slaves, and in the end,
Even his friend is quite alarmed,
And goes to seek the other,
With sword and purse. "My brother,
What can the matter be?
Here I am armed, you see,
Ready with sword to fight for you,
And here is money ready too,
If you have lost in play.
You're even welcome to my handsome slave,
With jet black hair, and eyes so grave."
"No!" said the other, "I need naught,
But ere I slept to-night, I thought,
Being in a trance, that you were sad,
And as the thought nigh drove me mad,
I hurried to your tent,
And found you sleeping quite content."

MORAL.

Which of the two best loved the other?
Here is a thing to ponder on.
A true friend is a precious thing,
And all to aid you he will bring,
But with excess of love the other
In dreams was thinking of his brother.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE SICK STAG.

In a land where stags are many,
One fell sick, and not any
Of all his friends, delayed to come,
To offer aid and consolation,
In his sorrowful situation.
Said he, "My friends, pray let me die
In the right way, nor shed such tears."
Not at all, the consolers,
With many a tear, and many a sigh,
Had come resolved by him to lie;
And when they left they helped themselves
Upon his lands, the greedy elves!
And drank from out his brook,
And every one of them such suppers took,
That when the stag revived,
He found his meals reduced;
So that while his friends had thrived,
He had to fast or die of hunger.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE FOREST AND THE WOODMAN.

A woodman had broken or misplaced
The wooden handle of his axe,
This loss could not be well replaced.
So master woodman humbly prayed
From all the trees a single branch,
And promised to go elsewhere when he made
Again his livelihood,
And he would touch nor oak nor pine.
The trees which were all very good
Furnished for him new arms,
And soon commenced all their alarms,
And their regret. The axe was mended.
And his repentance all was ended.
The miserable wretch but used it,
E'en as he had before abused it,
By felling down the forest trees,
Which groaned in spirit, and which died,
By arms they had themselves supplied.

MORAL.

This is the way the world goes on,
We use our benefits against our benefactors:
I am tired of speaking thereupon,
Till we obtain our wants, we are good actors.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE ELEPHANT AND THE MONKEY
OF JUPITER.

Formerly the elephant an