180 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Lines by Mr. Pratt. 



I shall close this account of the canine tribe 

 with the following beautiful lines extracted from 

 Mr. Pratt's Gleanings. 



" How oft some hero of the canine kind, 



A Caesar, " guiltless of his country's blood ;'* 



A blameless Pompey, tho' for power design'd, 

 Intrepid champion of the oppress' d has stood ! 



Kow snatch'd a friend from the assassin's steel, 

 From raging fire, or from the whelming wave; 



Now taught the haughty rational to feel. 

 The bold to fear, the coward to be brave. 



Thon animal sublime, we human call, 



Who deem'st these attributes but instinct's sway, 



Thyself sole-reas'ning tyrant of the ball, 

 The rest thy slaves, to tremble and obey. 



Virtues in thee are instincts in the brute ; 



Yet in these instincts, proud one ! may'st thou find 

 Plain honest arguments, which oft confute 



The sub t' lost maxims of thy soaring mind. 



Art thon in doubt, and wouldst Ihou truly know, 

 How far those virtuous instincts may extend ? 



Caesar and Pompey at thy feet can show 

 Th' unmeasur'd duties of a faithful friend. 



Hast thou e'er follow'd friend with steps more true, 

 \Vih nobler courage hast thon met the foe ? 



And if that friend in an;er left thy view, 

 Hast thou so felt the reconciling glow ? 



Or if thou hast, O tell me ! hast thou borne 



Insult unmerited, stripes undeserv'd? 

 And didst thou both in meek submission mourn, 



As if thou only hadst from duty swerv'd | 



