The Master of a Family that had, as he thought, a very good Condition'd Dog, coming home from his Bus'ness once, found a Cradle Overturn'd; the Dog's Mouth all Bloody, and his only Child missing. He draws his Sword immediately and Kills the Dog, upon a Presumption that he had Worryed the Child, without any regard to his Try'd Fidelity, and without Allowing himself One Moment of Time for a Second Thought. Upon a further Enquiry, he found the Truth of the Matter to be this: The Child being left alone in the Cradle, there was a Serpent Winding it self up the Side on't, to Destroy the Child. The Dog leaps upon the Serpent, and Tears it to Pieces; but in the Scuffle, the Cradle happen'd to be Overturn'd: Upon the taking up of the Cradle, the Master found the Child Alive under it, and the Serpent Dead, which, upon Reflexion, Convinc'd him of the Miserable Temerity of his Mistake.
The Repentance of a whole Life, is not sufficient to Atone for the Miscarriage of One Rash Action.Source:
L'Estrange 464.
Click here for a
SLIDESHOW of all the Griset images. I like the way that the light shining in from the left suggests visually the dawning realization: this is the moment when the father realizes that he has killed the dog who saved his son's life!
M0373 (not in Perry)
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