Page:Fables of Aesop and other eminent mythologists.djvu/45

Rh ''Wie Man values Another for his Underanding, not for his Beauty; Beide that the Deformity of my Peron is no Incapacity at All as to your Buines. Did you never tat Delicious drink out of an Ill Look'd Veell? or did you never drink Wine that was Vapid, or Eager, out of a Veell of Gold? Tis Sagacity and Strength of Reaon that you have Occaion for, not the force of Robut Limbs, nor the Delicacies of Colour and Proportion. Wherefore I mut Beeech ye not to Judge of My Mind by my Body, nor to Condemn me Unheard.'' Upon this, they All cry'd out to him, If he had any thing to ay for the Common Good, That he would peak it. With your favour, fays he, ''It is for that End I preume, that ye have called me hither, and it is with a Great Zeal for your Service, that 1 tand now before ye: But when I conider the Weight of the Matter in hand, and the Office That I am now to Perform, it will as little tand with your Honors Perhaps, to take the Opinion of a Slave into your Councells and Debates, as it will with my Condition to offer it. Beide the Rique I run of my Maters Dipleaure upon the Event. But All This may yet be Obviated, my Fears ecured, my Modety gratify'd, and your own Dignity preerved, only by making me a Freeman before hand, to Qualify me for the Function. They All aid it was a Mot Reaonable Thing, and preently Treated about the Price of his Liberty, and order'd the Quetors'' to pay down the Mony. When Xanthus aw that the thing mut be done, He could not Decently tand Higgling about the Price; But making a Virtue of Neceity, he choe rather to Preent Æop to the Common-Wealth, then to Sell him. The Samians took it very kindly, And Æop was Preently Manumiz'd, and made a Citizen in Form, Proclaim'd a Freeman; and after this Ceremony, he Dicoured upon the Subject of the Portent as follows.

I hall not need to tell o many Wie and knowing Men, that the Eagle is a Royal Bird, and ignifes a Great King; that the Dropping of the Ring into the Boom of a Slave that has no Power over himelf, portends the Los of Your Liberties, if you do not look to your elves in Time; And that ome Potent Prince has a Deign upon ye. This put the Samians all a-fire to hear the Iue of the Prediction. In ome hort time after there came Ambaadors from Craus the King of Lydia, to Demand a Tribute on the Behalfe of their Mater, and Threat'ned the Samians with a Warr in Cae of a Refual. This Affair came to be Debated in the Councell, where the Majority was rather for Peace with Slavery, then for running the Rique of a Dipute; but they would not come to a Reolution yet, without firt Conulting Æop What They had bet to do; Who gave Them his Thoughts upon't in Words to This Effect. Rh