A _Countryman_ and a _Snake_.
There was a _Snake_ that Bedded himself under the Threshold of a
Country-House: A _Child_ of the Family happen’d to set his Foot upon’t;
The _Snake_ bit him, and he Dy’d on’t. The _Father_ of the _Child_ made
a Blow at the _Snake_, but Miss’d his Aim, and only left a Mark behind
him upon the Stone where he Struck. The _Countryman_ Offer’d the _Snake_,
some time after This, to be Friends again. No, says the _Snake_, so long
as you have This Flaw upon the Stone in Your Eye, and the Death of the
_Child_ in your Thought, there’s No Trusting of ye.
The MORAL.
_In Matters of Friendship and Trust, we can never be too Tender; but yet
there’s a Great Difference betwixt Charity and Facility. We may Hope Well
in many Cases, but let it be without Venturing Neck, and All upon’t, for_
New-Converts _are Slippery_.