Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse | Page 8

of our former friends.
FABLE XXIV.
THE VIPER AND THE FILE.
A VIPER, crawling into a smith's shop to seek for something to eat,
cast her eyes upon a File, and darting upon it in a moment, "Now I have
you," said she, "and so you may help yourself how you can; but you
may take my word for it that I shall make a fine meal of you before I
think of parting with you." "Silly wretch!" said the File, as gruff as
could be, "you had much better be quiet, and let me alone; for, if you
gnaw for ever, you will get nothing but your trouble for your pains.
Make a meal of me, indeed! why, I myself can bite the hardest iron in
the shop; and if you go on with your foolish nibbling I shall tear all the
teeth out of your spiteful head before you know where you are."
MORAL.
Take care that you never strive with those who are too strong for you,
nor do spiteful things, lest you suffer for it.
FABLE XXV.
THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.
One hot, sultry day, a Wolf and a Lamb happened to come just at the
same time to quench their thirst in the stream of a clear, silver brook,
that ran tumbling down the side of a rocky
mountain. The Wolf stood
upon the higher ground, and the Lamb at some distance from him down
the current. However, the Wolf, having a mind to pick a quarrel with

him, asked him what he meant by disturbing the water, and making it
so muddy that he could not drink, and at the same time demanded
satisfaction. The Lamb, frightened at this threatening charge, told him,
in a tone as mild as possible, that, with humble submission, he could
not conceive how that could be, since the water which he drank ran
down from the Wolf to him, and therefore it could not be
disturbed so
far up the stream. "Be that as it will," replies the Wolf, "you are a rascal;
and I have been told that you treated me with ill-language behind my
back about half a year ago." "Upon my word," says the Lamb, "the time
you mention was before I was born." The Wolf finding it to no purpose
to argue any longer against truth, fell into a great passion, snarling and
foaming at the mouth, as if he had been mad; and, drawing nearer to the
Lamb, "Sirrah," said he, "if it was not you, it was your father, and that's
all one." So he seized the poor innocent, helpless thing, tore it to pieces,
and made a meal of it.
[Illustration: THE WOLF AND THE LAMB.]
MORAL.
Bad men, who wish to quarrel, will always find a pretence; if they can
find no true grounds, they will resort to those which are false.
FABLE XXVI.
THE OLD BULLFINCH AND YOUNG BIRDS.
It chanced, that, on a winter's day,
But warm and bright, and calm as
May,
The birds, conceiving a design
To forestall sweet St.
Valentine,
In many an orchard, copse, and grove,
Assembled on
affairs of love;
And with much twitter and much chatter,
Began to
agitate the matter.
At length, a Bullfinch, who could boast
More years and wisdom than
the most,
Entreated, opening wide his beak,
A moment's liberty to
speak;
And, silence publicly enjoined,
Delivered briefly thus his
mind:

"My friends, be cautious how ye treat
The subject upon which we
meet;
I fear we shall have winter yet."
A Finch, whose tongue knew no control,
With golden wing, and satin
poll,
A last year's bird, who ne'er had tried
What marriage means,
thus pert replied:
"Methinks, the gentleman," quoth she,
"Opposite, in the apple-tree,

By his good will, would keep us single,
'Till yonder heaven and earth
shall mingle;
Or (which is likelier to befall)
'Till death exterminate
us all.
I marry without more ado;
My dear Dick Redcap, what say
you?"
Dick heard; and tweedling, ogling, bridling,
Turning short round,
strutting, and sidling,
Attested glad his approbation
Of an
immediate conjugation.
Their sentiments so well express'd,

Influenced mightily the rest;
All pair'd, and each pair built a nest.
But though the birds were thus in haste,
The leaves came on not quite
so fast;
And destiny, that sometimes bears
An aspect stern on man's
affairs,
Not altogether smil'd on theirs.
The wind, that late breath'd gently forth,
Now shifted east, and east
by north;
Bare trees and shrubs but ill, you know,
Could shelter
them from rain or snow;
Stepping into their nests, they paddled,

Themselves were chill'd, their eggs were addled;
Soon every father
bird, and mother,
Grew quarrelsome, and peck'd each other;
Parted
without the least regret,
Except that they had ever met;
And learn'd
in future to be wiser
Than to neglect a good adviser.
MORAL.
Young folks, who think themselves so wise,
That old folks' counsel
they despise,
Will find, when they too late repent,
Their folly prove
their punishment.

FABLE XXVII.
THE MOUSE AND THE WEASEL.
A LITTLE starveling rogue of a