 | Aesop Dress'd |  |
The Wasps and Bees.
A troop of Wasps claims openly
Some Honey Combs without a Tree.
A Regiment of Bees declares,
The Honey, and the Combs, were theirs,
And let him touch the Goods that dares;
They'd shew that they were Bees, and forsooth.
Then says the Wasps, we'll pluck a Crow for't,
An shall not fly for Bees, we scorn it.
However 'tis left to Justice Hornet,
Who could with all his subtle Sence
Make nothing of the Evidence;
In general they depose, 'tis true,
That Insects of a yellow hue,
With Tails containing poysonous Stings,
Long Body'd, buzzing with their Wings,
And all the Signs to paint a Bee,
Had been observ'd about that Tree.
But this could be no proof for them;
For in the Wasps they are the same,
His Lordship, for his Reputation
Heard a whole Ant's Nest's Information.
But being no wiser than before,
At last said he could do no more;
And made a learned Speech to shew 'em:
That this Court could say nothing to 'em:
It must be try'd in Chancery.
Up starts a pert well meaning Bee,
And says, an't please your Lordship; 'tis
Six Months we left our Business:
And heard of nothing but Vacations,
And Writs of barbarous Appellations;
And all this while, you know we are,
My Lord, but even as we were.
The Honey every Day grows worse,
And greedy Lawyers drain our Purse.
Under submission we've enough
Of all this formal conjuring stuff.
I believe I can inform you better,
Which way you may decide the matter
What signifies our looking on,
And hearing Council pro and con?
Let's go to work and then you'll see,
Which spoke the Truth, the Wasps or we.
If they can make such Combs and fill
With Honey each sexang'lar Cell;
The Cause is theirs, and we'll pay Cost;
If not, I hope they'll yield it lost.
Which when the Wasps refus'd to do
Judge Hornet rose, and said, Oho!
I smoak you, Sirs, and gave the Bees
The Suit, with Costs and Damages.
Some Honey Combs without a Tree.
A Regiment of Bees declares,
The Honey, and the Combs, were theirs,
And let him touch the Goods that dares;
They'd shew that they were Bees, and forsooth.
Then says the Wasps, we'll pluck a Crow for't,
An shall not fly for Bees, we scorn it.
However 'tis left to Justice Hornet,
Who could with all his subtle Sence
Make nothing of the Evidence;
In general they depose, 'tis true,
That Insects of a yellow hue,
With Tails containing poysonous Stings,
Long Body'd, buzzing with their Wings,
And all the Signs to paint a Bee,
Had been observ'd about that Tree.
But this could be no proof for them;
For in the Wasps they are the same,
His Lordship, for his Reputation
Heard a whole Ant's Nest's Information.
47
At last said he could do no more;
And made a learned Speech to shew 'em:
That this Court could say nothing to 'em:
It must be try'd in Chancery.
Up starts a pert well meaning Bee,
And says, an't please your Lordship; 'tis
Six Months we left our Business:
And heard of nothing but Vacations,
And Writs of barbarous Appellations;
And all this while, you know we are,
My Lord, but even as we were.
The Honey every Day grows worse,
And greedy Lawyers drain our Purse.
Under submission we've enough
Of all this formal conjuring stuff.
I believe I can inform you better,
Which way you may decide the matter
What signifies our looking on,
And hearing Council pro and con?
Let's go to work and then you'll see,
Which spoke the Truth, the Wasps or we.
If they can make such Combs and fill
With Honey each sexang'lar Cell;
The Cause is theirs, and we'll pay Cost;
If not, I hope they'll yield it lost.
Which when the Wasps refus'd to do
Judge Hornet rose, and said, Oho!
I smoak you, Sirs, and gave the Bees
The Suit, with Costs and Damages.
48
The Moral.
Thus would I have all Judges giveTheir Judgment. With the Turks I believe,
That common Sence so end a Cause,
Is worth a hundred Common Laws.
They lead us such a way about,
Raise new Disputes, make such a Rout.
Between the Plaintiff and Defendant;
That by the time they make an end on't,
The Suit looks like an Oyster, where
The Fish falls to the Lawyer's Share;
And if the Cause be manag'd well,
Each of the Clients gets a Shell.
| Aesop Dress'd | |