THE MICE IN COUNCIL.

A FABLE.

THERE once was a Cat, of all tabbies the flower,
Who with zeal so unwearied would vermin devour,
That her master's wide buildings she clear'd in a trice,
Destroy'd all the Rats and two-thirds of the Mice.
The remnant there left,-poor unfortunate souls !—
Were starv'd, as they scarcely dar'd peep from their holes.
For, like the furr'd Cats of old Rabelais' forum,

She seiz'd 'em, and bit 'em, and claw'd 'em, and tore 'em.
Puss, in short, through the granary, stable and house,
Was the utter abhorrence of every Mouse.

E'en the sound of her name all the Mice of the barn hate;
They think her no Cat, but a devil incarnate.
One night, (for, tho' cruel, what heart is love-proof?)
With a friend, an appointment she made on the roof.
The Mice, when they ceas'd to see, hear or smell her,
Quickly summon'd a chapter to meet in the cellar.
The cause was proclaim'd in a manner precise,
To save from perdition the whole race of Mice.

They met :-other members had nought to propose,
When the Dean of the synod with gravity rose.
"I have hit on a plan," said the senior, "with me
I think, my dear friends, you'll not fail to agree:
Of our velvet-shod foe the rapidity such is,

Ere we hear her light footsteps we feel her sharp clutches;
On the matter in hand I'll not tediously dwell;

My scheme-round her neck is to fasten a bell ;-
And then, on our haunts as this savage beast pounces,
Her approach, in a moment, this warning announces.
By night and by day a strict watch duly keeping,
A time may be found when this demon is sleeping:

This done, no more danger we fear from her claws."
He ceas'd, and the conclave all murmur'd applause.
Said a long whisker'd Mouse, " For this able oration,
We owe to our president much obligation,

And the plan has been voted by just acclamation;
There nothing remains but this question to ask :
What Mice volunteer for this difficult task?"-
Now silence ensued:-when he urg'd a reply,
The answer return'd by each Mouse was, "Not I!"
Grimalkin appear'd; soon dissolv'd the divan,
And away to their holes every Mouse of them ran!

I HAD lately a very remarkable dream, which made so strong an impression on me, that I remember it every word; and, if you are not better employed, you may read the relation of it, as follows:

Methought I was in the midst of a very entertaining set of company, and extremely delighted in attending to a lively conversation, when, on a sudden, I perceived one of the most shocking figures imagination can frame advancing towards me. She was dressed in black, her skin was

contracted into a thousand wrinkles, her eyes deep sunk in her head, and her complexion pale and livid as the countenance of death. Her looks were filled with terror and unrelenting severity, and her hands armed with whips and scorpions. As soon as she came near, with a horrid frown and a voice that chilled my very blood, she bid me follow her. I obeyed; and she led me through rugged paths, beset with briars and thorns, into a deep solitary valley. Wherever she passed, the fading verdure withered beneath her steps; her pestilential breath infected the air with malignant vapours, obscured the lustre of the sun, and involved the fair face of heaven in universal gloom. Dismal howlings resounded through the forest, from every baleful tree the night raven uttered his dreadful note, and the prospect was filled with desolation and horror. In the midst of this tremendous scene my execrable guide addressed me in the following manner:

"Retire with me, O rash unthinking mortal, from the vain allurements of a deceitful world, and learn that pleasure was not designed the portion of human life. Man was born to mourn and to be wretched; this is the condition of all below the stars; and whoever endeavours to oppose it, acts in contradiction to the will of Heaven. Fly then from the fatal enchantments of youth and social delight, and here consecrate the solitary hours to

lamentation and wo. sublunary beings, and every enjoyment is an offence to the Deity, who is to be worshipped only by the mortification of every sense of pleasure and the everlasting exercise of sighs and tears."

Misery is the duty of all

This melancholy picture of life quite sunk my spirits, and seemed to annihilate every principle of joy within me. I threw myself beneath a blasted yew, where the winds blew cold and dismal round my head, and dreadful apprehensions chilled my heart. Here I resolved to lie, till the hand of death, which I impatiently invoked, should put an end to the miseries of a life so deplorably wretched. In this sad situation I espied on one hand of me a deep muddy river, whose heavy waters rolled on in slow sullen murmurs. Here I determined to plunge, and was just upon the brink, when I found myself suddenly drawn back. I turned about, and was surprised by the sight of the loveliest object I had ever beheld. The most engaging charms of youth and beauty appeared in all her form; effulgent glories sparkled in her eyes, and their awful splendours were softened by the gentlest looks of compassion and peace. At her approach, the frightful spectre, who had before tormented me, vanished away, and with her all the horrors she had caused. The gloomy clouds brightened into cheerful sunshine, the groves recovered their verdure, and the whole region looked