Lower a Cat her kittens laid;
And at the bottom of the tree
A Sow dispos'd her progeny.
Vile Puss, to gain her wicked ends,
Much love for both of them pretends.
First to the Eagle's aerie mounts,
And thus her false alarms recounts:
"Madam, in truth our dangerous state,
'Tis with reluctance I relate;
But things are really gone so far,
Conceal them I no longer dare.
Night after night the treacherous Sow
Our tree has undermin'd below;
Ere long it cannot choose but fall,
And then she hopes to eat us all."
Successful when she saw her lies,
Down to the bristly Sow she hies;
"My worthy neighbour!" crying out,
"For God's sake mind what you're about!
For to a certainty I know,
The Eagle waits but till you go,
(The thing with great concern I say)
To make your little ones her prey."
Suspicious dread when thus inspir'd,
Puss to her hole all day retir'd;
Stealing at night on silent paw,
To stuff her own and kittens' maw.
To stir nor Sow nor Eagle dare.
What more? fell hunger ends their care;
And long the mischief-making beast
With her base brood on carrion feast.
Learn hence, ye simple, e'er too late,
What ills the double-tongu'd create.
Source: Boothby - Phaedrus 2.4.
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