mixture of affectation in all her geftures. She had a wonderful confidence and affurance in her looks, and all the variety of colours in her drefs, that fhe thought were the most proper to fhew her complexion to advantage. She caft her eyes upon herself, then turned them on thofe that were prefent, to fee how they liked her, and often looked on the figure fhe made in her own fhadow. Upon her nearer approach to Hercules, the stepped before the other lady, who came forward with a regular compofed carriage, and running up to him, accofted him after the following manner:

My dear Hercules, fays fhe, I find you are very much divided in your own thoughts upon the way of life that you ought to chufe: be my friend, and follow me; I will lead you into the poffeffion of pleasure, and out of the reach of pain, and remove you from all the noise and difquietude of bufinefs. The affairs of either war or peace fhall have no power to disturb you. Your whole employment fhall be to make your life easy, and to entertain every sense with its proper gratifications. Sumptuous tables, beds of rofes, clouds of perfumes, concerts of music, crowds of beauties, are all in readiness to receive you. Come along with me into this region of delights, this world of pleasure, and bid farewel for ever to care, to pain, to business.

HERCULES hearing the lady talk after this manner, de fired to know her name; to which she answered, my friends, and those who are well acquainted with me, call me Happiness; but my enemies, and those who would injure my re putation, have given me the name of Pleasure.

By this time the other lady was come up, who addressed herself to the young hero in a very different manner.

HERCULES, fays fhe, I offer myself to you because I know you are defcended from the Gods, and give proofs of that defcent

8

defcent by your love to virtue, and application to the studies proper for your age. This makes me hope you will gain both for yourself and me an immortal reputation. But, before I invite you into my fociety and friendship, I will be open and fincere with you, and must lay down this as an ef*tablished truth, that there is nothing truly valuable which can be purchased without pains and labour. The Gods have fet, a price upon every real and noble pleafure. If you would gain the favour of the Deity, you must be at the pains of worshipping him; if the friendship of good men, you must ftudy to oblige them; if you would be honoured by your country, you must take care to ferve it. In fhort, if you would be eminent in war or peace, you must become mafter of all the qualifications that can make you fo. These are the only terms and conditions upon which I can propose happiness. The Goddefs of Pleasure here broke in upon her difcourfe: You fee, faid fhe, Hercules, by her own confeffion, the way to her pleasures is long and difficult, whereas that which I propose is short and easy. Alas! faid the other lady, whofe vifage glowed with paffion made up of fcorn ́and pity, what are the pleasures you propose? To eat before you are hungry, drink before you are athirft, fleep before you are tired; to gratify appetites before they are raised, and raise fuch appetites as nature never planted. You never heard the moft delicious mufic, which is the praise of one's felf; nor faw 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 anguifh, torment, and remorfe, for old age.

*

As for me, I am the friend of Gods and of good men, an agreeable companion to the artizan, and houshold guardian

{'

to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of servants,

an

an affociate in all true and generous friendships. The banquets of my votaries are never coftly, but always delicious; for none eat or drink at them who are not invited by hunger and thirft. Their flumbers are found, and their wakings cheerful. My young men have the pleasure of hearing themfelves praised by thofe who are in years; and those who are in years, of being honoured by those who are young. In a word, my followers are favoured by the Gods, beloved by their acquaintance, efteemed by their country, and, after the close of their labours, honoured by pofterity.

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 juftice to approve his choice.

CHAP.

VIII:

TATLER.

PITY.

I

N the happy period of the golden age, when all the celestial inhabitants defcended to the earth, and converfed familiarly with mortals, amongst the most cherished of the heavenly powers were twins, the offspring of Jupiter, LOVE and Joy. Wherever they appeared, the flowers fprung up beneath their feet, the fun fhone with a brighter radiance, and all nature feemed embellished by their prefence. They were infeparable companions, and their growing attachment was favoured by Jupiter, who had decreed that a lafting union fhould be folemnized between them fo foon as they were arrived at maturer years. But in the mean time the fons of men deviated from their native innocence; vice and ruin over-ran the earth with giant ftrides; and Aftrea with her

her train of celeftial vifitants forfook their polluted abodes.
Love alone remained, having been ftolen away by Hope,
who was his nurfe, and conveyed by her to the forefts of
Arcadia, where he was brought up among the fhepherds.
But Jupiter affigned him a different partner, and command-
ed him to efpoufe SORROW, the daughter of Atè. He com-
plied with reluctance; for her features were harsh and dis-
agreeable, her eyes funk, her forehead contracted into per-
petual wrinkles, and her temples were covered with a wreath
of cypress and wormwood. From this union sprung a vir-
gin, in whom might be traced a strong resemblance to both
her parents; but the fullen and unamiable features of her
mother were fo mixed and blended with the sweetness of
her father, that her countenance, though mournful, was
highly pleafing. The maids and fhepherds of the neighbour-
ing plains gathered round, and called her PITY. A red-
breast was observed to build in the cabin where she was born ;
and while she was yet an infant, a dove pursued by a hawk
flew into her bofom. This nymph had a dejected appear-
ance, but fo foft and gentle a mien that she was beloved to
a degree of enthufiafm. Her voice was low and plaintive,
but inexpreffibly fweet; and fhe loved to lie for hours to-
gether on the banks of fome wild and melancholy stream,
finging to her lute. She taught men to weep, for fhe took
a ftrange delight in tears; and often, when the virgins of
the hamlet were affembled at their evening sports, the
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, twifted with
her mother's cypress.

f

ONE day, as she fat mufing by the waters of Helicon, her tears by chance fell into the fountain; and ever fince,

E

the

the Mufes' fpring has retained a ftrong tafte of the infufion. Pity was commanded by Jupiter to follow the fteps. of her mother through the world, dropping balm into the wounds fhe made, and binding up the hearts fhe had broken. She follows with her hair loose, her bofom bare, and throbbing, her garments torn by the briers, and her feet bleeding with the roughness of the path. The nymph is mortal, for her mother is fo; and when she has fulfilled her deftined courfe upon the earth, they fhall both expire together, and LOVE be again united to joy, his immortal and long betrothed bride.

MRS. BARBAULD.

CHA P.

IX.

THE DEAD AS S.

A

ND this, faid he, putting the remains of a cruft into his wallet and this fhould have been thy portion, faid he, hadft thou been alive to have fhared it with me. I thought by the accent, it had been an apoftrophe to his child; but it was to his afs, and to the very ass we had seen dead in the road, which had occafioned La Fleur's mifadventure. The man feemed to lament it much; and it inftantly brought into my mind Sancho's lamentation for his; but he did it with more true touches of nature.

THE mourner was fitting upon a ftone bench at the door, with the afs's pannel and its bridle on one fide, which he took up from time to time-then laid them down-looked at them, and fhook his head. He then took his cruft of bread out of his wallet again, as if to eat it; held it fome time in his hand-then laid it upon the bit of his afs's bri