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the hopes of fubftituting any other object in the room of that which they lament, refigned their lives to gloom and defpondency, and worn themselves out in unavailing mifery.

Yet fo much is this paffion the natural confequence of tenderness and endearment, that, however painful and however useless, it is juftly reproachful not to feel it on fome occafions; and fo widely and conftantly has it always prevailed, that the laws of fome nations, and the customs of others, have limited a time for the external appearances of grief caufed by the diffolution of clofe alliances, and the breach of domeftick union.

It seems determined, by the general fuffrage of mankind, that forrow is to a certain point laudable, as the offspring of love, or at least pardonable as the effect of weakness; but that it ought not to be fuffered to increase by indulgence, but muft give way, after a stated time, to focial duties, and the common avocations of life. It is at firft unavoidable, and therefore must be allowed, whether with or without our choice; it may afterwards be admitted as a decent and affectionate teftimony of kindness and efteem; fomething will be extorted by nature, and fomething may be given to the world. But all beyond the bursts of paffion, or the forms of folemnity, is not only ufelefs, but culpable; for we have no right to facrifice, to the vain longings of affection, that time which providence allows us for the task of our ftation.

Yet it too often happens that forrow, thus lawfully entering, gains fuch a firm poffeffion of the mind, that it is not afterwards to be ejected; the mournful ideas, firft violently impreffed, and afterwards willingly received, fo much engross the attention, as to predominate in every thought, to darken gayety, and perplex ratiocination. An habitual fadnefs feizes upon the foul, and the faculties

are

are chained to a fingle object, which can never be contemplated but with hopeless uneasiness.

From this ftate of dejection it is very difficult to rife to chearfulness and alacrity, and therefore many who have laid down rules of intellectual health, think prefervatives eafier than remedies, and teach us not to truft ourselves with favourite enjoyments, not to indulge the luxury of fondnefs, but to keep our minds always fufpended in fuch indifference, that we may change the objects about us without emotion.

An exact compliance with this rule might, perhaps, contribute to tranquillity, but furely it would never produce happiness. He that regards none fo much as to be afraid of lofing them, muft live for ever without the gentle pleasures of fympathy and confidence; he must feel no melting fondness, no warmth of benevolence, nor any of thofe honeft joys which nature annexes to the power of pleafing. And as no man can juftly claim more tenderness than he pays, he muft forfeit his share in that officious and watchful kindness which love only can dictate, and those lenient endearments by which love only can foften life. He may justly be overlooked and neglected by fuch as have more warmth in their heart; for who would be the friend of him, whom, with whatever affiduity he may be courted, and with whatever fervices obliged, his principles will not fuffer to make equal returns, and who, when you have exhaufted all the inftances of good-will, can only be prevailed on not to be an enemy?

An attempt to preserve life in a state of neutrality and indifference, is unreasonable and vain. If by excluding joy we could fhut out grief, the fcheme would deferve very serious attention; but fince, however we may debar ourselves from happiness, mifery will find its way at many inlets, and the affaults of

pain

pain will force our regard, though we may withhold it from the invitations of pleafure, we may furely endeavour to raise life above the middle point of apathy at one time, fince it will neceffarily fink below it at another.

But though it cannot be reasonable not to gain happiness for fear of lofing it, yet it must be confeffed, that in proportion to the pleasure of poffeffion, will be for fome time our forrow for the loss ; it is therefore the province of the moralift to enquire whether fuch pains may not quickly give way to mitigation. Some have thought, that the most certain way to clear the heart from its embarrassment is to drag it by force into scenes of merriment. Others imagine, that fuch a transition is too violent and recommend rather to footh it into tranquillity, by making it acquainted with miferies more dreadful and afflictive, and diverting to the calamities of others the regard which we are inclined to fix too closely upon our own misfortunes.

It may be doubted whether either of those remedies will be fufficiently powerful. The efficacy of mirth it is not always eafy to try, and the indulgence of melancholy may be fufpected to be one of thofe medicines, which will deftroy, if it happens

not to cure.

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The fafe and general antedote against forrow, is employment. It is commonly obferved, that among foldiers and feamen, though there is much kindness, there is little grief; they fee their friend fall without any of that lamentation which is indulged in fecurity and idleness, because they have no leifure to fpare from the care of themselves; and whoever fhall keep his thoughts equally bufy, will find himfelf equally unaffected with irretrievable loffes.

Time is obferved generally to wear out forrow, and its effects might doubtless be accelerated by

quick

quickening the fucceffion, and enlarging the variety of objects.

Si tempore longe

Leniri poterit luctus, tu fperne morari,
Qui fapiet fibi tempus erit.

'Tis long ere time can mitigate your grief;
To wisdom fly, fhe quickly brings relief.

GROTIUS.

F. LEWIS.

Sorrow is a kind of ruft of the foul, which every new idea contributes in its paffage to fcour away. It is the putrefaction of ftagnant life, and is remedied by exercise and motion.

NUMB. 48. SATURDAY, Sept. 1, 1750.

A

Non eft vivere, fed valere, vita.

For life is not to live, but to be well.

MART ELPHINSTON.

MONG the innumerable follies, by which we lay up in our youth repentance and remorse for the fucceeding part of our lives, there is fcarce any against which warnings are of less efficacy, than the neglect of health. When the fprings of motion are yet elaftick, when the heart bounds with vigour, and the eye sparkles with spirit, it is with difficulty, that we are taught to conceive the imbecillity that every hour is bringing upon us, or to imagine, that the nerves which are now braced with fo much ftrength, and the limbs which play with fo much activity, will lose all their power under the gripe of time, relax with numbness, and totter with debility.

To the arguments which have been used against complaints under the miseries of life, the philofophers have, I think, forgot to add the incredulity of those to whom we recount our fufferings. But if the purpose of lamentation be to excite pity, it is

furely

furely fuperfluous for age and weakness to tell their plaintive ftories; for pity prefuppofes fympathy, and a little attention will fhew them, that those who do not feel pain, feldom think that it is felt; and a fhort recollection will inform almost every man, that he is only repaid the infult which he has given, fince he may remember how often he has mocked infirmity, laughed at its cautions, and cenfured its impatience.

The valetudinarian race have made the care of health ridiculous by fuffering it to prevail over all other confiderations, as the mifer has brought frugality into contempt, by permitting the love of money not to share, but to engrofs his mind: they both err alike, by confounding the means with the end; they grafp at health only to be well, as at money only to be rich; and forget that every terreftrial advantage is chiefly valuable, as it furnishes abilities for the exercife of virtue.

Health is, indeed, fo neceffary to all the duties, as well as pleasures of life, that the crime of fquandering it is equal to the folly; and he that for a fhort gratification brings weakness and diseases upon himself, and for the pleasure of a few years paffed in the tumults of diverfion, and clamours of merriment, condemns the maturer and more experienced part of his life to the chamber and the couch, may be justly reproached, not only as a spendthrift of his own happiness, but as a robber of the publick; as a wretch that has voluntarily difqualified himself for the business of his ftation, and refused that part which providence affigns him in the general task of human nature.

There are perhaps very few conditions more to be pitied than that of an active and elevated mind, labouring under the weight of a diftempered body; the time of fuch a man is always fpent in forming hemes, which a change of wind hinders him from

execut

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