is to find a fharp flint among the rocks: with this he undertakes to fell the trees of the foreft: he shapes his bow, heads his arrows, builds his cottage, and hollows his canoe, and from that time lives in a state of plenty and prosperity: he is fheltered from the ftorms; he is fortified against beasts of prey; he is enabled to pursue the fish of the sea, and the deer of the mountains; and, as he does not know, does not envy the happiness of polithed nations, where gold can supply the want of fortitude and skill, and he, whofe laborious ancestors have made him rich, may lie ftretched upon a couch, and fee all the treasures of all the elements poured down before him. This picture of a favage life, if it fhews how much individuals may perform, fhews likewise how much society is to be defired. Though the perfeverance and addrefs of the Indian excite our admiration, they nevertheless cannot procure him the conveniences which are enjoyed by the vagrant beggar of a civilized country: he hunts like a wild beast to satisfy his hunger; and when he lies down to reft after a fuccessful chace, cannot pronounce himself secure against the danger of perishing in a few days: he is, perhaps, content with his condition, because he knows not that a better is attainable by man; as he that is born blind does not Jong for the perception of light, because he cannot conceive the advantages which light would afford him: but hunger, wounds, and wearinefs, are real evils, though he believes them equally incident to all his fellow-creatures: and when a tempeft compels him to lie ftarving in his hut, he cannot juftly be concluded equally happy with thofe whom art has exempted from the power of chance, and who make the foregoing year provide for the following. 'To To receive and to communicate affiftance, constitutes the happiness of human life: man may, indeed, preferve his exiftence in folitude, but can enjoy it only in fociety: the greatest understanding of an individual, doomed to procure food and clothing for himself, will barely fupply him with expedients to keep off death from day to day; but as one of a larger community, performing only his fhare to the common bufinefs, he gains leifure for intellectual pleasures, and enjoys the happinefs of reafon and reflection. How vain the joy for which our pain muft pay. Ir has been remarked, that the play of brutes is always a mock fight; and, perhaps, this is equally true of all the fports that have been invented by reafon for the amufement of mankind. The celebrated games of antiquity were fomething more; the conflict was often fatal, and the pleasure of the spectators seems to have been proportioned to the danger of the combatants nor does it appear that any fport has been fince conK 2 trived, trived, which can gratify pure benevolence, or entertain, without producing an oppofition of interest. There are, indeed, many external advantages, which it has never been thought immoral to acquire, though an oppofition of intereft is neceffarily implied; advan tages, which, like a stake at cards, one party can only gain by the lofs of the other: for wealth and poverty, obfcurity and diftinction, command and fervitude, are mutually relative; and the existence of each is by each reciprocally derived and given. Play, therefore, is not unlawful, merely as a con. test; nor can the pleasure of them that win be imputed to a criminal want of benevolence, in this ftate of imperfection, merely because it is enjoyed at the expence of those who lofe. But, as in bufinefs, it has never been held lawful to circumvent thofe whom we defire to excel: fo in play, the chance of lofs and gain ought to be always equal; at least, each party should be apprized of the force employed against him; and if then he plays against odds, no man has a right to inquire his motive, though a good man would decline to en. gage him. There is, however, one fpecies of diverfion which has not been generally condemned, though it is produced by an attack upon those who have not voluntarily entered the lifts, who find themselves buffeted in the dark, and have neither means of defence nor poffi. bility of advantage. These feats are atchieved by the knights-errant of Mirth, and known by the name of Frolics: under this name, indeed, many species of wanton cruelty have been practifed, without incurring the infamy, or rai ing the indignation which they deferve; and it is extremely tremely difficult to fix upon any certain criterion, by which frolics may be diftinguished into criminal and innocent. If we could difcern effects while they are involved in their causes, and ascertain every remote confequence of our own actions, perhaps these fallies might be allowed under the fame restrictions as raillery: the falfe alarms and ridiculous distress into which others are betrayed to make us fport, fhould be fuch only as will be subjects of merriment, even to the fufferer, when they are paft, and remembered neither with refentment nor regret: but as every action may produce effects over which human power has no influence, and which human fagacity cannot foresee, we fhould not lightly venture to the verge of evil, nor ftrike at others, though with a reed, left, like the rod of Mofes, it become a ferpent in our hands. During the hard froft in the year 1740, four young: gentlemen, of confiderable rank, rode into an inn, near one of the principal avenues to this city, at ele-ven o'clock at night, without any attendant; and having expreffed uncommon concern about their horfes, and overlooked the provifion that was made for them, called for a room; ordering wine and tobacco to be. brought in, and declaring, that as they were to set out very early in the morning, it was not worth while to go to bed. Before the waiter returned, each of them had laid a pocket piftol upon the table; which, when he entered, they appeared to be very folicitous to conceal, and fhewed fome confufion at the furprife. They perceived, with great fatisfaction, that the fellow was alarmed at his difcovery; and having, upon various pretences, called him often into the room, one of them contrived to pull out a mask with his handkerchief. from the pocket of a horfeman's coat. They difcourfed in dark and ambiguous terms, affected a busy and anxious circumfpection, urged the man often to drink, and feemed defirous to render him fubfervient to fome purpose which they were unwilling to discover. They endeavoured to conciliate his good-will, by extravagant commendations of his dexterity and diligence; and encouraged him to familiarity, by afking him many queftions. He was, however, fill cautious and reserved. One of them therefore, pretending to have known his mother, put a crown into his hand, and foon after took an opportunity to ask him at what hour a stage-coach, the paffengers of which they intended to humbug, set out in the morning; whether it was full; and if it was attended with a guard. The man was now confirmed in his fufpicions; and, though he had accepted the bribe, refolved to discover the fecret. Having evaded the questions with as much art as he could, he went to his master, Mr. Spiggot, who was then in bed, and acquainted him with what he had obferved. Mr. Spiggot immediately got up, and held a confultation with his wife, what was to be done. She advised him immediately to fend for the conftable, with proper affiftants, and fecure them: but he confidered, that, as this would probably prevent a robbery, it would deprive him of an opportunity to gain a very confiderable fum, which he would become entitled to upon their conviction, if he could apprehend them after the fact he therefore very prudently called up four ot five of the oftlers that belonged to the yard; and, having communicated his fufpicions and defign, engaged them to inlift under his command, as an efcort to the : coach, |