Æsop's Fables, Embellished with One Hundred and Eleven Emblematical Devices. Read online

  FABLE XXXIII.

  THE OAK AND THE REED.]

  An oak, which hung over the bank of a river, was blown down by a violentstorm of wind; and as it was carried along by the stream, some of itsboughs brushed against a Reed which grew near the shore. This struck theOak with a thought of admiration; and he could not forbear asking theReed, how he came to stand so secure and unhurt, in a tempest which hadbeen furious enough to tear an Oak up by the roots? 'Why,' says theReed, 'I secure myself by putting on a behaviour quite contrary to whatyou do; instead of being stubborn and stiff, and confiding in mystrength, I yield and bend to the blast, and let it go over me; knowinghow vain and fruitless it would be to resist.'

  APPLICATION.

  Though a tame submission to injuries which it is in our power toredress, be generally esteemed a base and a dishonourable thing; yet, toresist where there is no probability, or even hopes, of our getting thebetter, may also be looked upon as the effect of a blind temerity, andperhaps of a weak understanding. The strokes of fortune are oftentimesas irresistible as they are severe; and he who, with an impatientreluctant spirit, fights against her, instead of alleviating, does butdouble her blows upon himself. A person of a quiet still temper, whetherit is given him by Nature, or acquired by art, calmly composes himself,in the midst of a storm, so as to elude the shock, or receive it withthe least detriment; like a prudent experienced sailor, who is swimmingto the shore from a wrecked vessel in a swelling sea, he does not opposethe fury of the waves, but stoops and gives way, that they may roll overhis head without obstruction. The doctrine of absolute submission in allcases is an absurd dogmatical precept, with nothing but ignorance andsuperstition to support it: but, upon particular occasions, and where itis impossible for us to overcome, to submit patiently is one of the mostreasonable maxims in life.

  FABLE XXXIV.

  THE WIND AND THE SUN.]

  A dispute once arose between the north Wind and the Sun, about thesuperiority of their power; and they agreed to try their strength upon atraveller, which should be able to get his cloak off first. The northWind began, and blew a very cold blast, accompanied with a sharp drivingshower. But this, and whatever else he could do, instead of making theman quit his cloak, obliged him to gird it about his body as close aspossible. Next came the Sun, who, breaking out from a thick waterycloud, drove away the cold vapours from the sky, and darted his warmsultry beams upon the head of the poor weather-beaten traveller. The mangrowing faint with the heat, and unable to endure it any longer, firstthrows off his heavy cloak, and then flies for protection to the shadeof a neighbouring grove.

  APPLICATION.

  There is something in the temper of men so averse to severe andboisterous treatment, that he who endeavours to carry his point thatway, instead of prevailing, generally leaves the mind of him, whom hehas thus attempted, in a more confirmed and obstinate situation than hefound it at first. Bitter words and hard usage freeze the heart into akind of obduracy, which mild persuasion and gentle language only candissolve and soften. Persecution has always fixed and rivetted thoseopinions which it was intended to dispel; and some discerning men haveattributed the quick growth of Christianity, in a great measure, to therough and barbarous reception which its first teachers met with in theworld. The same may have been observed of our reformation; the blood ofthe martyrs was the manure which produced that great Protestant crop, onwhich the church of England has subsisted ever since. Providence, whichalways makes use of the most natural means to attain its purpose, hasthought fit to establish the purest religion by this method: theconsideration of which may give a proper check to those who arecontinually endeavouring to root out errors by that very management,which so infallibly fixes and implants all opinions, as well erroneousas orthodox. When an opinion is so violently attacked, it raises anattention in the persecuted party, and gives an alarm to their vanity,by making them think that worth defending and keeping, at the hazard oftheir lives, which, perhaps, otherwise they would only have admiredawhile for the sake of its novelty, and afterwards resigned of their ownaccord. In short, a fierce turbulent opposition, like the north Wind,only serves to make a man wrap up his notions more closely about him;but we know not what a kind, warm, Sun-shiny behaviour, rightly applied,would not be able to effect.

