rils snorted fire;
At bay he stood, fatigu'd and lank,
With flagging ears, and beating flank.
An active jockey, stout and able,
Contracts to bring him to the stable;
Soothes, and his neck begins to pat,
And the corn rattles in his hat;
By hunger drawn, repell'd by fear,
The courser neighs, retires, comes near;
Lur'd with the smell, begins to eat.
The jockey vaulted in the seat:
With vigorous hand the bridle plied,
And stuck the rowels in his side.
Some bounds and curvets still he made,
But soon submissively obey'd.
The horseman who such skill had shown,
Resolv'd to keep him for his own:
Aware that constant work alone
Can keep this wicked spirit down
He night and day is on his back,
To lead him to some new attack,
No road is safe, nor far nor near,
This highwayman is every where.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE GOOD MINISTER.

An honest minister disgrac'd,
(Such are not easily replac'd,)
Found the sweet leisure in his fields,
To virtuous minds retirement yields.
The king, who had his foes believ'd,
The loss of him ere long perceiv'd.
To bring him back again intent,
To his retreat alone he went:
"My friend, you must return with me,"
He said, "your value now I see."
"Forgive me," the Recluse replied;
"Here I determine to abide.
By sad experience well I know,
Were I to court again to go,
And all my best endeavors do,
To serve my country, sir, and you,
Art and intrigue so much prevail,
Again I certainly should fail;
Against your will and approbation,
And the good wishes of the nation,
You'd find yourself compell'd to yield,
And I once more must quit the field."

The honest man, who will not bend
To circumstance, or condescend
To pay his court to knave or fool,
Will never long a nation rule.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

THE SWAN AND THE COOK.

A man once had a swan and goose
Among his birds and beasts.
The one was destined for a pet,
The other for a feast.
Sometimes you saw them sailing
Gracefully on the current, side by side,
Sometimes they played a game of tag,
Or plunged into the tide.
One day the master ordered
The cook to kill the goose,
And roast it for his dinner;
It was fat and fit for use.
But the cook had taken a drop too much,
And it had gone to his head;
So when he went out for the goose
He took the swan instead.
He seized the swan fast by the throat,
And would have kill'd it soon:
But the bird saw he was to die,
And he his