Page:Fables of Aesop and other eminent mythologists.djvu/129

Rh carriage that makes the Pretender Ridiculous. The Our-doing of a Great Man in his Own Way, Savours in ome degree of Ill Manners, as it is upon the Main, a High Point of Indicretion. One man cakes it for an Affront to be Out-witted; Another to be Out-Fool'd, as Nero could not Endure to be Out-Fiddled; But in hort, be the Matter never o Great, or never o Trivial, 'tis the ame Cae as to the Envy of the Competition.

Churlih Envious Curr was gotten into a Manger, and there lay Growling and Snarling to keep the Hores from their Provender. The Dog Eat None himelf, and yet rather Ventur'd the Starving his Own Carcae then he would uffer any thing ele to be the Better for't.

have but too many Men in the World of This Dogs Humour; that will rather Punih Themelves, then not be Troubleome and Vexatious to Others. There's an Envy of Good Things too as well as of Good Men; but This Fable is o well known that it is Moralliz’d in a Common Proverb.

If ome men might have their Wills the very Sun in the Firmament hould withdraw his Light, and they would ubmit to Live in Perpetual Darknes Themelves, upon Condition that the ret of the World might do o for Company. Whatoever their Neighbor Gets They Loe, and the very Bread that One Eats makes T'other Meager: which is the Genuine Moral of the Fable. There is in this Malevolence, omewhat of the Punithment, as well as of the Spite, of the Damn'd: They take delight in Other Peoples Mieries, and at the ame Time are their Own Tormentors. This Diabolical Envy is Detetable even in Private Perons; but whenever the Governing Patr [sic]t of a Nation comes to be Tainted with it, there’s Nothing o Sacred that a Corrupt Supercilious Ill Natur'd Miniter will not acrifice to This Execrable Paion. No Man hould Eat, Live, or Breath Common Air if He could Hinder it. ‘Tis the Bus'nes of his Life, and the Delight of his Soul, to Blat all orts of Honet Men, and not only to Leen their Characters, and their Services, but to Range them in the Number of Publique Enemics: And he had Twenty times rather ee the Government Sink, then have it thought that any hand but his Own hould have a Part of the Honour of Saving it. Now He that Betrays his Mater for Envy, will never fail of doing it for Mony: