148 FAVOURITE FABLES.

day continuing his road without it, might have caught a cold,
a cough, and a cholic, that would have brought his grey hairs
to the grave :—whoever, I say, reflects on this, cannot but be
of my opinion,—which is, that the Ass largely deserves to
die. Cousin Wolf, what say you to this matter?’ “I,”
said the Wolf, ‘am of opinion that by reason of the ill con-
sequences that might have attended this action, the Ass
deserves a double death, and to be made an example to
others.’’? With that he leaped upon him, and tore out his
throat, and the Fox and he immediately ate him up.

MORAL.

Knaves can always find reasons for justifying their own
conduct, and condemning that of others.

FABLE CVI.
THE BOY AND THE BUTTERFLY.

A Boy, greatly smitten with the colours of a Butterfly,
pursued it from flower to flower with indefatigable pains.
First, he aimed to surprise it among the leaves of a rose;
then to cover it with his hat, as it was feeding on a daisy ;
now hoped to secure it, as it rested on a sprig of myrtle ;