends on the whole to proferve my tranquillity. The cafe is otherwife with you, whofe irritable temper, and revengeful difpofition, will probably one time or other be the caufe of your deftruction. While they were thus arguing the point, the Gardener came with his little fpade, in order to lighten the earth round the ftem of the Senfitive Plant; but perceiving the Thistle, he thrust his inftrument through the root of it, and directly toffed it out of his garden.

XCV. The REDBREAST and the SPARROW.

S a Redbreast was finging on a tree by the fide

As of a rural cottage, a Sparrow, perched upon the

thatch, took occafion thus to reprimand him: And doft thou, faid he, with thy dull autumnal note, profume to emulate the birds of fpring? Can thy weak warblings pretend to vie with the fprightly accents of the thrush and blackbird? with the various melody of the lark or nightingale? whom other birds, far thy fuperiors, have been long content to admire in filence. Judge with candlour at leaft, replied the Robin; nor impute thefe efforts to ambition folely, which may fometimes flow from the love of art. I reverence indeed, but by no means envy, the birds whofe fame has ftood the test of ages. Their fongs have charmed both hill and dale; but their feafon is past, and their throats are filent. I feel not, however, the ambition to furpafs or equal them; my efforts are of a much humbler nature; and I may furely hope for pardon, while I endeavour to cheer thefe forfaken valleys, by an attempt to imitate the strains of love.