at Campeign extended Armies shine And France her infant Printes fight and dine Whilst Boufflers treats the Ladies with a Song And Duke de Berry learns the Spanish Tongue A Prince at Cell who Seemingly appears Thoughtless of Arms since now releas'd from Wars Amid'st his Sports shall-fit Expedients find To cheat the dangers by their Arms design'd And one poor Hunting Matcl perhaps may break The Measures which their fam'd Encampments take FAB IV. Of the Trumpeter A Trumpeter in time of War Was in the Battle taken And Dead almost with very fear Try'd thus to save his Bacon Dear Sirs if guiltless Actions save Or Innocence secures From you the grant of Life I crave Who ne'er endanger'd yours Nor Sword nor Musquet have I born Or any other Weapon worn Than what is in my hand This Trumpet never gave a wound Or utter'd any thing but empty sound And that too by command Off with the Dog and fetch the Rope Said Enemy and tye him up A Villain never spare him Zounds That same Instrument is worse Than Sword and Gun and every Curse And we 've most cause to fear him Since from his blasts those wounds at first proceed By which so many Thousands of us bleed MORAL So crys an Author who has spent his spleen What harm can silly Fables mean Or how can Faction takes its birth From a few Tales and unprovoking Mirth They may perhaps delight But rest assur'd they 'll never Fight The Beast I-treat of cannot Plot Or traffick in Sedition what of that When if he rail'd like O t s like S Fought Curs'd like a Man at Sam 's like M thought All join'd together ne'er was able To show the malice of one single Fable FAB V. Of the Apple and the Horse-Turd AN Apple falling from a Tree Which near a River stood With Horse Turd in his Company Was sailing down the Flood When Turd ambitious to discourse A thing so much above it Would into Conversation force As down the River drove it Lord Madam what a pleasant Stream Is this in which we ride Sister How we Two Apples swim The foul Sir-rev'rence cry'd MORAL A Thread-bare Wriner who perchance Has not one Farthing paid To carry on the War with France Towards the Royal Aid Crys Damn this curs'd confounded Peace It Forty Millions cost And we could not procure our Ease Till All our Wealth was lost FAB VI. of the Covetous and the Envious Man TWO men to Jove their Prayers made For some kind Earthly Blessing One never satisfy'd with what he had Tho' rich beyond Expressing Th' other was envious nor car'd What mischief e're befell Him So that his Comrade was not spar'd And what should kill him kill him Jove Teaz'd with their Petitions sent His Son Appolo to 'em To try to give 'em both content And know what service He could do 'em Ask said Appollo Friends what ' ere You want th'out further trouble And what is ask'd from either pray'r T'other shall have it double With that the parsimonious Cuff For Wealth did loudly call Which downward fell but ne'r enough For his desires could fall Still as he ask'd the Richess came And doubled on the other Tho' still his prayer was the same Which still enrich'd his Brother Next in his turn Sir Envy kneel'd And with a bale-ful Eye Dear Phaebus to my prayer yield And barken to my cry Now oh just now thou Pow'r divine This favour let me find Put out this single Eye of mine That his may both be blind FAB VII Of the Beaver and the Hunters A Beaver being close pursu'd By Hunters Horse and Hounds And neither safe within the Wood Nor in the open Grounds I know full well and step'd aside The reasons why I 'm chas'd he cry'd And much lament the Cause My Stones are what they want and I Must either part with them or die And glut the Beagles jaws With that though he was loath to part With things as precious as his heart Or with a quiet mind Surrender up the pride of all his kind Yet life was sweet and utt'ring forth some groans Off went his dear beloved Stones Which in the Hunters way The Melancholy Beast did lay Call in the Hounds the fierce Pursuers said We 've caught the Game and have our Markets made And taking up the Prize they went All homeward with content Whlist the Enervate Beast return'd To graze in quiet on the plain And never after this Misfortune mourn'd Or fled from Hunters or from Hounds again MORAL If a certain great Prince had but done as this Beast And instead of each Stone gotten rid of each Priest He had still been King whom his People had bless'd But since He bad rather keep in with Ned Petre And likes Fryers and Monks for his company fitter Let him now keep his Stones for there 's none but has beater FAB VIII The Lion and the Fox A Fox a Lion's Chaplain when The Beasts began to cry And gather round their Monarch's Den For Antient Liberty Said may it please my Sov'raign Lord Your subjects are your Slaves And if they dare to speak a word Your Throat may be their Graves With that the Monarch Wisely smil'd At good Sir Crapes advice And said go fetch your youngest