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or a conspiracy,
Be it all plotted well
As safe, 'twould seem as it could be,
And sure of all success,
May, none the less,
Entirely fail,
And grand conspirators,
And all bewail,
The day that set them scheming.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE LION AND THE FLY.
A lion by a gad-fly worried,
Half maddened by his sting,
Exclaimed, "Be off, vile fly--
Mean, pitiful, base thing!"
After the fly had ended his repast,
Fully exhausted feels the beast at last,
And roared so that he shook the earth,
While the victorious fly
Met in the spider's web his destiny.
MORAL.
Two morals draw I from this tale:
First, We should fear the smallest enemy;
And second, We may escape great perils,
And from a trifling cause may die.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
THE TWO MULES.
Two mules went travelling on their way,
One with a sack of corn;
The other with gold and bells so gay,
Most gaily tripped along.
Proud of so rich a load,
He kept the bells a ringing--
And was so proud, had he known how
He would have commenced singing.
Soon some robbers rude appeared,
Who stopped this mule upon his road,
And very soon they had him cleared
Of all his weight of precious gold.
Falling beneath their blows, "I die,"
The expiring trotter cried,
"Had you been," said the other,
"Low as I, you would not thus have died."
Be moderate when you are high,
Nor glory o'er the passers by.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
JUPITER AND THE FARMER.
Jupiter had a farm to let,
Mercury advertised it, and people came,
Made offers, listened, all the same,
Made some objection.
One declared the land
Was rough and dry,
And full of sand.
One had this reason, one had that,
Until at last a man appeared,
Who said he'd try to farm it, agreed that