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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| XLVIII. | FABLE XLVIII. The Old Weesel, and Mice: |
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 | Truth in Fiction |  |
67
FABLE XLVIII. The Old Weesel, and Mice:
Or, Policy beyond Strength.
A
Weesel, brought, by Age, to great Decay,
And grown too feeble to attempt her Prey;
Resolv'd some subtle Artifice to try,
That might her want of Strength and Speed supply.
To compass this, and easie Conquests gain,
She lay conceal'd within a Heap of Grain;
That, when Marauders did the Corn invade,
She might surprize them, from her Ambuscade.
The Mice, who saw no Danger to avoid,
Came fearless thither, and were all destroy'd.
And grown too feeble to attempt her Prey;
Resolv'd some subtle Artifice to try,
That might her want of Strength and Speed supply.
To compass this, and easie Conquests gain,
She lay conceal'd within a Heap of Grain;
That, when Marauders did the Corn invade,
She might surprize them, from her Ambuscade.
The Mice, who saw no Danger to avoid,
Came fearless thither, and were all destroy'd.
The MORAL.
‘Where Strength, to gain the Point we labour, fails,‘Our more successful Policy prevails.
‘Precaution'd Men, from open Dangers run;
‘But what are unforeseen, they rarely shun.
| Truth in Fiction | |