Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse Part 20

FABLE CII.

THE CAT, THE c.o.c.k, AND THE YOUNG MOUSE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE FOX AND THE MASK.]

A YOUNG Mouse, that had seen very little of the world, came running, one day, to his mother in great haste:--"Oh, mother!" said he, "I am frightened almost to death! I have seen the most extraordinary creature that ever was. He has a fierce, angry look, and struts about on two legs; a strange piece of flesh grows on his head, and another under his throat, as red as blood: he flapped his arms against his sides, as if he intended to rise into the air; and stretching out his head, he opened a sharp-pointed mouth so wide, that I thought he was preparing to swallow me up: then he roared at me so horribly, that I trembled in every joint, and was glad to run home as fast as I could. If I had not been frightened away by this terrible monster, I was just going to commence an acquaintance with the prettiest creature you ever saw. She had a soft fur skin, thicker than ours, and all beautifully streaked with black and grey; with a modest look, and a demeanour so humble and courteous, that methought I could have fallen in love with her. Then she had a fine, long tail, which she waved about so prettily, and looked so earnestly at me, that I do believe she was just going to speak to me, when the horrid monster frightened me away."

"Ah, my dear child!" said the mother, "you have escaped being devoured, but not by that monster you were so much afraid of; which, in truth, was only a bird, and would have done you no manner of harm. Whereas, the sweet creature, of whom you seem so fond, was no other than a Cat; who, under that hypocritical countenance, conceals the most inveterate hatred to all our race, and subsists entirely by devouring Mice. Learn from this incident, my dear, never, while you live, to rely on outward appearances."

MORAL.

Beneath a fair, alluring guise, A hidden danger often lies.

FABLE CIII.

THE MICE AND THE TRAP.

Once upon a time, the Mice saw a broiled rasher of bacon hanging up in a very little room, the door of which being open, enticed them to fall on with greedy appet.i.tes. But some of them took particular notice that there was but one way into the room, and, by consequence, but one way to get out of it; so that, if that door, by misfortune or art, should chance to be shut, they would all be inevitably taken: they could not, therefore, find in their hearts to venture in; but said, that they had rather content themselves with homely fare, in safety, than, for the sake of a dainty bit, to run the danger of being taken, and lost for ever.

The other Mice, who were looked upon to be great epicures, declared that they saw no danger; and, therefore, ran into the room, and fell to eating the bacon with great delight: but they soon heard the door fall down, and saw that they were all taken.

Then the fear of approaching death so seized them, that they found no relish in their exquisite food; and immediately came the Cook who had set the Trap, and killed them: but the others, who had contented themselves with their usual food, fled into their holes, and, by that means, preserved their lives.

FABLE CIV.

THE CHAMELEON.

Oft has it been my lot to mark A proud, conceited, talking spark, With eyes that hardly served at most To guard their master 'gainst a post; Yet round the world the blade has been, To see whatever could be seen.

Returning from his finish'd tour, Grown ten times perter than before, Whatever word you chance to drop, The travelled fool your mouth will stop; "Sir, if my judgment you'll allow,-- I've seen,--and, sure, I ought to know;"-- So begs you'd pay a due submission, And acquiesce in his decision.

Two travellers, of such a cast, As o'er Arabia's wilds they pa.s.s'd, And on their way, in friendly chat, Now talked of this, and then of that; Discoursed awhile, 'mongst other matter, Of the Chameleon's form and nature.

"A stranger animal," cries one, "Sure never lived beneath the sun: A lizard's body, lean and long, A fish's head, a serpent's tongue.

In truth, with triple jaw disjoin'd; And what a length of tail behind!

How slow its pace! and then its hue!

Who ever saw so fine a blue?"

"Hold there!" the other quick replies, "'Tis green:--I saw it with these eyes, As late with open mouth it lay, And warm'd it in the sunny ray: Stretch'd at its ease the beast I view'd, And saw it eat the air for food."

"I've seen it, sir, as well as you, And must again affirm it blue; At leisure I the beast survey'd, Extended in the cooling shade."

"'Tis green! 'tis green! sir, I a.s.sure ye."-- "Green!" cries the other, in a fury,-- "Why, sir, d'ye think I've lost my eyes?"

"'Twere no great loss!" the friend replies; "For if they always serve you thus, You find 'em but of little use."

So high at last the contest rose, From words they almost came to blows; When, luckily, came by a third; To him the question they referr'd; And begged he'd tell 'em, if he knew, Whether the thing was green or blue.

"Sirs," cries the umpire, "cease your pother-- The creature's neither one nor t'other.

I caught the animal last night, And viewed it o'er by candle-light; I marked it well--'twas black as jet;-- You stare--but, sirs, I've got it yet, And can produce it."--"Pray, sir, do; I'll lay my life the thing is blue."

"And I'll be sworn that when you've seen The reptile, you'll p.r.o.nounce him green."

