Fable XIX
How fond are men of rule and place,
Who court it from the mean and base!
These cannot bear an equal nigh,
But from superior merit fly.
They love the cellar's vulgar joke,
And lose their hours in ale and smoke.
There o'er some petty club preside;
So poor, so paltry is their pride!
Nay, even with fools whole nights will sit,
In hopes to be supreme in wit.
If these can read, to these I write,
To set their worth in truest light.
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,
Their club's perpetual president.
He caught their manners, looks, and airs;
An ass in every thing, but ears!
If e'er his highness meant a joke,
They grinned applause before he spoke;
But at each word what shouts of praise!
Good gods! 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 cursed 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.'
The Fables, Volume 1 (1727)
| Introduction |
The Shepard and the Philosopher
|
| Fable I |
The Lion, the Tiger, and the Traveller
|
| Fable II |
The Spaniel and the Cameleon
|
| Fable III |
The Mother, the Nurse, and the Fairy
|
| Fable IV |
The Eagle, and the Assembly of Animals
|
| Fable V |
The wild Boar and the Ram
|
| Fable VI |
The Miser and Plutus
|
| Fable VII |
The Lion, the Fox, and the Geese
|
| Fable VIII |
The Lady and the Wasp
|
| Fable IX |
The Bull and the Mastiff
|
| Fable X |
The Elephant and the Bookseller
|
| Fable XI |
The Peacock, the Turkey, and the Goose
|
| Fable XII |
Cupid, Hymen, and Plutus
|
| Fable XIII |
The Tame Stag
|
| Fable XIV |
The Monkey who had seen the World
|
| Fable XV |
The Philosopher and the Pheasants
|
| Fable XVI |
The Pin and the Needle
|
| Fable XVII |
The Shepherd's Dog and the Wolf
|
| Fable XVIII |
The Painter who pleased Nobody and Everybody
|
| Fable XIX |
The Lion and the Cub
|
| Fable XX |
The Old Hen and the Cock
|
| Fable XXI |
The Rat-catcher and Cats
|
| Fable XXII |
The Goat without a Beard
|
| Fable XXIII |
The Old Woman and her Cats
|
| Fable XXIV |
The Butterfly and the Snail
|
| Fable XXV |
The Scold and the Parrot
|
| Fable XXVI |
The Cur and the Mastiff
|
| Fable XXVII |
The Sick Man and the Angel
|
| Fable XXVIII |
The Persian, the Sun, and the Cloud
|
| Fable XXIX |
The Fox at the point of Death
|
| Fable XXX |
The Setting-dog and the Partridge
|
| Fable XXXI |
The Universal Apparition
|
| Fable XXXII |
The Two Owls and the Sparrow
|
| Fable XXXIII |
The Courtier and Proteus
|
| Fable XXXIV |
The Mastiffs
|
| Fable XXXV |
The Barley-mow and the Dunghill
|
| Fable XXXVI |
Pythagoras and the Countryman
|
| Fable XXXVII |
The Farmer's Wife and the Raven
|
| Fable XXXVIII |
The Turkey and the Ant
|
| Fable XXXIX |
The Father and Jupiter
|
| Fable XL |
The Two Monkeys
|
| Fable XLI |
The Owl and the Farmer
|
| Fable XLII |
The Jugglers
|
| Fable XLIII |
The Council of Horses
|
| Fable XLIV |
The Hound and the Huntsman
|
| Fable XLV |
The Poet and the Rose
|
| Fable XLVI |
The Cur, the Horse, and the Shepherd's Dog
|
| Fable XLVII |
The Court of Death
|
| Fable XLVIII |
The Gardener and the Hog
|
| Fable XLIX |
The Man and the Flea
|
| Fable L |
The Hare and many Friends
|
