* * * * *

FABLE XXV.

THE SCOLD AND THE PARROT.

  The husband thus reproved his wife: 
  ’Who deals in slander, lives in strife. 
  Art thou the herald of disgrace,
  Denouncing war to all thy race? 
  Can nothing quell thy thunder’s rage,
  Which spares no friend, nor sex, nor age? 
  That vixen tongue of yours, my dear,
  Alarms our neighbours far and near. 
  Good gods! ’tis like a rolling river,
  That murmuring flows, and flows for ever!
10
  Ne’er tired, perpetual discord sowing! 
  Like fame, it gathers strength by going.’ 
     ‘Heyday!’ the flippant tongue replies,
  How solemn is the fool, how wise! 
  Is nature’s choicest gift debarred? 
  Nay, frown not; for I will be heard. 
  Women of late are finely ridden,
  A parrot’s privilege forbidden! 
  You praise his talk, his squalling song;
  But wives are always in the wrong.’
20
     Now reputations flew in pieces,
  Of mothers, daughters, aunts, and nieces. 
  She ran the parrot’s language o’er,
  Bawd, hussy, drunkard, slattern, whore;
  On all the sex she vents her fury,
  Tries and condemns without a jury. 
     At once the torrent of her words
  Alarmed cat, monkey, dogs, and birds: 
  All join their forces to confound her;
  Puss spits, the monkey chatters round her;
30
  The yelping cur her heels assaults;
  The magpie blabs out all her faults;
  Poll, in the uproar, from his cage,
  With this rebuke out-screamed her rage: 
     ’A parrot is for talking prized,
  But prattling women are despised. 
  She who attacks another’s honour,
  Draws every living thing upon her. 
  Think, madam, when you stretch your lungs,
  That all your neighbours too have tongues.
40
  One slander must ten thousand get,
  The world with interest pays the debt.’

* * * * *

FABLE XXVI.

THE CUR AND THE MASTIFF.

  A sneaking cur, the master’s spy,
  Rewarded for his daily lie,
  With secret jealousies and fears
  Set all together by the ears. 
  Poor puss to-day was in disgrace,
  Another cat supplied her place;
  The hound was beat, the mastiff chid,
  The monkey was the room forbid;
  Each to his dearest friend grew shy,
  And none could tell the reason why.
10
     A plan to rob the house was laid,
  The thief with love seduced the maid;
  Cajoled the cur, and stroked his head,
  And bought his secrecy with bread. 
  He next the mastiff’s honour tried,
  Whose honest jaws the bribe defied. 
  He stretched his hand to proffer more;
  The surly dog his fingers tore. 
     Swift ran the cur; with indignation
  The master took his information.