Aphra Behn (1)

One of my favorite illustrated books of Aesop's fables is by the English artist Francis Barlow: Aesop's Fables. For the second edition, Barlow included verses by Aphra Behn, which you can see below. The illustrations in the two editions are the same, but the English poetry in the first edition is by Thomas Philipott, whose poems were swapped for Behn's poetry in the second edition. The poems below are by Behn:

The Ass eating Thistles 

A sordid Ass, while on his back he bore,

Of chosen delicates, a plenteous store;

His courser Appetite with Thistles treats,

And starves beneath his load of nobler Meats.

Profuseness is a farr less dangerous vice

Than the Ill natur'd damning Avarice.

The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing  

A subtile Wolfe, more safly to betray,

In a sheepes Clothing does himselfe array,

And unexpected now whole flocks destroys,

Till a kind halter ends his stoln joys.

The zealous Cheat has wrought the land more woe,

Than bare fac'd villainie coud ever doe.

The City Mouse and Country Mouse  

The City mouse invites her Country Guest,

To tas the daintyes of a Citty feast,

But oft disturb'd by interupted noys,

They hide, and fear his appetite destroys.

The great the Hurry of the world indure,

And tis the country life alone's secure.

The Lyon and Mouse  

The Royall Beast intangl'd in a snare,

Coud not with teeth and claws the ambush tear,

When a kind humble Mouse, the Cord untwind,

And broke that Mase the Forest King confind.

Doe not despise the Service of a Slave,

An Oak did once a glorious Monarch save.

[see Wikipedia for the Royal Oak]

The Dog and Ox 

An Envious Dog in a full manger lay,

Nor eats himself, nor to the Ox gives way,

Who griev'd reply'd — ah grudge not me that meat,

Which (cruell) thou thy self disdainst to eate.

Thus aged Lovers with young Beautys live,

Keepe off those joys they want the power to give.