Genre:

Poetry, Drollery

Subjects:

Crime, Natural History, Nutrition

    A fox caught by a dog in the act of killing a hen is brought to trial before a jury of twelve animals. Through the influence of a friendly camel he is acquitted, since in the 'Silly Isles' the law is that the jury cannot eat or drink while deliberating, and the camel with its three stomachs can outlast the other animals. The moral of the tale is that it is foolish to make 'the full stop of a Man's existence / Depend upon a Colon' (97).