Upon a further view, I perceived that it had many inhabitants, who were so disposed in it, that a numerous body stood conspicuously at one end; a smaller in the middle; and upon the pinnacle a single person only. I concluded that these had the guidance of it, but I was unable to see distinctly, as the Vehicle was often enshrouded in a cloud of dust.

The Vehicle rolled heavily and slowly, though with more case than I should have imagined in so ponderous a machine, along a road which was exactly suited to it, and which, after winding in every possible way, bent its principal course by a wall that was drawn all round the Plain.

As I kept looking at the Vehicle, it appeared sometimes to flag, sometimes to be on the point of stopping, and sometimes to go backwards: but that seeming irregularity in its progress might have been owing, either to my not clearly making out which was its front or back; or to a delusion that arose in me from its inscrutable nature, or to some other cause which I cannot trace; as the road being every where uniform and even, could have presented no obstruction to its

movements.

It struck me that, whenever the Vehicle was unsteady in its motion, a sickly hue overspread the Plain.

A remarkable figure was walking up and down the Plain, with its eyes fixed upon the Vehicle. Its countenance was mild, cheerful, and forbearing, but had a little tincture of suspicion, and was strongly expressive of determination. I saw a sheathed sword by its side.

Upon the wall there were two figures very unlike each other, and yet living in friendship. Both fixed their eyes on the figure in the Plain, as that fixed its eyes on the Vehicle. One was erect, haughty, and magnificently dressed in lace and armour: the other was mean and prying in its look, was coarsely clad, and often lay down and fell, or pretended to fall, asleep; though, when it walked briskly about, it appeared to be very powerful, and even to intimidate its companion. I thought the splendid figure was glad when this seemed inclined to sleep.

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After gazing a length of time with astonishment upon the Vehicle, the Plain, the Wall, and the Figures, I began to regret I did not understand the meaning of them, when my notice was attracted to a little man, who came strutting towards me with a fierce cock of his hat, and a face of prodigious consequence. "Shall I explain what "you are looking at?" said he, introducing himself without further preface. I should be much obliged to you," said I, " but I should "like, first of all, to know who you are, and how you are qualified to "give me the information I desire?" "I am the spirit of a Patriot,” said he proudly: "when I was in the House, I was well known," continued he smiling; now my name only remains---you must have "heard it---it is---" " I never did," said I. "How!" exclaimed the little man, recoiling a dozen steps, as if planet-struck, "'tis impossible "that I should be so soon forgotten---I who brought in a bill, and "made a motion on—” "I thought," said I, you were about to explain to me the sight before us.' I forgot I was dead," said the little man, but you will forgive a little enthusiasm upon a particu

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"lar subject, as well as a little indignation at virtue being so evan(6 escent on earth. Attend.

"The Vehicle you see is the Chariot of Government. The Plain "around you is called Liberty---and the Wall is the boundary of it. "The figure which stands upon the Plain, and eyes the Vehicle so steadfastly, is 'Obedience.' Those upon the Wall are Army' and Police: it is needless to point them out separately, as they are sufficiently distinguished by their dress. On the other side of the "Wall is an extensive territory, abounding in hideous figures, which "wander continually up and down, and watch every opportunity of "the Wall being neglected, to pass over it into this Plain. One is "named Invasion,' whom you will easily know by his furious and "blustering look; as you will 'Licentiousness,' by his mad, drunken, " and sometimes placid demeanor.

"As I intend showing you the Vehicle, the Plain, and the Wall, as they were originally, with the alterations that have been made in them, I shorten my description of those monsters beyond the Wall, "because, being principal actors, they will often appear before your eyes. Look steadfastly, and clear your memory, for the occurrences of many centuries will pass by you with rapidity, and your quickest sight will be able to catch a glimpse only of those which 66 are the most material.

"What if my sight is too dull?" said I. "Oh!" replied the little man, "I will open your eyes in a twinkling---your's are not the first eyes I have opened, believe me. When I was in the House-" "May I ask any questions?" said I---" As few as you can," said the little man.