Child My Stomach 's something nice Sir said the Fox Your in the wrong I must your pardon crave Parsons alone to Jove belong And no Controulers have MORAL So in late times the Pulpits rung With Passive Non-Resistance And all the burthen of their Song Was Duty and Asstance Life Wealth and every thing was due To Him who or'e us rul'd And Whilst that Cant they would pursue We'd all of 's E'en been fool'd Had not their Church's Lands been thought Belonging to the Throne And made 'em change their former note And what they said disown FAB IX Of Iupiter and the Monkey JOVE was desirous once to know What Animal did bear The handsom'st Off-spring or could show A little one most fair He summon'd every living thing Unto a certain place To come before him and to bring A Pattern of it's Race Forth with each Female creature came Which Air or Sea or Earth Could for its proper Tenant claim And each produc'd a Sample of it's Birth When as the Pow'rful God was just Deciding the dispute Up to the Throne a Monkey thrust A most deformed Brute And with her Young one in her hand Whilst All the Company smil'd Vouchsafe great Jove to understand Mine is the finest Child Please you my Liege to view this face How regular and sweet How well proportion'd every grace And how exact the features meet Surely my Lord can ne're refuse My Child and Me the Bays When Jove for laughing could not chuse And all of 'em went their ways MORAL So Young Aesop from Bath or Old Aesop from Whitehall May amuse Town and Country with a fab'lous recital And in love with themselves think their own things the best Whilst the Clergy they laugh at escape the
AESOP In Select FABLES VIZ. I. At Tunbridge II. At Bathe III. At Epsom IV. At Whitehall V. From Tunbridge VI. At Amsterdam WITH A DIALOGUE BETWEEN Bow-Steeple DRAGON And the Exchange GRASHOPER LONDON Printed and are to be Sold by most Booksellers in London and Westminster 1698. To the Reader RIding of late to take a little Are and crossing by some chance the Tunbridge-Road it was my fortune to find a parcel of Papers which were doubtless dropt by some unwary Passenger who had made more Haste than good Speed and taking them up I found they were the following Fables which I imagine some Young Gentleman of Wit and Leisure had diverted himself in composing whilst he was obliged to drink the Waters The Entertainment they gave me and my Friends made me think of making them Publick and considering the Nature of them and that they were very fairly Written it is not at all unlikely that the Author had designed them for the Press himself There are but two little Reasons to the contrary which may be also soon answered First That they are too small to make a Book the Second That some of the Fables are too bold and might expose the Author to some Danger or Displeasure As to the first Objection Whoever would be sure of Pleasing must not be tedious it happens but to a few great Books to be read through and many good Authors have defeated their own purpose of instructing the World by frightning the Reader with Three or four hundred Pages But besides the Nature of such a Work as this requires that the Reader be never cloy'd but always kept in good Humour and good Appetite which a long work could hardly do and 10 or 12 Morals are enow to amuse the Mind and keep it exercised a good while But after all it may be there were many Fables more intended to follow these and then I have nothing to say but that these were all I found and thought they were too many to be lost to the Publick To the other Objection the Author having nothing to answer for they are publish'd if not without his Will yet without his Knowledge But should it be granted that one or two Fables are a little too old and angry yet since there is some Foundation for such sort of Mutterings and Complaints from whence can our Rulers learn these Truths more inoffencively than from such little Stories They will not perhaps attend so easily to wise and good Men as they will to Foxes and Asses and wise and good Men will not it may be dare to tell those Truths these Beasts deliver which yet our Governours should know I will not altogether excuse the Exaggeration of Matters in the Twelfth Fable for tho' our Bargain be dear enough yet I can't tell what we should have done without it and Things I hope will mend upon our hands in good time AESOP AT TUNBRIDGE FAB I. Fair Warning IN Aesop's new-made World of Wit Where Beasts could talk and read and writ And say and do as he saw fit A certain Fellow thought himself abus'd And represented by an Ass And Aesop to the Judge accus'd That he defamed was Friend quoth the Judge how do you know Whether you are defam'd or no How can you prove that he must mean You rather than another Man Sir quoth the Man it needs must be All Circumstances so agree And all the Neighbours say 't is Me. That 's somewhat quoth the Judge indeed But