FABLE LXXXVI.
THE BEAR AND THE BEE HIVES.]
A Bear, climbing over the fence into a place where Bees were kept, beganto plunder the Hives, and rob them of their honey. But the Bees, torevenge the injury, attacked him in a whole swarm together; and, thoughthey were not able to pierce his rugged hide, yet, with their littlestings, they so annoyed his eyes and nostrils, that, unable to endurethe smarting pain, with impatience he tore the skin over his ears withhis own claws, and suffered ample punishment for the injury he did theBees in breaking open their waxen cells.
APPLICATION.
Many and great are the injuries of which some men are guilty towardsothers, for the sake of gratifying some liquorish appetite. For thereare those who would not stick at bringing desolation upon their country,and run the hazard of their own necks into the bargain, rather thanbaulk a wicked inclination, either of cruelty, ambition, or avarice. Butit were to be wished all who are hurried by such blind impulses, wouldconsider a moment before they proceed to irrevocable execution. Injuriesand wrongs not only call for revenge and reparation with the voice ofequity itself, but oftentimes carry their punishment along with them;and, by an unforeseen train of events, are retorted at the head of theactor of them; and not seldom, from a deep remorse, expiated uponhimself by his own hand.
FABLE LXXXVII.
THE TRAVELLERS AND THE BEAR.]
Two men being to travel through a forest together, mutually promised tostand by each other in any danger they should meet upon the way. Theyhad not gone far before a Bear came rushing towards them out of athicket; upon which one, being a light nimble fellow, got up into atree; the other falling flat upon his face, and holding his breath, laystill while the Bear came up and smelled at him; but that creature,supposing him to be a dead carcass, went back again into the wood,without doing him the least harm. When all was over, the Spark who hadclimbed the tree came down to his companion, and, with a pleasant smile,asked him what the Bear said to him--'For,' says he, 'I took notice thathe clapt his mouth very close to your ear.'----'Why,' replies theother, 'he charged me to take care, for the future, not to put anyconfidence in such cowardly rascals as you.'
APPLICATION.
Though nothing is more common than to hear people profess services offriendship where there is no occasion for them, yet scarce any thing isso hard to be found as a true friend, who will assist us in time ofdanger and difficulty. All the declarations of kindness which are madeto an experienced man, though accompanied by a squeeze of the hand, anda solemn asseveration, should leave no greater impression upon his mindthan the whistling of the hollow breeze which brushes one's ear with anunmeaning salute, and is presently gone. He that succours our necessityby a well-timed assistance, though it were not ushered in by previouscompliments, will ever after be looked upon as our friend and protector;and, in so much a greater degree, as the favour was unasked andunpromised; as it was not extorted by importunities on the one side, norled in by a numerous attendance of promises on the other. Words arenothing till they are fulfilled by actions; and therefore we should notsuffer ourselves to be deluded by a vain hope and reliance upon them.
FABLE LXXXVIII.
THE TRUMPETER TAKEN PRISONER.]
A trumpeter, being taken prisoner in a battle, begged hard for quarter,declaring his innocence, and protesting that he neither had nor couldkill any man, bearing no arms but only his trumpet, which he was obligedto sound at the word of command.--'For that reason,' replied hisenemies, 'we are determined not to spare you; for though you yourselfnever fight, yet, with that wicked instrument of yours, you blow upanimosity between other people, and so become the occasion of muchbloodshed.'
APPLICATION.
A man may be guilty of murder who has never handled a sword, or pulled atrigger, or lifted up his arm with any mischievous weapon. There is alittle incendiary, called the tongue, which is more venomous than apoisoned arrow, and more killing than a two-edged sword. The moral ofthe fable therefore is this, that if in any civil insurrection thepersons taken in arms against the government deserve to die, much moredo they whose devilish tongues gave birth to the sedition, and excitedthe tumult. When wicked priests, instead of preaching peace and charity,employ that engine of scandal their tongue to foment rebellions, whetherthey succeed in their designs or no, they ought to be severely punished;for they have done what in them lay to set folks together by the ears;they have blown the trumpet and sounded the alarm, and if thousands arenot destroyed by the sword, it is none of their fault.
