When watch'd, and caught, and clofely prefs'd,
When complimented and carefs'de ansat
When Bavius greets you with a bow,
Sir, please to read a line or two.'
If you approve and fay they're clever,
"You make me happy, Sir, for ever.
What can be done? the cafe is plain,
No methods of escape remain:
You're fairly noos'd, and must confenties
To bear, what nothing can prevent,
A coxcomb's anger; and your fate
Will be to fuffer foon or late.
An Ape that was the fole delight
Of an old woman day and night,
Indulg'd at table and in bed,
Attended like a child and fed:
Who knew each trick, and twenty more
Than ever Monkey play'd before,
At laft grew frantic and wou'd try,
In fpite of nature's laws, to fly.
Oft from the window would he view
The paffing fwallows as they flew,
Obferve them flutt'ring round the walls,
Or gliding o'er the fmooth canalso godde
He too must fly, and cope with thefeophy
For this and nothing elfe would please:
Oft thinking from the window's height,
Three ftories down, to take his flight:
He ftill was fomething loth to venture, Irbend
As tending ftrongly to the center:
And knowing that the leaft mistake
Might coft a limb, perhaps his neck: Biweyond The cafe you'll own was fomething nice od omix2 He thought it beft to afk advices est aid dres And to the Parrot straight applying, ad pudo haÀ Allow'd to be a judge of flying, lebon
He thus began: "you'll think me rude,
Forgive me if I do intrude,
For you alone my doubts can clearing
In fomething that concerns me nears
Do you imagine, if I try,
That I fhall e'er attain
to fly?
The projects whimfical, no doubt,
But ere you cenfure hear me out;
That liberty's our greatest bleffing
You'll grant me without farther preffing;
To live confin'd, 'tis plain and clear,
Is fomething very hard to bear:
This you must know, who for an age
Have been kept pris'ner in a cage,
Deny'd the privilege to foar
With boundless freedom as before.
I have, 'tis true, much greater scope
Than you, my friend, can ever hope;
I traverse all the house, and play
My tricks and gambols every day:
Oft with my mistress in a chair
I ride abroad to take the air;
Make vifits with her, walk at large,
A maid or footman's conftant charge.
Yet this is nothing, for I find
Myself still hamper'd and confin'd;
A grov❜ling thing: I fain would rife
Above the earth and mount the fkies:
The meaneft birds, and infects too,
This feat with greatest ease can do.
To that gay creature turn about
That's beating on the pane without;
Ten days ago, perhaps but five,
A worm, it fcarcely feem'd alive:
By threads fufpended, tough and small,
'Midft dufty cobwebs on a wall;
Now drefs'd in all the different dies
That vary in the ev❜ning fkies,
He foars at large, and on the wing
Enjoys with freedom all the fpring;
Skims the fresh lakes, and rifing fees
Beneath him far the loftieft trees;
And when he refts he makes his bow'r
The cup of fome delicious flow'r.
Shall creatures fo obfcurely bred,
On mere corruption nurs'd and fed,
A glorious privilege obtain,
Which I can never hope to gain?
Shall I, like man's imperial race
In manners, cuftoms, fhape, and face,
Expert in all ingenious tricks,
To tumble, dance, and leap o'er sticks;
Who know to footh and coaxe my betters,
And match a beau, at leaft in letters;
Shall I defpair and never try
(What meanest infects can) to fly?
Say, mayn't I, without dread or care,
At once commit me to the air,
And not fall down and break my bones
Upon those hard and Alinty stones?
Say, if to ftir my limbs before
Will make me glide along or foar?
All things, they fay, are learn'd by trying;
No doubt it is the fame with flying.
I wait your judgment with refpect,
And fhall proceed as you direct.
Poor Poll, with gen'rous pity mov'd,
The Ape's fond rafhnefs thus reprov'd;
For, tho' inftructed by mankind,
Her tongue to candour ftill inclin'd.
