A _Trusty Dog_ and his _Master_.
The Master of a Family that had, as he thought, a very good Condition’d
Dog, coming home from his Bus’ness once, found a Cradle Over-turn’d; the
Dog’s Mouth all Bloody, and his only Child Missing. He draws his Sword
immediately and Kills the Dog, upon a Presumption that he had Worryed the
Child, without any regard to his Try’d Fidelity, and without Allowing
himself One Moment of Time for a Second Thought. Upon a further Enquiry,
he found the Truth of the Matter to be this: The Child being left alone
in the Cradle, there was a Serpent Winding it self up the side on’t,
to Destroy the Child. The Dog leaps upon the Serpent, and Tears it to
Pieces; but in the Scuffle, the Cradle happen’d to be Over-turn’d: Upon
the Taking up of the Cradle, the Master found the Child Alive under
it, and the Serpent Dead, which, upon Reflexion, Convinc’d him of the
Miserable Temerity of his Mistake.
The MORAL.
_The Repentance of a whole Life, is not sufficient to Atone for the
Miscarriage of One Rash Action._