own misfortunes, nor to envy the happiness of another, since it is impossible for any man to form a right judgment of his neighbour's sufferings; for which reason also, I have determined never to think too lightly of another's com plaints, but to regard the sorrows of my fellow-creatures with sentiments of humanity and compassion.

A Life of Virtue preferable to a Life of Pleasure, exempli fied in the Choice of Hercules.

TATLER, No. 97. .

1. WHEN Hercules, says the divine Prodicus, was in that part of his youth, in which it was natural for him to consider what course of life he ought to pursue, he one day retired into a desert, where the silence and solitude of the place very much favoured his meditations.

2. As he was musing on his present condition, and very much perplexed in himself on the state of life be should chuse, he saw two women of a larger stature than ordinary approaching towards him. One of them had a very noble air and graceful deportment; her beauty was natural and easy; her person clean and unspotted; her eyes cast towards the ground, with an agreeable reserve; her motion and behaviour full of modesty; and her raiment as white

as snow.

3. The other had a great deal of health and floridness in her countenance,which she had helped with an artificial white and red, and endeavoured to appear more graceful than ordinary in her mein, by a mixture of affectation in all her gestures. She had a wonderful confidence and assurance in her looks, and all the variety of colours in her dress that she thought were the most proper to shew her complexion to an advantage. She cast her eyes upon her self, then turned them on those that were present to see how they liked her, and often looked on the figure she made in her own shadow.

4. Upon her nearer approach to Hercules, she stepped before the other lady, who came forward with a regular composed carriage, and running up to him, accosted him after the following manner:

5. My dear Hercules, says she, I find you are very much divided in your own thoughts upon the way of life that you

ought to chuse; be my friend and follow me; Iwill lead you into the possession of pleasure and out of the reach of pain, and remove you from all the noise and disquietude of business. The affairs of either war or peace shall have no power to disturb you. Your whole employment shall be to make your life easy, and to entertain every sense with its proper gratifications. Sumptuous tables, beds of roses, clouds of perfumes, concerts of music, crouds of beauties, are all in readiness to receive you. Come along with me into this region of delights, this world of pleasure, and bid farewell for ever to care, to pain, and to business.

6. Hercules hearing the lady talk after this manner, desired to know her name; to which she answered, my friends, and those who are well acquainted with me, call me Happiness; but my enemies, and those who would injure my reputation, has given me the name of Pleasure. 7. By this time the other lady was come up,who addressed herself to the young hero in a very different manner.

Hercules, says she,I offer myself to you, because I know you are descended from the gods, and give proofs of that descent by your love to virtue, and application to the studies proper to your age. This makes me hope you will gain both for yourself and me an inamortal reputation. But before I invite you into my society and friendship, I will be open and sincere with you, and must lay down this as an established truth, that there is nothing truly valuable which can be purchased without pains and labour.

S. The gods have set a price upon every real and nuble pleasure. If you would gain the favour of the Deity,you must be at the pains of worshipping him; if the friendship of good men, you must study to oblige them; if you would be honoured by your country, you must take care to serve it. In short, if you would be eminent in war or peace, you must become master of all the qualifications that can make you so. These are the only terms and conditions upon which I can propose happiness. The goddess of pleasure here broke in upon her discourse:

9. You see, said she, Hercules, by her own confession, the way to her pleasure is long and difficult, whereas that which I propose is short and easy. Alas! said the other ladywhose visage glowed with a passion made up of scorn and pity, what are the pleasures you propose? To eat be

fore you are hungry, drink before you are thirsty, sleep before you are tired, to gratify appetites before they are raised, and raise such appetites as nature never planted.

10. You never heard the most delicate music, which is the praise of one's self; nor saw the most beautiful object, which is the work of one's own hands. Your votaries pass away their youth in a dream of mistaken pleasures, while they are hoarding up anguish, torment, and remorse, for old age.

11. As for me, I am a friend of the Gods and of good men, an agreeable compa: ion to the artizan, a household guardian to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of servants, and associate in all true and generous friendships. The banquets of my votaries are never cosily,but always delicious; for none eat or drink at them who are not invited by hunger and thirst. Their slumbers are

sour.d, and their wakings cheerful.

