nations; but for my own part, though I am always ferious, I do not know what it is to be melancholy; and can therefore take a View of Nature in her deep and folemn Scenes, with the fame Pleafure as in her moft gay and delightful ones. By this means I can improve myself with thofe Objects, which others confider with Terror. When I look upon the Tombs of the Great, every Emotion of Envy dies in me; when I read the Epitaphs of the Beautiful, every inordinate Defire goes out; when I meet with the Grief of Parents upon a Tomb-ftone, my Heart melts with Compaffion; when I fee the Tomb of the Parents themfelves, I confider the Vanity of grieving for those whom we must quickly follow: When I fee Kings lying by those who depofed them, when I confider rival Wits placed Side by Side, or the holy Men that divided the World with their Contefts and Disputes, I reflect with Sorrow and Aftonishment on the little Competitions, Factions, and Debates of Mankind. When I read the feveral Dates of the Tombs, of fome that died Yesterday, and fome fix hundred Years ago, I confider that great Day when we fhall all of us be Contemporaries, and make our Appearance together.

с

Saturday,

N°

27.

Saturday, March 31.

Ut nox longa quibus mentitur amica, diesque
Longa videtur opus debentibus, ut piger Annus
Pupillis, quos dura premit Cuftodia matrum ;
Sic mihi tarda fluunt ingrataque Tempora, quæ fpem
Confiliumque morantur agendi gnaviter id, quod
què pauperibus prodeft, Locupletibus æquè,
que neglectum pueris fenibufque nocebit.

Hor. Ep. 1. 1. 1. v. 20..

IMITATE D.

Long as to him, who works for Debt, the Day;
Long as the Night to her, whofe Love's away;
Long as the Year's dull Circle feems to run,
When the brisk Minor pants for twenty one:
So flow th' unprofitable Moments roll,
That lock up all the Functions of my Soul;
That keep me from my felf, and ftill delay,
Life's inftant Bufinefs to a future Day:
That Task, which as we follow, or defpife,
The Eldeft is a Fool, the Youngest Wife:
Which done, the Pooreft can no Wants endure;
And which not done, the Richest must be Poor.

T

POPE.

HERE is fcarce a thinking Man in the World, who is involved in the Business of it, but lives under a fecret Impatience of the Hurry and Fatigue he fuffers, and has formed a Resolution to fix himself, one time or other, in fuch a State as is suitable to the End of his Being. You hear Men every Day in Conversation profess that all the Honour, Power and Riches, which they propofe to themselves, cannot give Satisfaction enough to reward them for half the Anxiety they undergo in the Purfuit, or Poffeffion of them. While Men are in this Temper, (which happens very frequently) how inconfiftent are they with themselves? They are wearied with the Toil they bear, but cannot find in their

Hearts

Hearts to relinquish it; Retirement is what they want, but they cannot betake themselves to it: While they after Shade and Covert, they ftill affect to appear pant in the most glittering Scenes of Life: but fure this is but just as reasonable as if a Man fhould call for more Lights, when he has a mind to go to fleep.

SINCE then it is certain that our own Hearts deceive us in the Love of the World, and that we cannot command our felves enough to refign it, tho' we every Day with our felves difengaged from its Allurements; let us not ftand upon a formal taking of Leave, but wean our felves from them, while we are in the midst of them.

IT is certainly the general Intention of the greater Part of Mankind to accomplish this Work, and live according to their own Approbation, as foon as they poffibly can: But fince the Duration of Life is fo uncertain, and that has been a common Topick of Difcourfe ever fince there was fuch a thing as Life it felf, how is it poffible that we should defer a Moment the beginning to live according to the Rules of Reason?

THE Man of Business has ever fome one Point to carry and then he tells himself he'll bid adieu to all the Vanity of Ambition: 'The Man of Pleasure refolves to take his Leave at leaft, and part civilly with his Mistress; but the Ambitious Man is entangled every Moment in a fresh Purfuit, and the Lover fees new Charms in the Object he fancied he could abandon. It is therefore a fantastical way of thinking, when we promife our felves an Alteration in our Conduct from change of Place, and difference of Circumstances; the fame Paffions will attend us whereever we are 'till they are Conquered; and we can never live to our Satisfaction in the deepest Retirement, unless we are capable of living fo in fome measure amidst the Noife and Bufinefs of the World.

I have ever thought Men were better known, by what could be observed of them from a Perufal of their private Letters, than any other way. My Friend the Clergyman, the other Day, upon ferious Discourse with him concerning the Danger of Procrastination, gave me the following Letters from Persons with whom he lives in great Friendship and Intimacy, according to the good Breeding

Breeding and good Senfe of his Character. The first is from a Man of Business, who is his Convert: The second from one of whom he conceives good Hopes: The third from one who is in no State at all, but carried one way and another by starts.

SIR,

I

Know not with what Words to express to you the Senfe I have of the high Obligation you have laid upon me, in the Penance you enjoin'd me of doing • fome Good or other to a Perfon of Worth every Day I live. The Station I am in furnishes me with daily Opportunities of this kind: And the noble Principle 'with which you have infpired me, of Benevolence to all I have to deal with, quickens my Application in every thing I undertake. When I relieve Merit from Discountenance, when I affift a friendless Perfon, when I produce concealed Worth, I am difpleased with my felf, for having defigned to leave the World in order to be virtuous. I am forry you decline the Occafions which the Condition I am in might afford me of enlarging your Fortunes,; but know I contribute more to your Satisfaction, when I acknowledge I am the better Man, from the Influence and Authority you 6 have over,

SIR,

Your moft obliged and

·most humble Servant,

R. O.

SIR,

I

AM intirely convinced of the Truth of what you were pleafed to fay to me, when I was laft with you alone. You told me then of the filly way I was in; but you told me fo, as I faw you loved me, otherwife I could not obey your Commands in letting you 'know my Thoughts fo fincerely as I do at prefent. I know the Creature for whom Irefign fo much of my Character, is all that you faid of her; but then the Trifler has fomething in her fo undefigning, and harmless, that ⚫ her Guilt in one kind difappears by the Comparison of 'her

6

her Innocence in another. Will you, virtuous Men, allow no Alteration of Offences? Muft dear Chloe be called by the hard Name you pious People give to common Women? I keep the folemn Promife I made you in writing to you the State of my Mind, after your kind Admonition; and will endeavour to get the better of this Fondnefs, which makes me fo much her humble Servant, that I am almoft afhamed to Subfcribe 6 my felf yours,

6

6

SIR,

T

T. D.

HERE is no State of Life fo Anxious as that of a Man who does not live according to the Dictates of his own Reafon. It will feem odd to you, " when I affure you that my Love of Retirement firit of all brought me to Court; but this will be no Riddle, when I acquaint you that I placed my felf here with a Defign of getting fo much Money as might enable me to purchase a handfom Retreat in the Country. At prefent my Circumftances enable me, and my Duty prompts me, to pafs away the remaining Part of my Life in fuch a Retirement as I at firit proposed to my felf; but to my great Misfortune I have intirely loft the Relish of it, and fhould now return to the Country with greater Reluctance than I at first came to Court. I am fo unhappy, as to know that what I am fond of are Trifles, and that what I neglect is of the greatest Importance: In fhort, I find a Contest in my own • Mind between Reafon and Fashion. I remember you once told me, that I might live in the World and out of it, at the fame time. Let me beg of you to explain this Paradox more at large to me, that I may conform my Life, if poffible, both to my Duty and my Inclination. I am

6

Your moft bumble Servant,

R

R. B.

a

Monday,