moft delicious Fruits. How tame and tractable, how patient of Labour and of. Thirft, are those large Creatures, who lifting up their lofty Heads, go led and loaden thro' thofe dry and barren Places! Their Shape and Temper fhew them fram'd by Nature to submit to Man, and fitted for his Service; who from hence ought to be more fenfible of his Wants, and of the divine Bounty thus fupplying them.

But fee! not far from us that fertileft of Lands, water'd and fed by a friendly generous Stream, which ere it enters the Sea, divides itself into many Branches, to dispense more equally the rich and nitrous Manure, it beftows fo kindly and in due Time on the adjacent Plains.-Fair Image of that fruitful and exuberant Nature, who with a Flood of Bounty bleffes all Things, and, Parent-like, out of her many Breafts fends the nutritious Draught in various Streams to her rejoicing Offspring !-Innumerable are the dubious Forms. and unknown Species which drink the flimy Current; whether they are fuch as leaving the fcorch'd Defarts, fatiate here their ardent Thirft, and promifcuoufly engend'ring, beget a monftrous Race; or whether, as 'tis faid, by the Sun's genial Heat active on the fermenting Ooze, new Forms are generated, and iffue from the River's fertile Bed.-See there the noted Tyrant of the Flood, and Terror of its Borders! when fuddenly difplaying his horrid Form, the amphibious Ravager invades the Land, quitting his watry Den, and from the Deep emerging, with hideous Rufh fweeps o'er the trembling Plain. The Natives from afar behold with Wonder the enormous Bulk, fprung from fo fmall an Egg. With Horror they relate the Monster's Nature, cruel and deceitful; how he with dire Hypocrify, and falfe Tears, beguiles the Simple-hearted; and infpiring Tenderness and kind Compaffion, kills with pious Fraud.-Sad Emblem of that spiritual Plague, dire Superftition! Native of this Soil, where first Religion grew unfociable, and among different Worshipers bred mutual Hatred and Abhorrence of each other's Temples," The Infection fpreads, and Nations now profane one to another, war fiercer, and in Religion's Caufe forget Humanity; whilft favage Zeal, with meek and pious Semblance, works dreadful Massacre, and for Heaven's Sake (horrid Pretence !) makes defolate the Earth.

Here let us leave thefe Monsters (glad if we cou'd here confine 'em!) and detefting the dire prolific Soil, fly to the vaft Defarts of thefe Parts. All ghaftly and hideous as they appear, they want not their peculiar Beauties. The WildRefs pleafes, we feem to live alone with Nature: We view

D 4

her

her in her inmoft Receffes, and contemplate her with more Delight in these original Wilds, than in the artificial Labyrinths and feign'd Wilderneffes of the Palace. The Objects of the Place, the scaly Serpents, the favage Beasts, and poifonous Infects, how terrible foever, or how contrary to human Nature, are beauteous in themselves, and fit to raise our Thoughts in Admiration of that divine Wisdom, fo far fuperior to our fhort Views. Unable to declare the Ufe and Service of all Things in this Universe, we are yet affur'd of the Perfection of all, and of the Juftice of that Oeconomy to which all Things are fubfervient; and in refpect of which, Things feemingly deform'd are amiable, Disorder becomes regular, Corruption wholfome, and Poisons (fuch as these we have feen) prove healing and beneficial.

But behold! thro' a vaft Tract of Sky before us the mighty Atlas rears his lofty Head, cover'd with Snow above the Clouds. Beneath the Mountain's Foot, the rocky Coun→ try rifes into Hills, a proper Bafis of the ponderous Mafs above; where huge embody'd Rocks lie piled on one another, and feem to prop the high Arch of Heaven.-See! with what trembling Steps poor Mankind tread the narrow Brink of the deep Precipices! From whence with giddy Horror they look down, miftrufting even the Ground which bears 'em, whilft they hear the hollow Sound of Torrents underneath, and fee the Ruin of the impending Rock, with falling Trees which hang with their Roots upwards, and feem to draw more Ruin after them. Here thoughtless Men, feiz'd with the Newness of fuch Objects, become thoughtful, and willingly contemplate the inceffant Changes of this Earth's Surface. They fee, as in one Inftant, the Revolutions of paft Ages, the fleeting Forms of Things, and the Decay even of this our Globe; whofe Youth and first Formation they confider, whilft the apparent Spoil and irreparable Breaches of the wafted Mountain fhew them the World itfelf only as a noble Ruin, and make them think of its approaching Period. But here, mid-way the Mountain, a fpacious Border of thick Wood harbours our weary'd Travellers, who now are come among the Ever-green and lofty Pines, the Firs and noble Cedars, whofe tow'ring Heads feem endless in the Sky, the reft of Trees appearing only Shrubs befide them. And here a different Horror feizes our fhelter'd Travellers, when they fee the Day diminish'd by the deep Shades of the vaft Wood, which clofing thick above fpreads Darknefs and eternal Night below. The faint and gloomy Light locks horrid as the Shade itself; and the pro

found

found Stillness of thefe Places impofes Silence upon Men, ftruck with the hoarfe Echoings of every Sound within the fpacious Caverns of the Wood. Here Space aftonishes; Silence itself seems pregnant, whilft an unknown Force works on the Mind, and dubious Objects move the wakeful Sense. Myfterious Voices are either heard or fancy'd, and various Forms of Deity feem to present themselves, and appear more manifeft in these facred Sylvan Scenes; fuch as of old gave rife to Temples, and favour'd the Religion of the ancient World. Even we ourselves, who in plain Characters may read Divinity from fo many bright Parts of the Earth, chufe rather thefe obfcurer Places to fpell out that mysterious Being, which to our weak Eyes appears at best under a Veil of Cloud.

