felicity of Elyfium, were not neceffary to the juftification of the gods; fince whatever inequality might be pre'tended in the distribution of externals, 'peace is ftill the prerogative of virtue, and intellectual mifery can be inflicted only by guilt.'

But the intellectual mifery which I fuffered at the very moment when this favourite fentiment was read, produced an irrefiftible conviction that it was falfe; because, except the dread of that punishment which I had indirectly denied, I felt all the torment that could be inflicted by guilt. In the profecution of an undertaking which I believed to be virtuous, peace had been driven from my heart, by the concurrence of accident with the vices of others; and the mifery that I fuffered fuddenly propagated itself: for not only enjoyment but hope was now at an end; my play, upon which both had depended, was overturned from it's foundation; and I was fo much affected, that I took my leave with the abrupt hafte of diftrefs and perplexity. I had no concern about what fliould be faid of me when I was departed; and, perhaps, at the moment when I went out

SIR,

of the houfe, there was not in the world any human being more wretched than myfelf. The next morning, when I reflected coolly upon thefe events, I would willingly have reconciled my experience with my principles, even at the expence of my morals. I would have fuppofed that my defire of approbation was inordinate, and that a virtuous indifference about the opinion of others would have prevented all my diftrefs; but I was compelled to acknowledge, that to acquire this indifference was not poffible, and that no man becomes vicious by not effecting impoffibilities: there may be heights of virtue beyond our reach; but to be vicious, we muft either do fomething from which we have power to abitain, or neglect fomething which we have power to do. There remained, therefore, no expedient to recover any part of the credit I had loft, but fetting a truth, which I had newly difcovered by means fo extraordinary, in a new light; and with this view I am a candidate for a place in the Adventurer. I am, Sir, your's, &c. DRAMATICUS.

VIRG.

would not have been ashamed. Ned was born a small eftate, which

de

habitations of mifery. In this place, from which bufinefs and pleafure are equally excluded, and in which our only employment and diverfion is to hear the narratives of each other, I might much fooner have gathered materials for a letter, had I not hoped to have been reminded of my promife: but fince I find myself placed in the regions of oblivion, where I am no lefs neglected by you than by the rest of mankind, I refolved no longer to wait for follicitation, but ftole early this evening from between gloomy fullennefs and riotous merriment, to give you an account of part of my companions.

One of the most eminent members of our club is Mr. Edward Scamper, a man of whofe name the Olympic heroes

12

foon as he became of age, mortgag ed part of his land to buy a mare and ftallion, and bred horses for the course. He was at first very fuccefsful, and gained feveral of the king's plates, as he is now every day boafting, at the expence of very little more than ten times their value. At last, however, he difcovered that victory brought him more honour than profit: refolving, therefore, to be rich as well as illuftrious, he replenished his pockets by another mortgage, became on a fudden a daring better, and refolving not to truft a jockey with his fortune, rode his horfe himself, distanced two of his competitors the first heat, and at laft won the race, by forcing his horfe on a defcent to full fpeed at the hazard of his neck. His eftate was thus re

paired;

them anew, ftripped off the wainscot, drew the windows from their frames, altered the difpofition of doors and fireplaces, and caft the whole fabric into a new form. His next care was to have his cielings painted, his pannels gilt, and his chimney-pieces carved. Every thing was executed by the ableft hands. Bob's bufinefs was to follow the workmen with a microfcope, and call upon them to retouch their performances, and heighten excellence to perfection. The reputation of his houfe now brings round, him a daily confluence of vifitants; and every one tells him of fome elegance which he has hitherto overlooked, fome convenience not yet procured, or fome new mode in ornament or furniture. Bob, who had no with but to be admired, nor any guide but the fashion, thought every thing beautiful in proportion as it was new, and confidered his work as unfinished, while any obferver could fuggeft an addition; fome alteration was therefore every day made, without any other motive than the charms of novelty. A traveller at laft fuggefted to him the convenience of a grotto. Bob immediately ordered the mount of his garden to be excavated; and

having laid out a large fum in fhells and minerals, was bufy in regulating the difpofition of the colours and luftres, when two gentlemen, who had asked permiffion to fee his gardens, prefented him a writ, and led him off to leis elegant apartments.

