Part 11 (1/2)
THE CUR, THE HORSE, AND THE SHEPHERD'S DOG.
A VILLAGE Cur, of snappish race, The pertest puppy in the place, Imagined that his treble throat Was blessed with music's sweetest note; In the mid road he basking lay, The yelping nuisance of the way; For not a creature pa.s.sed along, But had a sample of his song.
Soon as the trotting steed he hears, He starts, he c.o.c.ks his dapper ears; Away he scours, a.s.saults his hoof; Now near him snarls, now barks aloof; With shrill impertinence attends; Nor leaves him till the village ends.
It chanced, upon his evil day, A Pad came pacing down the way; The Cur, with never-ceasing tongue, Upon the pa.s.sing traveller sprung.
The Horse, from scorn provoked to ire, Flung backward; rolling in the mire, The Puppy howled, and bleeding lay; The Pad in peace pursued his way.
A Shepherd's Dog, who saw the deed, Detesting the vexatious breed, Bespoke him thus: ”When c.o.xcombs prate, They kindle wrath, contempt, or hate; Thy teasing tongue, had judgment tied, Thou hadst not like a Puppy died.”
MORAL.
Too late the forward youth will find That jokes are sometimes paid in kind; Or, if they canker in the breast, He makes a foe who makes a jest.
FABLE LVII.
THE JACKDAW AND THE EAGLE.
An Eagle flew down from the top of a high rock, and settled upon the back of a lamb, and then, instantly flying up into the air again, bore his bleating prize aloft in his talons. A Jackdaw, who sat upon an elm, and beheld his exploit, resolved to imitate it. So, flying upon the back of a ram, and entangling his claws in the wool, he fell a-chattering and attempting to fly; by which means he drew the observation of the shepherd upon him, who, finding his feet hampered in the fleece of the ram, easily took him, and gave him to his boys for their sport and diversion, saying, ”The silly bird thought he was an Eagle; but, no doubt, by this time he has found out he is but a Jackdaw.”
MORAL.
A false estimate of our own abilities ever exposes us to ridicule, and often to danger.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE JACKDAW AND THE EAGLE.]
FABLE LVIII.
THE a.s.s AND THE LION HUNTING.
The Lion took a fancy to hunt in company with the a.s.s; and, to make him the more useful, gave him instructions to hide himself in a thicket, and then to bray in the most frightful manner that he could possibly contrive. ”By this means,” says he, ”you will rouse all the beasts within hearing of you, while I stand at the outlets and take them as they are making off.” This was done; and the stratagem took effect accordingly. The a.s.s brayed most hideously, and the timorous beasts, not knowing what to make of it, began to scour off as fast as they could; when the Lion, who was posted at a convenient place, seized and devoured them as he pleased.
Having got his belly full, he called out to the a.s.s, and bid him leave off braying, as he had had enough. Upon this the lop-eared brute came out of his ambush, and, approaching the Lion, asked him, with an air of conceit, ”how he liked his performance.”
”Prodigiously,” says he; ”you did it so well, that I protest, had I not known your nature and temper, I might have been frightened myself.”
MORAL.