let this Matter pass Since 't was not Aesop 't is agreed But Application made the Ass FAB II. The Cock and Pearl A Dunghil Cock was raking in the Ground And flirted up a Pearl I would quoth he thou hadst been found By some great Lord or Earl My self a single Barly-corn Would surely rather find We Creatures that are dull Earth-born Things only useful mind Whilst they who are divinely Wise And do from Jove proceed Thy lovely orient Lustre prize And for thy Beauty trade FAB III. Of the Horse and Ass A Horse and Ass were journying on their way The Horse was only harness'd light and gay The Ass was heavy loaden and lagg'd behind And thus at length bespake his Friend Companion take some pity on my State And case me but of half my Weight Half will to you no burthen be And yet a mighty help to me The Horse laugh'd loud and shook his Head And wantonly curvetting said Seignior we Horses never chuse The Burthens that we can refuse And should such Jest upon me pass Methinks I should be but an Ass The Ass quite spent and vext to be deny'd Sunk down beneath his Weight and dy'd The Master coming up took off the Sack And threw it on the Horse's Back And having flaid his Ass he threw The filthy Hide upon him too At which the Horse thus sadly humbled cry'd Letting some Tears for Grief and Anger fall Whether 't were Cruelty or Pride That I so fair Request deny'd I am justly serv'd and made to carry all The Asses of the South and East Desire the Horses of the North and West That as to Parliament they Trot This Fable may not be forgot FAB IV. Of the Iudgment of the Ape A Wolf complain'd that he had lost a Lamb And strait impleads a Fox of no good Fame Who had a Lamb that he had stoln the same An Ape was to decide the Cause Having some knowledg in the Laws No Councel was by either fee'd Each would his Cause in Person plead And so they did with mighty heat The Judge himself did almost sweat To hear the force of their Debate How they accuse and how defend How they reply'd joyn'd and rejoyn'd At length in pity to the Court The Judge was fain to cut them short And thus determin'd Sirs in troth The Labm belongs to neither of you both You Mr. Wolf have doubtless lost no Lamb And Renard you as surely stole that same But not from him if Justice might prevail You should be both condem'd to Fine and Jail So two great Lords for an Estate may fight Which does to neither appertain by Right FAB V. Of the Horse and Man A Fierce wild Boar of monstrous size and force Did once in early days affront a Horse Who meditating Vengeance found his Will To hurt much greater than his Power and Skill And therefore chaf'd and resolute he ran To the next House and thus apply'd to Man I come Superiour Power whom Jove hath made His Substitute on Earth to seek thy Aid Against a sordid Brute who injures me And likewise speaks contemptibly of Thee Jove whom thou nam'st said Man was to thee kind And sent thee where thou shalt Assistance find But this injurious Boar will never meet Our Arms upon the Plain but trusts his Feet But shall his Feet then his Protection be Since Swiftness is the Gift of Jove to thee Mark it my Friend this Insolence Deprives us or our common Sense This doubtless he forgot so will no we You
Profit lies at Stake All sorts of People large Professions make But as in Trade when Men on Credit buy The Wise sispect their Pay that bid too high So in all Obligations that include More than a Favour 's worth in Gratitude False we conclude or rash the Vows they make And only upon Force their Words we take So have we known not many Ages since By Sham-Caresses a deluded Prince Indulge his Foes and to their Measures yield Wo did his Ruin on his Favour build We know when Words were wanting to express The Timpany of Zeal in each Address The Trifles Blood and Treasure to a Drop Devoted were and daily offer'd up The crouded Gazettes did a loud proclaim The hollow Promises that thronging came But when his Wants their real Aid requir'd And he their boasted Services desir'd Th' Vngrateful Vipers lusty grown and strong The Bosom in Return that warm'd 'em stung Happy was he that first could get away And him they promis'd to support betray FAB XII The Wolf turn'd Preacher A Wolf whom Health and Strength had left Was fallen into Want Unable to subsist on Theft Resolv'd to be a Saint In a short Cloak and little Band The New-converted Preacher By Means of Formal Tone and Cant Was grown a famous Teacher Shoals of the Mob he daily caught With Sin-confounding Texts Sirs No precious painful Brother taught More Edifying Lectures At length a Rake-Hell of the Wood That had found out his Haunt Cry'd Thou wilt make Old Ne'er be Good The Devil of a Saint Come lay the Masquerade aside And let your Comrade know What Roguery you hide That 's worth Transforming so Oh! quoth the Old Apostate Wolf Thy lewd Dicentious Ear Is scarce yet sanctifi'd enough These precious