FABLE LXXXIX.
THE PARTRIDGE AND THE COCKS.]
A certain man, having taken a Partridge, plucked some of the feathersout of its wings, and turned it into a little yard, where he kept gameCocks. The Cocks, for awhile, made the poor bird lead a sad life,continually pecking and driving it away from the meat. This treatmentwas taken the more unkindly, because offered to a stranger; and thePartridge could not but conclude them the most inhospitable uncivilpeople he had ever met with. But at last, observing how frequently theyquarrelled and fought with each other, he comforted himself with thisreflection; that it was no wonder they were so cruel to him, since therewas so much bickering and animosity among themselves.
APPLICATION.
This fable comes home to ourselves, we of this island having always beenlooked upon as cruel to strangers. Whether there is any thing in themanner of our situation, as an island, which consequently can be nothoroughfare to other countries, and so is not made use of by strangersupon that account, which makes us thus shy and uncivil; or, whether itbe a jealousy upon account of our liberties, which puts us upon beingsuspicious of, and unwilling to harbour any that are not members of thesame community, perhaps it would not be easy to determine. But that itis so in fact, is too notorious to be denied; and probably can beaccounted for no better way than from the natural bent of our temper, asit proceeds from something peculiar to our air and climate. It has beenaffirmed, that there is not in the whole world besides a breed of Cocksand Dogs so fierce and incapable of yielding as that of ours; but thateither of them, carried into foreign countries, would degenerate in afew years. Why may not the same be true of our men? But if strangersfind any inconvenience in this, there is a comfortable consideration tobalance it on the other side, which is, that there are no people underthe sun so much given to division and contention among themselves as weare. Can a stranger think it hard to be looked upon with some shyness,when he beholds how little we spare one another? Was ever anyforeigner, merely for being a foreigner, treated with half that maliceand bitterness which differing parties express towards each other? Onewould willingly believe that this proceeds in the main, on both sides,from a passionate concern for our liberties and well-being; for there isnothing else which can so well excuse it. But it cannot be denied, thatour aversion, notwithstanding our being a trading nation, to have anyintercourse with strangers, is so great, that when we want other objectsfor our churlishness, we raise them up among ourselves; and there is,sometimes, as great a strangeness kept up between one county and anotherhere, as there is between two distinct kingdoms abroad. One cannot somuch wonder at the constant hostilities which are observed between theinhabitants of South and North Britain, of Wales and Ireland, among oneanother, when a Yorkshireman shall be looked upon as a foreigner by anative of Norfolk, and both be taken for outlandish intruders by onethat happens to be born within the bills of mortality.
FABLE XC.
THE FALCONER AND THE PARTRIDGE.]
A falconer having taken a Partridge in his net, the bird begged hard fora reprieve, and promised the man, if he would let him go, to decoy otherPartridges into his net.--'No,' replies the Falconer, 'I was beforedetermined not to spare you, but now you have condemned yourself by yourown words: for he who is such a scoundrel as to offer to betray hisfriends to save himself, deserves, if possible, worse than death.'
APPLICATION.
However it may be convenient for us to like the treason, yet we must bevery destitute of honour not to hat
e and abominate the traitor. Andaccordingly history furnishes us with many instances of kings and greatmen who have punished the actors of treachery with death, though thepart they acted had been so conducive to their interests as to give thema victory, or perhaps the quiet possession of a throne. Nor can princespursue a more just maxim than this; for a traitor is a villain of noprinciples, that sticks at nothing to promote his own selfish ends; hethat betrays one cause for a great sum of money, will betray anotherupon the same account; and therefore it must be very impolitic in astate to suffer such wretches to live in it. Since then this maxim is sogood, and so likely at all times to be practised, what stupid roguesmust they be who undertake such precarious dirty work! If they miscarry,it generally proves fatal to them from one side or other; if theysucceed, perhaps they may have the promised reward, but are sure to bedetested, if suffered to live, by the very person that employs them.