The little man then flourished a stick he held in his hand, when so magic a change pervaded every thing, that it was long ere I could be persuaded that the objects presented to me were the same as I had been before contemplating. Barrenness usurped the place of Verdure, which faded away; the Plain became rough and desolate, and, like the flood under the influence of the wind, shrunk to a scanty size; and the Vehicle, an enormous, awkward, illjoined, rickety fabric, tottered along, under the weight of a confused horde of people, like an old man who is scarcely able to support his steps. There being no road at this time marked out to confine the progress of the Vehicle within a certain boundary, it rolled, now here, and now there, in various directions, groaning most piteously at every jolt it received from the unevenness of the Plain,

Presently the face of Obedience was wrinkled into a frown--savageness sat upon it: it uttered a dreadful yell, and flashed its sword against the Vehicle. The little man here whispered me that "Obedience" had become "Rebellion."

"Army," who, from the Wall, had been some time regarding "Rebellion" with a look of eagerness and ferocity, now rushed to attack it, and when it had succeeded in driving it away, hastened to assault the Vehicle. Invasion" too, accompanied by "Licentiousness," crossed the Wall, where it was left unprotected, and, either encountering Army and overpowering it, or leaguing itself to Army, overturned the Vehicle, which fell into pieces from the shock.

The people who dwelt in the Vehicle built seven smaller ones from its ruins; but they were so weak and incommodious, as to contain each a single person only; so that the greatest part of the people were compelled to stay upon the Plain. The smaller Vehicles being speedily dissolved, either by the same causes as had destroyed their predecessor, or by frequently running against, and shattering each other, another was erected of a shape altogether new. It was amazingly lofty and capacious, though but one guide sat in it. It was roughly hewn, and without any decoration or finery, but was so solid and strong that it lasted many ages. A road was made for it. "Rebellion," and the monsters on the other side of the Wall, often attacked it, though it as often repelled them; but they sometimes were successful in dislodging its conductor, though they could not demolish the Vehicle.

I had long observed in the Plain an edifice that was much taller than the Vehicle, but, as it had continued immoveable, and had not been interfered with during any of the commotions, I had taken little notice of it. It was clothed in scarlet, was rich and gaudy in the extreme, and of a shape which I confess myself unable to describe. I saw painted on it, fires, and racks, and daggers, and other instruments of torture and violence, with crusts of bread and wafers; and in the midst of this strange medley, engraven in capital letters, words too blasphemous to be cited. There were in it a number of lazy, fat, luxurious men, who did nothing but eat, drink, and sleep, and who never exerted themselves but in striving who should kiss oftenest a prodigious toe, which was cushioned on a prodigious eminence. At one time, as my eyes were turned towards the edifice, I fancied I saw " Licentiousness" creep up its sides; but, perhaps, my sight deceived me in that particular, as the edifice lay at a great distance, and as I never saw "Licen"tiousness" creep out again. Of a sudden, it shook off its lethargy, and rushed along the road where the Vehicle was moving in the opposite direction. The two often met, and the Vehicle being always forced upon the Plain, was so disordered by the roughness of it, together with the shocks which it received from the edifice, that it was well nigh falling to pieces. The conductor, growing at last sensible of the danger of remaining in so lofty and so tottering a fabric, sloped it from the foot of the pinnacle to the ground, to give it a better foundation; and then, in order, I imagined, to balance the parts, disposed in it, as I had seen at first, the people who had lived on the Plain ever since the crumbling to pieces of the original Vehicle. It was now so strong, that it purposely encountered the edifice, and, at one blow, dashed it to atoms.

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Pray," said I to the little man, "what is this edifice called?" "Popery," said he. "Where did it come from?" said I. "The "Devil only knows," replied the little man: "it crept piece-meal into "the Plain, at the time of the seven Vehicles, and was cemented "into the form, and built up to the height you witnessed, by those "who dwelt in it." "What!" said I, in amazement, "did those "slothful people erect of themselves so stately a structure? It ap

❝pears to me impossible that their energies could ever have been "awakened." "They were very industrious," said the little man, "until they had finished the building; but their activity would "have availed them little, without the assistance of an invisible "artizan, named Opinion,' who lent them every possible help, and, "I believe, made them carry the building higher than they had at "first intended. Opinion assisted, in like manner, the inhabitants "of the Vehicle; shaped the Plain as you see it; and is the artificer "of almost every thing about you."