"Well, then, at once to ease the doubt,"

Replies the man, "I'll turn him out; And when before your eyes I've set him, If you don't find him black I'll eat him;"

He said. Then full before their sight, Produced the beast, and lo! 'twas white.

Both stared, the man looked wondrous wise.

"My children," the Chameleon cries, (Then first the creature found a tongue), "You all are right and all are wrong; When next you talk of what you view, Think others see as well as you; Nor wonder, if you find that none Prefers your eye-sight to his own."

FABLE CV.

THE WOLF, THE FOX, AND THE a.s.s.

The Lion, as king of the beasts, made a law that no beast should, without lawful cause, do any hurt to another; and should come once a year to court, to confess, and be absolved or punished, according to his deserts. Now it happened that the Wolf and the Fox were going thither together, and overtaking the a.s.s on the road, said to him:--"Brother, it is a long way to court, and it certainly must be much more tedious to you than to ourselves, because of your slow pace; but we can avoid the trouble of going thither, if you think fit. Let us three confess ourselves to one another, and send our absolutions to court, attested by two of us as witnesses."

The a.s.s liked the proposal; into a clover field they went, and the Fox thus confessed himself first:--"It happened, as I was going one night through a village, a c.o.c.k, by his loud crowing, disturbed all the people that were asleep; at which I grew very angry, and bit off his head; then, fearing that the stench of his dead body might be offensive to the Hens, I ate him up.

Nevertheless, it happened, three days after, as I was going by the same village, those very Hens spied me; and, instead of thanking me for the great kindness I had done them, cried out, 'Murderer, murderer!' Then I, in defence of my honour, killed three of them; and, lest they should have stunk and offended the neighbourhood, ate them up too. This is all I have done; for which I now await your sentence."

The Wolf thereupon expressed himself thus:--"You have, indeed, offended against the letter of our monarch's law, but not against the meaning of it; since your intentions were honourable, to take care of the quiet of men, and to vindicate your injured reputation. If, therefore, you will promise never to be so hasty again in killing any beast, I vote for your absolution." This the Fox readily did; and the a.s.s joined in opinion with the Wolf, who then thus began his confession:--

"As I was one day walking along, I saw a Sow trampling down the corn of a poor peasant, and tearing it up by the roots, while her hungry Pigs were strayed far from her, and could not get themselves out of the mire; so that I, growing very angry at the great mischief she did the peasant, and at her neglect of motherly duty, killed and ate her up. Three days after, chancing to go again the same way, I observed that those Pigs were grown very lean; and reflecting that, through want of their mother's milk, they would certainly die a languis.h.i.+ng death, I put an end to their miseries, and ate them up too. This I have to confess."

The Fox instantly argued in this manner:--"Though you confess to having killed both mother and children; and though it seems, at first sight, that you have heinously offended against the law of our king; yet I see, nevertheless, that your intentions were good: to prevent mischief from falling upon men, to stir up a mother to her duty, and to show compa.s.sion to her miserable children, are virtues that no law can forbid or punish. I, therefore, declare you absolved." To which the a.s.s agreed.

The a.s.s then made his confession:--"You both know," said he, "that it is not in my nature to do hurt to other beasts, nor to shed blood; and, therefore, you cannot expect to hear any such thing from me; but, to content you, I will relate to you what happened innocently to me, while I was in the service of a master. He was an old man, and apt to take cold in his feet; so that, when he travelled, to keep them dry and warm, he was wont to stick a little hay in his shoes. Now I carried him, one winter, to an inn, where he was to lie all night; and when we came to the door, the innkeeper brought him a pair of dry slippers, that his dirty shoes might not soil the house; so that he pulled them off, and left them without, and me by them. In short, my master and his host found themselves so well in the chimney-corner, that they never thought of poor me; but left me all night in the bitter cold, without giving me a handful of food: so that I ate up all the hay that stuck in his shoes. This is all I have to say;--if you will call it a confession, you may: however, I think nothing can be said against it."

"Oh!" said the Fox, immediately, "this is not, indeed, an offence against the letter of the law, which mentions only the doing hurt to beasts, and takes no notice of eating of hay; but, if we reflect on the dangerous consequences of this action, and that so reverend a creature as a chill, aged man, by being thus robbed of his hay in the winter, and the next day continuing his road without it, might have caught a cold, a cough, and a cholic, that would have brought his grey hairs to the grave:--whoever, I say, reflects on this, cannot but be of my opinion,--which is, that the a.s.s largely deserves to die. Cousin Wolf, what say you to this matter?" "I," said the Wolf, "am of opinion that by reason of the ill consequences that might have attended this action, the a.s.s deserves a double death, and to be made an example to others." With that he leaped upon him, and tore out his throat, and the Fox and he immediately ate him up.

MORAL.

Knaves can always find reasons for justifying their own conduct, and condemning that of others.

FABLE CVI.