who comes sneaking in the dark to a hen-roost, and never spared a poor chicken in all his life? My lambs have been often in danger from him and his elder brother the wolf, and would have suffered death and dilaceration if it had not been for the shepherd and his dog: neither should I myself have grown up to be, as I have been, the mother of ten lambs, as white as a lily. Plain. fact is my rule; I never trust to my own thoughts, like beasts of the higher order; and therefore I content myself with the ordinary blessings of my situation, under a shepherd who will not see me abused. But woe be unto me when the government of man shall cease, and that of the most worthless of beasts shall rise up in its place! I know I must die and so must all creatures; but I have a better lot than some of those who despise me the profit of a fleece yearly saves the life of a sheep, which does not save the life of a swine; and it is better at last to die under the hand of man than to lie in a wood, as the fox does, howling and biting an iron trap, which has catched him by the leg as he was running after a pheasant. I never suffer thus: when a maggot finds its way into my back, the crook catches me by the leg, and I am dressed for the sore: my shepherd even breaks the teeth of his dog,

that he may not be able to tear my skin. And now, sir, I should have reason to be afraid of many who are in this assembly, but that your Majesty has taken me under your protection, and will provide that I am conducted safe home. The dog spoke with so much goodness and honasty, that I think I can trust myself in his company."

The Lion then spoke for himself:

"BEASTS OF EVERY KIND,

"I commend the loyalty and respect which my subjects have shown to the proclamation I issued for their benefit, and my own satisfaction. What has passed upon this occasion may be of use to us all in the recollection; and I think it highly proper that the memory of it should be preserved in some public record."

"An't please your Majesty," said the Monkey, who had never been called upon to speak, "I will write a review; in which the company shall have an exact account of the whole; for which purpose I have been taking notes all the while: it is a great charge I take upon me, and in these days I have many competitors who are catching at the favour of the public; but I shall not be behind the best of them all.

The task I know

cannot be executed without the greatest candour

and

and liberality, that the public may be acquainted with the real worth of every production; that modest merit may be encouraged and brought forward; falsehood and ignorance exposed; and learning and science fixed upon their true basis; which will be such an advantage to the beasts of this age, as they never enjoyed before.

"I begin with the question, whether your Majesty had power to issue the proclamation, in virtue of which we have all attended this day? and I think it should be put to the vote whether the jackall, who acted under you, ought not to be called to an account for it.

"Of the tyger I say, We are happy to introduce an author so respectable for his rank and abilities to the notice of the public, and hope one day or other to meet him again, and be better acquainted with him. His sentiments are fine, and distinguish the superiority of his taste and understanding. The rights of nature are not to be controverted; and he has asserted what we think extremely probable, that the state of nature is a state of war; that power to be used by those that have it; and that every beast may have it if he can get it. The equality of all creatures is a valuable doctrine. That the ass should be equal to the lion! wonderful!

is

(I'll let my cubs know this as soon as I get home.)

"As to the wolf; wolves we know are under a bad name, and there are such things as wolves in sheep's clothing; but the wolf of this assembly speaks out very fairly and plainly, and we cannot but in justice commend the goodness of his intention. To be sure it was rather bold to say the night is better than the day; but some indulgence is always due to the prejudices of education. That his appetite should be the measure of his conduct; there we cannot quite agree with him, because it may so happen that his appetite may hunger after a monkey; and yet if there is a tree at hand, we have little to be afraid of.

"The fox has fully satisfied us in the opinion we had formed of his great understanding; his method of making a lion out of the limbs and faculties of inferior creatures is extremely ingenious, though it is not quite new; we have met with it before from an old monkey, whose father had been a tame monkey to an English traveller, but escaped to the woods in the night. That such a sentiment should be hazarded in the presence of the lion is a little extraordinary, but it is a happy proof that the age is an age of li

berty;

berty; and he hoped never to see the day when foxes and monkeys should be afraid to speak their minds. From the utmost liberties of this kind, the lion had nothing to fear in respect of his government. It had indeed been reported, that the wolves were about to assemble in a body, and join with the tygers in an attempt to take his crown from him; but the alarm was found to be totally without foundation, all raised by the jackall to increase the power of his Majesty's ministers. It would give us pleasure to see the subject of the slave-trade handled by this ingenious author, whose liberal way of thinking, and acute manner of reasoning could not fail to set that matter in a proper light. His wishing to see all geese loose upon a common, is a demonstration of the goodness of his heart.

"In the jackall, the courtliness of his humour, and the wickedness of his designs, constitute him a true pattern of all ministers; and his character is so well known that nothing farther need be said of him, but that he is a scoundrel of a bone picker, a fit instrument of tyranny and taxation.

"From the ox what can we expect but heaviness and dulness? We are extremely sorry to see such principles as his in this age of illu

mination;