That God and Nature oblige us to prefer our Parents to every Thing elfe.

Ash

Shepherd, who used to lie in the fame Barn with his Flock, having been thoroughly wet one Day, lighted a Fire to dry his Garments, and as Ill-luck would have it, or rather by his Negligence, the Barn happen'd to take Fire. This was a deplorable Cafe, for a Stork and her young Ones, that neftled in the Straw, the Father and Mother of her, lodging likewife under the fame Roof. But the first thing the Cock and the Hen did, was to carry off their Parents, and as they were returning for another Burden, a Kite twitted the Dam for an unnatural Mother, to leave her little Ones to the Flames, for a couple of dry Carcaffes that were not worth the faving. The Stork's Anfwer was no more than this: I love my Children very well, but I love my Parents better; it may pleafe Providence to fend me more Children when these are gone, but I am fure I can never have any more Fathers or Mothers,

The MORAL.

We plainly fee, under the Emblem of this Fable, that most of our Misfortunes, as we call them, happen by our Indifcretion or Negligence; That it is a difficult Matter to foresee all Cafualties and Accidents Mankind are fubject to; that whenever two several Duties fall in Competition, the inferior Obligation must give Way to the superior; and

that

that we ought to take fpecial Care for the Prefervation of thofe things that can never be recover'd. Moreover, to reproach a Child for being too careful of his Parents is the blackeft and the most execrable Crime in Nature. It is the Children's -Duty to provide at all Times what is convenient for their Parent's Subfiftence, but above all to relieve and comfort them in their old Age. Let it not be faid, that we can put our Money to a better Ufe, or that they are unferviceable Perfons; we are moft certainly allied to them in the first Degree of Proximity, and the most noble in Nature. How great foever the Tenderness of a Mother may be towards a Child, our Veneration and Obedience to a Parent ought ftill to be greater. Fathers and Mothers are not at all obliged to their Children, but Children owe them their All, fince they are indebted to them for their very Being. Why is there a pofitive Commandment to Children to honour and revere their Father and Mother, without the leaft Mention of any Obligation due to Children from their Parents, if it is not to fhew us, that our Duty to them is more binding than our Affection to our Children? Though my Opinion is, that God Almighty has included both thofe Commandments in one, for in enjoyning Children to honour their Parents, he tacitly commands Parents to give a good Education to their Children, that they may in Cafe of Need be both capable and willing to make fuitable returns. 11

The Storks in the Fable fet us a fine Example, (tho they are not the only Animals which affilt and relieve the Authors of their Being) they not only find Victuals for their aged and difabled Parents, but are faid to pluck off the fofteft of their own Feathers, to procure them a more easy Repose.

An

An ungrateful Man, who forgets past Services, and bafely forfakes those that have affifted him with their Lives, and Fortunes, is looked upon as the common Enemy of Mankind, and the worst of Monsters: But a Child's Neglect of his own Parents would be an inftance of the highest Ingratitude, fince what he is, and what he has got proceeds from them; and their greatest Indifpofitions, and Wants often rife from a too great Tenderness in the breeding of him up. 'Tis an undeniable Confequence, that the Man who is refolute enough to break through the strictest Ties of Nature, will never be mindful of Obligations of any fort; and it is past all doubt, that when once we begin to forget what we ought to have moll deeply ingraved in our Hearts, and can treat with Scorn and Contempt our own natural Parents, we are not likely to fcruple, upon Occafion, to behave our felves as impiously even towards the common Parent of all Things.

If there be any depraved, and unnatural Child, who is lefs influenc'd by Reafon, than by Shame, we might lead him into the Sence of his Errors, and fhew him, as in Mirrour, the Enormity of his Crime, even by an Example of Idolaters. Two Sicilian Brethren, confidering that Mount Etna would in a little Time confume, by its devouring Flames, the remaining Part of the City of Catana, forfook their Eftates, Moveables, and Children, and after the Example of Eneas, carry'd their old Parents on their Shoulders, thinking as we justly ought,that nothing is to be prefer'd to them.

The Emperor Leo, firnamed the Young, has given us a very great Inftance of filial Affection, and which very well deferves the most lafting Remembrance, and indeed confidering the Influence, a Defire of Power and Sovereignty, generally has

upon

upon the Minds of Men, is not to be parallel'd. His Uncle left him, by his last Will, the Govern ment of the Empire, he was welcomed to that fublime Dignity with an unanimous Approbation, and no fooner was he fixed in an undisturb'd Pof feffion, but he, of his own accord, refign'd up all his Power into the Hands of his Father; thinking it more honourable to do Obeifance to a Father, than to be himself entitled to fuch a Submiffion from a beloved Parent.

Nor is Appius's Example to be paffed by, for his Father having been declared an Outlaw by the Triumvirate, and as he did not know how to procure his Deliverance from the Fury of his Enemies, but by venturing his own Life, he took him on his Shoulders, and coming out of Rome in Difguife, he carry'd him fearlefs of all Danger into Sicily, which Sextus Pompeus had decreed a common Alylum to all that were Out-law'd.

Rofemonda, Queen of the Lombards, and the Daughter of Cunemundus, King of the Gepides never forgave Alboin the King (though her Hufband) the Death of her Father: That barbarous Prince,after he had put him to Death, for an Addition to her Grief obliged her, at a Feast, to drink out of his Scull fet in Gold, and enrich'd with precious Stones; which infpir'd her with fo great an Hatred for him, that she refolv❜d to make him away, and accordingly caufed him to be murthered by Helmigus and Phæredeus: She thereby testify'd the tender Love and Affection fhe bore to her Father, which induced her fo rigorously to revenge his Death; but the Confcience of the Cafe is another Question, for fhe is by no means jufti, fiable therein.

Cimon redeem'd his imprison'd Father at the Expence of his Liberty, declaring, that he never

H

had

had a greater Satisfaction in any Thing, than in being loaded with Fetters to procure his Deli

verance.

These are very remarkable Inftances, and Precedents of the Affection and Zeal we ought to fhew in ferving our Parents, but methinks they are yet exceeded by the three following Examples, I fhall infert here in a few Words.

The first is of a generous and pious Lady (fome give the fame Praife to the Daughter of oneCimon) who after having had leave to vifit her Mother, fentenced to be immured and ftarv'd to Death, moved her Keeper by her Tears to fuch a degree of Compaffion, that he permitted her to converfe with her fome Hours every Day, until the fhould expire: The Keeper wondering that this Lady fhould live fo long without Nourishment, found out at last that her Daughter fuckl'd her with her Breaft,as before she had been fuckl'd by hers: The Effect of it was fo wonderful, that the Pretor having given an Account of it to the Senate, the Sentence of Death was recall'd, and the Prisoner had her Life given her on the Account of her. Daughter's exemplary Piety.

The Second is taken from the Hiftory of France, Lewis de Montpenfier Son to one Gilbert, who died Viceroy of Naples, and elder Brother to the high Constable, who was killed at the Siege of Rome; this tender-natured Son paffing at Pouzzol, where his Father was buried, was feized on a fudden with fuch fharp Pains that no Remedy could relieve him, and he died upon his Father's Tomb.

The third and last, which feems more human, were the Words of one of the greatest Monarchs that ever Reign'd on Earth, and shall serve us for the Conclufion of this fhort Difcourfe, concerning Children's Duty and Affection to their Parents.