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Whole.

infolent?

fine houfe, and spent his whole time in eat. ing, drinking, fleeping, and amusing himself.

1

2. As he had a great many fervants to wait upon him, who treated him with the greatest respect, and did whatever they were capricious? ordered, and as he had never been taught. the truth, or accustomed to hear it, he grew very proud, infolent, and capricious; imagining that he had a right to command all the world, and that the poor were only born to ferve and obey him.

needs?

collage?

pulfe?

appetite.

delicious?

humane?

honest.

neighbours.

niceft.

wait.

appetite.

Auggard?

3. Near this rich man's house, there lived an honeft and induftrious poor man, who gained his livelihood by making little bafkets out of dried reeds, which grew upon a piece of marfhy ground clofe to his cottage.

4. But though he was obliged to labour from morning to night, to carn food enough to fupport him, and though he seldom fared better than upon dry bread or rice, or pulse, and had no other bed than the remains of the rufhes of which he made baskets, yet was he always happy,cheerful,and contented; for his labour gave him fo good an appetite that the eoarfelt fare appeared to him delicious, and he went to bed fo tired, that he would have flept foundly even upon the ground.

5. Befides this, he was a good and virtuous man, humane to every body, honeft in his dealings, always accuftomed to speak the truth; and therefore beloved and refpected by all his neighbours.

6. The rich man, on the contrary, though he lay upon the softeft bed, yet could not sleep, because he had paffed the day in idleness; and tho the niceft difhes were prefented to him, yet could he not eat with any pleasure,because he did not wait till nature gave him an appetite, nor use exercise,nor go into the open air. 7. Befides this, as he was a great fluggard

and

and glutton, he was almost always ill; and, as he did good to nobody, he had no friends, and even his fervants fpoke ill of him behind his back, and all his neighbours, whom he oppreffed, hated him.

Glutton?

nobody.

8. For thefe reafons, he was fullen, melan- cheerful. choly, and unhappy, and became displeased with all who appeared more cheerful than himself. When he was carried out in his borne. palanquin, a kind of bed borne upon the fhoulders of men, he frequently paffed by the 1 cottage of the poor bafket-maker, who was always fitting at the door, and singing as he wove the baskets.

9. The rich man could not behold this wretch. without anger--What, faid he, fhall a wretch, a peafant, a low-born fellow that weaves bulrushes for a scanty fubfiftence, be peasant? always happy and pleafed, while I, that am

a gentleman, poffeffed of riches and power, and of more confequence than a million of reptiles? reptiles like him, am always melancholy and difcontented ?

10. This reflection arofe so often in his conquor. mind, that at last he began to feel the greateft degree of hatred towards the poor man; and, as he had never been accuftomed to conquer his own paffions, however improper happier. or unjust they might be, he at last determined to punish the basket-maker for being happier than himself.

difobey.

11. With this wicked defign he one night gave orders to his fervants, who did not dare to difobey him, to fet fire to the rufhes which furrounded? furrounded the poor man's houfe.

weather.

12. As it was fummer, and the weather in that country is extremely hot, the fire foon fpread over the whole marth, and not only confumed all the rushes, but foon extended to extremely. the cottage itself, and the poor man was ob

Surprise.

liged to run out almost naked, to fave his life 13. You may judge of his furprise and grief, when he found himself entirely deprivdeprived? ed of his fubfiftence by the wickedness of his rich neighbour, whom he had never offended; fubfifience? but, as he was unable to punish him for thisinjuftice, he fet out and walked on foot to the chief magistrate of that country, to whom with many tears he told his pitiful cafe.

magiftrate?

14. The magiflrate, who was a good and juft man immediately ordered the rich man to be brought before him; and when he found that fcandalous? he could not deny the wickedness of which he was accufed, he thus fpake to the poor man -As this proud and wicked man has been puffed up from the opinion of his own imcontemptible. portance, and attempted to commit the most fcandalous injuftice from his contempt of the poor, I am willing to teach him of how little value he is to any body, and how vile and contemptible a creature he is; but, for this purpose, it is neceffary that you should confent to the plan I have formed, and go along with him to the place whither I intend to fend you both.

confent.

mifchievous.

•ppreffive?

teach,

inhabited.

15. The poor man faid, I never had much, but the little I once had is now loft by the mifchievous difpofition of this proud and oppreffive man: I am entirely ruined; I have no means left in the world of procuring myfelf a morfel of bread next time I am hungry: therefore I am ready to go wherever you please to fend me; and though I would not treat this man as he has treated me, yet fhould I rejoice to teach him more juftice and humanity, and to prevent his injuring poor a fecond time.

the

16. The magiftrate then ordered them both to be put on board a ship, and carried to a distant country, which was inhabited by a rude

Rude?

rude and favage kind of men, who lived in
huts, were ftrangers to riches, and got their
living by fifhing. As foon as they were fet on
fhore, the failors left them, as they had been failors.`
ordered, and the inhabitants of the country
came round them in great numbers.

17. The rich man, feeing himself thus ex- barbarous ? · pofed, without affiftance or defence, in the

midst of a barbarous people, whofe language
he did not underftand,and in whofe power he wring.
was, began to cry and wring his hands in the
most abject manner; but the poor man, who
had been always accuflomed to hardships
and dangers from his infancy, made figns to
the people that he was their friend, and was abject?
willing to work for them, and be their fer-

vant.

18. Upon this the natives made figns to afflance. them that they would do them no hurt, but would make use of their affiftance in fishing and carrying wood. Accordingly, they led them both to a wood at fome diftance, and transport? fhewing them feveral logs, ordered them to tranfport them to their cabins.

delicate?

19. They both immediately fet about limbs. their tasks, and the poor man, who was frong and active, very foon had finished his fhare, while the rich man, whose limbs were tender and delicate, and never accustomed to any kind of labour, had fcarcely done a quarter. quarter as much..

choiceft.

20. The favages, who were witneffes to favages. this began to think that the basket-maker would prove very ufeful to them, and therefore prefented him a large portion of fifh, and several of their choicest roots; while to the rich man they gave fcarcely enough to fupport him, becaufe they thought him capable of being of very little fervice to them; thought. however, as he had now fafted several hours,

E

he

enough.

Appetite,

caressed?

contempt. luxurious.

perceive.

complete. feemed.

wreath.

meet.

- acquifition ?

capered.

finery.

Signs.

drudgery?

he ate what they gave him with a better ap-
petite than he had ever felt before at his own
table.

21. The next day they were set to work
again, and as the basket-maker. had the fame
advantage over his companion, he was high-
ly carefied and well treated by the natives;
while they fhewed every mark of contempt
towards the other, whofe delicate and luxuri-
ous habits had rendered him very unfit for
labour.

22. The rich man now began to perceive, with how little reafon he had before valued himself, and defpifed his fellow creatures; and an accident which happened fhortly after, tended to complete his mortification.

23. It happened that one of the favages had found fomething like a fillet, with which he adorned his forehead, and feemed to think himfelf extremely fine; the basket-maker, who had perceived this appearance of vanity, pulled up fome reeds, and, fitting down to work, in a very fhort time, finished a very elegant wreath, which he placed upon the head of the firft inhabitant he chanced to meet.

24. This man was so pleased with his new acquifition, that he danced and capered for joy and ran away to feek the rest, who were all ftruck with aftonishment at this new and elegant piece of finery.

25. It was not long before another came
to the basket-maker, making figns that he
wanted to be ornamented like his companion;
and with fuch pleafure were thefe chaplets

confidered by the whole nation, that the bas-
ket-maker was released from his former
drudgery, and continually employed in
weaving them.

26. In return for the pleasure which he

con

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