mities, than many of the vices that taint the morals of mankind.

I was the other day ruminating on the many mifchiefs I could trace to this fource, when I fell into a flumber, wherein the ever-waking imagination prefented to my fancy the following dream.

Methought I was riding along a narrow dirty lane, and faw before me a crowd of horsemen, galloping full speed towards a neighbouring thicket, to fhelter themselves from a violent ftorm of hail and thunder then falling. I haftened my speed towards the fame place, and faw an old man, loaded with age and infirmities, and grey with time, tottering along on two sticks, with which he was fcarce able to

fupport his feeble limbs. The lane was narrow, and the poor old man uncapable of getting foon enough out of the way of the horsemen, was, in their hurry, joftled down, trod upon by many, and left by them all wallowing in the dirt, without the least tincture of remorfe. My heart felt the fevereft pangs of pity for the almoft expiring wretch; I alighted from my horfe in the midst of the mire, and with much difficulty helped, or rather dragged the poor creature, whofe limbs were now entirely ufelefs, out of the way, to a green bank by the road's fide; from a little rivulet which ran at a fmall distance, I fetched water in my hat, with which I washed the mud from his face, and examined his aged limbs to fee if any of them were broken; but found them all whole, tho' his feeble body was greatly bruifed by the accident. took off my great coat to cover him from the violence of the ftorm, and fat down by him, hoping he

I

would foon recover himself, so as to be able to speak, and inform me where he lived, that I might fend him a more adequate affiftance than it was now in my power to give. In about half an hour, the aged fufferer recovered his speech and thanked me for my humanity, in terms full of gratitude, and told me his houfe was but a few fields beyond the thicket, near which we were fitting; but feeing me fhivering with cold, he offered to return my coat, faying, he could now make fhift to get home by himself. This 1 abfolutely refufed, and infifted on leading him to his habitation. With great difficulty we at laft reached his hovel, for it was no better, entered it; but faw no

living creature except ourselves. I expreffed great uneasiness at his being alone in that feeble, helpless condition, and offered to fend fome perfon from the next village to take care of him; but the old man, after making me fit by him on a bench, faid to me, with a smile on his countenance: "My fon, make yourfelf eafy with regard to me; tho' I am here helpleis, aged, and alone, I am not deftitute of affiftance: that power which fupportsthe fatherless and widow, watches over my preservation. What thou haft done for me, from a principle of humanity and compaffion, I can amply reward: afk therefore, my fon, what would give the greateft pleasure to thy benevolent heart, and it fhall be granted thee; for know, thou compañionate child of my duft, I am a being of a different nature from thine, and poffeffed of powers beyond the reach of human acquifition." As he pronounced thofe words, methought his wrin

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kles difappeared, youthful blood and vigour animated his feeble limbs, and I faw before me, a youth, whofe face thone with radiant majefty, and whofe air, habit, and afpect gave me an idea of thofe celeftial beings, poffeffed of all the bleflings of peaceful immortality. I bowed fubmiffively to the amiable appearance, and with the greatest respect defired him to grant what he thought would most contribute to my happiness; but he infifting that I muft name my wifh, I at laft complied, declaring, that I was defirous of having it always in my power to relieve the diftreffed, and defired fulicity only in proportion to the proper ufe I made of this valuable power. "Your wish is granted, replied the genius; go in peace, and follow the dictates of compaflion and humanity; the means you fhall never want; for when the ordinary fources fail, think on me, and a fupernatural power fhall fupply the deficiency."

I would have proftrated myself at his feet, but he was vanifhed, and I found my felf ftanding near the high-road, with my great coat on, as dry as if no storm had fallen, and my horfe grazing by me.

Highly agitated by this uncom mon adventure, I mounted my horfe, and, without once thinking of the journey I fet out upon, returned, to London, as the moft likely place in the world to find objects for excrciling my new abilities. Nothing could equal the pleasure I enjoyed from reflecting on that fuprem e fatisfaction I should feel in relieving the diftrefles of fo many objects, as daily offered themselves in this great metropolis. 1 was fome time debating with my

felf where, and with what clafs of people I fhould first begin; but at laft concluded to let chance dirc&t me, and to grant my relief promifcuously, as the objects of compaffion fhould fall in my way.

I was impatient for morning, that I might make my first experiment. I dreft my felf in a hurry, and went out full of hope, that I fhould return with a heart replete with joy and gladnefs. I had not gone many paces before I met beggars in abundance, who spoke their wants; and painted their miferies in fuch moving terms, that my heart felt the pangs of compaffion. I gave them money to fupply their prefent neceffities, faw them warmly clothed, commodioufly lodged, and by a with cured them of all their difeafes. I found business fufficient of this kind to employ me the first day, and returned to my chamber to afte that joy, that inward calm and tranquility of mind, the fureft and best reward of doing well. But how great was my dif appointment, when, instead of that ferenity and conftant pleafure which always attends the exercife of virtue, I felt my mind buried in a ftupid kind of langour, now and then agitated by uncommon anxiety, and a certain uneafinefs over my whole frame, when I attempted to reflect on the charitable labours I had performed! This change in my mind highly alarmed me; I concluded I had omitted fomething I ought to have done; but as I could not remember any fuch neglect, I at laft pleafed myfelf with the fancy that my unealinefs proceeded from too great an agitation of the fpirits, and the uncommon fatigue I had underwent.

