Fable 61
Husbandman and Stork
A poor innocent stork had the ill hap to be taken in a net that was laid for geese and
cranes. The stork's plea for herself was simplicity and piety, the love she bare to
mankind, her duty to her parents, and the service me did in picking up venomous
creatures. This may be all true, says the husbandman, for what I know, but as you have
been taken with ill company, you must expect to suffer with it.
MORAL
Our fortune and reputation require us to keep good company; for as we may be easily
perverted by the force of bad examples, wise men will judge of us by the company we
keep. What says the proverb? Birds of a seather will flock together.
Fable 62
A Boy and false Alarms
A Shepherd's boy had gotten a roguish trick of crying, A wolf! a wolf! when there was no
such matter, and fooling the country-people with false alarms. He had been at this sport
so many times in jest, that they would not believe him at last, when he was in earnest;
and so the wolves broke in upon the flock, and worried the sheep without resistance.
MORAL
This fable shews us the dangerous consequences of an improper and unseasonable
fooling. The old moral observes, that a common liar shall not be believed, even when
he speaks true.
Fable 63
Eagle and Daw
An eagle made a stoop at a lamb, trussed it, and took it away with her.
A mimical daw, that saw this exploit, would needs try the same experiment upon a ram:
But his claws were so shackled in the fleece with lugging to get him up, that the
shepherd came in, and caught him, before he could clear himself; he clipt his wings,
and carried him home to his children to play withal.
They came gaping about him, and asked their' father what strange bird that was?
Why, says he, he fancied himself an eagle an hour ago; but now he is himself thoroughly
convinced that he is but a silly daw.
MORAL
It is a high degree of vanity and folly, for men to take more upon them than they are
able to go through withal; since the end of all such undertakings generally subjekts them
to mockery as well as disappointment.
Fable 64
Dog in the Manger
An envious cur was gotten into a manger, and there lay growling and snarling to keep
out the cattle from their provender, choosing rather to starve his own carcase,
than suffer the other beasts to satisfy their hunger.
MORAL
Envy pretends to no other happiness than what it derives from the misery of other
people, and will rather eat nothing it self, than not starve those that would.
Fable 65
Sheep and Crow
A crow sat chattering upon the back of a sheep: Well, Sirrah, says the sheep, you durst
not have done this to a dog. Why, I know that, says the crow, as well as you can tell me;
for I can be as quiet as any body with those that are quarrelsome; and I can be as
troublesome as another too, when I meet with those that will take it.
MORAL
It is the nature and practice of mean and low spirits, to be insolent towards those that
will bear it, and as slavish to others that are more than their match.
Fable 66
Creatures petition Jupiter
A general dissatisfaction once reigned among several creatures, at their conditions
particularly; the camel prayed Jupiter, that he might have horns allotted him, as well for
ornament as defence, as bulls and stags had.
The fox prayed for the fleetness of the hare; the hare for the subtlety of the fox; and the
peacock prayed for the fine voice of the nightingale, superadded to her own beautiful
plumes.
Jupiter told them, that since every creature had some advantage or other peculiar to
itself, it would not stand with divine Justice, which had provided so well for every one in
particular, to confer all upon any one.
And because the camel had shewed himself most uneasy in his state, the god not only
refused him horns, but, for example-fake, punished him with the loss of ears.
MORAL
Every living creature has that share of the bounties of heaven, which Providence knows
to be best for it. We ought to be contented with our present condition, be it what it will,
and not repine at the dispensations of Providence.
Fable 67
A covetous Landlord
A certain farmer had one choice apple-tree in his orchard, that he valued above all the
rest, and made his landlord every year a present of the fruit of it. His landlord liked the
apples so well, that after a while nothing would serve him but transplanting the tree into
his own grounds. It withered presently upon die removal, and so there was an end of
both fruit and tree together.
MORAL
All covet all lose, says theproverb, which is a good moral to the fable.
Fable 68
Fox and Goat
A fox and a goat went down by consent into a well to drink, and when they had quenched
their thirst, the goat was at a loss how to get back again.
I have a way for that, says Reynard; do but you raise yourself upon your hinder legs,
with your fore-feet close to the wall, and then stretch out your head; I can easily whip up
to your horns, and so out of the well, and draw you after me.
The goat puts himself in a posture immediately, as he was directed, gives the fox a lift,
and so out he springs: but Reynard, instead of helping him, leaves him with this
barbarous scoff; If you had but half so much brain as beard, says he, you would have
bethought yourself how to get up again before you went down.
MORAL
A wise man will leave nothing to chance more than needs must; but will debate every
thing pro and con, before he comes to fix upon any resolution.
