disturb a company, he leaves a paltry victory Paltry? in the hands of his antagonist. 8. In a word, he is As gentle As zephyrs blowing beneath the violet, Not wagging its weet head; and yet as rough, antagonist? zephyr? rough.. HE fox has, in all ages and nations, Circumfpect been celebrated for craftinefs and ad drefs. Acute and circumipect, fagacious and prudent, he diverfifies his conduct,and always diverfifiës?: referves fome art for unforeseen accidents. vagabond?? concealing. avenues. ? Tho nimbler than the wolf,he trufts not entirė-ly to the swiftnefs of his courfe. He knows afylum ?? how to enfure fafety, by providing himfelfwith an afylum,to which heretires when danger appears. He is not a vagabond,but lives in a fettled habitation and in a domeftic tate. 2. The choice of fituation,the art of making andrendering a houfe commodious, and of concealing the avenues which lead to it, imply a fuperior degree of fentiment and reflection. The fox poffeffes thefe qualities, and employs them with dexterity & advantage. He takes up his abode on the border of a wood, and in the neighborhood of cottages. Here he liftens to the crowing ofthe cocks and the noife of the pcultry. He scents them at a distance. He choofes his time with great judgment and difcretion. 3. He conceals both his route and his defign. He moves forward with caution, fometimes even trailing his body, and fel- route.. dom makes a fruitless expedition. When he leaps the wall, or gets in underneath it, dexterity? cottages ? poultry? Scents.. trailing he ravages the court yard, puts all the fowls expedition ? to Herbage? kennel? carries. to death, and then retires quietly with his prey which he either conceals under the herbage, or carries off to his kennel. In a fhort time he returns for another, which he carries off and hides in the fame manner, but in a different place. 4. In this manner he proceeds, till the light of the fun, or fome movements perceivfucceffively? ed in the houfe, admonish him that it is time to retire to his den. He does much mifchief warrens ? patridges. to the bird catchers. Early in the morning he vifits their nets and their birdlime, and carries off facceffively all the birds that happen to be entangled. The young hares he hunts in the plains, feizes old ones in their feats, digs out the rabbits in the warrens, finds quails, out the nests of patridges, quails, &c. feizes the mothers on their eggs, and destroys a prodigious number of game. Spontaneously? odour. terriers. circuit. fraight. bounds. 5. Dogs of all kinds fpontaneously hunt the fox. Tho his odour be frong, they often prefer him to the ftag or the hare. When purfued he runs to his hole; and it is not uncommon to fend in terriers to detain him till the hunters remove the earth above, and eith er kill or feize him alive. The most certain method, however, of deftroying a fox is to begin with fhutting up the hole, to ftation a man with a gun near the entrance, and then to fearch about with the dogs. 6. When they fall in with him he immediately makes for his hole. But, when he comes up to it, he is met with a difcharge from the gun. If the fhot mits him, he flies off full speed, takes a wide circuit, and returns again to the hole, where he is fired upon a fecond time; but, when he difcovers that the entrance is fhut he darts away ftraight forward, with the intention of never revifiting his former habitation. 7. He is next pursued by the hounds,whom he Fatigue. he feldom fails to fatigue; becaufe, with 8. Besides all kinds of flesh and fishes, he devours. devours, with equal avidity, eggs, milk, cheefe, fruits, and particularly grapes. He is fo extremely fond of honey, that he at- avidity? tacks the nests of wild bees. They at first put him to flight by numberlefs ftings; but he retires for the fole purpofe of rolling him- cheese. felf on the ground, and of crufhing the bees. He returns to the charge fo often, that he obliges them to abandon the hive, which he honey. foon uncovers, and devours both the honey and the wax. 9. The fox fleeps in a round form, like the hedges. dog; but, when he only repofes himself, he lies on his belly with his hind legs extended. It is in this fituation that he eyes the birds antipathy? on he hedges and trees. The birds have fuch an antipathy against him, that they no fooner perceive him than they fend forth perceive. fhrill cries to advertise their neighbors of the enemy's approach. 10. The daw, the magpye, and the blackbird attend him in his excurfions, perching on the hedges as he creeps below, and with their cries and notes of hoftility, apprize all other animals to beware. The hunters themfelves are often informed by the birds of the places of his retreat, and fet the dogs into thofe thickets where they fee them particu larly noify and querulous. So that it is the fate of this petty plunderer to be detefted by every rank of animals; all the weaker claffes fhun him, and all the ftronger purfue him. The magpye. excurfions? perching? apprize? querulous? petty? The SULTAN and his VIZIR; or the SULTAN who Vinir ? I. baxar? guest! received a blow. A CERTAIN prince, attended his vizir, was accofte med to take the rounds of this city; met one evening, at the entrance of a bazar, a perfon of refpectable appearance: the prince politely faluted him." The ftranger, who near the door of his houfe, returned the falutation, and faid, I intreat you, and the perfon who is with you, to enter into my houfe; be fo kind, fir, as to accept of a hearty invitation to my fupper. 2. The prince andhis vizir entered without hefitation. The ftranger behaved to them with great politenefs, and fhewed them particular attention. A table was plentecufly covered, and fupper was foon ferved up; it confifted of entertainment. five hundred different difhes: the franger re.quefted his gueft to fit and partake of his entertainment. profufion? fulsan? doub.lefs. vittuals. 3. The prince was ftruck with the fplendour and profufion of the table, and obftiving that there were no perfons prefent but himself, his vizir, and their hoft; fir,faid the fultan, you muft doubtlefs have invited other guefls? No, faid the mafter of the houfe, I have invited none. 4. Why then, faid the prince, this great profufion of victuals? is this confiftent with the appearance of a perfonlike you? On which the ftranger gave the fultan a violent blow with his fift; a blow bitterer than fire. Sir, faid he to the prince, are you obliged to cat it all? eat what you pleafe,and leave the reft. 5. The fultan wifpered his vizir, we are impertinent? certainly in the wrong; I, by an impertinent queftion, have provoked this man to firike me, Alla? me, but, by Alla, if you do not find fome means by which I may properly give him a blow for the one I have received, I will cer tainly put you to death. Sir, anfwered the vizir, you fhall to-morrow night invite him apartments. to your apartments; you must give him an entertainment in all refpects fuperior to his, in fplendor and magnificence; if he fhould prefume to make any obfervation, you may magnificence? then return the blow you have now received." 6. The fultan accordingly followed the advice of his minifter, and invited the stranger. The next night the man entered the fultan's advice. apartments with a countenance and manner' fomewhat confufed, and embarraffed; the fultan however encouraged him by the politenefs and kindnefs of his behaviour; after embarrafed? a fhort interval, fupper was called for, and the table was covered with a thoufand dishes. 7. The fultan fat down, and invited his profufion? gueft to take his place; he did fo, and in a cool and collected manner faid, God's will be done; this is indeed what it ought to be; fatisfier. ed heartily, and afterward exclaimed, by way of grace, praise be to the omnipotent god of omnipotent ? his people. 8. The fultan whispered his vizir, this will not do, how can I poffibly strike a man who expreffes himself fo wifely? But if you do not officiously? find out fome juft caufe, for my giving him a blow before we part, I certainly will kill you. My lord, faid the vizir, when he rifes from the table to wash his hands, you fhall of- pour. ficioufly prefent yourfelf to pour out the water for him; if he fhould fay, by no means, fir, God forbid that you fhould thus demean yourfelf, indeed this must not be; for fuch demean P an 1 |
