AN ANSWER TO THE Dragon and Grasshopper, In a Dialogue between an Old Monkey AND A Young Weazel At the Three Cranes Tavern in the Poultry, where they are daily to be seen. AS ALSO Some Remarks upon the Amsterdam and London AESOP's. LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1698. ANSWER TO THE Dragon and Grasshopper, etc. THE repeated Rumours of so many Aesop's 〈◊〉 Amrstrdam, Tunbridge, Bath, White-Hall, 〈◊〉 speaking through the feigned Mouths of Asses Wo●● Foxes, Dogs, Owls, etc. And last of all dead D●●●ons and Grasshoppers, hath so animated an Old Monkey 〈◊〉 a Young Weazel, at the Three-Crain-Tavern in the P●●try, that they are resolved to speak as well as the 〈◊〉 and thereupon last Saturday began a serious Confere●● which is not yet ended, where any Person who has 〈◊〉 curiosity, may there be further satisfied by ocular ●●monstration. However, what has hitherto passed ●●tween them, I have here inserted, which for diver●● sake, I hope will be accepted. MONKEY. How now little Animal; why so bold to enter 〈◊〉 without ask my leave? WEAZEL. Most Reverend Sir, I have been lately surprised in a 〈◊〉 therefore pray pardon my Silence, for oftentimes Traps are 〈◊〉 for Words, us well us Wolves and Weazles. MONKEY. 'Tis very true; But that's not the Answer to my Que●●on: I ask you once more, why you came here, and 〈◊〉 what cause? for it is not ordinary for a Weazel an●● Monkey to be Associates, especially in a Tavern. WEAZEL. Sir, with submission to your grave Worship, I am 〈◊〉 up an Extranordinary Message, no less than in the Quality of ●●bassador from that High and Mighty Strte-Animal Menheer ●●●ashopper, on the Royal Exchange in Cornhill. MONKEY. Oh, high Preferment indeed! But Cousin, you mi●e the Person and Place too, your business, I suppose, with the Dragon on Bow-Steeple, for you Master and he ●e had a great Controversy of late; but I fear thou art 〈◊〉 humble a Creature to approach his presence, he's ●●ud and lofty. WAEZEL. I know his Disposition well enough; however my business present is not with him, but to acquaint thee that there is a ●●aty of Peace on Foot between them, therefore I leave thee approach his presence; for my part, I have not the are on so much as to think of it. MONKEY hay, hay, what is it come to that, to make choice a Monkey for Mediator? Sure the Bear that beat the ●●um, might have been thought more worthy of that ●●nour, for he speaks their Language better than I can. WEAZEL. 〈◊〉 is true, Monsieve Dragon gave that Creaturea favour●●e Character at their last Conference, but Menheer Grasshoppers rejected him as a Counterfeiter, and not as a true Imitator of ●●●ir Speech and Actions, and made choice of thee, a wise, so 〈◊〉 Creature, every way qualified for such a mighty un-dertaking. MONKEY. So, so, Cousion, I find the Old Proverb true with a ●●●ness, viz, Like Master, like Man. I see thou hast learn their Art of Flattery to a Hairs-breadth; but no wond●● when Grasshoppers are advanced, if Weazels Chatter 〈◊〉 Authority. However, to be plain with thee, I don●● care to meddle with two such lofty Figures, for they a●● both Damnable brazen-saced, and will stand to nothing long, let their Promises be never so fair, they being 〈◊〉 Nature unsteady and mutable; and indeed 'tis in vain 〈◊〉 expect any other from two Weathercocks, who are su●●ect to be turned by every shuft of Wind. WEAZEL. Most grave Sir, pray be not Angry with me, for 〈◊〉 charging my Office; tho' they be mutuble, let us be fixed; If t●● are lofty, we are lowly; If they are proud, let us be humble If they quarrel, let us agree; If they contend we'll conform; 〈◊〉 them hate, we'll love one another; If they he Hypocrites, we'll 〈◊〉 Honest; Therefore by my Consent, let's (now we are thus luc●●net) divers ourselves only with some private (th' innocent discourse, laugh at their Folly, and leave them to thems●ver. MONKEY. With all my Heart; but before we proceed, tell 〈◊〉 your Opinion, (for I know you are Cunning enough what People will say, if it should be known that the M●●key and Weazel have been Discoursing together, beca●●● 'twill not be believed that beast have the Gift of Speaking. WEAZEL, Why, if it comes to that, I'll speak through the Lang●●● of Balaam's Ass, in the very Face of them: Nay and more 〈◊〉 that, if some should be so Atheistically obstinate, and account 〈◊〉 Fictious and too far fetched, I'll come nearer home, and 〈◊〉 themseveral Speaking Asses under their own Roofs; tho' per●● far short of Balaam's Ass for understanding; for she never 〈◊〉 but when she had occasion, but those do it when they have 〈◊〉 therefore why not thee and I for our Diversion? MONKEY. Ha, hah, ha'! thou art a Creature of a very plased ●nversation; thou hast now hit the Nail on the Head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 since I have avoided that troublesome Task of being ●●diator between those who are never like to agree, let ●eave off this Ass-like talk, and return again to them ●hat thinkest thou of this high advanced spongy Animal 〈◊〉 Insect, the Grasshopper? WEAZEL. You or I may think of him what we will; I am sure the People 〈◊〉 gone after him, and he now plainly tell you in what Gor 〈◊〉 the Wind stands. MONKEY. How? the People gone after him! I hope not so far, ●t they may find the way back again, notwithstanding ●●ists, Fogs, and Bad , which have lately happened; and as for his Directing where the winds sits, 〈◊〉- Steeple Dragon will perform that, if not better; 〈◊〉 in my Opinion it goes much Truer, tho' not so well as 〈◊〉 should do. WEAZEL. No wonder if they Err in their true Course, when they continually Jar one against another; for tho' they are turned both with ●●e Wind, yet one Wind doth not always turn them. I remember 〈◊〉 other Day at their Dispute, the Grasshopper boastingly told ●he Dragon to his Face, that she and her Sons had Out-witted ●im, by leaping over his Stumbling-blocks, meaning Oaths, sacraments, etc. or indeed any thing else that lies in their way ●o Greatness. MONKEY. Well, and 'tis not yet forgotten since they both took Hands, (but now farther asunder) and leaped over a Dreadful Stumbling-block by one Consent, though I believe one of them (but I won't say which) Reputes the Bargain. I suppose you understand my meaning. WEAZEL. Yaw, Menheer Monkey; but Divines tell us that late Repentance is very Dangerous, especially when the Sinner's case 〈◊〉 desperate and deplorable: But I have no skill in Divinity therefore leave your Worship to make the Application MONKEY. All that I shall say 〈◊〉 it, is, that tho' late Repentance● not commendable, nor to be trusted too, yet it is bette● than never, tho' many time's 〈◊〉 proves a great Obstacle to it, and sometimes 〈◊〉 it: But what is it 〈◊〉 thee and I, let them look to that. WEAZEL Nay, for my part, it shan't troubl● 〈◊〉, nor I 〈◊〉 will 〈◊〉 some of them much; However, out of 〈…〉, I 〈◊〉 but pity their wilful Rashness, (I was going ●o say Ignorance 〈◊〉 but considering that some (nay● many) of 〈…〉 so plent●●fully endowed with the Gifts of Natural as 〈…〉 Qua●●fications, they may justly be acquitted from all manner of Suspicion of being guilty of the latter, tho' not altogether from the former's MONKEY. Why, prithee no Body accuseth them either of th●● one or the other, unless it be their own Conscience, an●● perhaps many of them are Pistol-proof against that to●● for having assumed the Nature of weathercocks, a Stor●●● can but turn them, and a Calm finds them as the last win●● left 'em; therefore here's (seeming) Safety enough, o●● would think, notwithstanding the many Scare-Crow●● which often