Fables of La Fontaine Part 58

V.--THE OLD CAT AND THE YOUNG MOUSE.

To Monseigneur, The Duke De Bourgogne; Who Had Requested Of M. De La Fontaine A Fable Which Should Be Called "The Cat And The Mouse."

To please a youthful prince, whom Fame A temple in my writings vows, What fable answers to the name, "The Cat and Mouse?"

Shall I in verse the fair present, With softest look but hard intent, Who serves the hearts her charms entice As does the cat its captive mice?

Or make my subject Fortune's sport?

She treats the friends that make her court, And follow closest her advice, As treats the cat the silly mice.

Shall I for theme a king select Who sole, of all her favourites, Commands the G.o.ddess's respect?

For whom she from her wheel alights.

Who, never stay'd by foes a trice, Whene'er they block his way, Can with the strongest play As doth the cat with mice!

Insensibly, while casting thus about, Quite anxious for my subject's sake, A theme I meet, and, if I don't mistake, Shall spoil it, too, by spinning out.

The prince will treat my muse, for that, As mice are treated by the cat.

A young and inexperienced mouse Had faith to try a veteran cat,[12]-- Raminagrobis, death to rat, And scourge of vermin through the house,-- Appealing to his clemency With reasons sound and fair.

'Pray let me live; a mouse like me It were not much to spare.

Am I, in such a family, A burden? Would my largest wish Our wealthy host impoverish?

A grain of wheat will make my meal; A nut will fat me like a seal.

I'm lean at present; please to wait, And for your heirs reserve my fate.'

The captive mouse thus spake.

Replied the captor, 'You mistake; To me shall such a thing be said?

Address the deaf! address the dead!

A cat to pardon!--old one too!

Why, such a thing I never knew.

Thou victim of my paw, By well-establish'd law, Die as a mousling should, And beg the sisterhood Who ply the thread and shears, To lend thy speech their ears.

Some other like repast My heirs may find, or fast.'

He ceased. The moral's plain.

Youth always hopes its ends to gain, Believes all spirits like its own: Old age is not to mercy p.r.o.ne.

[12] The story is from Abstemius.

VI.--THE SICK STAG.[13]

A stag, where stags abounded, Fell sick, and was surrounded Forthwith by comrades kind, All pressing to a.s.sist, Or see, their friend, at least, And ease his anxious mind-- An irksome mult.i.tude.

'Ah, sirs!' the sick was fain to cry, 'Pray leave me here to die, As others do, in solitude.

Pray, let your kind attentions cease, Till death my spirit shall release.'

But comforters are not so sent: On duty sad full long intent, When Heaven pleased, they went: But not without a friendly gla.s.s; That is to say, they cropp'd the gra.s.s And leaves which in that quarter grew, From which the sick his pittance drew.

By kindness thus compell'd to fast, He died for want of food at last.

The men take off no trifling dole Who heal the body, or the soul.

Alas the times! do what we will, They have their payment, cure or kill.

[13] "The Gazelle" in Lokman's Fables.

VII.--THE BAT, THE BUSH, AND THE DUCK.[14]

A bush, duck, and bat, having found that in trade, Confined to their country, small profits were made, Into partnership enter'd to traffic abroad, Their purse, held in common, well guarded from fraud.

Their factors and agents, these trading allies Employ'd where they needed, as cautious as wise: Their journals and ledgers, exact and discreet, Recorded by items expense and receipt.

All throve, till an argosy, on its way home, With a cargo worth more than their capital sum, In attempting to pa.s.s through a dangerous strait, Went down with its pa.s.sengers, sailors, and freight, To enrich those enormous and miserly stores, From Tartarus distant but very few doors.

Regret was a thing which the firm could but feel; Regret was the thing they were slow to reveal; For the least of a merchant well knows that the weal Of his credit requires him his loss to conceal.

But that which our trio unluckily suffer'd Allow'd no repair, and of course was discover'd.

No money nor credit, 'twas plain to be seen Their heads were now threaten'd with bonnets of green;[15]

And, the facts of the case being everywhere known, No mortal would open his purse with a loan.

Debts, bailiffs, and lawsuits, and creditors gruff, At the crack of day knocking, (Importunity shocking!) Our trio kept busy enough.

The bush, ever ready and on the alert, Now caught all the people it could by the skirt:-- 'Pray, sir, be so good as to tell, if you please, If you know whereabout the old villanous seas Have hid all our goods which they stole t' other night.

The diver, to seek them, went down out of sight.

The bat didn't venture abroad in the day, And thus of the bailiffs kept out of the way.

Full many insolvents, not bats, to hide so, Nor bushes, nor divers, I happen to know, But even grand seigniors, quite free from all cares, By virtue of bra.s.s, and of private backstairs.

[14] Aesop.

[15] _With bonnets of green._--Such as insolvent debtors were anciently required to wear, in France, after making cession of their effects, in order to escape imprisonment.--Translator. The custom also prevailed in Italy.

VIII.--THE QUARREL OF THE DOGS AND CATS, AND THAT OF THE CATS AND MICE.

Enthroned by an eternal law, Hath Discord reign'd throughout the universe.

In proof, I might from this our planet draw A thousand instances diverse.

Within the circle of our view, This queen hath subjects not a few.

Beginning with the elements, It is astonishing to see How they have stood, to all intents, As wrestlers from eternity.

Besides these four great potentates, Old stubborn earth, fire, flood, and air, How many other smaller states Are waging everlasting war!

In mansion deck'd with frieze and column, Dwelt dogs and cats in mult.i.tudes; Decrees, promulged in manner solemn, Had pacified their ancient feuds.

Their lord had so arranged their meals and labours, And threaten'd quarrels with the whip, That, living in sweet cousinship, They edified their wondering neighbours.

At last, some dainty plate to lick, Or profitable bone to pick, Bestow'd by some partiality, Broke up the smooth equality.

The side neglected were indignant At such a slight malignant.

Some writers make the whole dispute begin With favours to a b.i.t.c.h while lying in.

Whate'er the cause, the altercation Soon grew a perfect conflagration.

In hall and kitchen, dog and cat Took sides with zeal for this or that.

New rules upon the cat side falling Produced tremendous caterwauling.

Their advocate, against such rules as these, Advised recurrence to the old decrees.

They search'd in vain, for, hidden in a nook, The thievish mice had eaten up the book.

Another quarrel, in a trice, Made many sufferers with the mice; For many a veteran whisker'd-face, With craft and cunning richly stored, And grudges old against the race, Now watch'd to put them to the sword; Nor mourn'd for this that mansion's lord.

Resuming our discourse, we see No creature from opponents free.

'Tis nature's law for earth and sky; 'Twere vain to ask the reason why; G.o.d's works are good,--I cannot doubt it,-- And that is all I know about it.

I know, however, that the cause Which hath our human quarrels brought, Three quarters of the time, is nought That will be, is, or ever was.

Ye veterans, in state and church, At threescore years, indeed, It seems there still is need To give you lessons with the birch!