I know not, Sir, whether among this fraternity of forrow you will think any much to be pitied; nor indeed do many of them appear to follicit compassion, for they generally applaud their own conduct, and defpife those whom want of taste or fpirits fuffers to grow rich. It were happy, if the prifons of the kingom were filled only with characters like thefe, men whom profperity could not make ufeful, and whom ruin cannot make wife: but there are among us many who raise different fenfations, many that owe their prefent mifery to the feductions of treachery, the ftrokes of cafualty, or the tendernefs of pity; many whofe fufferings difgrace fociety, and whose virtues would adorn it: of thefe, when familiarity fhall have enabled me to recount their ftories without horror, you may ex pect another narrative from, Sir, Your most humble fervant, MISARGYRUS,

T

RELLIGIO

tice to be infamous in proportion as it is allowed to be criminal, no man would wonder; but every man who is acquainted with life, and is able to fubftitute the difcoveries of experience for the deductions of reafon, knows that he would be mistaken.

Lying is generally allowed to be lefs criminal than adultery; and yet it is known to render a man much more infamous and contemptible; for he who would modeftly acquiefce in an imputation of adultery as a compliment, would refent that of a lye as an infult for which life only could atone. Thus are men tamely led hood-winked by cuftom the creature of their own folly, and while imaginary light flashes under the ban

CLAUDIANUS.

dage which excludes the reality, they

they

Lying, however, does not incur more infamy than it deferves, though other vices incur lefs. I have before remarked, that there are fome practices, which, though they degrade a man to the loweft class of moral characters, do yet imply fome natural fuperiority; but lying is, on the contrary, always an implication of weak nefs and defect. Slander is the revenge of a coward, and diffimulation his defence: lying boats are the ftigma of impotent ambition, of obfcurity without merit, and pride totally deftitute of intellectual dignity: and even lyes of apology imply indifcretion or rufticity, ignorance, folly, or indecorum.

But there is equal turpitude, and yet greater meannefs, in thofe forms of speech

S 2

It happened in the May following, that Sir James went about ten miles out of town to be prefent at the election of a member of parliament for the county, and was not expected to return till the next day. In the evening his lady took a chair, and visited Mrs. Freeman: the rest of the company went away early, the Captain was upon guard, Sir James was out of town, and the two ladies after fupper fat down to piquet, and continued the game without once reflecting upon the hour till three in the morning. Lady Forrest would then have gone home; but Mrs. Freeman, perhaps chiefly to conceal a contrary deure, importuned her to ftay till the Captain came in, and at length with fome reluctance the confented.

About five the Captain came home, and Lady Forreft immediately fent out for a chair a chair, as it happened, could not be procured; but a hackney-coach being brought in it's ftead, the Captain infifted upon waiting on her ladyship home. This the refufed with fome emotion; it is probable, that the ftill regarded the Captain with lefs indifference than the withed, and was therefore more fenfible of the impropriety of his offer: but her reasons for rejecting it, however forcible, being fuch as the could not alledge, he perfitted, and her refolution was overborne. By this importunate complaifance the Captain had not only thrown Lady Forreft into confufion, but difpleafed his wife: the could not, however, without unpolitenefs oppose it; and left her uneatinefs fhould be difcovered, the affected a negligence which in fome degree revenged it: fhe defired that when he came back, he would not disturb her, for that the should go directly to bed;

and added with a kind of drowsy infenfibility- I am more than half afleep already."

Lady Forrest and the Captain were to go from the Haymarket to Grosvenor Square. It was about half an hour after five when they got into the coach; the morning was remarkably fine, the late conteft had fhaken off all difpofition to fleep, and Lady Forreft could not help faying, that he had much rather take a walk in the Park than go home to bed. The captain zealously expretfed the fame fentiment, and proposed that the coach fhould fet them down at St. James's Gate. The lady, however, had nearly the fame objections against being feen in the Mall without any other company than the captain, that the had againft it's being known that they were alone together in a hackney coach: the therefore, to extricate herself from this fecond difficulty, propofed that they fhould call at her father's in Bond Street, and take her coufin Meadows, whom the knew to be an early rifer, with them. This project was immediately put in execution; but Lady Forreft found her cousin indifpofed with a cold. When the had communicated the defign of this early vifit, Mifs Meadows intreated her to give up her walk in the Park, to ftay till the family rofe, and go home after breakfast: 'No,' replied Lady Forreft,. I am determined upon a walk; but as I muft firft get rid of Captain Freeman, I will fend down word that I will take your ad'vice. A fervant was accordingly dif patched to acquaint the captain, who was waiting below, that Mifs Meadows was indifpofed, and had engaged Lady Forrest to breakfast.

N° LV.