Accordingly a massive stone was found, Of ponderous weight, unwieldy, large, and round; But cheerfully the lads their muscles strained, With ends so laudable to be attained. Just then, by curious chance, there passed that way An over-loaded, heavy-rumbling dray. An aged donkey, deaf, half-starved, and lame, Was harnessed to the cart—the more’s the shame— And on its back a pannier also bore. A long day’s march behind and home before, The patient beast trudged on with labored breath, Though each step more seemed like to be its death. Its toil-worn frame was so exceeding thin You would have said ‘twas naught but bones and skin. It bore full many marks of cruel blows, And in its eyes one read the tale of those That suffer hardship without hope. Meanwhile Its master heaped upon it curses vile, Nor spared the cudgel; but the road was deep In mire that clogged the wheels, the hills were steep. Creaking and groaning in lugubrious tones, The dray, thus pulled by thing of skin and bones, Moved slowly forward till at length the road Descended sharply, and thus eased the load; But this now crowded on the nigh-spent beast With force sufficient (so it seemed, at least) To hurl him headlong. And yet, strange to tell, The donkey paused, unheeding blows that fell From wrathful hand. The boys broke off their play, Content to yield the donkey right of way. ‘Stand off!’ they cried; ‘let go there, Dick and Bob; Let go the stone, the cart will do our job With much more sport for us, so stand aside!’ All stood alert to see what should betide Their wretched victim. But far otherwise The thing fell out before their wondering eyes Than they had thought: the donkey, bruised and lame, At sight of woes that put his own to shame Spared not himself, but gathered all his strength And held the loaded cart until, at length, Although remonstrant blows rained on his back, He turned the dray from out the beaten track. The grinding wheels, diverted, harmless pass, And tortured toad is saved by tortured ass. The driver cracks his whip, pulls at the reins, And now the dray once more the road regains. At that, one of the group engaged in play (The very one who tells you this to-day) Let fall the stone he’d been about to cast Just as the laden wain came rumbling past; And as he dropped it, lo, in accents clear A mandate from on high fell on his ear, A mandate that was quickly understood, For it was brief, these simple words: ‘Be good.’ [8]