  FABLE XXXV.

  THE KITE, THE FROG, AND THE MOUSE.]

  There was once a great emulation between the Frog and the Mouse, whichshould be master of the fen, and wars ensued upon it. But the craftyMouse, lurking under the grass in ambuscade, made sudden sallies, andoften surprised the enemy at a disadvantage. The Frog, excelling instrength, and being more able to leap abroad and take the field,challenged the Mouse to single combat. The Mouse accepts the challenge;and each of them entered the lists, armed with a point of a bulrushinstead of a spear. A Kite, sailing in the air, beheld them afar off;and, while they were eagerly bent upon each other, and pressing on tothe duel, this fatal enemy descended souse upon them, and with hercrooked talons carried off both the champions.

  APPLICATION.

  Nothing so much exposes a man's weak side, and lays him so open to anenemy, as passion and malice. He whose attention is wholly fixed uponforming a project of revenge, is ignorant of the mischiefs that may behatching against him from some other quarter, and, upon the attack, isunprovided with the means of defending or securing himself. How are themembers of a commonwealth sometimes divided amongst themselves, andinspired with rancour and malice to the last degree; and often upon asgreat a trifle as that which was the subject matter of debate betweenthe Frog and the Mouse; not for any real advantage, but merely who shallget the better in the dispute? But such animosities, as insignificantand trifling as they may be among themselves, are yet of the lastimportance to their enemies, by giving them many fair opportunities offalling upon them, and reducing them to misery and slavery. O Britons,when will ye be wise! when will ye throw away the ridiculousdistinctions of party, those ends of bulrushes, and by a prudent unionsecure yourselves in a state of peace and prosperity! A state, of which,if it were not for your intolerably foolish and unnecessary divisions athome, all the powers upon earth could never deprive you.

  FABLE XXXVI.

  THE FROGS DESIRING A KING.]

  The Frogs, living an easy free life every where among the lakes andponds, assembled together, one day, in a very tumultuous manner, andpetitioned Jupiter to let them have a King, who might inspect theirmorals, and make them live a little honester. Jupiter, being at thattime in pretty good humour, was pleased to laugh heartily at theirridiculous request; and, throwing a little log down into the pool,cried, 'There is a King for you.' The sudden splash which this made byits fall into the water, at first terrified them so exceedingly, thatthey were afraid to come near it. But in a little time, seeing it laystill without moving, they ventured, by degrees, to approach it; and atlast, finding there was no danger, they leaped upon it; and, in short,treated it as familiarly as they pleased. But not contented with soinsipid a King as this was, they sent their deputies to petition againfor another sort of one; for this they neither did nor could like. Uponthat he sent them a Stork, who, without any ceremony, fell a devouringand eating them up, one after another, as fast as he could. Then theyapplied themselves privately to Mercury, and got him to speak to Jupiterin their behalf, that he would be so good as to bless them again withanother King, or to restore them to their former state. 'No,' says he,'since it was their own choice, let the obstinate wretches suffer thepunishment due to their folly.'

  APPLICATION.

  It is pretty extraordinary to find a fable of this kind finished with sobold and yet polite a turn by Phaedrus: one who attained his freedom bythe favour of Augustus, and wrote it in the time of Tiberius; who were,successively, tyrannical usurpers of the Roman government. If we maytake his word for it, AEsop spoke it upon this occasion. When thecommonwealth of Athens flourished under good wholesome laws of its ownenacting, they relied so much upon the security of their liberty, thatthey negligently suffered it to run out
into licentiousness. Andfactions happening to be fomented among them by designing people, muchabout the same time, Pisistratus took that opportunity to make himselfmaster of their citadel and liberties both together. The Atheniansfinding themselves in a slate of slavery, though their tyrant happenedto be a very merciful one, yet could not bear the thoughts of it; sothat AEsop, where there was no remedy, prescribes to them patience, bythe example of the foregoing fable; and adds, at last, 'Wherefore, mydear countrymen, be contented with your present condition, bad as it is,for fear a change should be worse.'

