And took his leave with figns of forrow,
Chaing of his fee to-morrow.
When as the Man, with gasping breath;
the chilling wound of death.
I mat bid the world adieu,
De my former life review.

my bargains weil were made,
men over-reach in trade;
-defence in each profeffion:
at defence is no tranfgreffion.
The portion in my hands,
Burity on lands,

I was d. If, unawares,
to myself and heirs
, debtor rot in jail,
of good fufficient bail;
swit, or bond or deed,
a family to need,

⚫ch made the world amends;
ype en charity depends.

lam number'd with the dead,
my pious gifts are read,

and earth 'twill then be known, were amply fhewn. Agame. Ah friend! he cried, Atring hope confide.

deeds in former times
te balance of thy crimes?
ow or what orphan prays
ty life with length of days?
ara's in thy pow`r,

joy the happy hour.

, you draw the vital air, erintention is fincere.

ve a hundred pound:

want, and you abound. hate the fick Man whines; jet what Heaven designs? cover fill;

more are in my will. the Vition, now 'tis plain, Teful, your heaven was gain. ide, with all your might,

and forap'd beyond your right; dech would fain atone,

wat is not your own. there is life there's hope, he cried; *ch afte? So groan'd and died.

PABLE XXVIII. The Perfian, the Sun and the Cloud.

abord whom genius fires,

y thought the god inspires? envy reads the nervous lines, the rails, the raves, the pines; aglaskes with venom fwell; ervenal train from hell: Sends her nod obey, authors are in pay. calumny and fpite; adow owes its birth to light. tute to the God of day, **matot out, a Pertian lay,

His invocation thus begun :

Parent of light, all-feeing Sun! Prolific beam, whofe rays difpenfe The various gifts of Providence? Accept our praife, our daily pray'r, Smile on our fields, and bless the year! A Cloud, who mock'd his grateful tongue, The day with fudden darknefs hung; With pride and envy fwell'd aloud, A voice thus thunder'd from the Cloud; Weak is this gaudy god of thine, Whom I at will forbid to fhine. Shall I nor vows nor incenfe know! Where praise is due, the praise bestow.

With fervent zeal the Persian mov'd,
Thus the proud calumny reprov'd:
It was that god, who claims my pray❜r,
Who gave thee birth, and rais'd thee there j
When o'er his beams the veil is thrown,
Thy fubftance is but plainer fhown.
A paffing gale, a puff of wind,
Difpels thy thickest troops combin'd.

The gale arofe; the vapour, toft
(The fport of winds) in air was loft.
The glorious orb the day refines;
Thus envy breaks, thus merit fhines.

§149.

FABLE XXIX.

The Fox at the Point of Death.

A Fox in life's extreme decay,
Weak, fick, and faint, expiring lay;
All appetite had left his maw,

And age difarm'd his mumbling jaw.
His num'rous race around him ftand,
To learn their dying fire's command:
He rais'd his head with whining moan,
And thus was heard the feeble tone:

Ah, fons! from evil ways depart;
My crimes lie heavy on my heart.
See, fee, the murder'd geefe appear!
Why are thofe bleeding turkeys there?
Why all around this cackling train,
Who haunt my ears for chickens flain?

The hungry Foxes round them ftar'd,
And for the promis'd feaft prepar'd.

Where, Sir, is all this dainty cheer?
Nor turkey, goofe, nor hen is here;
Thefe are the phantoms of your brain,
And your fons lick their lips in vain.

O gluttons! fays the drooping fire,
Reftrain inordinate defire;
Your liquorifh tafte you shall deplore,
When peace of confcious is no more.
Does not the hound betray our pace,
And gins and guns deftroy our race?
Thieves dread the fearching eye of pow'r,
And never feel the quiet hour.
Old age (which few of us fhall know)
Now puts a period to my woe.
Would you true happiness attain,
Let honefty your paífions rein;

So live in credit and esteem,

And the good name you loft redeem.

