Page:Hebrew tales; selected and translated from the writings of the ancient Hebrew sages (1917).djvu/49

Rh Then comes the matrimonial state, when the poor man, like the patient ass, is obliged, however reluctantly, to toil and labor for a living.

Behold him now in the parental state, when, surrounded by helpless children craving his support, and looking to him for bread, he is as bold, as vigilant—and as fawning, too—as the faithful dog; guarding his little flock, and snatching at everything that comes in his way, in order to provide for his offspring.

At last comes the final stage, when the decrepit old man, like the unwieldy though sagacious elephant, becomes grave, sedate, and distrustful. He then, also, begins to hang down his head toward the ground, as if surveying the place where all his vast schemes must terminate, and where ambition and vanity are finally humbled to the dust.