has not his men to discipline, or his ammunition to provide, when the trumpet sunds To Arms; but sets apart his times of exercise for one, and his magazines for the other, in the calm season of peace. We hope to live to a good old age: should we not then lay up a store of conveniences against that time, when we shall be most in want of them, and least able to procure them? We must die; nay, never start; we must. Are there not some necessary things for us to transact before we depart; at least, some trifle or other for us to bequeath, which a sudden stroke may prevent us from doing? Sure there is. And if so, how inexcusable shall we be, if we defer the execution of it, till the alarm comes upon us. I did not think of it, is an expression unworthy a wise man's mouth; and was only intended for the use of fools. AN Ass, in a hard winter wished for a little warm weather and a mouthful of fresh grass, in exchange for a heartless truss of straw and a cold lodging. In good time the warm weather and the fresh grass came on; but so much toil and business along with it, that the Ass grows quickly as sick of the spring as he was of the winter. He next longs for summer, and when that comes, finds his toils and drudgery greater than in the spring; and then he fancies he shall never be well till autumn comes: but there again, what with carrying apples, grapes, fuel, winter provisions, and such like, he finds himself in greater trouble than ever. In fine, when he has trod the circle of the year in a course of restless labour, his last prayer is for winter again, and that he may but take up his rest where he began his complaint. REFLECTION. There is no measure to be taken of an unsteady mind; but still it is either too much or too little, too soon or too late. The love of novelty begets and increases the love of novelty; and the oftener we change, the more dangerous and troublesome do we find this fondness of variety to be. The Ass was sick of the winter, sicker yet of the spring, more sick still of the summer; and sickest of all of the autumn; till he is brought in the end, to compound for his first condition again, and so take up with that for his satisfaction, which he reckoned upon before for his misfortune. are. Thus it is, when fickle and foolish people will be prescribing to, and refining upon the wise and gracious appointments of, the Maker of the world. They know not what they are, and they know not what they would be, any farther, than that they would not be what they Were we to pay a proper attention to that celebrated sentence of the Delphic oracle, "Know Thyself," we should experience fewer disappointments, become better members of society, and enjoy a greater portion of that tranquillity of soul, that internal serenity of mind, without which every station in life, however garnished with honours, however loaded with riches, may be pronounced miserable. AMONG other good counsels that an old experienced Lion gave to his whelp, this was one, that he should never contend with a Man: "for," says he, "if ever you do, you will be worsted." The young Lion gave his father the hearing, and kept the advice in his thought, but it never went near his heart. When he came to be grown up, and in the flower of his strength and vigour, he ranged about looking for a Man to grapple with. In his ramble he met with a yoke of oxen, and then with a horse, saddled and bridled, and severally asked them if they were men; but they saying they were not, he goes after this to one that was cleaving of timber: "Do you hear?" says the Lion, " you seem to be a Man :" " And a Man I am," says the Fellow. "That's well," quoth fight with me?" "Yes," Why, I can tear all these blocks you see to pieces." "Put your feet now into this rent, where you see an iron thing there, and try what you can do." The Lion presently put his paws into the gaping of the wood, and with one lusty pluck, made it give way, and out drops the wedge; the wood immediately closing upon it, caught the Lion by the toes. The Woodman immediately upon this raises the country, and the Lion finding the strait he was in, gave one hearty twitch, and got his feet out of the trap, but left his claws behind him. So away he goes back to his father, all lame and bloody, with this confession in his mouth: "Alas! my dear father," says he, "this had never been, if I had followed your advice." REFLECTION. Children are not to reason upon obedience to parents, provided there be nothing in the command, or in the imposition, that is simply evil; for head-strong and undutiful children seldom escape a remarkable punish ment; that which gives them reason to say to their parents, "this had never been the case, if I had followed your advice." |