Soon to their clamours Jove took tent, To punish which to wark he went : He straight with follies fill'd the wheel; In wisdom's place they did as weel, For ilka ane wha folly drew, In their conceit a' fages grew: Sae, thus contented, a' retir'd, And ilka fool himself admir'd.
SHORT fyne there was a wretched miser,
With pinching had scrap'd up a treasure ;
Yet frae his hoords he doughtna take
As much wou'd buy a mutton stake,
Or take a glass to comfort nature,
But fcrimply fed on crumbs and water:
In short, he famish'd 'midst his plenty;
Which made furviving kindred canty,
Wha scarcely for him pat on black,
And only in his loof a plack,
Which even they grudg'd: fic is the way
Of them wha fa' upon the prey;
They 'll scarce row up the wretch's feet,
Sae fcrimp they make his winding-fheet,
Tho' he fhou'd leave a vast estate,
And heaps of gowd like Arthur's Seat.
Well, down the starving ghaist did fink, Till it fell on the Stygian brink;
Where auld Van Charon ftood and raught
His wither'd loof out for his fraught;
But them that wanted wherewitha',
He dang them back to stand and blaw.
The Miser lang being us’d to fave,
Fand this, and wadna paffage crave;
But fhaw'd the ferryman a knack,
Jumpt in, fwam o'er, and hain'd his plack.
Charon might damn, and fink, and roar;
But a' in vain, he gain'd the fhore.
Arriv'd, the three-pow'd dog of hell
Gowl'd terrible a triple yell;
Which rous'd the fnaky fifters three,
Wha furious on this wight did flee,
Wha 'd play'd the fmuggler on their coast,
By which Pluto his dues had loft;
Then brought him for this trick fae hainous
Afore the bench of justice Minos.
The case was new, and very kittle,
Which puzzl'd a' the court na little ;
Thought after thought with unco' speed
Flew round within the judge's head,
To find what punishment was due
For fic a daring crime, and new.
Shou'd he the plague of Tantal. feel?
Or ftented be on Ixion's wheel?
Or ftung wi' bauld Prometheus' pain? Or help Syfiph. to row his ftane? Or fent amang the wicked rout, To fill the tub that ay rins out?"No, no," continues Minos," no; "Weak are our punishments below "For fic a crime; he man be hurl'd "Straight back again into the world: "I fentence him to fee and hear "What use his friends make of his gear."
THE Ape and Leopard, beasts for show,
The first a wit, the last a beau,
To make a penny at a fair,
Advertis'd a' their parts fae rare.
The tane gae out with meikle wind,
His beauty 'boon the brutal kind:
Said he, "I'm kend baith far and near,
"Even kings are pleas'd when I appear;
"And when I yield my vital puff,
Queens of my skin will make a muff;
My fur fae delicate and fine,
"With various fpots does fleekly fhine."
Now lads and laffes faft did rin
To fee the beaft with bonny fkin:
His keeper fhaw'd him round about ;
They faw him foon, and foon came out.
But master Monkey, with an air, Hapt out, and thus harangu'd the fair:
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