Then many a not very pleasant thing The Queen had the better in this dispute, In woful patience he let her rail, Standing less in fear of her tongue than her tail, And knowing that all the words which were spoken Could not mend one of the eggs that were broken. The woman, meantime, was very well pleased, 'Mash-Allah!' her neighbours exclaim'd in delight, R. Southey CXLIX THE LION AND THE CUB A LION cub, of sordid mind, Avoided all the lion kind; Fond of applause, he sought the feasts Of vulgar and ignoble beasts; With asses all his time he spent, He caught their manners, looks, and airs; If e'er his Highness meant a joke, They grinn'd applause before he spoke ; But at each word what shouts of praise; Goodness! how natural he brays! Elate with flattery and conceit, He seeks his royal sire's retreat; Forward and fond to show his parts, His Highness brays; the lion starts. 'Puppy! that curs'd vociferation Betrays thy life and conversation: Coxcombs, an ever-noisy race, Are trumpets of their own disgrace. 'Why so severe?' the cub replies; 'Our senate always held me wise!' 'How weak is pride,' returns the sire: 'All fools are vain when fools admire! But know, what stupid asses prize, Lions and noble beasts despise.' F. Gay T CL THE SNAIL grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall, The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall, As if he grew there house and all Together. Within that house secure he hides, Of weather. Give but his horns the slightest touch, He shrinks into his house with much Displeasure. Where'er he dwells, he dwells alone, Except himself has chattels none, Well satisfied to be his own Whole treasure. Thus hermit-like his life he leads, And, if he meets one, only feeds The faster. Who seeks him must be worse than blind, (He and his house are so combined,) If, finding it, he fails to find Its master. V. Bourne CLI THE COLUBRIAD LOSE by the threshold of a door nail'd fast, I, passing swift and inattentive by, At the three kittens cast a careless eye; Not much concern'd to know what they did there, Caused me to stop, and to exclaim, 'What's this?' A viper, long as Count de Grasse's queue. Darting it full against a kitten's nose; Who having never seen, in field or house, The like, sat still and silent as a mouse: Only projecting, with attention due, Her whisker'd face, she asked him, "Who are you?' On to the hall went I, with pace not slow, But swift as lightning, for a long Dutch hoe: And, turning up the leaves and shrubs around, For long ere now it should have been rehearsed, there the full-grown cat W. Cowper CLII THE PRIEST AND THE MULBERRY-TREE ID you hear of the curate who mounted his mare, Of creature more tractable none ever heard, In the height of her speed she would stop at a word; But again with a word, when the curate said, Hey, She put forth her mettle and gallop'd away. As near to the gates of the city he rode, The curate was hungry and thirsty to boot; He shrunk from the thorns, though he long'd for the fruit; |