Truths to hear Like you I rang'd at large and none More rampant was while young But now my Teeth and heels are gone I For age with my Tongue I wheedle flatter cant and pray Dessemble fawn and lye The sily Rout think all I say Meer Gospel-Verity To me all trust both Young and Old Smooth Kids and tender Lambs I have the Culling of the Fold And milking of the Dams You may perchance a Lamb surprize But if you should be seen The parish with their Curs would rise And strip you of your Skin MORAL Let empty Fops of Play-house Conquest vaunt And toast the Lass that did the Favour grant Beau's may by vain and feign'd Intrigues recite But the true Letcher is the Hypocrite And B g-ss in his Tub debauches more Than ever Meggs did on that Spot before The godly have the Gifts the Wicked want For Scandal only's sinful in a Saint Thy Maids their brawny Pastour's Silence trust And make them Heroes in Records of Lust For this Moor-Feilds and Tunbridge must be priz'd But Cr o B ll and Wallis Canoniz'd FAB XIII The Satyr and the Traveller I. TO his poor Cell a Satyr led A Traveller with Cold half dead And with great Kindness treated A Fire Nose-high he made him straight Show'd him his Elbow-Chair of State And near the Chimney seated II. His tingling Hands the Stranger blows At which the Satyr wond'ring rose And humbly ask'd the Reason Sir quoth the Man I mean no Harm I only do 't my Hands to warm In this Cold Frosty Season III. The Satyr gave him from the Pot A mess of Porridge piping hot The Man blow'd o'er his Grewel What 's that for Friend the Satyr cry'd To cool my Broth his Guest reply'd And Truth Sir is a Jewel IV. How quoth his Host Then is it so And can you Contradictions blow Turn out and leave my Cottage This honest Mansion ne'er shall hold Such Rascals as blow Hot and Cold The De'il must find you Pottage MORAL The C 's desir'd that in their next Choice They 'd be pleas'd from this Fable to take good Advice For a man that two Churches at once has in view Shams both in their turns and to neither is true AESOP AT AMSTERDAM Epistle Dedicatory TO Old AESOP at Whitehal c. FATHER WHERE the Devil have you been all this while It is now ever since the fifty fourth Olympiad you dy'd at Delphos and to arise again at Whitehal is very remarkable I am now apt to believe the Doctrine of Transmigration and that your Soul having past the Habitations of the Bodies of the Horse the Ass and other Beasts you 'r now informing the Body of a Courtier Good Dad don 't come too near me you stink most damnably of Sulphur I 'm almost suffocated You have been lamentably paid off in t'other Country your Clothes are horridly bedawb'd with liquid Bitumen Links Flambeaux and Card-matches you make a very indifferent Figure indeed Father What Country you have been in I can't tell but by your new Fables I find you have liv'd under a Monarchical Government and are mightily in love with it as are my Two elder Brothers of Tunbridge and Bathe but you youngest Son my Right Worshipful self begs your Pardon if he don't jump with you and the rest of his Brethren in their Notions of Government You can't tell Father what a lamentable spot of work you have made with the Fables you wrote the first time you liv'd the sower Pedagogues have made the blind Cheeks of many a Boy as raw as a piece of Beef because they could not understand 'em nay I have been persecuted my self upon the same account Besides Sir your Fables have been the foundation of abundance of Lies your Book serves instead of a Charter to the Mythologists of all Ages you stand in competition even with the Devil himself which shall be the reputed Father of Liars And one would think after you had slept so many Years your Consultation with your Pillow might have afforded you better Thoughts 'T is pity Father you and I should fall out after so long absence but you ought to allow us that live upon the surface of the Terrestrial Globe to see farther than you who have been so many Years embowel'd in the Caverns of the Earth Indeed Father I would advise you to return home again unless you had brought better Notions with you from t'other Country for those possest with your Notions here we esteem either Stupid or Mad. Now being in this place Father and breathing in a free Air I can talk of nothing but Freedom Liberty and Property I hope if it does offend the Assertors of Tyranny they 'll consider I am in a common Asylum and out of their reach AMSTERDAM AESOP AT AMSTERDAM FAB I. The Summons THE mighty Puss not long since rul'd the State Beneath a lonesom Furzbush purring sat Stroak'd her long Smellers and rejoic'd to see Her awful Picture in her Progeny Mean while her Kitlings dance before her face And toss like trembling Mice the Roots of Grass Not one amongst 'em but a Claw does wear Fit a Monarchic Tyrant Rat to tear The Good old Cause inform'd the Mother's Breast Darts through their Eyes is by their