FAVOURITE FABLES. 9

I own my humble life, good friend ;
Snail was I born, and Snail shall end.
And what’s a Butterfly? At best,
He’s but a Caterpillar, dress’d;

And all thy race (a numerous seed)
Shall prove of Caterpillar breed.”’

MORAL.
All upstarts, insolent in place,
Remind us of their vulgar race.

 

 

FABLE. VILE

THE WOLF AND THE CRANE.

A Wotr, after too greedily devouring his prey, happened
to have a bone stick in his throat, which gave him so much
pain that he went howling up and down, and importuning
every creature he met to lend him a kind hand in order to
his relief; nay, he even promised a reward to anyone who
should undertake the operation with success. At last the
Crane, tempted with the lucre of the reward, and having first
made the Wolf confirm his promise with an oath, undertook
the business, and ventured his long neck into the rapacious
felon’s throat.

In short, he plucked out the bone, and expected the pro-
mised gratuity ; when the Wolf, turning his eyes disdainfully