In treated from the heat and tumult of the way, not to the bowers of Intemperance, but to the maze of Indolence. They had this peculiarity in their condition, that they were always in fight of the road of Reason, always withing for her prefence, and always refolving to return to morrow, these was most eminently confpicuous the fubtlety of Habit, who hung imperceptible fhackles upon them, and was every moment leading them farther from the road, which they always imagined that they had the power of reaching. They wandered on from one double of the labyrinth to another with the chains of Habit hanging fecretly upon them, till, as they advanced, the flowers grew paler, and the fcents fainter; they proceeded in their dreary march without pleasure in their progress, yet without power to return; and had this aggravation above all others, that they were criminal but not delighted. The drunkard for a time laughed over his wine; the ambitious man triumphed in the mifcarriage of his rival; but the captives of Indolence had neither fuperiority nor merriment. Difcontent lowered in their looks, and Sadness hovered round their fhades; yet they crawled on reluctant and gloomy, till they arrived at the depth of the recess, varied only with poppies and nightshade, where the dominion of Indolence terminates, and the hopeless wanderer is delivered up to Melancholy: the chains of Habit are riveted for ever; and Melancholy, having tortured her prifoner for a time, conûgns him at laft to the cruelty of Despair. VOL. XI. M While While I was mufing on this miferable fcene, my "Remember, Theoprotector called out to me, "dore, and be wife, and let not Habit prevail "against thee." I started, and beheld myself furrounded by the rocks of Teneriffe; the birds of light were finging in the trees, and the glances of the morning darted upon me. 424 THE APOTHEOSIS OF MILTON, A VISION. HOUGH no leffons are more inftructive than TH ments erected to the memory of the great, the good, the wife, and the witty; yet the fubject has been fo much exhausted, that an author who can find any thing to fay on that head, must have an imagination more fertile than mine: for this reason I fhall not entertain you with any of the reflections that occurred to my mind last week, when curiofity led me to see the monuments lately erected in Westminster-abbey. I fhall only acquaint you, that I was fo deeply engaged in them, that night fell ere I was aware; and when I awaked from my reverie, I found the gate of the abbey fhut. I own, Sir, that notwithstanding the natural courage that I am master of, the folemn aspect of the fabrick, together with the melancholy gloom that darted through the windows, and tinged the fnowy marble with a death-like paleness, gave me some emotions, which, perhaps, it would appear weakness in me to confess. I however resolved to pass the night in the most proper manner both for expelling thefe difmal ideas from my mind, and for preventing any injury to M 2. my my health from the inclemency of the season: fo I refolved to walk about, and thereby to keep myself from being chilled, as I muft have been, had I compofed myself to fleep. I fhall not be pofitive if I kept up to this refolution, or if a gentle flumber ftole upon my fenfes, as I fat down to reft myfelf, after the fatigue of walking about for three hours. However that was, towards the middle of the night I faw (or feemed to fee) a light at the farther end of the abbey, which moved from one place to another, but I could not distinctly perceive by whom it was directed. At laft it approached me, and I difcerned that it proceeded from a taper which was carried by an old man, who had fomething uncommon in his air and habit. He feemed to be in a green old age, his forehead was raised, his head bald, and his eyes funk, but full of a feverity tempered with fweetnefs; an azure robę reached down to his feet, and he was girded with a white fafh. At laft he came up to me, and with a ftern air afked, why I prefumed to intrude at fo late an hour upon the fanctuaries of the dead? I could eafily perceive that his voice, which filled me with a religious horror, was not human: however, recovering myself as well as I could, I told him my misfortune in a few words. "Mortal, faid he, you are fafe. The reflections that occafioned your being here recommend you to fuperior natures. I "am the genius of this place; and if you have courage to fupport the prefence of beings, once clothed with humanity, but who now move in a higher order, you may be favoured this night with a fight more auguft than any mortal now " alive alive can boaft to have feen." When he was filent I proftrated myself at his feet, and with fome difficulty, fo much were my fenfes overpowered, told him, that I entirely refigned myself to his guidance. He then extended his arm over my head, and I could perceive his robe dilate, his fize shoot up, and myself conveyed, by a fweetly refiftlefs motion, not unlike what the poet defcribes, when Venus carried off Afcanius to the Idalian groves : Placidam per membra quietem Irrigat, & fotum gremio dea tollit in altos Idalia lucos But I fcarce had time for reflection, when I found myself in a spacious hall, wherein was a large table covered with a carpet, on which were wrought divers hieroglyphical figures, and round it were a great many feats, refembling the tripods, as we have them described in the remains of antiquity. Towards the middle there were fome feats of a different form from the others; and at the upper end one more elevated, but of the fame figure with the tripods. My guide feeing me feized with admiration and dread, was fo good as to relieve me by thefe words: "This room, faid he, is concealed " from every human eye; not even the moft be"loved of heaven have been indulged with feeing "it, or knowing the awful purposes of the affem"blies that are from time to time held here: it is "facred to the fpirits of the bards, whofe remains "are buried, or whofe monuments are erected with"in this pile. To-night an affembly of the greatest "importance is held upon the admiffion of the |