My friend, the privilege to rife
Above the earth, and mount the fkies,
Is glorious fure, and 'tis my fate
To feel the want on't with regret ;
A pris'ner to a cage confin'd,
Tho' wing'd and of the flying kind.
With you the cafe is not the fame,
You're quite terreftrial by your frame,
And fhould be perfectly content
With your peculiar element: Del
You have no wings, I pray reflect,
To lift you and your courfe direct;
Thofe arms of yours will never do,
Not twenty in the place of two;
They ne'er can lift you from the ground,
For broad and long, they're thick and round;
And therefore if you choose the way,
To leap the window, as you fay,
"Tis certain that you'll be the jeft
Of every infect, bird, and beaft:
When you lie batter'd by your fall
Juft at the bottom of the wall.
Be prudent, then, improve the pow'rs
Which nature gives in place of ours.
You'll find them readily conduce
At once to pleasure and to use.
But airy whims and crotchets lead folen
To certain lofs, and ne'er fucceed.
As folks, tho' inly vex'd and teaz'd,
Will oft feem fatisfy'd and pleas'd;
The Ape approv'd of every word,
At this time utter'd by the bird:
But nothing in opinion chang'd,
Thought only how to be reveng'd. byn
It happen'd when the day was fair,
That Poll was fet to take the air,
Juft where the Monkey oft fat poring
About experiments in foaring:
Diffembling his contempt and rage,
He ftept up foftly to the cage,
And with a fly malicious grin,
Accofted thus the bird within.
You fay I am not form'd for flight:
In this you certainly are right:
'Tis very plain upon reflection,
But to yourself there's no objection,
Since flying is the very trade.
For which the winged race is made;
And therefore for our mutual fport,
I'll make you fly, you can't be hurt.
With that he flyly flipt the ftring d
Which held the cage up by the ringet offe
In vain the Parrot begg'd and pray'd, ad for
No word was minded that the faid;
Down went the cage, and on the ground
Bruis'd and half dead poor Poll was
Pug who for fome time had attended
To that alone which now was ended,
Again had leifure to pursue rev
The project he had firft in view.
Quoth he, A perfon if he's wife
Will only with his friends advife,
They know his temper and his parts,
And have his int'reft near their hearts.
In matters which he thou'd forbear,
They'll hold him back with prudent care,
But never from an envious fpirit
Forbid him to difplay his merit;
Or judging wrong, from fpleen and hate b
His talents flight or under-rate :
I acted fure with fmall reflection
In afking counfel and direction
From a fly minion, whom I know
To be my rival and my foe:
One who will conftantly endeavour
To hurt me in our lady's favour,
And watch and plot to keep me down,uch (ilab
From obvious interefts of her own:
But on the top of that old tow'r
An honeft Daw has made his bow'r;
A faithful friend whom one may truft,
My debtor too for many a cruft;
Which in the window oft I lay
For him to come and take away :
From gratitude no doubt he'll give
Such counfel as I may receive;
Well back'd with reafons ftrong and plain
To pufh me forward or reftrain.
One morning, when the Daw appear'd,
The project was propos'd and heard:
And tho' the bird was much furpriz'd
To find friend Pug fo ill advis'd,
He rather chofe that he fhould try
At his own proper risk to fly,
Than hazard, in a cafe fo nice,
To fhock him by too free advice.
Quoth he, I'm certain that you'll finds to th
The project anfwer to your mind;
Without fufpicion, dread or care,
At once commit you to the air;
You'll foar aloft, or, if you pleafe,
Proceed ftraight forwards at your ease: 199
The whole depends on refolution,
Which you poffefs from conftitution;
And if you follow as I lead,
'Tis paft a doubt you must fucceed.
So faying, from the turret's height,
The Jackdaw fhot with downward flight,
And on the edge of a canal,
Some fifty paces from the wall,
'Lighted obfequious to attend sa brochsat
The Monkey when he fhould defcendung
But he, although he had believ'd
The flatterer, and was deceiv'd,
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