Fables of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists/Fable LXXXVIII
Fab. LXXXVIII.
A Man Bit by a Dog.
ONE that was Bitten by a Dog, was Advis'd, as the Best Remedy in the World, to Dip a Piece of Bread in the Bloud of the Wound, and give it the Dog to Eate. [Pray hold Your Hand a little (says the Man) unless y'ave a mind to Draw All the Dogs in the Town upon me; For That will Certainly be the End on’t, when they shall find themselves Rewarded instead of Punish’d.
The Moral.
REFLEXION.
This is to Enform us, that Wicked and Ill-Natur'd Men are not to be Oblig’d by Kindnesses, Especially when they find they may be the better for Insolence; for at That Rate, he that Rewards Past Affronts, Draws On, and Encourages New Ones. There are Churlish Currs in the Moral as well as in the Fable, and we are here taught how to Behave our selves upon the Biting of All Manner of Dogs. Under the Rule and Correction of This Allegory, we may reckon Calumny, Slander, and Detraction in any Form or Figure whatsoever, and all Manner of Affronts and Indignities upon our Good Names, or our Persons. There may be Place in All These Cases for a Generous Charity to Forgive Offences, even of the Highest Ingratitude and Malice; But it is not Advisable to Reward where Men have the Tenderness not to Punish. This way of Proceeding is Dangerous in All the Affairs Publique, as well as Private, of Humane Life; for 'tis a Temptation to Villany, when People, when a Man fares the Better for Evil Doing. Ill Nature, in fine, is not to be Cur'd with a Sop; but on the contrary, Quarrelsome Men, as well as Quarrelsome Currs are worse for fair Usage.