Hercules, by her own confession, the way to her pleasures is long and difficult, whereas that which I propose is short and easy. Alas! said the other laday, whose visage glowed with passion, made up of scorn and pity, what are the pleasures you propose ? To eat before you are hungry, drink before you are athirst, sleep before you are tired, to gratify appetites before they are raised, and raise such appetites as nature never planted. You never heard the most deli. cious 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.

and

As for me, I am the friend of Gods and of good men; an agreeable companion to the artizan, an household guardian to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of servants, an associate in all true generous friendships. The banquets of my otaries are never clostly, but always delicious; for none eat or drink at them who are not invited by hunger and thirst. Their slumbers are sound and their wakings cheerful. 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 favour. ed by the Gods, beloved by their acquaintance, esteemed by their country, and after the close of their labours, honoured by posterity.

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.

TATLER.

CHAP. VIII.

PITY.

IN the happy period of the golden age, when all the celestial inhabitants descended to the earth, and conversed familiarly with mortals, among the most cherished of the heavenly powers were twins, the offspring of Jupiter, Love and Joy. Where, ever they appeared, the flowers sprang up beneath their feet, the sun shone with a brighter radience, and all nature seemed embellished by their presence., They were inseparable companions, and their grow. ing attachment was favoured by Jupiter, who had decreed that a lasting union should be solemnized be- ́ tween them so soon as they were arrived at maturer years. But in the mean time the sons of men deviated from their native innocence; vice and ruin overran the earth with giant strides ; and Astrea with her train of celestial visitants forsook their polluted abodes. Love alone remained, having been stolen away by Hope, who was his nurse, and conveyed by her to the forests of Arcadia, where he was brought up among the shepherds. But Jupiter assigned him a different partner, and commanded him to espouse SORROW, the daughter of Ate. He compled with reluctance; for her features were harsh and disa. greeable, her eyes sunk, her forehead contracted into perpetual wrinkles, and her temples were covered with a wreath of cypress and wormwood. From this union sprang a virgin, in whom might be traced a strong resemblance to both her parents; but the sullen and unamiable features of her mother were so mixed and blended with the sweetness of her father, that her countenance, though mournful, was highly pleasing. The maids and shepherds of the neighbouring plains gathered round and called her PITY.

A redbreast was observed to build in the cabin where she was born; and while she was yet an infant, a dove pur

sued

sued by a hawk flew into her bosom. This nymph had a dejected appearance, but so soft and gentle a mein that she was beloved to a degree of enthusiasm. Her voice was low and plaintive, but inexpressibly sweet; and she loved to lie for hours together on the banks of some wild and melancholy stream, singing to her lute. She taught men to weep, for she took a strange delight in tears; and often, when the virgins of the hamlet were assembled at their evening sports, she would steal in amongst them, and captivate their hearts by her tales full of a charming sadness. She wore on her head a garland composed of her father's myrtles twisted with her mother's cypress.

One day, as she sat musing by the waters of He licon, her tears by chance fell into the fountain, and ever since, the Muse's spring has obtained a strong taste of the infusion. Pity was commanded by Jupi ter to follow the steps of her mother through the world dropping balm into the wounds she made, and binding up the hearts she had broken. She follows with her hair loose, her bosom bare and throb. bing, her garments torn by the briars, and her feet bleeding with the roughness of the path. The nymph is mortal, for her mother is so ; and when she has fulfilled her destined course upon the earth, they shall both expire together, and LOVE be again united to joy, his immortal and long betrothed bride. MRS, BARBAULD.

CHAP. IX.

THE DEAD ASS.

AND this, said he putting the remains of a

crust into his wallet-and this should have been thy portion, said he, hadst thou been alive to have shared it with me. I thought by the accent, it had been an apostrophe to his child; but it was to his ass, and to the very ass we had seen dead in

the

the road, which had occasioned La Fleur's misadventure. The man seemed to lament it much; and it instantly brought into my mind Sancho's lamenta.. tion for his ; but he did it with more true touches of

nature.

The mourner was sitting on a stone bench at the door, with the ass's pannel and its bridle on one side, which he took up from time to time-then laid them downlooked at them, and shook his head. He then took his crust of bread out of his wallet again, as if to eat; held it some time in his handthen laid it upon the bit of his ass's bridle-looked. wistfully at the little arrangement he had made and gave a sigh.

The simplicity of his grief drew numbers about him, and La Fleur among the rest, whilst the horses were getting ready; as I continued sitting in the post-chaise, I could hear and see over their heads.

He said he had come last from Spain, where he had been from the furthest border of Franconia.j and had got so far on his return home when his ass died. Every one seemed desirous to know what business could have taken so old and so poor a man so far a journey from his own home.

It had pleased heaven, he said to bless him with three sons, the finest lads in all Germany; but hav-ing in one week lost two of them by the small po and the youngest falling ill of the same distemper, he was afraid of being bereft of them all; and made a vow, if heaven would not take him from him also he would go in gratitude to St. Jago in Spain.

When the mourner got thus far in his story, he stopped to pay nature her tribute-and wept bitterly.

He said Heaven had accepted the conditions; and that he had set out from his cottage with this poor creature who had been a patient partner of his jour→ ney--that it had eat the same bread with him all the way, and was unto him as a friend.

Every body who stood about him, heard the poor fellow with concern-La Fleur offered him money.

The

-The mourner said he did no want it-it was not the value of the ass-but the loss of him-The ass, he said, he was assured, loved him-and upon this told them a long story of a mischance upon their passage over the Pyrenean mountains which had separated them from each other three days: during which time the ass had sought him as much as he had sought the ass, and that they had neither scarce eat or drank till they met.

Thou hast one comfort, friend, said I, at least in the loss of thy poor heast: I am sure thou hast been a merciful master to him-Alas! said the mourner, I thought so, when he was alive-but now he is dead I think otherwise-I fear the weight of myself and my afflictions together have been too much for him they have shortened the poor creature's days, and I fear! have them to answer for.-Shame on the world! said I to myself-Did we but love each other, as this poor soul loved his ass 'twould be something.STERNE.

CHAP. X.

THE SWORD.

WHEN states and empires have their periods of

declension, and feel in their turns what distress. and poverty is-I stop not to tell the causes which gradually brought the house d'E**** in Britanny into decay. The Marquis d'E**** had fought up against his condition with great firmness, wishing to preserve and still show to the world some little fragment of what his ancestors had been-their indiscretions had put it out of his power. There was enough left for the little exigencies of obscurityBut he had two boys who looked up to him for light -he thought they deserved it. He had tried his sword-it could not open the way-the mounting was too expensive-and simple economy was not a match for it-there was no resource but commerce.