ter he had given him his Daughter in Marriage; but with this Confideration, that if he was not qualified for fo many distinguishing Favours, on Account of his mean Extraction, his long Experience, and noble military Atchievements were fufficient Reasons for his being thus highly dignified.

CHA P.

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CHAPTER XXIII.

That Christian Charity requires us to quit every Thing to relieve the Diftrefs'd.

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Generous Stag had once an Invitation given him to come to a fplendid Entertainment, that was to be kept upon fome Occafion or other among the Quadrupeds. He fet out in order to meet, according to Appointment: But as he was going along he heard, behind a Bush, a mournful Voice, which gave him the Curiofity to fee what was the Matter; and there he found a Follow-Deer, with the Hunts-Man's murdering Dart in his Side, ready to expire for want of a little Affiftance. Poor Creature, fays the Stag, has thou no other Pain befides this Wound? No, answered the Deer, the Arrow left in my Side will alone occafion my Death. To that the Stag reply'd, a Cure may be found if thou takeftCourage. Then he began to tell him of the Dittany, and its effectual Power in forcing out the Steel by the fame Gap of the Wound. That Simple, added he, defcribing it to him, may be found in that Field there, all along that Hedge upon the Right-Hand. At thofe Words the languishing Deer made his Efforts to get up, but he had not theStrength to do it; which the Stag obferving, put by the great Gaudy, and jovial Company he was going to meet, and went himself to fetch the Dittany; which he had no fooner apply'd, but theSteel immediately came out, and the Deer, after having moft heartily Thank'd him,and his violent Pains a little affwag'd, foftly withdrew to the Place of his Abode.

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The MORAL.

The Clemency and Good-Nature of the Stag feem to concur in rendring this Fable Inftructive to us; for he that is infenfible to the Troubles, Languor, Pain andSickness of his Fellow-Creature, must be accounted, not only fomething less than Human, but is more a Brute than the Brutes themselves; or, which is the fame Thing, he carries the Heart of a Beaft under the Shape of a Man. 'Tis therefore a Duty incumbent upon us as Men only, to Help and Comfort one another with an unfpeakable Satisfaction and Pleafure; and as good Chriftians it behoves us, to lay afide all other Occupations, to relieve the Diftreffed, and adminifter our Affiftance, in order to remove the Grief out of our Neighbour's agonizing Heart.

Of all the diftinguishing Characters of a good Christian, none are fo confpicuous, as their follicitous Care and Concern for Perfons under any Affliction,together with their Readiness in affifting them: And Power and Splendor are fo far from being exempted from this general Rule, that on the contrary it feems to be a Duty more particularly binding Greatness itself. For though Potentates, confider'd as fuch, are not oblig'd to impair their Authority by any mean Action, left they fhould render it defpicable; yet they may, and as Men ought, to exert their Tenderness and Humanity; and as Subjects to the Laws of Chriftianity, which excufe none from the Practice of Charity, and Religious Actions: But with fo much Prudence and Circumfpection, that their private Devotion, or their particular Care of any fingle Man's fafety, may not prove Prejudicial to the Common-Wealth.

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And indeed, Who would think it a prudent Action, at a peftilential Time, and when it is dangerous even to approach thofe infected Places, wherein Perfons lie, whom God has been pleas'd to afflict with any contagious Diftemper, for a Prince excited by the Indiscretion of a mistaken Zeal, to force himself to breath that corrupted Air, and i with his own Hand cleanse their Wounds. Nevertheless we have it upon Record, that a Queen of Hungary, and Catharine of Siena, who was Canoniz'd by Pope Pius the Second, in 1461, rose their Virtues of Humility to fuch a Pitch of Perfection, as to make it their daily Practice.

If one could blame any Thing in the Conduct of that pious Monarch, whom the French have, as it were, Canoniz'd by the Name of St. Lewis, it would doubtless be this, That he expofed himfelf in Syria to a manifeft Danger, in carrying on his Shoulders, after a bloody Combat, fought against the Saracens, the dead Bodies that had remain'd Four Days in the Field of Battle. His Charity was fo fervent, that, in order to animate others by his Example, he did not so much as stop his Noftrils, left they should think the Ill-fmell to be no less infupportable than dangerous. And fome would have us to receive this his Excufe fo much the readier, because he was pioufly tranferibing in himself the Example of Tobias, who would leave his Supper, tho' perhaps he had not eat any thing that Day, whenfoever he had Intelligence, that the Body of one of the Faithful, flain by the Prince's Authority, lay Unbury'd upon the High-Way, and expos'd to the Mercy of Dogs and Birds of Prey. But what is more Commendable in that Prince, and very well deferving our Admiration is, that whatsoever Company he was engag'd in, or at whatever Recreation, he readily

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readily left them to adminifter Juftice to any of his People; and never delay'd any important Affairs for the Enjoyment of his Pleatures; a great Inftance of what I am here endeavouring to recommmend.

The Emperor, Charles the Fifth, gave alfo pofitive Orders, to be difturb'd out of his natural Reft, at any Time in the Night, if any Difpatches came to him; faying, for his Reafon, That Delay in favour of bis Rest, might prove very Prejudicial to the Publick, or private Perfons might receive confiderable Damages by it.

But to purtue this Thought ftill further, and to fay fomething more to the Purpose upon this Subject, What could we defire more remarkable than the Parable of the Samaritan, in St. Luke, Chap 10. ver. 30, &c. A certain Man went down from Ferufalem to Jericho, and fell among Thieves, who stript him of his Raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain Prieft that way; and when he saw him, he paffed by on the other fide : And likewife a Levite, when he was at the Place, came and looked on him, and paffed by on the other fide: But a certain Samaritan, as he journey'd, came where he was, and when he faw him, he had Compaffion on him, and went to him, and bound up bis Wounds, pouring in Oil and Wine, and fet bim on his own Beaft, and brought him to an Inn, and took care of him: And on the Morrow when he departed, he took out Two Pence, and gave them to the Hoft, and faid unto him, take care of him, and whatfoever thou Spendeft more, when I come again I will repay thee.

A generous Inftance of Humanity, which naturally leads us into this dreadful Reflection, That all those who profefs Holinefs, and ferve at the

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