I

The

The counsel's good, a Fox replies,
Could we perform what you advise.
Think what our anceitors have done;
A line of thieves from fon to fon:
To us defcends the long difgrace,
And infamy hath mark'd our race..
Though we, like harmless theep, fhould feed,
Honeft in thought, in word, and deed,
Whatever hen-rooft is decreas'd,
We fhall be thought to fhare the feast.
The change fhall never be believ'd;
A loft good name is ne'er-retriev'd.

Nay, then, replies the feeble Fox,
(But, hark! I hear a hen that clocks!)
Go, but be moderate in your food;
A chicken too might do me good.

With fecret ills at home he pines, And, like infirm old age, declines.

As twing'd with pain he penfive fits; And raves, and prays, and fwears by fits A ghaftly phantom, lean and wan, Before him rofe, and thus began:

My name, perhaps, hath reach'd your Attend, and be advis'd by Care. Nor love, nor honour, wealth, nor pow' Can give the heart a cheerful hour When health is loft. Be timely wife: With health all tafte of pleasure flies.

Thus faid, the phantom difappears; The wary counfel wak'd his fears; He now from all excefs abftains; With phyfic purifies his veins; And, to procure a fober life,

the Partridge.

THE raging Dog the ftubble tries,
And fearches ev'ry breeze that flies;
The fcent grows warm; with cautious fear
He creeps, and points the covey near;
The men, in filence, far behind,
Confcious of gume, the net unbind.

A Partridge, with experience wife,
The fraudful preparation spies:
She mocks their toils, alarms her brood;
The covey fprings, and feeks the wood;
But ere her certain wing fhe tries,
Thus to the creeping Spaniel cries:

Thou fawning flave to man's deceit,
Thou pimp of lux'ry, fneaking cheat,
Of thy whole fpecies thou difgrace;
Dogs thall difown thee of their race!
For, if I judge their native parts,
They're born with open, honeft hearts;
And ere they ferv'd man's wick'd ends,
Were gen'rous foes, or real friends,

When thus the Dog, with scornful smile! Secure of wing, thou dar'ft revile. Clowns are to polish'd manners blind; How ign'rant is the ruftic mind! My worth fagacious courtiers fee, And to preferment rife, like me. The thriving pimp, who beauty fets, Hath oft enhanc'd a nation's debts: Friend fets his friend, without regard; And minifters his fkill reward: Thus train'd by man, I learnt his ways, And growing favour feats my days.

I might have guefs'd, the Partridge faid,
The place where you were train'd and fed;
Servants are apt, and in a trice,
Ape to a hair their mafter's vice.

You came from court, you fay? adieu 1
She faid, and to the covey flew.

§ 151. FABLE XXXI. The Univerfal parition.

ARAKE, by ev'ry paffion rul'd,
With ev'ry vice his youth had cool'd;
Difeafe his tinted blood affails;

His fpirits droop, his vigour fails:

But now again the Sprite afcends: Where'er he walks his ear attends; Infinuates that beauty's frail; That perfeverance must prevail; With jealoufies his brain inflames, And whispers all her lovers' names. In other hours the reprefents His household charge, his annual rents, Increafing debts, perplexing duns, And nothing for his younger fons.

Straight all his thought to gain he turns And with the thirst of lucre burns. But, when poffefs'd of fortune's store, The Spectre haunts him more and more; Sets want and mifery in view, Bold thieves, and all the murd'ring crew a Alarms him with eternal frights, Infefts his dream, or wakes his nights. How thall he chafe this hideous guest? Pow'r may perhaps protect his rest. To pow'r he role: again the Sprite Befets him morning, noon, and night; Talks of Ambition's tott'ring feat, How envy perfecutes the great; Of rival hate, of treach'rous friends, And what difgrace his fall attends.

