FABLES. 



THE OAK AND THE REED. 



Ax Oak, which hung over the bank of a river, 

 was blown down by a violent storm of wind, and as 

 it was carried along by the stream, some of its 

 boughs brushed against a Reed which grew near 

 the shore. This struck the Oak with - a thought of 

 admiration, and he could not forbear asking the 

 Reed how he came to stand so secure and unhurt, 

 in a tempest which had been furious enough to tear 

 up an Oak by the roots? Why, says the Reed, I 

 secure myself by a conduct the reverse of yours : 

 instead of being stubborn and stiff, and confiding* in 

 my strength, I yield and bend to the blast, and let 

 it go over me, knowing how vain and fruitless it 

 would be to resist. 



APPLICATION. 



THOUGH a tame submission to injuries which it is 

 in our power to redress, be generally esteemed a 



