to the eye, we should find most of them either deficient and lame in feveral parts, produced by a bad ambition, or directed to an ill end. The very fame action may fometimes be fo oddly circumstanced, that it is difficult to determine whether it ought to be rewarded or punifhed. Those who compiled the laws of England were fo fenfible of this, that they laid it down as one of their first maxims, "It is better fuffering a mif"chief than an inconvenience:" which is as much as to fay in other words, that, fince no law can take in or provide for all cafes, it is better private men fhould have fome injuftice done them than a public grievance fhould not be redreffed. This is ufually pleaded in defence of all those hardships which fall on particular perfons in particular occafions, which could not be forefeen when a law was made. To remedy this however as much as poffible, the Court of CHANCERY was erected, which frequently mitigates and breaks the teeth of the common law, in cafes of men's properties, while in criminal cafes there is a power of pardoning ftill lodged in the Crown.

Notwithstanding this, it is perhaps impoffible in a large government to diftribute rewards and punishments ftrictly proportioned to the merits. of every action. The Spartan commonwealth was indeed wonderfully exact in this particular; and I do not remember in all my reading to have met with so nice an example of juftice as that recorded by Plutarch, with which I fhall close my Paper of this day.

VOL. VIII.

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The city of Sparta being unexpectedly attacked by a powerful army of Thebans, was in very great danger of falling into the hands of their enemies. The citizens fuddenly gathered them-. felves into a body, fought with a refolution equal to the neceffity of their affairs, yet no one fo remarkably diftinguifhed himself on this occafion, to the amazement of both armies, as Ifidas the fon of Phoebidas, who was at that time in the bloom of his youth, and very remarkable for the comeliness of his perfon. He was coming out of the bath when the alarm was given, fo that he had not time to put on his clothes, much lefs his armour; however, tranfported with a defire to ferve his country in fo great an exigency, fnatching up a fpear in one hand and a sword in the other, he flung himself into the thickest ranks of his enemies. Nothing could withstand his fury in what part foever he fought he put the enemies to flight without receiving a fingle wound. Whether, fays Plutarch, he was the particular care of fome god, who rewarded his valour that day with an extraordinary protection, or that his enemies, ftruck with the unusualness of his drefs, and beauty of his fhape, fuppofed him fomething more than man, I shall not de

termine.

The gallantry of this action was judged fo great by the Spartans, that the Ephori, or chief magiftrates, decreed he should be prefented with a garland; but, as foon as they had done fo, fined him a thousand drachmas for going out to the battle unarmed.

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N° 565. Friday, July 9, 1714.

Deum namque ire per omnes

Terrafque, tractufque maris, cælumque profundum.

VIRG. Georg. iv. 221

For God the whole created mass inspires; 'Thro' heav'n and earth, and ocean's depths he 'throws

His influence round, and kindles as he goes.'

DRYDEN.

WAS yesterday about fun-fet walking in the open fields, until the night infenfibly upon me. I at first amused myself with all the richness and variety of colours, which appeared in the western parts of Heaven; in proportion as they faded away and went out, feveral stars and planets appeared one after another, until the whole firmament was in a glow. The blueness of the Ether was exceedingly heightened and enlivened by the season of the year, and by the rays of all thofe luminaries that paffed through it. The Galaxy appeared in its most beautiful white. To complete the fcene, the full moon rofe at length in that clouded majefty which Milton takes notice of, and opened to the eye a new picture of nature, which was more finely fhaded, and difpofed among fofter lights, than that which the fun had before discovered to us.

As I was furveying the moon walking in her brightness, and taking her progrefs among the conftellations, a thought rofe in me which I believe very often perplexes and disturbs men of ferious and contemplative natures. David himfelf fell into it in that reflection, "When I "confider the Heavens the work of thy fingers, "the moon and the stars which thou haft or"dained; what is man that thou art mindful

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of him, and the fon of man that thou regardeft him!" In the fame manner, when I confidered that infinite hoft of ftars, or to fpeak more philofophically, of funs which were then fhining upon me, with thofe innumerable fets of planets or worlds, which were moving round their refpective funs; when I ftill enlarged the idea, and fuppofed another Heaven of funs and worlds rifing ftill above this which we difcovered, and thefe ftill enlightened by a fuperior firmament of luminaries, which are planted at fo great a diftance, that they may appear to the inhabitants of the former as the ftars do to us; in fhort, while I purfued this thought, I could not but reflect on that little infignificant figure which I myfelf bore amidst the immenfity of God's Works.

Were the fun, which enlightens this part of the creation, with all the hoft of planetary worlds that move about him, utterly extinguifhed and annihilated, they would not be miffed more than a grain of fand upon the fea fhore. The space they poffefs is fo exceedingly little in comparifon of the whole, that it would fcarce

fcarce make a blank in the creation. The chaẩm would be imperceptible to an eye that could take in the whole compafs of nature, and pafs from one end of the creation to the other; as it is poffible there may be fuch a fenfe in ourselves hereafter, or in creatures which are at prefent more exalted than ourselves. We fee many ftars by the help of glaffes, which we do not discover with our naked eyes; and the finer our telescopes are the more ftill are our difcoveries. Huygenius carries this thought fo far, that he does not think it impoffible there may be stars whofe light is not yet travelled down to us, fince their first creation*. There is no question but the univerfe has certain bounds fet to it; but when we confider that it is the work of

infinite power, prompted by infinite goodnefs, with an infinite fpace to exert itself in, how can our imagination fet any bounds to it?

To return therefore, to my first thought. I could not but look upon myfelf with fecret horror, as a being that was not worth the fmalleft regard of one who had fo great a work under his care and fuperintendency. I was afraid of being overlooked amidst the immenfity of nature, and loft among that infinite variety of creatures, which in all probability swarm through all these immeasurable regions of matter.

In order to recover myfelf from this mortifying thought, I confidered that it took its rife from thofe narrow conceptions which we are

See TAT. with Notes, Vol. V. addit. Notes, p. 421, and No. 119.

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