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The next day I directed my courfe through other streets, and relieved a greater number of beggars than before; but went home infinitely more tortured with anxiety, with out enjoying one gleam of that gladness of heart which used to accompany former acts of beneficence and humanity. I was in a prodigious agony, and ready to fink under this unaccountable load of grief, when a friend came to acquaint me with the melancholy news of the ruin of a merchant of great worth and probity, by the failure of his foreign correfpondents, and the rigour of his creditors at home. I knew he had a numerous family, and their ruin raifed every compaffionate emotion in my breaft, I wished myself mafter of the fum he wanted, and immediately found. it in my ftrong box. On this fortunate discovery, I called a coach, and foon reftored happiness to a worthy family. On my return, I found myself relieved from the oppreffion of fpirits I complained of when my friend came in; and for the first time felt that ferenity of foul that adds a relish to human life.

The next day was employed like the two former, in relieving the begging poor; with this addition, that the fame of my charity brought me applications from fome decayed gentry, who were too lazy to work, and too proud to beg publicly. They had their wishes and were happy; but I knew no joy for the work of that and feveral fucceeding days. While I was walking through the streets methought I faw a great number of prifoners carried to be tried for their crimes. My heart pitied the multitude of wretches doorped to death or diftant banish

ment. I heard the partial moan of their relations, and allowed my heard to imbibe compaffion from the prejudiced accounts given of their actions by their friends and affociates. I used my influence with the miniftry in their behalf; a fupernatural perfuafive power hung on my lips whenever I attempted to fpeak in their behalf; I ftopt the hand of furly juftice, and muffled the fword of indifcriminate mercy. This methought employed me a whole week, but brought me no fatisfaction. I ftopped the mouths of all informers against the breaches of the law, bribed the conftables not to prefent the diforderly houfes in their dif tricts, and perfuaded officious reformers of abuses, that it was cruel to be acceffary to the punishment of their poor neighbours; that if they were guilty of fome errors, through poverty and neceflity, it was not their business to take notice of it, but to leave the affairs to others. By this means none were troubled for diforders of any kind; and all degrees of people were happy as far as I could make them: but myfelf knew no joy, no peace, no tranquility; my days were paffed in a follicitous fearch after the dif treffed, and my nights in torturing anxiety, and perpetual inquietude. By this means my body grew emaciated, till life itself becane a burden. I wished for death, and was ready to fink into the gulph of defpair, when methought as I was walking in the fields without the city, I met the genius, in the old and decrepit form in which he first appeared in the dirty lane. "You seem, my fon, quite difpirited, fail the man; how is it poffible that you,

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The genius, without making any reply, took me by the hand, and placed me on a neighbouring emihence that overlooked the plain, and bid me look around. I obeyed, and faw before me the figure of a women of a moft delicate complexison, and a large fund of good nature in her countenance, but purblind, and her whole frame of fo foft and tender a texture, that the was agitated by every breath of wind, and ready to fall in pieces by the fmallett motion of the bodies by which he was furrounded. The moft gentle touch caufed her heart to tremble, and ready to bound out of its brittle manfion. Her partial blindness contributed to her uneafinefs, by augmenting danger, and caufing her to confider it as much nearer than it really was: but to preferve her from being overwhelmed by the crouds that came to fee her, the fprinkled on every object with a certain liquor from a cornucopia the held in her hand. By the effect of this liquor every perfon that approached her, was rendered as foft, brittle, and blind, as herfelf, and therefore as cautious of touching each other.

When I had viewed this figure with great attention, I turned to the genius, who prevented my enquiry, by faying, "This, my fon, is the goddels of pity, and the fluid the

of which thou haft imbibed a large portion, and is the true caufe of your complaints; for this foft bewitching fluid hath blinded your understanding, and led you into errors to which your heart is a ftranger, and no farther culpable, than not having guarded itfelf againft the infinuations of this purblind deity, who being now removed froin your view, behold the fruit of your blind compassion." The words were no fooner uttered, than I faw before me a croud of beggars whom I had relieved; fome of them I faw carousing on the nicest delicacies, and making merry in the moft abandoned and licentious manner; and often paffing their infipid jetts on the honeft gentleman who had furnished them with the means of this caroufal, and entertaining each other with the forged tales, by which they had wrought on my good nature. I was afhamed of the figure I made in the eyes of thefe wretches; and cafting my eyes on another group, faw them employed in hoplifting, and all manner of enormities. In another corner I saw them hiring children to awake compaffion, counterfeiting maladies, and teaching the young tribe the art of picking pockets with fuccefs. All these 1 faw were my penñoners, creatures I had clothed, and freed from the pangs of want, and the temptations of poverty. On looking a little further, 1 faw, as in a glass, murders, rapes, robberies, and all degrees of villainy, practifed by creatures tutored by my penfioners, and numberless gibbets filled with their offspring. My biood thrilled at the dreadful profpect, and I begged that the fcene might be changed, when

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