heart if I did not break his, which was allowed by the law of felf-defence. The way was very easy. I refolved to spend as much money as I could, and, before he was aware of the ftroke, appeared before him in a two thousand pound diamond necklace; •he faid nothing, but went quietly to his chamber, and, as it is thought, compofed himself with a dose of opium. I behaved myfelf fo well upon the oc• câsion, that to this day I believe he died of an a• poplexy. Mr. Waitfort was refolved not to be too ⚫late at this time, and I heard from him in two days. • I am almost out of my weed at this prefent writing, and very doubtful whether I fhall, marry him or no. I do not think of a feventh for the ridiculous reafon you mention, but out of pure morality, ⚫ that I think so much confiancy should be rewarded, though I may not do it after all perhaps. I do not ⚫ believe all the unreasonable malice of mankind can 'give a pretence why I fhould have been conftant to • the memory of any of the deceafed, or have spent • much time in grieving for an infolent, infignificant, negligent, extravagant, fplenetic, or covetous hufband; my firft infulted me, my fecond was nothing to me, my third difgufted me, the fourth would have ruined me, the fifth tormented me, and the fixth would have starved me. If the other ladies you name would thus give in their husbands pictures at length, you would fee they have had as little reafon as myself to lofe their hours in weeping and wailing.' FRIDAY, No. 574. FRIDAY, JULY 30. Non poffidentem multa vocaveris Rectè beatum; rectius occupat HOR. Od. ix. 1. 4. ver. 45. Believe not thofe that lands poffefs, But rather thofe that know, CREECH. Was once engaged in a difcourfe with a Roficrucian about the great fecret. As this kind of men (I mean those of them who are not profeffed cheats) are over-run with enthusiasm and philofophy, it was very amufing to hear this religious adept defcanting on his pretended difcovery. He talked of the fecret as of a fpirit which lived within an emerald, and converted every thing that was near it to the highest perfection it was capable of. It gives a luftre, fays he, to the fun, and water to the diamond. It irradiates every metal, and enriches lead with all the properties of gold. It heightens fmoke into flame, fame into light, and light into glory. He further added, that a fingle ray of it diffipates pain, and care, and melancholy, from the perfon on whom it falls. In fhort, fays he, its prefence naturally changes every place into a kind of heaven. After he had gone on for fome time in this unintelligible cant, I found that 鼻 he he jumbled natural and moral ideas together into the fame difcourfe, and that his great fecret was nothing else but Content. This virtue does indeed produce, in fome measure, all thofe effects which the alchymift ufually afcribes to what he calls the philofopher's ftone; and if it does not bring riches, it does the fame thing, by banishing the defire of them. If it cannot remove the difquie. tudes arifing out of a man's mind, body, or fortune, it makes him eafy under them. It has indeed a kindly influence on the foul of man, in refpect of every being to whom he ftands related. It extinguishes all murmur, repining, and ingratitude, towards that Being who has allotted him his part to act in this world. It deftroys all inordinate ambition, and every tendency to corruption, with regard to the community wherein he is placed. It gives fweetness to his converfation, and a perpetual ferenity to all his thoughts. Among the many methods which might be made ufe of for the acquiring of this virtue, I fhall only mention the two following. First of all, a man fhould always confider how much he has more than he wants; and, fecondly, how much more unhappy he might be than he really is. First of all, a man fhould always confider how much he has more than he wants. I am wonderfully pleased with the reply which Aristippus made to one who condoled him upon the lofs of a farm : Why, faid he, I have three farms ftill, and you have but one; fo that I ought rather to be afflicted for you than you for me. On the contrary, foolish. men are more apt to confider what they have loft than what they poffefs; and to fix their eyes upon those who are richer than themselves, rather than on those who are under greater difficulties. All the real pleasures and conveniencies of life lie in a narrow compafs; but it is the humour of mankind to be always looking forward, and ftraining after one who has got the start of them in wealth and ho nour. be pro nour. For this reafon, as there are none can perly called rich, who have not more than they want; there are few rich men in any of the politer nations but among the middle fort of people, who keep their wishes always within their fortunes, and have more wealth than they know how to enjoy. Persons of a higher rank live at beft in a kind of fplendid poverty, and are perpetually wanting, because, inftead of acquiefcing in the folid pleasures of life, they endeavour to outvy one another in shadows and appearances. Men of fenfe have at all times beheld, with a great deal of mirth, this filly game that is continually playing over their heads, and, by contracting their defires, enjoy all that fecret fatisfaction which others are always in queft of. The truth is, this ridiculous chace after imaginary pleafures cannot be fufficiently expofed, as it is the great fource of those evils which generally undo a nation. Let a man's eftate be what it will, he is a poor man if he does not live within it, and naturally fets himself to fale to any one that can give him his price. When Pittacus, after the death of his brother, who had left him a good eftate, was offered a great sum of money by the King of Lydia, he thanked him for his kindness, but told him he had already more by half than he knew what to do with. In fhort, content is equivalent to wealth, and luxury to poverty; or, to give the thought a more agreeable turn, Content is natural wealth, fays Socrates; to which shall add, Luxury is artificial poverty. I fhall therefore recommend to the consideration of those who are always aiming after fuperfluous and imaginary enjoyments, and will not be at the trouble of contracting their defires, an excellent faying of Bion the philofopher; namely, That no man has fo much care, as he who endeavours after the most happiness. In the fecond place, every one ought to reflect how much more unhappy he might be than he really is. The former confideration took in all those who are fufficiently provided with the means to make themVOL. VIII. † H felves felves eafy; this regards fuch as actually lie under fome preffure or misfortune. Thefe may receive great alleviation from fuch a comparison as the unhappy perfon may make between himself and others, or between the misfortunes which he fuffers, and greater misfortunes which might have befallen him. I like the ftory of the honeft Dutchman, who, upon breaking his leg by a fall from the mainmast, told the ftanders-by, it was a great mercy that it was not his neck. To which, fince I am got into quotations, give me leave to add the faying of an old philosopher, who, after having invited fome of his friends to dine with him, was ruffled by his wife, that came into the room in a paffion, and threw down the table that ftood before them: Every one, fays he, has his calamity, and he is an happy man that has no greater than this. We find an inftance to the fame purpose in the life of Doctor Hammond, written by Bishop Fell. As this good man was troubled with a complication of distempers, when he had the gout upon him, he used to thank God that it was not the ftone; and when he had the stone, that he had not both thefe diftempers on him at the fame time. 1 I cannot conclude this effay without obferving, that there was never any fyftem befides that of Christianity, which could effectually produce in the mind of man the virtue I have been hitherto speaking of. In order to make us content with our prefent condition, many of the ancient philofophers tell us, that our difcontent only hurts ourselves, without being able to make any alteration in our circumftances; others, that whatever evil befals us, is derived to us by a fatal neceflity, to which the gods themselves are fubject; while others, very gravely, tell the man who is miferable, that it is neceffary he fhould be fo, to keep up the harmony of the univerfe, and that the Scheme of Providence would be troubled and perverted were he otherwise. Thefe, and the like confiderations, rather filence than fatisfy a man. They may |