Fable XIV. The Dragon and the Foxes

A Dragon, who guarded a treasure id a deep wind-! ing cave, watched over it night and day. two foxes understanding this, and being great cheats and robbers by trade, insinuated themselves into his farour by flattery, and fo became his confidents, the mod complaisant and officious are not the fured friends, they treated him as a great personage, admired all his fancies, were always of his mind, and sneered between themselves at their cully, at length, he fell asleep betwixt them; they seized the opportunity, ftranglcd him, and made themselves maders of the treasure. but next it must be divided, and this was no easy matter, for two rogues agree only to do mischief. one of them fell a moralizing: what use, said he, shall we make of all this money? a little game had been better for us; there is no such thing as eating of metal, pifloles are hard of digestion; men are fools to be fo fond of those false riches; let us not be as foolish as they, rthe other feigned to be touched with the sage reflexions, and protefied that he would live such a philosopher as Bias, and carry his all about with him. both made a feint of quitting the treaiure; but they lay in mutual ambuih, and tore each other to pieces, one of them expiring said to the other, who was as much wounded as himself; what wouldst thou have done with the money? the same thbg thou wouldst have done with It, answered the other, a man passing that way, wh.en he heard their adventure, called them egregious fools, you are. no less fo than we, replied one of the foxes; you can no more seed upOn money than we, and yoa kill one another to procure it: our rjice has hitherto been wife enough, at lead, not to make use of any coin* what you introduced amongst you for your conveniency proves your curse. you lose true riches in the pursuit of imaginary.

THE TWO FOXES-