FABLES. 



249 



THE FOWLER AND THE RING-DOVE. 



A Fowler took his gun, and went into the woods 

 to shoot. He spied a Ring-dove -among the 

 branches of an Oak, and clapping the piece to his 

 shoulder, took his aim, and made himself sure of 

 killing it. But just as he was going to pull the 

 trigger, an Adder, which he had trod upon un- 

 der the grass, bit him so painfully in the leg, that 

 he was obliged to quit his design, and throw his 

 gun down in an agony. The venom immediately 

 infected his blood, and his whole body began to 

 mortify; which, when he perceived, he could not 

 help owning it to be just. Fate, says he, has 

 brought destruction upon me, while I was contriv- 

 ing the death of another. 



VOL. IV. 2 K 