  FABLE XXXVII.

  THE OLD WOMAN AND HER MAIDS.]

  A certain Old Woman had several Maids, whom she used to call up to theirwork, every morning, at the crowing of the Cock. The Wenches, who foundit grievous to have their sweet sleep disturbed so early, combinedtogether, and killed the Cock; thinking, that, when the alarm was gone,they might enjoy themselves in their warm beds a little longer. The OldWoman, grieved for the loss of her Cock, and having, by some means orother, discovered the whole plot, was resolved to be even with them;for, from that time, she obliged them to rise constantly at midnight.

  APPLICATION.

  It can never be expected that things should be, in all respects,agreeable to our wishes; and, if they are not very bad indeed, weought, in many cases, to be contented with them; lest when, throughimpatience, we precipitately quit our present condition of life, we mayto our sorrow find, with the old saying, that seldom comes a better.Before we attempt any alteration of moment, we should be certain whatstate it will produce; for, when things are already bad, to make themworse by trying experiments, is an argument of great weakness and folly,and is sure to be attended with a too late repentance. Grievances, ifreally such, ought by all means to be redressed, provided we can beassured of doing it with success: but we had better, at any time, bearwith some inconvenience, than make our condition worse by attempting tomend it.

  FABLE XXXVIII.

  THE LION, THE BEAR, AND THE FOX.]

  A Lion and a Bear fell together by the ears over the carcass of a Fawnwhich they found in the forest, their title to him being to be decidedby force of arms. The battle was severe and tough on both sides, andthey held it out, tearing and worrying one another so long, that, whatwith wounds and fatigue, they were so faint and weary, that they werenot able to strike another stroke. Thus, while they lay upon the ground,panting and lolling out their tongues, a Fox chanced to pass by thatway, who, perceiving how the case stood, very impudently stepped inbetween them, seized the booty which they had all this while beencontending for, and carried it off. The two combatants, who lay andbeheld all this, without having strength enough to stir and prevent it,were only wise enough to make this reflection: 'Behold the fruits of ourstrife and contention! that villain, the Fox, bears away the prize, andwe ourselves have deprived each other of the power to recover it fromhim.'

  APPLICATION.

  When people go to law about an uncertain title, and have spent theirwhole estate in the contest, nothing is more common than for some littlepettifogging attorney to step in and secure it to himself. The very nameof law seems to imply equity and justice, and that is the bait which hasdrawn in many to their ruin. Others are excited by their passions, andcare not if they destroy themselves, so they do but see their enemyperish with them. But, if we lay aside prejudice and folly, and thinkcalmly of the matter, we shall find, that going to law is not the bestway of deciding differences about property; it being, generallyspeaking, much safer to trust to the arbitration of two or three honestsensible neighbours, than, at a vast expense of money, time, andtrouble, to run through the tedious, frivolous forms, with which, by theartifice of greedy lawyers, a court of judicature is contrived to beattended. It has been said, that if mankind would lead moral virtuouslives, there would be no occasion for divines; if they would but livetemperately and soberly, that they would never want physicians; bothwhich assertions, though true in the main, are yet expressed in toogreat a latitude. But one may venture to affirm, that if men preserveda strict regard to justice and honesty in their dealings with eachother, and, upon any mistake or misapprehension, were always ready torefer the matter to disinterested umpires, of acknowledged judgment andintegrity, they never could have the least occasion for lawyers. Whenpeople have gone to law, it is rarely to be found but one or bothparties was either stupidly obstinate, or rashly inconsiderate. For, ifthe case should happen to be so intricate, that a man of common sensecould not distinguish who had the best title, how easy would it be tohave the opinion of the best counsel in the land, and agree to determineit by that? If it should appear dubious even after that, how much betterwould it be to divide the thing in dispute, rather than go to law, andhazard the losing not only of the whole, but costs and damages into thebargain?

  FABLE XXXIX.

  THE CROW AND THE PITCHER.]

