The Hill of Science; a Vision.

that season of the year when the ferenity of the sky, the various fruits which cover the ground, the difcoloured foliage of the trees, and all the fweet but fading graces of inspiring autumn, open the mind to benevolence, and difpofe it for contemplation, I was wandering in a beautiful and romantic country, till curiofity began to give way to wearinefs; and I fat me down on the fragment of a rock overgrown with moss, where the rustling of the falling leaves, the dashing of waters, and the hum of the diftant city, foothed my mind into the moft perfect tranquillity, and fleep infenfibly stole upon me, as I was indulging the agreeable reveries which the objects around me naturally inspired.

I immediately found myself in a vast extended plain, in the middle of which arofe a mountain higher than I had before any conception of. It was covered with a multitude of people, chiefly youth; many of whom preffed forwards with the livelieft expreffion of ardour in their countenance, though the way was in many places fteep and difficult. I obferved, that thofe who had but just begun to climb the hill thought themfelves not far from the top; but, as they proceeded, new hills were continually rifing to their view, and the fummit of the highest they could before difcern feemed but the foot of another, till the mountain at length appeared to lofe itself in the clouds. As I was gazing on these things with astonishment, my good genius fuddenly appeared: The mountain before thee, faid he, is the Hill of Science. On the top is the Temple of Truth, whose head is above the clouds, and a veil of pure light covers her face. Obferve the progrefs of her votaries; be filent and attentive,

I saw that the only regular approach to the mountain was by a gate, called the Gate of Languages. It was

E 2

kept

kept by a woman of a pensive and thoughtful appearance, whofe lips were continually moving, as though the repeated fomething to herself. Her name was Memory. On entering this first inclosure, I was stunned with a confufed murmur of jarring voices, and diffonant founds; which increased upon me to fuch a degree, that I was utterly confounded, and could compare the noise to nothing but the confufion of tongues at Babel. The road was alfo rough and ftony; and rendered more difficult by heaps of rubbish continually tumbling down from the higher parts of the mountain and broken ruins of ancient buildings, which the travellers were obliged to climb over at every ftep; infomuch that many, difgufted with fo rough a beginning, turned back, and attempted the mountain no more: While others, having conquered this difficulty, had not fpirits to afcend further, and fitting down on fome rubbish, harangued the multitude below with the greateft marks of importance and felf-complacency.

About half-way up the hill, I obferved on each fide of the path a thick forest covered with continual fogs, and cut out into labyrinths, cross alleys, and ferpentine walks, entangled with thorns and briars. This was called the Wood of Error; and I heard the voices of many who were loft up and down in it, calling to one another, and endeavouring in vain to extricate themfelves. The trees in many places fhot their boughs over the path, and a thick mist often rested on it; yet never fo much, but that it was discernible by the light which beamed from the countenance of Truth.

In the pleasantest part of the mountain were placed the Bowers of the Muses, whofe office it was to cheer the spirits of the travellers, and encourage their fainting fteps with fongs from their divine harps.

After I had obferved these things, I turned my eye towards the multitudes who were climbing the steep afcent, and obferved amongst them a youth of a lively look, a piercing eye, and fomething fiery and irregular in all his motions. His name was Genius. He darted

like

like an eagle up the mountain, and left his companions gazing after him with envy and admiration; but his progrefs was unequal, and interrupted by a thousand caprices. When Pleasure warbled in the valley, he mingled in her train. When Pride beckoned towards the precipice, he ventured to the tottering edge. He delighted in devious and untried paths; and made fo many excursions from the road, that his feebler companions often outstripped him. I obferved that the Mufes beheld him with partiality; but Truth often frowned, and turned afide her face. While Genius was thus wafting his ftrength in eccentric flights, I saw a perfon of a very different appearance, named Application. He crept along with a flow and unremitting pace, his eyes fixed on the top of the mountain, patiently removing every ftone that obftructed his way, till he faw most of those below him who had at firft derided his flow and toilfome progrefs. Indeed there were few who afcended the hill with equal and uninterrupted fteadiness'; for, befide the difficulties of the way, they were continually folicited to turn afide by a numerous crowd of Appetites, Paffions and Pleasures, whose importunity, when they had once complied with, they became lefs and lefs able to refift; and though they often returned to the path, the afperities of the road were more feverely felt, the hill appeared more steep and rugged, the fruits, which were wholesome and refreshing, feemed harsh and ill-tafted, their fight grew dim, and their feet tript at every little obftruction.

I faw, with some furprize, that the Mufes, whose business was to cheer and encourage those who were toiling up the afcent, would often fing in the Bowers of Pleasure, and accompany those who were carried away at the call of the Paffions; they accompanied them, however, but a little way, and always forfook them when they loft fight of the hill. The tyrants then doubled their chains upon the unhappy captives, and led them away, without refiftance, to the cells of Ignorance, or the manfions of Mifery. Amongst the innumerable

E 3

.

innumerable feducers, who were endeavouring to draw away the votaries of Truth from the path of Science, there was one, fo little formidable in her appearance, and fo gentle and languid in her attempts, that I fhould fcarcely have taken notice of her, but for the numbers fhe had imperceptibly loaded with her chains. Indolence (for fo fhe was called) far from proceeding to open hoftilities, did not attempt to turn their feet out of the path, but contented herself with retarding their progrefs; and the purpose she could not force them to abandon, the perfuaded them to delay. Her touch had a power like that of the torpedo, which withered the ftrength of those who came within its influence. Her unhappy captives ftill turned their faces towards the temple, and always hoped to arrive there; but the ground feemed to flide from beneath their feet, and they found themselves at the bottom, before they suspected they had changed their place. The placid ferenity which at firft appeared in their countenance, changed by degrees into a melancholy languor, which was tinged with deeper and deeper gloom, as they glided down the ftream of Infignificance; a dark and fluggish water, which is curled by no breeze, and enlivened by no murmur, till it falls into a dead fea, where the startled paffengers are awakened by the fhock, and the next moment buried in the gulph of Oblivion.

Of all the unhappy deferters from the paths of Science, none feemed lefs able to return than the followers of Indolence. The captives of Appetite and Paffion could often feize the moment, when their tyrants were languid or afleep, to efcape from their enchantment; but the dominion of Indolence was conftant and unremitted, and feldom refifted till refistance was in vain.

After contemplating these things, I turned my eyes towards the top of the mountain, where the air was always pure and exhilarating, the path fhaded with laurels and other ever-greens, and the effulgence which beamed from the face of the goddess, seemed to fhed a glory round her votaries. Happy, faid I, are they who

are

are permitted to afcend the mountain !-But while I was pronouncing this exclamation with uncommon ardour, I faw ftanding befide me a form of diviner features and a more benign radiance. Happier, faid fhe, are those whom Virtue conducts to the manfions of Content! What, faid I, does Virtue then refide in the vale? I am found, faid fhe, in the vale, and I illuminate the mountain: I cheer the cottager at his toil, and inspire the fage at his meditation. I mingle' in the crowd of cities, and blefs the hermit in his cell. I have a temple in every heart that owns my influence; and, to him that wishes for me, I am already prefent. Science may raise you to eminence, but I alone can guide you to felicity! While the goddess was thus fpeaking, I ftretched out my arms towards her with a vehemence which broke my flumbers. The chill dews were falling around me, and the fhades of evening ftretched over the landfcape. I haftened homeward, and refigned the night to filence and meditation.