e
great pleasure of his life was to go and look upon this treasure
once a day at least; which one of his servants observing, and
guessing there was something more than ordinary in the place,
came at night, found it, and carried it off. The next day,
returning as usual to the scene of his delight, and perceiving it
had been stolen away from him, he tore his hair for grief, and
uttered the doleful complaints of his despair to the woods and
meadows. At last, a neighbour of his, who knew his temper,
overhearing him, and being informed of the occasion of his
sorrow, "Cheer up, man!" says he, "thou has lost nothing; there
is the hole for thee to go and peep at still; and if thou canst
but fancy thy money there, it will do just as well."

MORAL.

Money, well used, has its full value; but when allowed to lie
useless to others or to one's self, it possesses no more value
than a heap of oyster shells. Avarice is, therefore, a silly as
well as a sinful vice. Use your wealth in doing good, and its
highest value will be attained.

FABLE XLV.

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.

A HARE twitted a Tortoise on account of his slowness, and vainly
boasted of her own great speed in running. "Let us make a match,"
replied the Tortoise: "I'll run with you five miles for five
pounds, and the Fox yonder shall be the umpire of the race." The
Hare agreed, and away they both started together. But the Hare,
by reason of her exceeding swiftness, outran the Tortoise to such
a degree that she made a jest of the matter, and, finding herself
a little tired, squatted in a tuft of fern that grew by the way,
and took a nap, thinking that, if the Tortoise went by, she could
at any time catch him up with all the ease imaginable. In the
meanwhile the Tortoise came jogging on, with a slow but continued
motion; and the Hare, out of a too great security and confidence
of victory, oversleeping herself, the Tortoise arrived at the end
of the race first.

MORAL.

Industry and application will, in most cases, do more than quick
and ready wit. The highest genius, without industry, will
generally fail of any great exploit.

[Illustration: THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.]

FABLE XLVI.

THE HOG AND THE ACORNS.

ONE moonshiny night,
With a great appetite,
A Hog feasted on Acorns with all his might:
Quite pleased with his prize
Both in taste and in size,
While he ate he devoured the rest with his