Truth in Fiction Or, Morality in Masquerade. A Collection of Two hundred twenty five Select Fables of Aesop, and other Authors. Done into English Verse. By Edmund Arwaker |
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| LII. | FABLE LII. The Fox without a Tail:
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 | Truth in Fiction |  |
267
FABLE LII. The Fox without a Tail:
Or, The More the Merrier.
A
Fox, that often had deserv'd a Jail,
Was trap'd at last, and taken by the Tail:
But he, unwilling to be long confin'd,
Made his Escape, and left the Pledge behind.
His Freedom gain'd, he next consults his Fame,
And casts about how to conceal the Shame:
His Project was, to propagate the Mode,
Under a fair Pretence of Publick Good:
He likes the Thought, assembles all his Friends,
And, to their Wisdoms, Docking recommends:
Tells them, They carry'd but an useless Load,
That did the Bearers greatly incommode;
A vain Excrescence, which they well might spare,
And better want, than to no purpose bear;
But of that Burthen eas'd, they wou'd be light,
And fitted either for Pursuit, or Flight;
Their Shapes to more Advantage wou'd be seen,
Gain a new Air, and a more graceful Mien:
Thus they, by quitting this uncomly Part,
Might polish Nature's rougher Draught, by Art.
Was trap'd at last, and taken by the Tail:
But he, unwilling to be long confin'd,
Made his Escape, and left the Pledge behind.
His Freedom gain'd, he next consults his Fame,
And casts about how to conceal the Shame:
His Project was, to propagate the Mode,
Under a fair Pretence of Publick Good:
He likes the Thought, assembles all his Friends,
And, to their Wisdoms, Docking recommends:
Tells them, They carry'd but an useless Load,
That did the Bearers greatly incommode;
A vain Excrescence, which they well might spare,
And better want, than to no purpose bear;
But of that Burthen eas'd, they wou'd be light,
And fitted either for Pursuit, or Flight;
Their Shapes to more Advantage wou'd be seen,
Gain a new Air, and a more graceful Mien:
Thus they, by quitting this uncomly Part,
Might polish Nature's rougher Draught, by Art.
This said; a sharper Fox, that smelt his Drift,
And found his specious Arguments a Shift,
Reply'd, You have your Oratory shown,
Not to promote our Int'rest, but your own;
And 'tis not reasonable we shou'd join
In what was your Misfortune, not Design.
And found his specious Arguments a Shift,
Reply'd, You have your Oratory shown,
Not to promote our Int'rest, but your own;
268
In what was your Misfortune, not Design.
The MORAL.
‘Designing Knaves, like Reynard in the Tale,‘Make the Pretence of Publick Good a Stale;
‘Practise their Villanies, and 'scape the Blame,
‘By drawing others to commit the same.
‘For Many Part'ners in a Crime, when known,
‘Make the divided Guilt seem less in One;
‘Or, by their Numbers, grown too strong, and high,
‘Dare weaker Justice, and the Laws, defie.
| Truth in Fiction | |