A CERTAIN man had two children, a son and a daughter: the Boy beautiful and handsome; the Girl not quite so well. They were both very young, and happened, one day, to be playing near the lookingglass, which stood on their mother's toilet. The Boy, pleased with the novelty of the thing, viewed himself for some time, and, in a wanton roguish manner, took notice to the Girl, how handsome he was. She resented it, and could not bear the insolent manner in which he did it; for she understood it as intended for a direct affront to her. Therefore she ran immediately to her father, and, with a great deal of aggravation, complained of her brother; particularly, for having acted so effeminate a part, as to look in a glass, and meddle with things which belonged to women only. The father, embracing them both with much tenderness and affection, told them, that he should like to have them both look in the glass every day; to the intent that you, says he to the Boy, if you think that face of your's handsome, you may not disgrace and spoil it by a bad temper, and a foul behaviour. You, says he, speaking to the Girl, you may make up for the defects of your person, if there be any, by the sweetness of your manners, and the agreeableness of your conversation. that REFLECTION. Ill manners may deform the fairest face, Sure snarling Veny's beauty less we prize, Than Pug's black nose with his good natur'd eyes. THE LION, THE TIGER, AND THE FOX. A LION and a Tiger jointly seized on a young Fawn, which they immediately killed. This they had no sooner performed, than they fell a fighting, in order to decide whose property it should be. The battle was so bloody, and so obstinate, that they were both compelled, through weariness and loss of blood, to desist; and lay down by mutual consent, totally disabled. At this instant, a Fox unluckily came by; who perceiving their situation, made bold to seize the contested prey, and bore it off unmolested. As soon as the Lion could recover his breath, "How foolish," said he, "has been our conduct! Instead of being contented as we ought, with our respective shares, our senseless rage has rendered us unable to prevent this rascally Fox from defrauding us of the whole." REFLECTION. The intemperate rage of clients gives the lawyer an opportunity of seizing the property in dispute. As a clownish Fellow was driving his cart along a deep miry lane, the wheels stuck so fast in the clay, that the horses could not draw them out. Upon this, he fell a bawling and praying to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules looking down from a cloud, bid him not lie there, like an idle rascal as he was, but get up and whip his horses stoutly, and clap his shoulder to the wheel, adding, that this was the only way for him to obtain his assistance. REFLECTION. This fable shews us how vain and ill-grounded the expectations of those people are, who imagine they can obtain whatever they want by importuning Heaven with their prayers; for it is so agreeable to the nature of the Divine Being to be better pleased with virtuous actions |