FABLE XCI.
THE EAGLE AND THE CROW.]
An Eagle flew down from the top of a high rock, and settled upon theback of a Lamb; and then instantly flying up into the air again, borehis bleating prize aloft in his pounces. A Crow, who sat upon an elm,and beheld this exploit, resolved to imitate it; so flying down upon theback of a Ram, and entangling his claws in the wool, he fell achattering and attempting to fly; by which means he drew the observationof the Shepherd upon him, who finding his feet hampered in the fleece ofthe Ram, easily took him, and gave him to his boys for their sport anddiversion.
APPLICATION.
Every quality which is excellent and commendable, is not, however,always a proper object for our imitation. We ought to state our ownaccount honestly and fairly, that we may see what our abilities are, andhow our circumstances stand; otherwise we may not only become ridiculousto others, but prejudicial to ourselves, by some awkward and ill-judgedemulation, though it happen to be in a qualification truly laudable andgreat. It behoves every man to exert a good share of industry towardsthe advancement of his interest, or, if he pleases, of his reputation.But then it is highly necessary that he does this with a true regard tohis own capacity, and without any danger of exposing or embarrassinghimself in the operation.
FABLE XCII.
THE LION, THE ASS, AND THE FOX.]
The Lion, the Ass, and the Fox went a hunting together in the forest;and it was agreed, that whatever was taken should be divided amongstthem. They happened to have very good sport, and caught a large fatStag, which the Lion ordered the Ass to divide. The Ass, according tothe best of his capacity, did so, and made three pretty equal shares.But such levelling doings not suiting at all with the craving temper ofthe greedy Lion, without farther delay he flew upon the Ass, and torehim in pieces; and then bid the Fox divide it into two parts. Reynard,who seldom wanted a prompter, however, had his cue given himsufficiently upon this occasion; and so nibbling off one little bit forhimself, he laid forth all the rest for the Lion's portion. The royalbrute was so delighted at this dutiful and handsome proof of hisrespect, that he could not forbear expressing the satisfaction it gavehim; and asked him withal, where he could possibly have learned soproper and so courtly a behaviour?--'Why,' replies Reynard, 'to tellyour majesty the truth, I was taught it by the Ass that lies deadthere.'
APPLICATION.
We may learn a great deal of useful experience from the examples ofother people, if we will but take the pains to observe them. And,besides the profit of the instructions, there is no small pleasure inbeing taught any proper science at the expense of somebody else. To thispurpose, the history of former times, as well as the transactions of thepresent, are very well adapted; and so copious, as to be able to furnishus with precedents upon almost every occasion. The rock upon whichanother has split is a kind of light-house or beacon to warn us from thelike calamity; and by taking such an advantage, how easily may we steera safe course! He that, in any negociation with his betters, does notwell and wisely consider how to behave himself, so as not to giveoffence, may very likely come off as the Ass did: but a cool thinkingman, though he should despair of ever making friends of the people inpower, will be cautious and prudent enough to do nothing which mayprovoke them to be his enemies.
FABLE XCIII.
THE FOX AND THE GRAPES.]
A Fox, very hungry, chanced to come into a vineyard, where there hungbranches of charming ripe grapes; but nailed up to a trellis so high,that he leaped till he quite tired himself, without being able to reachone of them. At last--'Let who will take them!' says he, 'they are butgreen and sour; so I will even let them alone.'
APPLICATION.
This fable is a good reprimand to a parcel of vain coxcombs in theworld, who, because they would never be thought to be disappointed inany of their pursuits, pretend a dislike to every thing which theycannot obtain. There is a strange propensity in mankind to this temper,and there are numbers of grumbling malcontents in every differentfaculty and sect in life. The discarded statesman, considering thecorruption of the times, would not have any hand in the administrationof affairs for all the world. The country squire damns a court life, andwould not go cringing and creeping to a drawing-room for the best placethe king has at his disposal. A young fellow, being asked how he liked acelebrated beauty, by whom all the world knew he was despised, answered,she had a stinking breath. How insufferable is the pride of this poorcreature man! who would stoop to the basest vilest actions, rather thanbe thought not able to do any thing. For what is more base and vile thanlying? And when do we lie more notoriously than when we disparage andfind fault with a thing, for no other reason but because it is out ofour power?
