From the earliest times people have been telling fables to
warn young people against sycopants who use flattery to
put their victims at ease & then exploit or hurt them, wise
men told kids that they are in charge and can chase
Sycopants away, the flattery and compliments do not put
anyone under the obligation to suffer bad company of any
kind and if the kids did not listen and got into trouble, they
would only have themselves to blame
FABLE VIII Lady and Wasp
What stupid nonsense must Beauty endure in
diurnal duty, buzzing and whispers from stores
of the fatuities of bores, yet such impertinence
must be pleasing, or Beauty would resent such
Teazing: a flap will drive a fly away, a frown will
drive a dog to bay, so if the insects are persistent
'twas Beauty that was inconsistent & if she does
not know herself, blame not the persecuting elf
It chanced upon a summer day that Beauty in her
boudoir lay, the best work of God's fair creatures
contemplated her faultless features, but a wasp
assailed her so reclined, bred of a persecuting
Kind, he advanced, then retreated, till Beauty's face
grew hot & she smote him with her fan as she said
‘Wasps are excessively ill bred’ but the wasp replied
‘Alas before you blame me, look in your mirror
'Twas your beauty which caused me to presume;
those cherry lips, that youthful bloom, allured me
from the peaches to Beauty which of course the
soul o'erreaches’ --- ‘Don't hit him’ Beauty cried
‘The race of wasps is much belied; I must recant
what I have said, wasps are remarkably well bred’
away Sir Sting fled - went boasting amongst his
friends Beauty toasting; and as his burgundy he
Sips, he showed the sugar on his lips, away the
greedy host then gathered, where they thought
dalliance fair was feathered, they fluttered round
her, sipped her tea, and lived in quarters fair and
Free; nor were they banished, till she found that
wasps had stings and felt the wounds & cried
........................................................................
FABLES OF JOHN GAY
(SOMEWHAT ALTERED - Altered some more)
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