Soon after, our good Bramin returns again to the entrance of the burrow, protesting in a pitiful tone, that he had committed this outrage entirely against his will, being overcome with hunger. That, for the future, he would feed upon other animals, and maintain perpetual peace with the Rabbits. They immediately enter into negociation with him, without venturing within the reach of his claws. During this negociation, a fly Rabbit flipped out privately at the back door, and ran to a neighboring shepherd for help. The shepherd, being enraged at the treachery of the Cat, feized his bow and arrows, and ran to the place, and shot him through the heart, while he was watching for his prey. As he was breathing his laft, he uttered these words, "When one is found to be a traitor, he is trufted by none. He is hated, feared, and defpifed by all; and is always in danger of being caught in his own fnare." THE JOSEPH. HERE was once a certain crazy man whofe name was Jofeph, who never went out without putting five or fix wigs, one piled above another, upon his head, and as many muffs upon each of his arms. But though his fenfes were difordered, he was not mischievous, nor ever in a paffion, unlefs much teazed and provoked. Yet he could not walk in the ftreet, without being furrounded by a fet of idle and impertinent little boys, who always tormented and followed him, calling out,. Here, Jofeph, Jofeph ! What will you fell your wigs for? What will you take for your muffs? Some of them were even wicked enough to throw ftones after him. Poor Jofeph commonly bore thefe infults with great patience; though at times, when peftered and vexed beyond measure, he would fall into a rage, and gather pebbles, or take up whole handfuls of mud, to fling at the unfeeling little fellows. It happened, one day, that this disturbance was The noife made just before the house of Mr. Dennis. of it carried him to the window, where he had the forrow to see that his own fon Henry was in the midft of the crowd. The moment he obferved it, he fhut down the fash, and retired into another apartment. When they met at dinner, Mr. Dennis faid to his fon, Who was that man you were running after, and calling to, and fhouting at fo loud? Harry. You know him very well, papa; it is that erazy man they call Jofeph. Mr. Dennis. Poor creature! What can have brought this misfortune him? upon Harry. They fay it was a law fuit for a great estate. He was fo vexed at lofing it, that it made him lofe his fenfes befides. Mr. Dennis. Had you known him, Harry, at the time when he was deprived of his eftaté; and had "Ah, my he, with tears in his eyes, faid to you, dear Harry, how unfortunate I am! I have loft an eftate upon which I lived in peace and happiness ; and all that I had befides is gone in the expenfes of · the law fuit: I have now neither a houfe in town, nor a house in the country; every thing I was worth is taken from me !" would you then have laughed at him, and made game of him? Harry. By no means; who could be fo wicked as to make game of such an unfortunate man? I should rather have tried to comfort him. Mr. Dennis. Do you think him, then, happier to-day, when he has also loft his fenfes. Harry. No, I think he is more to be pitied than ever. Mr. Dennis. And yet to-day, you can infult, and even throw stones at a poor wretch, whom, when he was much less unhappy, you would have tried to comfort. Harry. I have done very wrong; but papa, pray forgive me, for indeed I will never do so again. Mr. Dennis. If you repent, I can readily forgive you; but my forgiveness is not enough; there is another of whom you must also beg it. Harry. Do you mean Jofeph, papa? Harry. Because it is he whom I have offended. Mr. Dennis. If Jofeph were still in his fenfes, you should certainly beg his pardon for what you have done but as he is not in a condition to understand you, it would be ufelefs to apply to him: You think, nevertheless, that it is right to beg forgiveness of those whom we have offended.? Harry. You always taught me fo, papa. Mr. Dennis. And do you know who it is that has commanded us to pity the unhappy? Harry. God Almighty. Mr. Dennis. Yet you have fhown no pity for poor Jofeph; on the contrary, you have added to his miffortunes by infulting him. Do you suppose that such behavior has not offended God? Harry. Yes, papa, I know it has, now you bid me think of it; but I will beg pardon of him to-night in my prayers. Harry was faithful to his promife; he repented of his fault, and at night he begged pardon of God with a true and penitent heart and for fome weeks after he not only left poor Jofeph at peace himself, but frequently prevented his companions from abufing him. Yet, notwithstanding all his good refolutions, he one day mixed again in the croud of idle boys that purfued him. It was merely indeed from curiofity, and to fee what tricks they would play the poor man. Yet, from time to time, he fhouted out with the reft, Jofeph Jofeph! and, by degrees, he found himself foremost in the fet; till at length, Jofeph, provoked with the noife and hallooing, fuddenly turned round, and fnatching up a great ftone, flung it at him with fuch fury, that it grazed his cheek, and made his nofe gush out with blood. Harry returned home all bloody, and roaring aloud. This is a juft punishment from God for your difobedience, faid his father. But why, cried Harry, why am I the only one to come fo ill off, when all the reft, though they did a thousand times worfe than I, have not been punished at all? The reafon, anfwered his father, is, that you knew much better than the others, the fault you were committing, and therefore you were the most criminal. A child who is well inftructed in the commands of God, as well as in those of his father, merits to be doubly chaftifed when he has the wickedness to break them. The PRETTY BUTTERFLY. BUTTE UTTERFLY, pretty butterfly! come and rest on the flower that I hold in my hand! Whither goest thou, little fimpleton? Seeft thou not that hungry bird that watches thee? His beak is fharpened, and already open to devour thee. Come, come, then, hither; he will be afraid of me, and he will not then dare approach thee. Butterfly, pretty butterfly! come and reft on the flowers that I hold in my hand! I will not pull off thy wings, nor torment thee: no, no, no; thou art little and helplefs, like myself. I only wish to look at thee nearer; to fee thy little head; to examine thy long body, and thy fpread wings, mottled and fpeckled with a thousand different colors. I will not keep thee long; I know thou haft not long to live. When the fummer is over, thou wilt be no more; and for me, I fhall only then be fix years old. Butterfly, pretty butterfly! come and reft on this Rower that I hold in my hand! Thou haft not a moment to lofe from enjoying this fhort life; but thou mayeft feed and regale thyfelf all the time that I look at thee. STORY of PHILIP, ROBINSON, and STEPHEN. H! I'll be revenged, and make him heartily repent it, cried the little Philip, while his countenance turned fuddenly quite red with anger, and he walked along, not feeing Stephen, his dear friend, who, at that inftant, as it chanced, was coming on to meet him, hearing what he faid with fome degree of pain. Who is it, faid Stephen, you defign to be revenged on? Philip lifted up his eyes; he faw his friend, and reaffumed the fmile with which his coun tenance was generally glowing. Ah! faid he, come, come, my friend, and you thall fee whom I will be revenged on. You remember, I believe, my little fupple Jack, that pretty cane my father gave me; fee it is all in pieces, and young Robinson, the farmer's fon, who lives at yonder cottage with the thatch, has broken it. And pray why, faid Stephen, did he break it? I was walking peaceably along, faid Philip with the greatest agitation, and was playing with my cane, by putting it quite round my body; one of the two ends, by fome means or another, got out of my hand when I was opposite the gate just by the wooden bridge, and where the little fauce-box had put down a pitcher full of water, which he was carrying home from the well. My cane, in springing, ftruck the pitcher, overset, but did not break it. up close to me, and began to call me names. I feriously affured him I had not intended to do what I did, and was extremely forry for the accident. would not hear me, but got hold, that moment, of my Jupple Jack, and twitted it as you may fee. I'll make him, notwithstanding, heartily repent it, and know how He came He He is, indeed, a very wicked boy, faid Stephen, but is already punished very well for being fo, fince every F |