Fable 69
Cocks and Partridge
A noted cocker bought a partridge, and turned it to feed among his fighting cocks.
The cocks beat the partridge away from the meat, which she laid the more to heart,
because it looked like an aversion to her purely as a stranger.
But the partridge finding these very cocks afterwards tearing one another to pieces,
comforted herself with this thought, that she had no reason to expect they should be
kinder to her than they were to one another.
MORAL
It is no wander to find those people troublesome to strangers, who cannot agree among
themselves.
Fable 70
A bragging Traveller
A vain fellow, who had been abroad in the world, would still be tiring peoples ears at his
return with stories of his wonderful actions in his travels; and particularly he told of a
leap he took at Rhodes, that nobody there could come within fix feet of it.
Now this, says he, I am able to prove by several witnesses upon the place.
If this be true, says one of the company, there's no need of going to Rhodes for witness;
do but you fancy this to be Rhodes, and then shew us the leap.
MORAL
Instant detection of tentimes attends the prating folly of a boaster, and then he becomes
the scoff and contempt of the company, instead of being what he would have been
thought, the most considerable man in it.
Fable 71
A Scoffer punished
A presumptuous scoffer at things facred, took a journey to Delphi, on purpose to try if he
could put a trick upon Apollo.
He carried a sparrow in his hand under his coat, and told the God, I have something in
my hand, says he: Is it dead or living? If the oracle should say it was dead, he could
shew it alive; if living, it was but squeezing it, and then it was dead.
He that saw the iniquity of his heart, gave him this answer: It shall even he which of the
two thou pleasest: For it is in thy choice to have it either the one or the other, as to the
bird, but it is not in thy power as to thyself; and immediately struck the bold scosser
dead, for a warning to others.
MORAL
Presumption naturally leads people to infidelity, and that by insensible degrees to
atheism: For when men have once cast off a reverence for religion, they are come within
one step of laughing at it.
Fable72
Woman and fat Hen
A good woman who had a hen that laid her every day an egg, fancied that, upon a larger
allowance of corn, this hen might be brought to lay twice a day.
She tried the experiment; but the hen grew sat upon it, and quite gave over laying.
MORAL
We should set bounds to our defires, and content ourselves when we are well, for fear of
losing what we have.
Fable 73
Man bit by a Dog
One bitten by a dog was advised, as the best remedy in the world, to dip a piece of bread
in the blood of the wound, and give it the dog to eat.
Mighty good advice truly, says the man! and so you have a mind to draw all the dogs in
town upon me! for that will certainly be the case, when they shall find themselves
rewarded instead of punished.
MORAL
Our good-nature should always be managed with prudence. We may forgive an injury;
but we should not encourage the perso who has injured us to repeat the offence.
Fable 74
Thunny and Dolphin
A thunny was chased by a dolphin, which being just ready to seize him, the thunny
struck before he was aware, and the dolphin in the eagerness of his pursuit, ran himself
a-ground with him.
They were both lost; but the thunny kept his eye still upon the dolphin; and observing
him when he was just at the last gasp, Well, says he, the thought of death is now easy to
me, so long as I see my enemy go for company.
MORAL
An innocent man may be indulged some satisfaction, when be sees the rapacious enemy,
who brought destruction upon him, involved in the same calamity.
Fable 75
Two Enemies at Sea
Two enemies were at sea in the same vessel, the one at the ship's head, the other at the
stern. It blew a dreadful storm; and when the vessel was just ready to be swallowed up,
one of them asked the master, which part of the ship would be first under water? He told
him the other end would sink first.
Why then, says he, I shall have the comfort of seeing my enemy go before me.
MORAL
It is a wretched satisfaction that a revengeful man takes, when he can lose his own life,
provided that his enemy may not survive him.
Fable 76
The Astrologer admonished
A certain star-gazer had the fortune, in the very height of his celestial observations,
to stumble into a very deep ditch; and while he was scrabbling to get out, friend, says
a sober sellow passing by, make a right use of your present misfortunes; and, for the
future, pray let the stars go on quietly in their courses, and do you look a little better to
the ditches; for is it not strange, that you should tell other people their fortune, and
know nothing of your own?
MORAL
This fable is a just rebuke to such as neglect their own concerns to pry into those os
other people.
Fable 77
Fowler and Blackbird
A black-bird asked a fowler, who was baiting his net, what he was doing? Why, says he,
I am laying the foundations of a city; and so the bird-man drew out of sight.