  A Crow, ready to die with thirst, flew with joy to a Pitcher, which hebeheld at some distance. When he came, he found water in it indeed, butso near the bottom, that, with all his stooping and straining, he wasnot able to reach it. Then he endeavoured to overturn the Pitcher, thatso at least he might be able to get a little of it. But his strength wasnot sufficient for this. At last, seeing some pebbles lie near theplace, he cast them one by one into the Pitcher; and thus, by degrees,raised the water up to the very brim, and satisfied his thirst.

  APPLICATION.

  Many things which cannot be effected by strength, or by the vulgar wayof enterprising, may yet be brought about by some new and untried means.A man of sagacity and penetration, upon encountering a difficulty ortwo, does not immediately despair; but, if he cannot succeed one way,employs his wit and ingenuity another; and, to avoid or get over animpediment, makes no scruple of stepping out of the path of hisforefathers. Since our happiness, next to the regulation of our minds,depends altogether upon our having and enjoying the conveniences oflife, why should we stand upon ceremony about the methods of obtainingthem, or pay any deference to antiquity upon that score? If almost everyage had not exerted itself in some new improvements of its own, weshould want a thousand arts, or, at least, many degrees of perfection inevery art, which at present we are in possession of. The invention ofany thing which is more commodious for the mind or body than what theyhad before, ought to be embraced readily, and the projector of itdistinguished with a suitable encouragement. Such as the use of thecompass, for example, from which mankind reaps so much benefit andadvantage, and which was not known to former ages. When we follow thesteps of those who have gone before us in the old beaten track of life,how do we differ from horses in a team, which are linked to each otherby a chain or harness, and move on in a dull heavy pace, to the tune oftheir leader's bells? But the man who enriches the present fund ofknowledge with some new and useful improvement, like a happy adventurerat sea, discovers, as it were, an unknown land, and imports anadditional trade into his own country.

  FABLE XL.

  THE PORCUPINE AND THE SNAKES.]

  A Porcupine, wanting to shelter himself, desired a nest of Snakes togive him admittance into their cave. They were prevailed upon, and lethim in accordingly; but were so annoyed with his sharp prickly quills,that they soon repented of their easy compliance, and entreated thePorcupine to withdraw, and leave them their hole to themselves. 'No,'says he, 'let them quit the place that don't like it; for my part, I amwell enough satisfied as I am.'

  APPLICATION.

  Some people are of such brutish, inhospitable tempers, that there is noliving with them, without greatly incommoding ourselves. Therefore,before we enter into any degree of friendship, alliance, or partnership,with any person whatever, we should thoroughly consider his nature andqualities, his circumstances and his humour. There ought to be somethingin each of these respects to tally and correspond with our own measures,to suit our genius, and adapt itself to the size and proportion of ourdesires; otherwise our associations, of whatever kind, may prove thegreatest plagues of our life. Young men are very apt to run into thiserror; and bei
ng warm in all their passions, throw open their arms atonce, and admit into the greatest intimacy persons whom they know littleof, but by false and uncertain lights. Thus they sometimes receive aViper into their bosom instead of a friend, and take a Porcupine for aconsort, with whom they are obliged to cohabit, though she may prove athorn in their sides as long as they live. A true friend is one of thegreatest blessings in life; therefore to be mistaken or disappointed ofsuch enjoyment, when we hope to be in full possession of it must be asgreat a mortification. So that we cannot be too nice and scrupulous inour choice of those who are to be our companions for life: for they musthave but a poor shallow notion of friendship, who intend to take it,like a lease, for a term of years only. In a word, the doctrine whichthis fable speaks, is to prepare us against being injured or deceived bya rash combination of any sort. The manners of the man we desire for afriend, of the woman we like for a wife, of the person with whom wewould jointly manage and concert measures for the advancement of ourtemporal interest, should be narrowly and cautiously inspected, beforewe embark with them in the same vessel, lest we should alter our mindwhen it is too late, and think of regaining the shore after we havelaunched out of our depth.