THere was a Mountebank Trick’d up as Fine as a Lord; a certain Ape, that had a Mind to set up for a Beau, spies him out, and nothing would serve him, but he must have a Suit and Dress after the same Pattern; he press'd the Quack so hard for't, that at last he told him plainly, Upon condition, says he, that you shall wear a Silver Chain about your Neck, I'll give ye the very Fellow on’t; for you'll be running away with your Livery else. Jack agrees to't, and is presently rigg'd out in his Gold and Silver Lace, with a Feather in's Cap, and as Figures go now a-days, a very pretty Figure he made in the World, I can assure ye; though upon Second Thoughts, when the heat of the Vanity was over, he grew Sick of his Bargain; for he found that he had sold his Liberty for a Fools Coat.
The Moral.
'Tis with us in our Lives, as with the Indians in their Trade, that truck Gold and Pearl, for Beads and Glasses. We part with the Blessings of Both Worlds for Pleasures, Court-Favours, and Commissions and at last, when we have fold our selves to our Lusts, we grow Sick, of our Bargain.
REFLEXION.
A Vain Fool can hardly be more Miserable then the Granting of his own Prayers and Wishes would make him. How many Spectacles does every Day afford us, of Apes and Mountebanks in Gay-Coats, that pass in the World for Philosophers, and Men of Honour; and it is no wonder for one Fool to value himself upon the same Vanity, for which he esteems another. He that Judges of Men and of things by Sense, Governs himself by Sense too; and he that well considers the Practices and Opinions of the Age he lives in, will find, that Folly and Passion have more Disciples then Wisdom and Vertue. The Feather in a Fools Cap, is a Fools Inclination; nay, it is his Ambition too; for he that measures the Character of another Man by his Outside, seldom looks further then the Busness of Dress and Appearance in himself Beside, that Ill Examples work more upon us then Good, and that we are Forwarder to imitate the one, then to Emulate the other. This now is the Highest Pinch of Infelicity, when we do not only square our Lives in General, according to Vicious Presidents, but set our Hearts in particular (with the Fantastical Ape here,) upon this or that Extravagance. No other Sort of Fool would please him, then the very Counter-part of this Quack. His Mistake was double; First, he plac'd an Opinion of Happiness where there was no Ground at all to expect it. Secondly, he parted with his Liberty in Exchange for't; which is the same thing with Trucking the Greatest Blessing of Human Nature for the Handy-Work of a Taylor.