The court he quits, to fly from Care,
And feeks the peace of rural air:
His groves, his fields, amus'd his hours
He prun'd his trees, he rais'd his flow'rs.
But Care again his steps pursues;

Warns him of blafts, of blighting dews,
Of plund'ring infects, fnails, and rains,
And droughts that ftarv'd the labour'd pla
Abroad, at home, the Spectre's there:
In vain we seek to fly from Care.
At length he thus the Ghoft addrefs'd:
Since thou must be my conftant guest,
Be kind, and follow me no more;
For Care by right should go before.

Ap

How is the modern tafte decay'd!
Alerts the respect to wildom paid?
worth the Grecian fages knew;
gre our fires the honour due;
weigh'd the dignity of fowls,
pred into the depth of Owls.
en, the feat of learned fame,
real voice rever'd our name;
sment title was conferr'd,

lord ta' Athenian bird.

you reafon well, replies esmamate, with half-fhut eyes: dens was the feat of learning; Adry widom is difcerning. • ca Pallas' helm we fit,

and ornament of wit; , as we're quite neglected, altrow's more refpected! Arrow, who was lodg'd befide, am them footh each other's pride, be nimbly vents his heat: 7tts a fool muft find conceit. were at Athens grac'd: zakovanerva's helm were plac'd: And that wings the iky, Tl, can tell you why.

e

they taught their schools to know edge by outward fhow; had never looks esteem,

as wife as you might feem.

catempt and fcorn avoid,

aglory be destroy'd:

rogance of thought; ays by Nature taught: fd delicious fare, At Ermers praise your care; ace your chace reward, At find more regard.

Thus faid-a fnake, with hideous trail, Proteus extends his fcaly mail.

Know, fays the man, though proud in place,
All courtiers are of reptile race.
Like you, they take that dreadful form,
Bafk in the fun, and Ay the storm;
With malice hifs, with envy glote,
And for convenience change their coat;
With new got luftre rear their head,
Though on a dunghill born and bred.
Sudden the god a lion ftands;

He thakes his mane, he fpurns the fands;
Now a fierce lynx, with fiery glare,
A wolf, an afs, a fox, a bear.

Had I n'er lived at court, he cries,
Such transformation might furprise;
But there, in queft of daily game,

Each abler courtier acts the fame.
Wolves, lions, lynxes, while in place,
Their friends and fellows are their chace.
They play the bear's and fox's part;
Now rob by force, now fteal with art.
They fometimes in the fenate bray;
Or, chang'd again to beafts of prey,
Down from the lion to the ape
Practife the frauds of ev'ry thape.

own'd his friends had trick'd him,

Astfell his party's victim.
Kars the god, by matchless skill,
evry thape at will;
I told, at court you fee
prefume to rival me,

In cords the ftruggling captive ties.
So faid, upon the god he flies;

Now, Proteus, now, (to truth compell'd)
Speak, and confefs thy art excell'd.
Ufe ftrength, furprise, or what you will,
The courtier finds evafions ftill:
Not to be bound by any ties,

And never forc'd to leave his lies.

The Mafiffs.

§ 154. FABLE XXXIV. THOSE Who in quarrels interpose, Muft often wipe a bloody nofe.

A Mastiff, of true English blood,
Lov'd fighting better than his food.
When dogs were fnarling for a bone.,
He long'd to make the war his ow'';
And often found (when two con'.end)
To interpofe obtain'd his end :
He glory'd in his limping pace;
The fcars of honour feam'd his face;
In ev'ry limb a gafh appears

And frequent fights retren ch'd his ears.
As on a time he heard from far
Two Dogs engag'd in n oify war,
Away he fcours, and 'ays about him,
Refolv'd no fray fhould be without him.
Forth from his yard a tanner flies,
And to the bold intruder cries:

A cudgel fhall correct your manners;
Whence prang this curfed hate to tmners?
While on my Dog you vent your spite,
Sirrah! 'tis me you dare not bite.
To fee the battle thus perplex'd,
With equal rage a butcher vex'd,
Hoarfe fcreaming from the circled crowd:
To the curs'd Mastiff cries aloud:
I 2

Both