best with all humours; and he, that is over solicitous to conceal a defect, often does as good as make proclamation of it. And it is a turn of art in many cases, where a man lies open to ridicule, to anticipate the jest, and make sport with himself first.

When the loud laugh prevails at your expense,
All want of temper is but want of sense;
Would you disarm the sneerer of his jest,

Frown not, but laugh in concert with the rest,

A VIPER, entering a smith's shop, looked up and down for something to eat, and seeing a File, fell to gnawing it as greedily as could be. The File told him, very gruffly, that he had best be quiet and let him alone; for that he would get very little by nibbling at one, who, upon occasion, could bite iron and steel.

REFLECTION.

upon

By this fable we are cautioned to consider what a person is, before we make an attack him after any manner whatsoever: particularly how we let our tongues slip in censuring the actions of those, who are, in the opinion of the world, not only of an unquestioned reputation, so that nobody will believe what we insinuate against them, but of such an influence, upon account of their own veracity, that the least word from them would

ruin our credit to all intents and purposes. If wit be the case, and we have a satirical vein, which at certain periods must have a flow, let us be cautious at whom we level it; for if the person's understanding be of better proof than our own, all our ingenious sallies, like water thrown against the wind, will recoil back upon our own faces, and make us the ridicule of every spectator. This Fable, besides, is not an improper emblem of Envy; which, rather than not bite at all, will fall foul where it can hurt nothing but itself; and such is its malignancy, that the greatest wits, and brightest characters in all ages, have ever been the objects of its attack: ought we not then to guard against the admission of an inmate, that not only attempts to injure the virtuous part of mankind, but also effectually ruins the peace of its possessor?

A KITE had been sick a long time; and finding there were no hopes of recovery, begged of his mother to go to all the churches and religious houses in the country, to try what prayers and promises would effect in his behalf. The old Kite replied: "Indeed, dear Son, I would willingly undertake any thing to save your life, but I have great reason to despair of doing you any service in the way you propose: for, with what face can I ask any thing of God in favour of one, whose whole life has been a continued scene of rapine and injustice, and who has not scrupled, upon occasion, to rob the very altars themselves?"

REFLECTION.

The perusal of this fable almost unavoidably draws our attention to that very serious and important point,

the consideration of a death-bed repentance. And, to expose the absurdity of relying upon such a weak foundation, we need only ask the same question with the Kite in the fable: how can he, that has offended God all his life-time by doing acts of dishonour and injustice, expect, that he should be pleased with him at last, for no other reason but because he fears he shall not be able to offend him any longer; when, in truth, such a repentance can signify nothing, but a confirmation of his former impudence and folly? For sure no stupidity can exceed that of the man, who expects a future judgment, and yet can bear to commit any piece of injustice, with a sense and deliberation of the fact.