outrage provoked their anger to such a
degree that it brought the fury of the whole swarm upon him. They
attacked him with such violence that his life was in danger, and
it was with the utmost difficulty that he made his escape,
wounded from head to tail. In this desperate condition, lamenting
his misfortunes, and licking his sores, he could not forbear
reflecting how much more advisable it had been to have patiently
borne one injury, than by an unprofitable resentment to have
provoked a thousand.

MORAL.

It is more prudent to acquiesce under an injury from a single
person, then by an act of vengeance to bring upon us the
resentment of a whole community.

FABLE XIII.

THE FROGS DESIRING A KING.

The Frogs, living an easy, free life everywhere among the lakes
and ponds, assembled together one day, in a very tumultuous
manner, and petitioned Jupiter to let them have a king, who might
inspect their morals, and make them live a little honester.
Jupiter, being at that time in pretty good humour, was pleased to
laugh heartily at their ridiculous request, and, throwing a
little log down into the pool, cried, "There is a king for you!"
The sudden splash which this made by its fall into the water, at
first terrified them so exceedingly that they were afraid to come
near it. But, in a little time, seeing it lie still without
moving, they ventured, by degrees, to approach it; and at last,
finding there was no danger, they leaped upon it, and, in short,
treated it as familiarly as they pleased. But, not contented with
so insipid a king as this was, they sent their deputies to
petition again for another sort of one; for this they neither did
nor could like. Upon that he sent them a Stork, who, without any
ceremony, fell devouring and eating them up, one after another,
as fast as he could. Then they applied themselves privately to
Mercury, and got him to speak to Jupiter in their behalf, that he
would be so good as to bless them again with another king, or
restore them to their former state. "No," says he; "since it was
their own choice, let the obstinate wretches suffer the
punishment due to their folly."

MORAL.

This fable teaches that it is better to be content with our
present condition, however bad we may think it, than, by
ambitious change, to risk making it worse.

FABLE XIV.

THE FOX AND THE BOAR.

THE BOAR stood whetting his tusks against an old tree. The Fox,
who happened to come by a