Goody Two-Shoes (1881 facsimile)/Chapter 12

by Anonymous

CHAP.III.

Of the amazing Sagacity and Instinct of a little Dog.

SOON after this, a dreadful Accident happened in the School. It was on a Thursday Morning, I very well remember, when the Children having learned their Lesson, she had given them Leave to play, and they were all running about the School, and diverting themselves with the Birds and the Lamb; at this Time the Dog, all of a sudden, laid hold of his Mistress's Apron, and endeavoured to pull her out of the School. She was at first surprized, however, she followed him to see what he intended. No sooner had he led her into the Garden, but he ran back, and pulled out one of the Children in the same manner; upon which me ordered them all to leave the School immediately, and they had not been out five Minutes, before the Top of the House fell in. What a miraculous Deliverance was here! How gracious! How good was God Almighty, to save all these Children from Destruction, and to make Use of such an instrument, as a little sagacious Animal to accomplish his Divine Will. I should have observed, that as soon as they were all in the Garden, the Dog came leaping round them to express his Joy, and when the House was fallen, laid himself down quietly by his Mistress.

Some of the Neighbours, who saw the School fall, and who were in great Pain for Margery and the little ones, soon spread the News through the Village, and all the Parents, terrified for their Children, came crowding in Abundance; they had, however, the Satisfaction to find them all safe, and upon their Knees, with their Mistress giving God thanks for their Happy Deliverance.

Advice from the Man in the Moon.

Jumper, Jumper, Jumper, what a pretty Dog he is, and how sensible? Had Mankind half the Sagacity of Jumper, they would guard against Accidents of this Sort, by having a public Survey, occasionally made of all the Houses in every Parish especially of those, which are old and decayed) and not suffer them to remain in a crazy State, 'till they fall down on the Heads of the poor Inhabitants, and crush them to Death. Why, it was but Yesterday, that a whole House fell down in Grace-church-street, and another in Queen 's-street, and an hundred more are to tumble, before this Time twelve Months; so Friends, take Care of yourselves, and tell the Legislature, they ought to take Care for you. How can you be so careless? Most of your Evils arise from Carelesness and Extravagance, and yet you excuse yourselves, and lay the Fault upon Fortune. Fortune is a Fool, and you are a Blockhead, if you put it in her Power to play Tricks with you.

Yours,
The Man in the Moon.

You are not to wonder, my dear Reader, that this little Dog should have more Sense than you, or your Father, or your Grandfather.

Though God Almighty has made Man the Lord of the Creation, and endowed him with Reason, yet in many Respects, he has been altogether as bountiful to other Creatures of his forming. Some of the Senses of other Animals are more acute than ours, as we find by daily Experience. You know this little Bird,

sweet Jug, Jug, Jug, 'tis a Nightingale. This little Creature, after she has entertained us with her Songs all the Spring, and bred up her little ones, flies into a foreign Country, and finds her Way over the Great Sea, without any of the Instruments and Helps which Men are obliged to make Use of for that Purpose. Was you as wise as the Nightingale, you might make all the Sailors happy, and have twenty thousand Pounds for teaching them the Longitude.

You would not think Ralph the Raven half so wise and so good as he is, though you see him here reading his book. Yet when the Prophet Elijah, was obliged to fly from Ahab King of Israel and hide himself in a Cave, the Ravens, at the Command of God Almighty, fed him every Day, and preserved his Life.

And the Word of the Lord came unto Elijah, saying, Hide thyself by the Brook Cherith, that is before Jordan, and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there. And the Ravens brought him Bread and Flesh in the Morning, and Bread and Flesh in the Evening, and he drank of the Brook,
Kings, B. I. C. 17.

And the pretty Pidgeon when the World was drowned, and he was confined with Noah in the Ark, was sent forth by him to see whether the Waters were abated. And he sent forth a Dove from him to see if the Waters were abated from of the Face of the Ground. And the Dove came in to him in the Evening, and lo, in her Mouth was an Olive Leaf plucked off : So Noah knew that the Waters were abated from off the Earth. Gen. viii. 8. 11.

As these, and other Animals, are so sensible and kind to us, we ought to be tender and good to them, and not beat them about, and kill them, and take away their young ones, as many wicked Boys do. Does not the Horse and the Ass carry you and your burthens; don't the Ox plough your Ground, the Cow give you Milk, the Sheep cloath your Back, the Dog watch your House, the Goose find you in Quills to write with, the Hen bring Eggs for your Custards and Puddings, and the Cock call you up in the Morning, when you are lazy, and like to hurt yourselves by laying too long in Bed? If so, how can you be so cruel to them, and abuse God Almighty's good Creatures? Go, naughty Boy, go; be sorry for what you have done, and do so no more, that God Almighty may forgive you. Amen, say I, again and again. God will bless you, but not unless you are merciful and good.

The downfall of the School, was a great Misfortune to Mrs. Margery; forshe not only lost all her Books, but was destitute of a Place to teach in; but Sir William Dove, being in formed of this, ordered the House to be built at his own Expence, and 'till that could be done, Farmer Grove was so kind, as to let her have his large Hall to teach in.

The House built by Sir William, had a Statue erected over the Door of a Boy Hiding on the Ice, and under it were these Lines, written by Mrs. Two-Shoes, and engraved at her Expence.

On Sin. A Similie.

As a poor Urchin on the Ice,
When he has tumbl'd once or twice,
With cautious Step, and trembling goes,
The drop-stile Pendant on his Nose,
And trudges on to seek the Shore,
Resolv'd to trust the Ice no more:
But meeting with a daring Mate,
Who often us'd to slide and scate,
Again is into Danger led,
And falls again, and breaks his head.
So Youth when first they're drawn to sin,
And see the Danger they are in,
Would gladly quit the thorney Way,
And think it is unsafe to stay;
But meeting with their wicked Train,
Return with them to sin again:
With them the Paths of Vice explore;
With them are ruin'd ever more.

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