Such was the fox, fuch was the man,
One beafts, the other men trepan ;
And both alike they did enjoy,
That useful maxim, to destroy
Both friend and foe, without remorse,
That hinder'd their rebellious course.
New fpite and rage the fox inflame,
To fee that he had mifs'd his aim,
And nothing less than root and branch
Can ease the tumults in his paunch.
Accordingly he cafts about

How firft to find the lion out,
And with a look demure and civil,
That would almost deceive the devil,
To draw him into fome adventure,
In which his ruin needs must center.
And as the crafty vermin thought,
So chance about the matter brought;
For it fell out upon a day,

When all the beafts were gone away;
That to the lion's den he posted,
And thus the penfive brute accosted:
Health to my prince, long life and peace,
May with his age, his power increase,
And may he be for ever free
From danger and fram treachery;
May no falfe tales or groundless fears
Disturb his thoughts or reach his ears,
That he may judge and truly know,
Who is his friend, and who his foe,
And be no more trick'd and misguided,
And from his fubjects hearts divided.
The gods can witness what I say,
None can with greater ardour pray
For the profperity of mafter,
Than Reynard, 'tho by fad difafter,
Has been traduc'd and reprefented,
One of the party difcontented.

Great Sir, I fhould not be so rude,
To trefpafs on your folitude,
If both my confcience and my duty
Did not engage me to be true t'you
C 4

Nor

Nor fhould I at this time prefume,
Into this facred place to come,
If bus'nefs of the laft import,

Were not, in truth, my warrant for't.
The lion, tho' he knew the creature
Was dangerous, and falfe by nature,
And had been very oft found out,
The chief abettor of the rout;
Yet as the wifest princes use
No informations to refuse,

Give him his paw to kiss, in token

That he was pleas'd with what h'ad spoken.
The cunning caitiff, quickly finding
The lion thought him worth the minding,
With all the formal art and spite

Of an accomplish'd hypocrite,
Proceeds: Dear Sir, the time is loft,
When we of our own merits boaft:
I therefore fhall avoid recital

Of what I've done, fince you requite all.
Nay, more than all, in granting me
This unexpected liberty,

To this replies the royal brute,
I will not enter a difpute,
What is your merit or demerit;
What vice or virtue you inherit :
But fince your duty, as you fay,
And confcience too, brought you this way,
And, as I think, you hint, moreover,
That you have fomething to discover;
1 fhould be glad, and thank you too,
If that propofal you'd pursue ;
And if I find it truth, depend,
1 fhall efteem you as my friend.

Quoth Reynard, then, my liege, may't please you,
I will with no preamble teize you;
You must remember, not long fince,
That you alone walk'd out from hence;
And I believe have not forget,
That 'gainst your life there was a plot.
In this cafe, Sir, I must speak plain,
You'ad then undoubtedly been flain,

If I myself had not been nigh,
And caution'd you aloud to fly.
I was that treacherous beaft, I own,
To fave your life expos'd my own;
Which I fhould now forbear to mention,
Were I not under apprehenfion
That you're in danger, for Pll prove,
That you can neither stir nor move,
But you have fome about you lurking
And are for your deftruction working.

The gen'rous brute, tho' prepoffeft
With the true character of the beaft,
And knowing that the formal faint,
Would lye and fwear, cant and recant,
Yet having knowledge and forefight,
That fomething that he spoke was right,
Thought it advisable to hear,

But

The utmost he could make appear.
Reynard, fays he, I cannot doubt,
you fome fecrets have found out,
And won't believe, as matters ftand,
That you will now act underhand:
The time and place I recollect,

Where I my fafety did fufpect,

And beard fome beaft, with all his might

Cry out, you have no way but flight,
To fave your life, and to speak true,
I leaft of all fufpected you;

Who, by the accounts I've often had,
Would for my ruin be right glad.

Says Reynard, 'twould, my lord, be dull,

And argue me a very fool,

To spend my time and breath to stop,
Of ev'ry fenfelefs mouth the gap;
And therefore, Sir, to let that pass,
And come directly to the cafe :
When you ran to the wood for shelter.
1 faw the people, belter Skelter,
Come from the town, with each a club,
Defign'd your royal hide to drub.
On this occafion, Sir, 1 muft
To you and to myself be just.

My lord, I thought no remedy,
But either you or I must die;
And as your's is a life divine,
And worth ten thousand such as mine,
I thought in confcience I could do
No lefs, than venture it for you.
The manner how I fcap'd, and how
I found the plot, you must allow
Miraculous, but as I fcorn

'Gainft fellow-creatures to inform,
I beg you would no questions afk,
For that's the most ungrateful task.
And thus, to cover his defign,
Did this deceitful varlet whine:
'Till the poor beaft, whose only fence
Was an unguarded innocence,

Began to think his artful tongue,

Went with his heart and thoughts along.
Hard is the fate of that poor king,
When traytors informations bring,
And harder yet when they must trust
A villain that they know unjust:
Such was this lion's defp'rate cafe,
He knew this fox a traytor was,
Yet he had cook'd his information,
In fuch a formal hand fome fashion,
And back'd it with fuch facts to boot,
He could not help but listen to't.
Reynard, fays he, upon my credit,
If any other beaft had faid it,
I fhould not have believ'd a jot,
Or the leaft tittle of a plot;
But you fo plain have made it out,
That Ifhould be to blame to doubt:
And if for me you've that obedience
As you're bound to by allegiance,
I do expect that you'll declare
The plot and who the plotters are.
Here the perfidious fycophant,
Begins again to howl and cant:
On you our liberties depend,
And with your fafety ours must end,

And he's a falfe unworthy brute,
When you're in danger will be mute z
But as fome things are better done
By other hands than by our own,
Some other beaft should make th’attack,
And I'll be ready him to back :
Or if you think't a safer way,
I can you to a place convey,
Where you unfeen may bear and fee
The heads of this confpiracy.

Saith the good beaft, I like your last
Propofal better than your firft;
And therefore, Reynard, I determine
To go myself and feize the vermin.
You Say you can conduct me to
A place where I unseen may go,
And view this juncto, at a feafon
When they are met to hatch their treafon :
If fo, and I can find 'em fitting,
I can take meafures that are fitting,
To fruftrate, without loss of time,
Whate'er these traytors may defign.

The fox, who faw the beaft fo greedy
To take the bait, replies, I'm ready,
Let lofs of life or limb betide,
My liege, to go and be your guide,
The worst that I can apprehend,
The way is rough and may offend
Your majefty: but for the reft,
Depend upon your faithful beaft.

The lion, whofe too gen'rous heart
Was free from all defigns and art,
To all he spoke gave as much credit,
As if the oracle had said it.
Hypocrify, that curfed fin,

Moft often takes the best men in;
A gift it is, not only able

To tantalize and choufe the rabble,
But has a strange magnetick power,
To draw the great ones to its lure ;
And therefore 'tis among the faints,
The only fin not pray'd against.