Nor vainly gay the fight to please, But bleft with power mankind to ease, "Thrive with the life-fupporting grain," "Seize, happy mortal, feize the good: C. B. Sleep, therefore, as the chief of all earthly bleffings, is juftly appropriated to industry and temperance; the refreshing reft, and the peaceful night, are the portion only of him who lies down weary with honest labour, and free from the fumes of indigested luxury; it is the just doom of laziness and gluttony, to be inactive without ease, and drowsy without tranquillity. Sleep has been often mentioned as the image of death; "fo like it," fays Sir Thomas Brown," that "I dare not truft it without my prayers:" their refemblance is, indeed, apparent and striking; they both, when they feize the body, leave the foul at liberty; and wife is he that remembers of both, that they can be fafe and happy only by Virtue. No. XL. No. XL. Saturday, March 24. 1753. I Solvite tantis animum monftris, O! fave, ye Gods omnipotent and kind, SEN. From fuch abhorr'd chimeras fave the mind! WENT a few days ago to vifit a friend, whose under ftanding is so much disordered by an injudicious application to ftudy, that he has been some time confined in a madhouse. His imagination was always remarkably vigorous, and his judgment far from contemptible: but having refolved to admit no propofition which he could not demonstrate to be true, and to proceed in no inquiry till he had perfectly levelled the path before him; his progress was presently stopped, and his mind continued fixed upon problems, which no human abilities can solve, till its object became confused, and he miftook for realities the illufions of fancy. The unequal diftribution of good and evil, the sufferings of virtue, and the enjoyments of vice, had long bufied and perplexed his understanding: he could not discover B 4 discover, why a being to whom all things are poffible, fhould leave moral agents exposed to accidental happinefs and mifery; why a child often languishes under diseases which are derived from a parent, and a parent fuffers yet keener anguifh by the rebellious ingratitude of a child; why the tendereft affection is often abused by the neglect of indifference, or the infults of brutality; and why vice has external advantages put into her power, which virtue is compelled to renounce. He confidered thefe phenomena as blemishes in the moral fyftem, and could not fupprefs romantic wishes to fee them removed. These wishes he now believes to. be in fome degree accomplished; for he conceives himfelf transported to another planet, peopled with beings like himself, and governed by fuch laws as human pride has often dictated to Divine Wisdom for the government of the earth; he fancies too, that he is attended by a being of a fuperior order, who has been commanded to take charge of him during his excurfion; and he fays the name of this being is Azail. But notwithstanding these extravagancies, he will sometimes reason with great fubtilty; and perfectly comprehends the force of any argument that is brought against him, though the next moment he will be wandering in the mazes of phrenzy, or bufied to accomplish fome trifling or ridiculous purpose. When I entered his room, he was fitting in a contemplative pofture, with his eyes fixed upon the ground: he juft glanced them upon me; but as I perceived that his imagination was bufy, I was not willing to interrupt it by the intrufion of foreign ideas; I therefore feated myfelf near him, without fpeaking a word; and after he had continued in his reverie near a quarter of an hour hour, he rose up, and feemed by his geftures to take leave of fome invisible guest, whom with great ceremony he attended to the door. When he returned, he addressed me with his usual formality and without expreffing any curiofity to know how I had followed him into a region fo remote and difficult of accefs, he began to acquaint me with all that had paffed in his imagination. "Azail," faid he, " has juft promifed, that he will to-morrow remove me from this folitary retirement 66 to the metropolis; where the advantages that arise " from a perfect coincidence of the natural and the "moral world, will be more apparent and ftriking: " he tells me, that you have been abroad with him this "morning, and have made fome difcoveries which you 66 are to communicate to me. Come, I know that you "find this world very different from that which you "left there, all is confufion and deformity; good and "evil feem to be diftributed not by defign, but by "chance; and religion is not founded on reafon, but "faith: here, ali is order, harmony, and beauty: vice "itself is only a deep fhadow that gives ftrength and "elegance to other figures in the moral picture: hap piness does, indeed, in fome degree depend upon ex"ternals; but even external advantages are the ap"pendages of virtue: every man spontaneously believes "the rectitude which he fees, and rejoices that a blind "affent to propofitions which contradict his experience " is not exacted." To this addrefs I was at a lofs how to reply; but fome time was happily allowed me for recollection by my friend, who having now exhausted his ideas, lighted a pipe of tobacco, and refigned himself again to medi B. 5 "tation No. XL. "tation. In this interval I determined to accommodate myself to his conceptions, and try what could be effected by decorating fome arguments with the machinery of his fancy. 46 "If Azail," faid I, "has referred you to me, I will readily gratify your curiofity: but for my own part "I am more and more disgusted with this place, and I "fhall rejoice when I return to our own world. We "have, I confefs, been abroad this morning; but "though the weather, as you fee, is fine, and the 66 country pleasant, yet I have great reason to be dif "fatisfied with my walk. This, as you have remarked, "is a retired part of the country: my discoveries, "therefore with respect to the people, have been few: "and till to-day, I have feen no object that has much "excited my curiofity, or could much contribute to 6.6 my information but just as we had croffed the third " field from the houfe, I difcovered a man lying near "the path, who feemed to be perishing with disease "and want; as we approached, he looked up at, us "with an afpect that expreffed the utmost distress, but no expectation of relief: the filent complaint which yet scarce implied a petition, melted my heart with pity; I ran to him, and gently raising him from the ground, inquired how I could be employed to affist "him the man gazed at me with astonishment; and while he was making an effort to speak, Azail fud"denly forced me from him." Supprefs thy pity, faid he, for it is impious: and forbear attempts of relief, for they are vain: haft thou forgot, that happiness and mifery are here exactly proportioned to virtue and vice; and, therefore, that to alleviate the mifery, or increase 66 : the |