He fpied a barn-door fowl one day, With a young pullet. His robes and train, his fenatorial cap, Bred for the bench and presidental chair, To fee the magiftrate employ his leifure Be virtuous and difcreet! To tread on modefty, and trample Fine times, fays he, when judges run Comes of intemperance and over-eating; With a fly fneer, the judge replied aloof: Shall Shall have the honour to become the food And comfort of mankind. An unexpected death Shall gently steal, not force away our breath. That you are neither boil'd, like us, with bacon, But tho' your flesh be men's aversion, To fee you cutting one another's throats. Wounded and lame, you're on a dunghill caft, Worried or teaz'd to death at last. In France the land-tax is not as 'tis here, The fame exemption pards and tygers own; FABLE FABLE V. THE DOG AND THE CAT. I Ntereft fascinates both age and youth, Or make a mighty monarch tell a lye. And, what you'll fearce believe perhaps, Intereft well understood, Made Solomon, makes Melcomb now declare That life is only good To eat and drink, and laugh, and banish care. Were meditating, as they fat, The frailty of a finner. Clear prurient water ftream'd from Pompey's jaws, And Tabby look'd demure, and lick'd her paws; And as two plenipos, For fear of a furprise, When both have fomething to propose, Examine one another's eyes; Or like two maids, tho' fmit by different swains, Pompey, endow'd with finer fenfe, Which made it a clear cafe. When, ftrait applying to the dawning paffion, All that we get for this, heaven knows, Is a few bones and many blows. Let us no longer fawn and whine, Let us impofe an equitable fine And And, to be brief, Let us each chufe a fingle difh, I'll be contented with roast beef, Take that turbot-you love fish. you Thus every dog and cat agrees, every measure; One takes the management of the marine, The other of the nation's treasure: Thus L g retir'd, thus even P-t His popularity refign'd, For a tid-bit, A pit-tance fuited to the patriot's mind. FABLE |