FABLE XCIV.
THE HORSE AND THE STAG.]
The Stag with his sharp horns, got the better of the Horse, and drovehim clear out of the pasture where they used to feed together. So thelatter craved the assistance of man; and, in order to receive thebenefit of it, suffered him to put a bridle into his mouth and a saddleupon his back. By this way of proceeding he entirely defeated his enemy;but was mightily disappointed when, upon returning thanks, and desiringto be dismissed, he received this answer:--'No, I never knew before howuseful a drudge you were; now I have found what you are good for, youmay depend upon it I will keep you to it.'
APPLICATION.
As the foregoing fable was intended to caution us against consenting toany thing that might prejudice public liberty, this may serve to keepus upon our guard in the preservation of that which is of a privatenature. This is the use and interpretation given of it by Horace, thebest and most polite philosopher that ever wrote. After reciting thefable, he applies it thus:--'This,' says he, 'is the case of him, whodreading poverty, parts with that invaluable jewel, liberty; like awretch as he is, he will always be subject to a tyrant of some sort orother, and be a slave for ever; because his avaricious spirit knew nothow to be contented with that moderate competency, which he might havepossessed independent of all the world.'
FABLE XCV.
THE YOUNG MAN AND THE SWALLOW.]
A prodigal Young Spendthrift, who had wasted his whole patrimony intaverns and gaming-houses, among lewd idle company, was taking amelancholy walk near a brook. It was in the month of January; andhappened to be one of those warm sunshiny days which sometimes smileupon us even in that winterly season of the year; and, to make it themore flattering, a Swallow, which had made his appearance, by mistake,too soon, flew skimming along upon the surface of the water. The giddyYouth observing this, without any further consideration, concluded thatsummer was now come, and that he should have little or no occasion forclothes, so went and pawned them at the broker's, and ventured the moneyfor one stake more, among his sharping companions. When this too wasgone the same way with the rest, he took another solitary walk in thesame place as before. But the weather being severe and frosty, had madeevery thing look with an aspect very different from what it did before;the brook was quite frozen over, and the poor Swallow lay dead upon thebank of it: the very sight of which cooled the young Spark's brains; andcoming to a kind of sense of his misery,
he reproached the deceased birdas the author of all his misfortunes:--'Ah, wretch that thou wert!' sayshe, 'thou hast undone both thyself and me, who was so credulous as todepend upon thee.'
APPLICATION.
They who frequent taverns and gaming-houses, and keep bad company,should not wonder if they are reduced, in a very small time, to penuryand want. The wretched young fellows, who once addict themselves to sucha scandalous kind of life, scarce think of, or attend to, any one thingbesides. They seem to have nothing else in their heads, but how they maysquander what they have got, and where they may get more when that isgone. They do not make the same use of their reason that other peopledo; but, like the jaundiced eye, view every thing in that false light inwhich their distemper and debauchery represent it. The Young Man in thefable gives us a pretty example of this; he sees a Swallow in the midstof winter, and instead of being surprised at it, as a very irregularand extraordinary thing, concludes from thence that it is summer, as ifhe had never thought before about the season. Well, the result of thiswise conclusion is of a piece with the conclusion itself; if it issummer, he shall not want so many clothes, therefore he sells them: forwhat?--More money to squander away; as if (had his observation beenjust) summer would have lasted all the year round. But the true resultand conclusion of all this is--when both his money and clothes areirrecoverably gone, he comes to his right senses; is ready to perishwith hunger, to starve with cold, and to tear his own flesh with remorseand vexation at his former stupidity.