hover over (nay, and sometimes light upon 〈◊〉 their Heads, to theirs as well as others Amazement. WEAZEL. Pray Mr. Monkey, let us leave these Weathercock Storie● and Discourse a little of the Times: Pray what News is n●●● on foot? MONKEY. Truly none at all, as I hear of, for the Discourse 〈◊〉 turned into Fables and Fictions; all the Talk is, that O●●● Aesop that Fablemonger, was lately seized at Tunbridge, his ●●dget rifled, and all his Papers exposed; among which ●ere found (as some say) both Truth and Treason, but so ●●nningly Interwoven, as they could scarcely be discerned ●●om one another. However, the Old Blade was so Criti●●● upon his Examination, that he was judged Lunatic, ●nd so committed to Bedlam (not Newgate) since which, ●●ree more Aesop's have starced up from Bath, , and Amsterdam, who all speak through the Ass, Lion, Dog, wolf; Fox, Grasshopper, Ant, Owl, Bat, etc. forcing these harmless and senseless Beasts and Animals speak those Truths which themselves dare not own. This is all the ●ews which I hear. WEAZEL. But among all these Brutes, I hear neither of the Monkey 〈◊〉 Weazel so much as mentioned; therefore to put a stop to the ●urther Rise of any of these perilous bold Fellows, we'll speak for ●●r selves, otherwise they'll have a fling at us, by laying Magical ●harms upon us, to speak Treason when we think none, which ●ill bring us into Scandal, and downright Contempt. MONKEY. Ay, but we'll keep out of their reach, for while they ●se their Slanderous Tongues, we'll use our Wits to a●oid them. However by the by, I'll tell thee a Secret which ●ne of these Aesop's discovered t'other Day to a Friend of ●ine, that a— of the Grasshoppers Gang, was to have his ●eeth drawn very shortly, which if true, (which I don't ●uch doubt of) the poor straggling half starved Sheep will ●ettle again, and feed upon their Old Common without ●ear; for tho' he may still hunt them, he can't hurt them, ●nd indeed he may Bark, but not By't 'em. WEAZEL. This is brave News indeed; but some Aesop's say that another ●ill come in his Room, who has Teeth as big as the former, ●hich if so, he may by't too, if he pleases. MONKEY. Ay, but he's quite of another Nature, (as I am inform●● being Mild, Wise, Peaceable, Prudent and Charitab●● besides, he's a great Friend to the Dragon, therefore consequently of different temper from any of the Grasshopper Society. WEAZEL. I am glad to hear of it with all my Heart, for it is not 〈◊〉 unreasonable, but quite opposite to the order of Nature for Grasshoppers to insult over Dragons. Well, Reverend Mr. Monk●● since such pleasant and desirable News as this has reached 〈◊〉 Ears, (if it seems agreeable to your Gravity) now we are 〈◊〉 Tavern, we'll shake off our Beastly Nature, and rejoice ou● Glass of Sack, like human Creatures; for we are Branche●● the Creation as well as they. MONKEY. Why, truly tho' I am not naturally given to Excess, 〈◊〉 I was never so precisely Nice, as to deny any Ennoble Diversion, especially on such a happy occasion as thi●● But methinks, to complete our Joy, a Loyal Drink●● Song, commonly called a Health, would be very seasonab●● but I'll leave you to that, for my Voice is very unplea●●● WEAZEL. Indeed, Sir, I can't boast neither, of making any Harm●●● Sound, yet rather than we'll lose this favourable Opportune I'll do the best I can for a Conclusion. Here's a Health to those Boys That are Loyal t'th ' King, To the Dragon advancing, Whose Praise 's we'll Sing: He our Church now revives, Drink about by Consent, We shall Led happy Lives Can we be but Content. Then the Glass to the Bri●● Fill it up with all haste, 〈◊〉 And in Sack let us swim; 〈◊〉 For the time it will waste, 〈◊〉 And while Grasshopper Ze●●● Do with Envy repine, 〈◊〉 We will Cheer up our 〈◊〉 With the Juice of the V●●● FINIS.