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A graceless Rat, in special case,
Kept neither Lent nor Holidays;
But lov'd his Gut beyond his Soul,
And look'd as slick as any Mole:
Who one day having time to spare,
Went to the Marshes for some Air;
There meets a Frog, not over fat,
Who says, your Servant Mr. Rat;
And seemingly with much good Nature,
Invites the Stranger o'er the Water:
Says he, I live in yonder Fens,
Go with me I'll treat you like a Prince.
The Rat who had a mind before
To ramble, need t've heard no more;
But yet the Frog made a whole Lecture
On Country Bagnios, and their Structure,
The Voyage, and the Recreation
He'd find in his amphibious Nation;
Their Manners, and a hundred things,
Of which in Winter Evenings,
He'd tell fine Stories ten Years after,
By Fire sides in Praise of Water:
And, since he always liv'd a Shore,
There's nothing could refresh him more.
These Reasons pleas'd his Ratship so,
That he was raving mad to go.
But as your pamper'd Folks are fearful,
He said, one cannot be too careful;
'Tis true I swim, but not like you,
And Cramps, or other things, you know,
Might happen: If I could but have
Some small Assistance—Says the Knave,
Prithee be quiet, to prevent
All harm, I've an expedient,
That has a thousand times been tried.
Then took a bit of Rush and tied
One of the Fore feet of the Rat
To his Hind leg, and out they set.
But O thou wicked World! how evil
Are all our Hearts! this croaking Devil
Swum to the deep; where, when he got him,
He strove to pull him to the bottom;
And thought it was a lucky hit,
To meet with such a dainty bit;
Good wholesome Meat, and so went on.
The Rat, who felt he was undone,
Cry'd out, and foul'd himself for fear,
And, tho' sometimes in half a Year,
The Varlet never said a Prayer;
Yet (as the Proverb tells us, he
That cannot pray, must go to Sea.)
So now, with all the Sugar Words,
A frighted Coward's Heart affords;
He call'd the Gods, and coax'd the Frog;
But, No: That false hard-hearted Dog
Is deaf to all his Protestations,
And violates the Law of Nations.
One lugs and labours like a Horse,
Th'other resists with all his Force.
The Frog's for going down; the Rat,
If 't pleased the Gods, would rather not.
And, whilst they're struggling different ways,
A Kite, that hover'd o'er the Place,
Saw what our Gentry was about,
Would fain have seen the Battle out;
If't had been safe; but being loth
To lose his Stomack, took 'em both:
And, doubly bless'd beyond his wish,
Supp'd like a Lord, on Flesh and Fish.

The Moral.

He , that's entangled in a Plot,
For want of Strength, is often caught:
And in his Practices detected
By Accidents, he ne'er suspected.
What cares a Frog for Kites, in Water?
But Villany rewards its Author.