Page 122 - Lavender-B-4

Let’s read a poem that tells us about an unlikely friendship between a bear
and a gardener.

A bear and gardener,

Who mutually tired

Of solitary life,

And were inspired,

With a warm friendship for each other,

Promised to be to one another,

Excellent friends, and so they were.

As for the death of the poor man

I’ll tell you how it happened,

If I can.

The bear watching the gardener

in his sleep—

Beholding on his head a fly,

And thinking it bad company,

Took up a stone and dropped it down,

Upon the fly ’tis true,

But broke the gardener’s crown.

MORAL. mutually: in a way that shows
that two or more people have the
To make our fortunes or to mend, same feeling
solitary life: being alone
inspired: filled with the desire
A most malignant enemy excellent: extremely good
beholding: (here) seeing
Is better than a foolish friend. ’tis: short for ‘it is’
crown: the top part of one’s head
—From Marmaduke Park’s Aesop, in Rhyme malignant: evil in nature

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