rth Wind began, and blew a very cold blast, accompanied
with a sharp, driving shower. But this, and whatever else he
could do, instead of making the man quit his cloak, obliged him
to gird it about his body as close as possible.

Next came the Sun, who, breaking out from the thick, watery
cloud, drove away the cold vapours from the sky, and darted his
warm, sultry beams upon the head of the poor weather-beaten
traveller. The man, growing faint with the heat, and unable to
endure it any longer, first throws off his heavy cloak, and then
flies for protection to the shade of a neighbouring grove.

MORAL.

Soft and gentle means will often accomplish what force and fury
can never effect.

FABLE XXXVI.

THE TRAVELLERS AND THE BEAR.

Two men, being about to travel through a forest together,
mutually promised to stand by each other in any danger they
should meet on the way. They had not gone far when a Bear came
rushing towards them out of a thicket; upon which, one, being a
light, nimble fellow, got up into a tree. The other, falling flat
upon his face, and holding his breath, lay still, while the Bear
came up and smelled at him; but that creature, supposing him to
be a dead carcass, went back to the wood without doing him the
least harm. When all was over, the man who had climbed the tree
came down to his companion, and, with a pleasant smile, asked
what the Bear had said to him; "For," says he, "I took notice
that he clapped his mouth very close to your ear." "Why," replied
the other, "he charged me to take care, for the future, not to
put any confidence in such cowardly rascals as you are."

MORAL.

Nothing is more common than to hear people profess friendship
when there is no occasion for it; but he is a true friend who is
ready to assist us in the time of danger and difficulty. Choose,
therefore, friends whom you can depend on for such a time, and
greatly value them.

FABLE XXXVII.

THE DOG AND THE SHADOW.

A DOG, crossing a small rivulet, with a piece of flesh in his
mouth, which he had stolen from a butcher's shop, saw his own
shadow represented in the clear mirror of the limpid stream; and,
believing it to be another dog who was carrying another piece of
flesh, he could not forbear catching at it, but was so far from
getting anything by his greedy design, that he dropped the piece
he had in his mouth, which immediately sank to the bottom, and
was irrecoverably lost.

MORAL.