The black-bird, mistrusting nothing, flew presently to the bait in the net, and was taken;
and as the man came running to lay hold of him, Friend, says the poor black-bird, if this
be your way of building you will have but sew inhabitants.
MORAL
Inquisitive people sometimes pay dear for their impertinent folly.
Fable 78
Mercury and Traveller
A Traveller just entering upon a long journey, made a promise to Mercury, that he would
dedicate to his divinity half what he should find.
Somebody had lost a bag of dates and almonds, it seems, and it was his fortune to find
it. He fell to work upon them immediately, and when he had eaten up the kernels, and all
that was good of them, he laid the stones and the shells upon an altar, and desired
Mercury to take notice, that he had performed his vow.
For, says he, here are the outsides of the one, and the insides of the other, and there is
the moiety I promised.
MORAL
Some men talk as if they believed in God, but they live as if they thought there were
none; but their very prayers are mockeries, and their vows and promises are no more
than words of course, which if they ever intended to make good, they seldom have the
heart to do it, vihen it comes to the point.
Fable 79
A Boy and his Mother
A school-boy stole a book, and brought it to his mother; who was so far from correcting
him for it, that she rather encouraged him.
As he grew bigger, he increased in villainy, till he came at last to be taken in a great
theft, and was brought to justice for it. His mother went lamenting along with him to the
place of execution, where he got leave of the officers to have a word or two in private
with her.
He put his mouth to her ear, and under pretext of a whisper, bit it clear off.
This unnatural villainy turned every body's heart against him more than before:
Well, good people, says the boy, here you see me an example, both upon the matter
matter of shame and punishment; and it is this mother of mine that has brought me to
it; for if she had but whipt me soundly for the book I stole when I was a boy. I should
never have come to the gallows for theft now when I am a man.
MORAL
We are either made or marred in our education; and governments, as well as private
families, are concerned in the consequences of it.
Fable 80
Shepherd turned Merchant
A Shepherd feeding his flock by the sea-side on a very fine day, the smoothness of the
water tempted him to leave his shepherd's business, and set up for a merchant.
So in all haste he puts off his stock, buys a bargain of figs, gets his freight aboard,
and goes away presently to sea.
But foul weather happening, the mariners were fain to cast their whole lading overboard,
to save themselves and the vessel.
Upon this miscarriage, our new merchant-adventurer betook himself to his old trade
again; and it happened one day, as he was tending his sheep upon the very same coast,
to be just such a flattering tempting sea as that which betrayed him before: Yes, yes,
said he, who is fool then? You would have some more sigs, with a vengeance, would ye?
MORAL
Men may he happy in all estates, if they will but suit their minds to their condition.
But if they will be launching into business they do not understand, they have nothing left
them to trust to when they are once bewildered, but the hope of some kind Providence to
put them in the right way home again.
Fable 81
Man of Quality and Lion
A Person of quality dreamed one night, that he saw a lion kill his only son, who was;
it seems, a great lover of the chace.
This fancy ran in the father's head to that degree, that he built his son a house of
pleasure, on purpose to keep him out of harm's way; and spared neither art nor cost to
make a delicious retreat; which however, in the main, the young man considered as no other than a prison, and his father, who confined him to it, as his keeper.
Among the paintings which adorned this little palace, was the picture of a lion, which he
viewed one day, and being incensed to think that he should be kept a kind of prisoner for
the fake of a silly dream of such a beast, he made a blow at the picture; but striking his
fist upon the point of a nail in the wall, his hand cancerated, he fell into a fever, and soon
after died of it:
So that all the father's precaution could not secure the son from the fatality of dying by
a lion.
MORAL
Superstitious minds are often punishad in the way they most dread.
And the very means luhich we take to avoid an apprehended evil, when we rely too much
on our own strength or prudence, without trusting in Providence, an often made use of to
bring it upon us.
Fable 82
Fox that had lost his Tail
A Fox taken in a trap was glad to compound for his neck, by leaving his tail behind him.
It was so uncouth a sight for a fox to appear without a tail, that the very thought of it
made him weary of his life:
But however, for the better countenance of the scandal, he got the master and wardens
of the foxes company to call a court of assistants, where he himself appeared, and made
a learned discourse upon the trouble, the uselessness, and the indecency of foxes
wearing tails.
He had no sooner said out his say, but up rises a cunning snap, then at the board,
who desired to be informed, whether the worthy member that moved against the
wearing of tails, gave his advice for the advantage of those that had tails, or to palliate
the deformity and disgrace of those that had none?
MORAL
It is the way of the world to give other people counsel forby-ends. But yet it is a hard
matter to over-rule a multitude to their own pain and loss.
