Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-10-22
POETRY Y.
"mucu ynrrrm,,,, uNsuNa.'



THE PLAGUE IN THE fOREST-A FABL
BY JouN QUINCr ADAMS.
Time was, when round the Lions den,
A p,onIrd city rai.cd its hoad;
Twas not inhabited 10y men,
But BY four footed beasts instead,
The lynx, the leopard aud tho hear,
The tiger aud the wolf weio there
The oofdofendcd s,sed;
The bull pre- arod with horns tn gors-
The cat with claws, the tusky boar,
And all the canine breed.
In social compact thus combined,
Together dwet the beasts oi picy,
lheu muid'ious weapons all icsign'J,
Aud vow'd each othor MOTTO SHY.
Nmong them Rcynard thrust his phiz;
Nor h'of, nor horn, nor tusk, was MS
For warfare all unfit
lilo whispered TO the royal Ounce,
And gained n settlement AT oncej
Ills weapon ". s-his VIII.
One summer, by some fatal spell,
(PhTbus vas pcevish Tor some scoH,)
The plague uPou that city tell,
And swept the beasts by thousands oil.
The lIoR, as became his part,
Loved his dear people from his heart;
And, taking counsel sage.
His peeTass summon'd tpdcvise
And uHrt up sacrifice,
10 soo,hc Apolo's rage.
ouoth lion 'Wc are sinneIsI,lI,
And even, 1t must bo confessed,
II among sheep chance to fall
!, |, am guilty as the rest.
To mo tho sigh, OF lamb i. curs,,
Ii kindes in my throat thirst
struggle to refrain.
Poor innocent his hood 80 sweet.
lIis flesh So delicate to cat.
L find resistance vain.
snow, TO he candid, must own,
The sheep are weak, and nm strong
But when We find ourselves alone,
The sheep has never done me wrong.
And, since 1 purpose to reveal
All my offences; MOI conceal
One trespass from your view;
My appetite is mado so keep,
That with the sheep, the time has beou,'
took-tho shcP 'ord too.
then let us all our sins confess,
And whose soo'er the blacklist guilt,
To case my peoples deep distress,
Let his atoning blood be split.
My own confession now you hear
Should mono of deeper dye appear,
Your sentence freely givo:
And IL on mo should fall the lot,
Make mo the victim on tho spot;
And let my people live
The Council with applauscs rung,.
To hear the Codrus of the woed.
Though still some doubt suspended hung,
II he would make his promise good
QuOth Rcyunrd, Since tho world was made,
Was ever love like this displayed?
Let us, like subj. cts true,
Swear as before your feet wo fall,
Sooner than you should die for all,
We all will die for you.
'But, please your ajesty, deem,
Submissive to your royal grace,
You held in fan too high esteem
That paltry, poltroon, sheepish race:
For Oft rejecting in the shade,
| ask myself why sheep were mlGe
By all-creNting powoTi
And howsoe'or tax my mind,
This, tho sole reason | can find
For lions TO dovour.
And as for eating, now and then,
As wei tho shepherd as tho sheep;
How can that braggart breed Of men
Expect with you the pcnco TO keep
IT'S time their clustering boast to stem,
That all the world was made OR thom,
And prove creations plan;
Teach them by evidence proiuso,
That man was mado for lions use,
Not lions made for man,
And now tho noble peers begin;
And, chscr'd with such example bright,
Disclosing each his secret sin,
Some midnight murdor brought to light.
RoyRaId was counsel for them all;
No crime the assembly coold appai,
But he could botch with paint;
llatk as his honiod accents roll,
Each tiger as n gentle soul;
Each bloodhound as a saint.
When each had told his tale in turn,
Tho long-ear'd beast of burden came,
And meokly said--'My bowels ycarn
To make confession of my shame:
hut remember on timo,
passd, not thinking of a crime,
hay-stack on my way:
His lure, some tempting devil spread
stretched across tho fence my head,
And cropp'd-a lock of hay'
'Oh, monster villain! Reward cried
No longer seek the victim, sire;
Nor why your subjosts thu. have died.
TO cxpiate Apollo's iIe.'
The council with one voice, decTeod;
All Join'd TO eXccfate the decd
What steal another's gras.p
The blacklist chine their lives cou'd show,
Was washed rs white as virgin snow;
The victim was--THE ASS