ft his hole,
And just as soon as he was out,
"How large and spacious on the whole
Is this great country spread about.
Here are the Apeninnes, and there Caucasus."
The smallest mole hill is a mountain.
At the end of some days our traveller arrives
At a certain canton where every oyster thrives,
And our famed traveller turned very pale,
Thinking he saw great vessels setting sail
"Mercy," said he, "My father was a dunce,
He did not dare to travel even once,
While I have seen already,
The maritime empire,
And travelled to my heart's desire."
From a certain learn'd man,
The rat had heard of such things,
And thinks he has seen all he can.
Among the many oysters closed,
There was one open, which reposed,
Mouth gaping, in the sun,
The learned, travelled man,
The rat, approached, thinking to make
An excellent repast, and began to take
A bite at the fine oyster, plump and fat,
Whereupon closing on our rat,
The oyster caught him tight
And held him with all its might.

MORAL.

This fable goes to show,
That those mistake,
Who think that all they know:
When knowing nothing of the world,
Their giddy brain is quickly whirled.
And hence this moral let us make,
That he is caught, who thinks to take.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE PHYSICIANS.

Dr. So-much-the-worse went out to see
A patient sick as one could be.
His brother So-much-the-better,
Having received an urgent letter,
Came also the sick man to visit.
So-much-the-worse declared he'd die,
So-much-the-better asked him why.
And while their plans they thus discourse,
The sick man died, _so much the worse_!
So-much-the-better now declared,
That if the sick man had not despaired,
He would have lived. So-much-the-worse
Said, "I was right, agree with me,
Our patient's dead, as you can see."

MORAL.

There's wisdom in the saying, by my troth,
Too many cooks will spoil the broth.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE MOUNTAIN IN LABOR.

A mountain thought to be in labor,
Made such a horrid noise,
That round it each stranger came and neighbor,
Thinking the end of all this noise would be
A city, quite as large as three.
Having drawn all the province round,
The mountain from a little mound,
Let out a mouse.

MORAL.

When I think upon this fable,
Of which the narration is false,
And the sense true;
It puts me much in mind
Of authors not a few,
Who boast that they are able
To write on any subject as they please,
And