. Fables of Aesop and others. ate,may overpower and destroy us, or perhaps may hurt and afflictus only in some measure; but, as such a treatment cannot sur-prise us, because we expected no less, neither can it give ushalf the grief or uneasiness of mind, which we are apt to feelwhen we find ourselves wronged by the treachery and false-hood of a friend. When the man whom we trusted and esteem,ed, proves injurious to us, it is a calamity so cruelly compli-cated in its circumstances, tliat it involves us in a grief ofmany folds, and multiplies the sum of our infelicity At oneund the same time, we
. Fables of Aesop and others. ate,may overpower and destroy us, or perhaps may hurt and afflictus only in some measure; but, as such a treatment cannot sur-prise us, because we expected no less, neither can it give ushalf the grief or uneasiness of mind, which we are apt to feelwhen we find ourselves wronged by the treachery and false-hood of a friend. When the man whom we trusted and esteem,ed, proves injurious to us, it is a calamity so cruelly compli-cated in its circumstances, tliat it involves us in a grief ofmany folds, and multiplies the sum of our infelicity At oneund the same time, we find a foe where we least expected; andlose a friend when we most wanted him: which niust be aasevere and piercing as it is surprising. It is natural, therefore,lor our resentment to be in proportion to our sense of such aninjury; and that we should wish the punishment of so extraor-d inary a crime may be, at least, as great as that which usuallyattends an ordinary one. r2 198 iESOPS FABLES. FAB. CVII. The Thief and the Do^.. A thief coming to rob a certain house in the night,was disturbed in his attempt by a fierce vigilantdog, who kept barking at him continually; upon whichthe thief, thinking to stop his mouth, threw him apiece of bread: but the dog refused with indignation;telling him, that before he only suspected him to be abad man, but now, upon his offering to bribe him, hewas confirmed in his opinion; and that, as he was in-trusted with the guardianship of his masters house,he should never cease barking while such a rogue ashe lay lurking about it. THE APPLICATION. A man who is very free in his protestations of friendship, oroffers of great civility, upon the first interview, may meet withapplause and esteem from fools, but contrives liis schemes ofthat sort to little or no purpose, in the company of men of sense. It is a common and known maxim, to suspect an enemy eventhe more, for his endeavouring to convince us of his ; because the oddness of the thing p
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