fills the earth with a variety of beautiful scenes, and has fomething in it like creation. For this reafon the pleasure of one who plants is fomething like that of a poet, who, as Aristotle obferves, is more delighted with his productions than any other writer or artift whatsoever. Plantations have one advantage in them which is not to be found in most other works, as they give a pleasure of a more lafting date, and continually improve in the eye of the planter. When you have finished a building, or any other undertaking of the like nature, it immediately decays upon your hands; you fee it brought to the utmost point of perfection, and from that time haftening to its ruin. On the contrary, when you have finifhed your plantations, they are ftill arriving at greater degrees of perfection as long as you live, and appear more delightful in every fucceeding year than they did in the foregoing. But I do not only recommend this art to men of eftates as a pleafing amufement, but as it is a kind of virtuous employment, and may therefore be inculcated by moral motives; particularly from the love which we ought to have for our country, and the regard which we ought to bear to our pofterity. As for the first, I need only mention what is frequently observed by others, that the increase of forest-trees does by no means bear a proportion to the destruction of them, infomuch that in a few ages the nation. may be at a lofs to fupply itself with timber fufficient for the fleets of England. I know when L 3 when a man talks of pofterity in matters of this nature he is looked upon with an eye of ridicule by the cunning and felfish part of mankind. Moft people are of the humour of an old fellow of a college, who, when he was preffed by the fociety to come into fomething that might redound to the good of their fucceffors, grew very peevish; We are always doing," fays he, fomething for pofterity, but I would fain fee pofterity do fomething for us." 66 66 But I think men are inexcufable, who fail in a duty of this nature, fince it is fo eafily dif charged. When a man confiders that the puting a few twigs into the ground is doing good to one who will make his appearance in the world about fifty years hence, or that he is perhaps making one of his own descendants easy or rich, by fo inconfiderable an expenfe, if he finds himfelf averfe to it, he muft conclude that he has a poor and base heart, void of all generous principles and love to mankind, 'There is one confideration which may very much enforce what I have here faid. Many honeft minds, that are naturally difpofed to do good in the world, and become beneficial to mankind, complain within themselves that they have not talents for it. This therefore is a good office, which is fuited to the meaneft capacities, and which may be performed by multitudes, who have not abilities fufficient to deferve well of their country, and to recommend themselves to their pofterity, by any other method. It is the phrafe of a friend of mine, when when any useful country neighbour dies, that you may trace him;" which I look upon as a good funeral oration at the death of an honeft hufbandman, who hath left the impreflions of his induftry behind him in the place where he has lived. Upon the foregoing confiderations, I can scarcely forbear reprefenting the fubject of this Paper as a kind of moral virtue; which, as I have already fhewn, recommends itself likewife by the pleasure that attends it. It must be confeffed that this is none of thofe turbulent pleasures which is apt to gratify a man in the heats of youth; but if it be not fo tumultuous it is more lafting. Nothing can be more delightful than to entertain ourfelves with profpects of our own making, and to walk under thofe fhades which our own industry has raised. Amusements of this nature compofe the mind, and lay at reft all thofe paflions which are uneafy to the foul of man, befides that they naturally engender good thoughts, and difpofe us to laudable contemplations. Many of the old philofophers paffed away the greatest parts of their lives among their gardens. Epicurus himself could not think fenfual pleasure attainable in any other scene. Every reader, who is acquainted with Homer, Virgil, and Horace, the greatest geniuses of all antiquity, knows very well with how much rapture they have spoken on this fubject; and that Virgil in particular has written a whole book on the art of planting. L 4 This This art feems to have been more especially adapted to the nature of man in his primæval ftate, when he had life enough to fee his pro ductions flourish in their utmost beauty, and gradually decay with him. One who lived before the flood might have seen a wood of the talleft oaks in the acorn, But I only mention this particular, in order to produce, in my next Paper, a history which I have found among the accounts of China, and which may be looked upon as an antediluvian novel. N° 584. Monday, August 23, 1714. Hic gelidi fontes, hic mollia prata, Lycori, VIRG. Ecl. x. 42. Come fee what pleasures in our plains abound; you.' ILPA was one of the hundred and fifty daughters of Zilpah, of the race of Cohu, by whom fome of the learned think is meant By ADDISON, on the authority of Mr. Tickell. Perfian Tales, Vol. II. tranflated by Mr. Philips, author of the Paftorals, and the Diftreft Mother. N. B. To prevent gentlemen being mistaken, who have bought the first vol. this is to inform them, that the edition of the Perfian and Turkish Tales, this day published in 2 vols, is not transJated by Mr. Philips, but by an unknown hand. in folio, SPECT. Cain. She was exceedingly beautiful; and, when fhe was but a girl of threefcore and ten years of age, received the addreffes of feveral who made love to her. Among these were two brothers, Harpath and Shalum. Harpath, being the firstborn, was mafter of that fruitful region which lies at the foot of Mount Tirzah, in the fouthern parts of China. Shalum (which is to fay the planter, in the Chinese language) poffeffed all the neighbouring hills, and that great range of mountains which goes under the name of Tirzah. Harpath was of a haughty contemptuous (pirit; Shalum was of a gentle disposition, beloved both by God and man. It is faid that, among the antediluvian women, the daughters of Cohu had their minds wholly fet upon riches; for which reafon the beautiful Hilpa preferred Harpath to Shalum, becaufe of his numerous flocks and herds, that covered all the low country which runs along the foot of Mount Tirzah, and is watered by feveral fountains and streams breaking out of the fides of that mountain. Harpath made fo quick a difpatch of his courtship, that he married Hilpa in the hundredth year of her age; and, being of an infolent temper, laughed to fcorn his brother Shalum for having pretended to the beautiful Hilpa, when he was master of nothing but a long chain of rocks and mountains. This fo much provoked Shalum, that he is faid to have curfed his brother in the bitternefs of his heart, and to have prayed that one of his mountains might fall upon |