Fable 83
Fox and Bramble
A Fox close pursued, took to a hedge; the bushes gave way, and in catching hold of a
bramble to break his fall, the prickles ran into his feet; upon this he laid himself down,
and fell to licking his paws, with bitter exclamations against the bramble.
Good words, Reynard, says the bramble; one would have thought, that you, whose heart
is bent upon mischief, had known better things than to lay hold on that for relief,
which catches at every thing else for mischief.
MORAL
That man is hard put to it, who first brings himself into a distress, and then is forced to
fy to his enemy for relief.
Fable 84
Fox and Huntsmen
A Fox that was hard pursued, begged of a countryman to help him to some hiding-place.
The man directed him to his cottage, and thither he went. The huntsmen were presently
at his heels, and asked the cottager, if he did not see a fox that way? No, truly, says he,
I saw none; but pointed at the same time with his finger to the place where he lay.
The huntsmen did not take the hint, it seems; but the fox spied him, however, through
a peeping-hole he had found out: So the hunters went their way, and then out steals the
fox, and departs without one word speaking.
Why, how now, says the man, have not you the manners to thank me before you go?
Yes, yes, says the fox, if you had been as honest of your fingers as you were of your
tongue, I should not have gone without acknowledging the favour.
MORAL
A man may tell a lie by signs, as well as in words at length; and his conscience in this
case is as answerable for his fingers as for his tongue.
Fable 85
Man and wooden God
A Man who had a great veneration for an image he had in his house, found, that the
more he prayed to it to prosper him in the world, the more he went down the wind still.
This put him into such a rage that at last he dashed the head of it to pieces against the
wall, and out comes a considerable quantity of gold.
Why this it is, says he, to adore a perverse and insensible deity, that will do more for
blows-than worship.
MORAL
Most people accommodate their religion to their profit, and reckon that to be the best
church which there is most to be got by.
Fable 86
A Father and his Children
A Countyman who had lived handsomely in the world upon his honest labour and
industry, was desirous his sons should do so after him; and being now upon his
death-bed, My dear children, says he, I reckon myself bound to tell you before I depart,
that there is a considerable treasure hid in my vineyard; wheresore pray be sure to dig,
and search narrowly for it, when I am gone.
The father dies, and the sons fall immediately to work upon the vineyard. They turned it
up over and over, and not one penny of money to be found there; but the prosit of the
next vintage expounded the riddle.
MORAL
Good counsel is the best legacy a father can leave to at child; and it is still the better,
when it is so wrapt up, as to beget a curiosity as well as an inclination to follow it.
Fable 87
Fisherman and his Pipe
A Fisherman, who understood piping better than netting, sat himself down upon the side
of a river and touched his flute; but not a sish came near him. Upon this he laid down his
pipe, and cast his net, which brought him a very great draught.
The fish fell a frisking in the net; and the fisherman observing it, what sots are these,
says he, that would not dance when I played to them, and will be dancing now without
music?
MORAL
A man who uses not the proper and requisite means to attain his end, can never expect
success.
Fable 88
Fisherman's good Luck
A Fisherman had been a long while at work without catching any thing, and at last began
to think of taking up his tackle, and going; but in that very instant a great sish leapt into
the boat, and ended the day to his great advantage.
MORAL
Patience, constancy, and perseverance, in an honest cause and duty, can never fail of a
happy end, one way or other.
Fable 89
Death and old Man
An old man had travelled a great way under a huge burden of sticks, and found himself
so weary at last, that he cast it down, and called upon death to deliver him from a
miserable life. Death came presently at his call, and asked him his business.
Pray, good Sir, says he, asfrighted to find him so ready, do me but the favour to help me
up with my burden again.
MORAL
Human nature, however miser a le in this life, bad rather suffer than die.
If death were always so ready to attend a disappointed mind when it called, men would
take care to make it the last thing they wished for.
Fable 90
Ape elected King
On the death of a lion, a contention arose among the beasts who should be king in his
place. Several competitors offered; but at last an ape, delighting the crowd with his
grimaces and gambols, was chosen.
This disgusting the fox, he pretends to have found a treasure, which he said belonged
only to his majesty, and desired him to go take possession of it.
The fox shews him a bait laid in a ditch for the treasure, which the ape going to seize,
the trap springs, and catches him by the fingers. Ah thou perfidious wretch! cries the
ape. Or thou simple prince, rather! replies the fox: You a governor of others, with a
vengeance, that have not wit enough to look to your own fingers!
MORAL
When apes are in power, foxes will never be wanting to play upon them.