16 FAVOURITE FABLES.

FABLE XIII.
THE FROGS DESIRING A KING.

Tue Frogs, living an easy, free life everywhere among the
lakes and ponds, assembled together one day, in a very tumul-
tuous manner, and petitioned Jupiter to let them have aking,
who might inspect their morals, and make them live a little
honester. Jupiter, being at that time in pretty good humour,
was pleased to laugh heartily at their ridiculous request,
and, throwing a little log down into the pool, cried, ‘‘ There
is a king for you!’’ The sudden splash which this made
by its fall into the water, at first terrified them so exceedingly
that they were afraid to come near it. But, in a little time,
seeing it lie still without moving, they ventured, by degrees,
to approach it; and at last, finding there was no danger,
they leaped upon it, and, in short, treated it as familiarly as
they pleased. But, not contented with so insipid a king as
this was, they sent their deputies to petition again for another
sort of one; for this they neither did nor could like. Upon
that he sent them a Stork, who, without any ceremony, fell
devouring and eating them up, one after another, as fast as
he could. Then they applied themselves privately to Mer-
cury, and got him to speak to Jupiter in their behalf, that he
would be so good as to bless them again with another king,