Love calls me hence; a favourite cow
Expects me near yon barley-mow;
And when a lady's in the case,
You know all other things give place.
To leave you thus might seem unkind;
But see, the goat is just behind."

The goat remarked her pulse was high,
Her languid head, her heavy eye;
"My back," says he, "may do you harm;
The sheep's at hand, and wool is warm."

The sheep was feeble, and complained
"His sides a load of wool sustained;
Said he was slow, confessed his fears,
"For hounds eat sheep as well as hares."

She now the trotting calf addressed,
To save from death a friend distressed.
"Shall I," says he, "of tender age,
In this important care engage?
Older and abler passed you by;

How strong are those, how weak am I !
Should I presume to bear you hence,
Those friends of mine may take offence,
Excuse me, then, you know my heart;
But dearest friends, alas! must part.
How shall we all lament! adieu !

For see, the hounds are just in view!"

John Gay.

XLIV.

ROBINSON CRUSOE AT HOME.

I NOW had, as I may call it, two plantations in the island—one my little fortification or tent, with the wall about it, under the rock, with the cave behind me, which by this time I had enlarged into several apartments or caves, one within another. One of these, which was the driest and largest, had a door out beyond my wall or fortification, and was all filled up with the large earthen pots, of which I have given an account, and with fourteen or fifteen great baskets, which would hold five or six bushels each. In these I laid up my stores of provisions, especially my corn, some in the ear cut off short from the straw, and the other rubbed out with my hand.

As for my wall, made with long stakes or piles, those piles grew like trees, and were by this time so big, and spread so much, that there was not the least appearance of any habitation behind them.

Near this dwelling of mine, but a little farther within the land, and upon lower ground, lay my two pieces of corn land, which I kept duly cultivated and sowed, and which yielded me their harvest in its season; and whenever I had occasion for more corn, I had more land adjoining as fit as that.

Besides this, I had my country seat, and a

N

tolerable plantation there also; first, I had my little bower, as I called it, which I kept in repair— that is to say, I kept the hedge, which encircled it, constantly fitted up in its usual height, the ladder standing always in the inside. I kept the trees, which at first were no more than stakes, always cut, so that they might spread and grow thick and wild, and make the more agreeable shade. In the middle of this I had my tent always standing, being a piece of sail spread over poles, set up for that purpose, and which never wanted any renewing; and under this I had made me a couch, with the skins of the creatures I had killed, and a blanket laid on them, such as belonged to our sea-bedding, which I had saved; and a great watch-coat to cover me. And here, whenever I had occasion to be absent from my chief seat, I took up my habitation.

Adjoining this, I had enclosures for my goats; and I had taken an inconceivable deal of pains to fence and enclose this ground. I was so anxious to see it kept entire, lest the goats should break through, that I never left off, till, with infinite labour, I had stuck the outside of the hedge so full of small stakes, and so near to one another, that it was rather a pale than a hedge, and there was scarce room to put a hand through between them; which afterwards, when those stakes grew, as they did in the next rainy season, made the enclosure strong like a wall.

This will testify for me that I was not idle, and that I spared no pains to bring to pass whatever

appeared necessary for my comfortable support. I considered the keeping up a breed of tame creatures thus at my hand would be a living magazine of flesh, milk, butter and cheese for me as long as I lived in the place, if it were to be forty years.

I had also some little diversions and amusements, which made the time pass more pleasantly with me than it did before :-first, I had taught my Poll to speak; and he did it so familiarly, and talked so articulately, that it was very pleasant to me. I believe no bird ever spoke plainer, and he lived with me no less than six-and-twenty years My dog was a pleasant and loving companion to me for no less than sixteen years of my time, and then died of old age. My cats multiplied to that degree that I was obliged to shoot several of them to keep them from devouring me and all I had; but, at length, after some time continually driving them from me, and letting them have no provision with me, they all ran wild into the woods, except two or three favourites, which I kept tame. Besides these I always kept two or three household kids about me, whom I taught to feed out of my hand; and I had two more parrots which talked pretty well, and would all call "Robinson Crusoe," but none like my first; nor, indeed, did I take the pains with any of them that I had done with him. I had also several tame sea-fowls, whose names I knew not, that I caught upon the shore, and cut their wings; and the little stakes which I had

planted before my castle wall being now grown up to a good thick grove, these fowls all lived among the low trees, and bred there, which was very agreeable to me, so that I began to be very well contented with the life I led, if I could have been secured from the dread of the savages.

One day I got over the fence, and laid me down in the shade to rest, for I was very weary, and fell asleep; but judge what a surprise I must be in, when I was awakened out of my sleep by a voice calling me by my name several times, "Robin, Robin, Robin Crusoe; poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you, Robin Crusoe? Where are you? Where have you been?"

I was so dead asleep at first, being fatigued with paddling the first part of the day, and with walking the latter part, that I did not wake thoroughly; but, dozing between sleeping and waking, thought I dreamed that somebody spoke to me; but as the voice continued to repeat "Robin Crusoe, Robin Crusoe," at last I began to wake more perfectly, and was at first dreadfully frightened, and started up in the utmost consternation; but no sooner were my eyes open, than I saw my Poll sitting on the top of the hedge; and immediately knew it was he that spoke to me; for just in such bemoaning language I had used to talk to him, and teach him; and he had learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon my finger, and lay his bill close to my face, and cry, "Poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been? How came you here?" and such things.