Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse | Page 4

importuning every creature he met to lend
him a kind hand in order to his relief; nay, he even promised a reward
to anyone who should undertake the operation with success. At last the
Crane, tempted with the lucre of the reward, and having first made the
Wolf confirm his promise with an oath, undertook the business, and
ventured his long neck into the rapacious felon's throat.
In short, he plucked out the bone, and expected the promised gratuity;
when the Wolf, turning his eyes disdainfully towards him, said, "I did
not think you had been so unreasonable! Have I not suffered you safely
to draw your neck out of my jaws? And have you the conscience to
demand a further reward?"
MORAL.
When we do good to bad men, we must not expect good from them.

FABLE IX.
THE FROG AND THE RAT.
Once on a time, a foolish Frog,
Vain, proud, and stupid as a log,

Tired with the marsh, her native home,
Imprudently abroad would
roam,
And fix her habitation where
She'd breathe at least a purer air.

She was resolved to change, that's poz;
Could she be worse than
where she was?
Away the silly creature leaps.
A Rat, who saw her lab'ring steps,

Cried out, "Where in this hurry, pray?
You certainly will go astray!"
"Ne'er fear; I quit that filthy bog,
Where I so long have croaked incog:

People of talents, sure, should thrive,
And not be buried thus alive.

But, pray (for I'm extremely dry),
Know you of any water nigh?"
"None," said the Rat, "you'll reach to-day,
As you so slowly make
your way.
Believe a friend, and take my word,
This jaunt of yours
is quite absurd.
Go to your froggery again;
In your own element
remain."
No: on the journey she was bent,
Her thirst increasing as
she went;
For want of drink she scarce can hop,
And yet despairing
of a drop:
Too late she moans her folly past;
She faints, she sinks,
she breathes her last.
MORAL.
Vulgar minds will pay full dear,
When once they move beyond their
sphere.
FABLE X.
THE FIGHTING COCK AND EAGLE.
Two Cocks were fighting for the sovereignty of the dunghill, and one
of them having got the better of the other, he that was vanquished crept

into a hole, and hid himself for some time; but the victor flew up to an
eminent place, clapt his wings, and crowed out victory. An Eagle, who
was watching for his prey near the place, saw him, and, making a
swoop, trussed him up in his talons, and carried him off. The Cock that
had been beaten, perceiving this, soon quitted his hole, and, shaking off
all remembrance of his late disgrace, gallanted the hens with all the
intrepidity imaginable.
MORAL.
Before honour is humility. We must not be too much elevated by
prosperity lest we meet a grievous fall.
[Illustration: THE FIGHTING COCK AND EAGLE.]
FABLE XI.
THE DIAMOND AND THE LOADSTONE.
A DIAMOND, of great beauty and lustre, observing, not only many
other gems of a lower class ranged together with himself in the same
cabinet, but a Loadstone likewise placed not far from him, began to
question the latter how he came there, and what
pretensions he had to
be ranked among the precious stones; he, who appeared to be no better
than a mere flint, a sorry, coarse, rusty-looking pebble, without any the
least shining quality to advance him to such an honour; and concluded
with desiring him to keep his distance, and pay a proper respect to his
superiors.
"I find," said the Loadstone, "you judge by external appearances, and
condemn without due examination; but I will not act so
ungenerously
by you. I am willing to allow you your due praise: you are a pretty
bauble; I am mightily delighted to see you glitter and sparkle; I look
upon you with pleasure and surprise; but I must be convinced you are
of some sort of use before I acknowledge that you have any real merit,
or treat you with that respect which you seem to demand. With regard
to myself, I
confess my deficiency in outward beauty; but I may
venture to say, that I make amends by my intrinsic qualities. The great

improvement of navigation is entirely owing to me. By me the distant
parts of the world have been made known and are
accessible to each
other; the remotest nations are connected together, and all, as it were,
united into one common society; by a mutual intercourse they relieve
one another's wants, and all enjoy the several blessings peculiar to each.
The world is
indebted to me for its wealth, its splendour, and its
power; and the arts and sciences are, in a great measure, obliged to me
for their improvements, and their continual increase. All these blessings
I am the origin of; for by my aid it is that man is enable to construct
that valuable instrument, the Mariner's Compass."