12. My young men have the pleasure of hearing themselves. praised by those who are in years, and those who are in years, of being honoured by those who are young. In a word, my followers are favoured by the gods, beloved by their acquaintance, esteemed by their country, and after the close of their labours, honoured by posterity.

13. We know by the life of this memorable hero, to which of these two ladies he gave up his heart; and I believe, every one who reads this, will do him the justice to approve his choice.

14. I very much admire the speeches of these ladies, as containing in them the chief arguments for a life of virtee,or a life of pleasure, that could enter into the thoughts of an heathen: but am particularly pleased with the dif ferent figures he gives the two goddesses. Our mode:n authors have represented pleasure or vice with an alluring face, but ending in snakes and monsters: here she appears in all the charms of beauty, though they are all false and borrowed; and by that means compose a vision entirely natural and pleasing.

15. I have translated this allegory for the benefit of the youth in general; and particularly of those who are still in the deplorable state of non-existence, and whom I most earnestly intreat to come into the work. Let my embryos shew the least inclination to any single virtue, and I shall allow it to be a struggling towards birth.

16. I do not expect of them, that like the hero in the foregoing story, they should go about as soon as they are born with a club in their hands, and a lion's skin on their shoulders, to root out monsters and destroy tyrants: but as the finest author of all antiquity has said upon this very occasion, though a man has not the abilities to distinguish himself in the most shining parts of our great character, he has certainly the capacity of being just, faithful, modest and temperate.

Virtue rewarded; The History of Amanda.

SPECTATOR, No. 375..

1. I HAVE more than once had occasion to mention a noble saying of Seneca the philosopher, that a virtuous person struggling with misfortunes, and rising above them, is an object on which the gods themselves may look down with delight. I shall therefore set before my readers a scene of this kind of distress in private life, for the speculation of this day.

2. An eminent citizen, who had lived in good fashion and credit, was by a train of accidents, and by an unavoidable perplexity in his affairs, reduced to a low condition. There is a modesty usually attending faukless poverty, which made him rather chuse to reduce his manner of living to his present circumstances,than solicit his friends, in order to support the shew of an estate, when the substance was gone."

3. His wife, who was a woman of sense and virtue, behaved herself on this occasion with uncommon decency, and never appeared so amiable in his eyes as now. Instead of upbraiding him with the ample fortune she had brought or the many great offers she had refused for his sake, she redoubled all the instances of her affection, while her husband was continually pouring out his heart to her in complaints,that he had ruined the best woman in the world. 4. He sometimes came home at a time when she did not expect him, and surprised her in tears, which she endeayoured to conceal, and always put on an air of cheerfulness to receive him. To lessen their expense, their eldest daughter (whom I shall call Amanda) was sent in the country, to the house of an honest farmer, who had married

servant of the family. This young woman was appre hensive of the ruin which was approaching, and had privately engaged a friend in the neighbourhood to give her an account of what passed from time to time in her fa ther's affairs.

5. Amanda was in the bioom of her youth and beauty, when the lord of the manor, who often called in at the farmer's house as he followed his country sports, fell passionately in love with her. He was a man of great generosity, but from a loose education had contracted a hearty aversion to marriage. He therefore entertained a design upon Amanda's virtue, which at present he thought fit to keep private, The innocent creature, who never suspected his intentions, was pleased with his person; and, haying observed his growing passion for her, hoped by so advantageous a match she might quickly be in a capacity of supporting her impoverished relations.

6. One day as he called to see her, he found her in tears over a letter she had just received from her friend, which gave an account that her father had been lately stript of every thing by an execution. The lover, who with some difficulty found out the cause of her grief, took this occasion to make her a proposal. It is impossible to express Amanda's confusion when she found his pretensions were not honourable.

7. She was now deserted of all hopes, and had no power to speak; but rushing from him in the utmost distur bance, locked herself up in her chamber. He imme diately dispatched a messenger to her father with the following letter:

8. 'SIR,

I HAVE heard of your misfortune, and have offered your daughter, if she will live with me, to settle on her four hundred pounds a-year, and to lay down the sum for which you are now distressed. I will be so ingenuous as to tell you, that I do not intend marriage; but if you are wise, you will use your authority with her not to be too nice, when she has an opportunity of serving you and your family, and of making herself happy.

I am, &c. 9. This letter came to the hands of Amanda's mother: she opened and read it with great surprize and concern.