LESSON X.

On HAPPINES S.

Happiness! our Being's End and Aim!

Good, Pleasure, Eafe, Content! whate'er thy Name:
That Something, which ftill prompts th' eternal Sigh;
For which we bear to live, nor fear to die :
Which still so near us, yet beyond us lies;
O'erlook'd, feen double, by the Fool-and Wise.
Plant of Celeftial Seed! if dropt below,
Say in what mortal Soil thou deign'ft to grow?
Fair-opening to fome Court's propitious Shrine?
Or deep with Diamonds in the flaming Mine?
Twin'd with the Wreaths Parnaffian Laurels yield?
Or reapt in Iron Harvests of the Field?

Afk of the Learn'd the Way, the Learn'd are blind;
This bids to serve, and That to fhun Mankind.
Some place the Blifs in Action, fome in Ease;
Those call it Pleasure, and Contentment Thefe.-
Take Nature's Path, and mad Opinions leave;
All States can reach it, and all Heads conceive:
Obvious her Goods, in no Extreme they dwell,
There needs but thinking right, and meaning well;
And mourn our various Portions as we please,
Equal is common Sense, and common Ease.

ORDER

ORDER is Heaven's firft Law; and this confeft, Some are, and must be, greater than the rest, More rich, more wife; but who infers from hence, That fuch are happier, fhocks all common Sense.Know, all the Good that Individuals find, Or God and Nature meant to mere Mankind; Reason's whole Pleafures, all the Joys of Senfe, Lie in three Words, Health, Peace, and Competence.

A

LESSON XI.

The JUGGLER.

A FABLE.

JUGGLER long through all the Town
Had rais'd his Fortune and Renown;
You'd think (fo far his Art tranfcends)
The Devil at his Finger's Ends.
VICE heard his Fame, fhe read his Bill;
Convinc'd of his inferior Skill,

She fought his Booth, and from the Croud
Defy'd the Man of Art aloud.

Is this then he fo fam'd for Slight?
Can this flow Bungler cheat your Sight?
Dares he with me difpute the Prize?
I leave it to impartial Eyes.

Provok'd, the Juggler cry'd, 'Tis done:
In Science I fubmit to none.

Thus faid, the Cups and Balls he play'd
By turns; this here, that there convey'd:
The Cards, obedient to his Words,
Are by a Fillip turn'd to Birds;
His little Boxes change the Grain,
Trick after Trick deludes the Train.
He shakes his Bag, he fhows all fair,
His Fingers fpread, and nothing there;
Then bids it rain with Show'rs of Gold,
And now his Iv'ry Eggs are told;
But when from thence the Hen he draws,
Amaz'd Spectators him Applause.

VICE now ftept forth, and took the Place,
With all the Forms of his Grimace.
This magic Looking-glafs, fhe cries,

There, hand it round, will charm your Eyes.
Each eager Eye the Sight defir'd,
And ev'ry Man himself admir'd.

Next, to a Senator addreffing,

See this Bank-note; obferve the Bleffing.
Breathe on the Bill.-Heigh, pass-'tis gone!
Upon his Lips a Padlock fhone.

A fecond Puff the Magic broke,

The Padlock vanifh'd, and he spoke.
Twelve Bottles rang'd upon the Board,
All full, with heady Liquor ftor'd,
By clean Conveyance difappear,
And now two bloody Swords are there.
A Purfe fhe to a Thief expos'd;
At once his ready Fingers clos'd;
He opes his Fift, the Treasure's fled,
He fees a Halter in its Stead.
She bids Ambition hold a Wand,
He grafps a Hatchet in his Hand.
A Box of Charity fhe fhows:

Blow here, and a Church-warden blows:
'Tis vanifh'd with Conveyance neat,
And on the Table fmokes a Treat.

She shakes the Dice, the Board the knocks,
And from all Pockets fills her Box.
She next a meagre Rake addrefs'd;
This Picture fee; her Shape, her Breaft!
What Youth, and what inviting Eyes!
Hold her, and have her.-With Surprize,
His Hand expos'd a Box of Pills;
And a loud Laugh proclaim'd his Ills.
A Counter, in a Mifer's Hand,
Grew twenty Guineas at Command;
She bids his Heir the Sum retain,
And 'tis a Counter now again.
A Guinea with her Touch you fee
Take ev'ry Shape but Charity;
And not one Thing, you faw or drew,
But chang'd from what was firft in View.
The Juggler now in Grief of Heart,
With this Submiffion, own'd her Art.

Can