NUMB, 31. SATURDAY, November 18, 1758.

ANY moralifts have remarked, that pride

MAN

has of all human vices the wideft dominion, appears in the greatest multiplicity of forms, and lies hid under the greatest variety of difguifes; of difguifes, which, like the moon's veil of brightness, are both its luftre and its fhade, and betray it to others, though they hide it from ourselves.

It is not my intention to degrade pride from this pre-eminence of mischief; yet I know not whether idleness may not maintain a very doubtful and obftinate competition.

There are fome that profefs idleness in its full dignity, who call themfelves the Idle, as Bufiris in the play calls himself the proud; who boaft that they do nothing, and thank their stars that they have nothing to do; who fleep every night till they can fleep no longer, and rife only that exercife may enable them to fleep again; who prolong the reign. of darkness by double curtains, and never fee the fun but to tell him how they hate his beams; whose whole labour is to vary the poftures of indulgence, and whofe day differs from their night but as a couch or chair differs from a bed.

These are the true and open votaries of idleness, for whom the weaves the garlands of poppies, and into whofe cup fhe pours the waters of oblivion; who exist in a state of unruffled ftupidity, forgetting

and

and forgotten; who have long ceafed to live, and at whose death the furvivors can only fay, that they have ceased to breathe.

But idleness predominates in many lives where it is not fufpected; for, being a vice which terminates in itself, it may be enjoyed without injury to others; and is therefore not watched like fraud, which endangers property; or like pride, which naturally feeks its gratifications in another's inferiority. Idleness is a filent and peaceful quality, that neither raises envy by oftentation, nor hatred by oppofition; and therefore nobody is busy to cenfure or detect it.

As pride fometimes is hid under humility, idlenefs is often covered by turbulence and hurry. He that neglects his known duty and real employment, naturally endeavours to crowd his mind with fomething that may bar out the remembrance of his own folly, and does any thing but what he ought to do with eager diligence, that he may keep himfelf in his own favour.

Some are always in a state of preparation, occupied in previous meafures, forming plans, accumu lating materials, and providing for the main affair. Thefe are certainly under the fecret power of idlenefs. Nothing is to be expected from the workman whofe tools are for ever to be fought. I was once told by a great master, that no man ever excelled in painting, who was eminently curious about pencils and colours,

There are others to whom idlenefs dictates another expedient, by which life may be paffed unprofitably away without the tedioufness of many vacant hours.

The

The art is, to fill the day with petty bufinefs, to have always fomething in hand which may raise curiofity, but not folicitude, and keep the mind in a ftate of action, but not of labour.

This art has for many years been practifed by my old friend Sober with wonderful fuccefs. Sober is a man of strong defires and quick imagination, fo exactly balanced by the love of ease, that they can feldom ftimulate him to any difficult undertaking; they have, however, fo much power, that they will not fuffer him to lie quite at reft, and though they do not make him fufficiently useful to others, they make him at least weary of himself.

Mr. Sober's chief pleafure is converfation; there is no end of his talk or his attention; to fpeak or to hear is equally pleafing; for he ftill fancies that he is teaching or learning fomething, and is free for the time from his own reproaches.

But there is one time at night when he must go home, that his friends may fleep; and another time in the morning, when all the world agrees to fhut out interruption. These are the moments of which poor Sober trembles at the thought. But the mifery of thefe tirefome intervals, he has many means of alleviating. He has perfuaded himself, that the manual arts are undeservedly overlooked; he has obferved in many trades the effects of close thought, and just ratiocination. From fpeculation he proceeded to practice, and fupplied himself with the tools of a carpenter, with which he mended his coalbox very fuccefsfully, and which he ftill continues to employ, as he finds occafion.

He

He has attempted at other times the crafts of the fhoemaker, tinman, plumber, and potter; in all thefe arts he has failed, and refolves to qualify himfelf for them by better information. But his daily amusement is chemistry. He has a fmall furnace, which he employs in diftillation, and which has long been the folace of his life. He draws oils and waters, and effences and fpirits, which he knows to be of no ufe; fits and counts the drops as they come from his retort, and forgets that, whilft a drop is falling, a moment flies away.

Poor Sober! I have often teazed him with reproof, and he has often promifed reformation; for no man is fo much open to conviction as the Idler, but there is none on whom it operates fo little. What will be the effect of this paper I know not; perhaps he will read it and laugh, and light the fire in his furnace ; but my hope is, that he will quit his trifles, and betake himself to rational and useful diligence.

NUMB. 32. SATURDAY, November 25, 1758.

A

MONG the innumerable mortifications that way-lay human arrogance on every side, may well be reckoned our ignorance of the moft common objects and effects, a defect of which we become more fenfible by every attempt to fupply it. Vulgar and inactive minds confound familiarity with knowledge, and conceive themselves informed of the whole nature of things when they are fhewn their form or told their ufe; but the fpeculatift, who is not content with fuperficial views, haraffes himself with fruitless curiofity, and ftill as he enquires more, perceives only that he knows lefs.

of

every

life

Sleep is a state in which a great part is paffed. No animal has been yet difcovered, whose existence is not varied with intervals of infenfibility; and fome late philofophers have extended the empire of fleep over the vegetable world.

fo

Yet of this change, so frequent, so great, general, and so neceffary, no fearcher has yet found either the efficient or final caufe; or can tell by what power the mind and body are thus chained down in irrefiftible ftupefaction; or what benefits the animal receives from this alternate fufpenfion of its active powers.

Whatever may be the multiplicity or contrariety of opinions upon this fubject, nature has taken fufficient care that theory fhall have little influence on practice. The moft diligent enquirer is not able