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"Ah!" exclaimed the little man, after a pause, "Obedience "would never have changed to Rebellion; Invasion and Licentious66 ness would never have come into the Plain; the Plain would never "have shrunk up, or lost its beauty; and the Vehicle would never "have been destroyed, or its Conductors thrown out; in short, all "these disturbances and evils would have been prevented, if the "Vehicle had kept within its track." "What if it deviated by acci"dent?" said I. By accident!" said the little man, "by accident! "it has no right to run on the Plain by accident-it never could by "accident." "How do you account then," said I, "for the disasters "that befel the original Vehicle, which had no road to regulate its "journey, and therefore wandered at random over the Plain, through "want of a proper direction?" "There was an obscurity hanging "about that Vehicle," said the little man, "which prevented us from "observing it very accurately. Perhaps Obedience was disgusted at "such a frightful building, or was filled with resentment at its not "restraining itself to one part only of the Plain."

"Can you tell me," said I," the reason of the Vehicle's running "so often upon the Plain, since, instead of deriving advantage from "such incursions, its Conductors have been often thrown from their "seats, and it has generally been so much shaken, as not, for a long "time, to recover its equilibrium? Does it arise from its wishing to "find a better foundation than the road affords, or from some invisi"ble and irresistible attraction in the Plain?" 66 Really I don't "know," answered the little man.

"How is it," I continued, " that the Vehicle moves upon the "Plain, which is so rough, with greater rapidity than it does upon the "road? Why should the Conductor, when dislodged from the pinnacle, "always fall over the precipice behind, to his destruction, as there "appears to be a safe and easy descent by the slope? Why should "he not descend by the slope, as he sometimes ascends by it? And "though the Vehicle is so full of people, why should the Conductor "be the only one ever jogged from his place?" "Really I don't "know," answered the little man.

I had also remarked, in the course of these troubles and transformations, which lasted many centuries, that " Invasion" often took the Conductor's seat, after it had thrown him out; and, though it was thought to be a dreadful monster, as long as it lay concealed on the other side of the Wall, and was attacked by "Obedience," whenever it came into the Plain, yet, when it had succeeded in establishing itself in the pinnacle, it lost its terrors, and was even caressed by

"Obedience." I observed, that whenever "Invasion" crossed the Wall, the Vehicle, finding no protection on the Plain, turned back to the road, as to its only place of security. "Licentiousness" always accompanied "Invasion" in its marcb; but Invasion, as soon as it had taken its seat in the Vehicle, always attempted to drive out "Licentiousness." There was a very odd delusion which prevailed with respect to the Plain, whenever Licentiousness came into it—it seemed infinitely larger than before, though, I was assured by the little man, it had become much smaller. It once or twice happened, I thought, that Invasion entered the Plain, by permission of Army, and by invitation of Obedience, to help them to brush out and cleanse the Vehicle. After the Vehicle had been slanted down for the reception of the people, the pinnacle dwindled in height, the Plain became larger and less barren, and the Figure " Police" was then first placed on the Wall, in order to keep out "Licentiousness," which, claiming some kin to Army, had, on that account, never been totally discouraged from making its inroad on the Plain. "Pray," said I, why are the people disposed in the Vehicle as I see them?" The little man returned me no answer to this question.

It was about this time that the Conductor began to play with some pretty toys which occupied his whole attention. Being, therefore, unable to devote himself to the Vehicle, he employed an Assistant to guide it. As it rolled from the direction of the greatest number of people, the assistant was taken from that body, was stationed in a conspicuous place to observe what was going forward, and was desired to touch, whenever he pleased, a spring that lay under the Conductor's seat, that was connected with the wheels, and that regulated the motion of the whole fabric. I was once or twice on the point of asking the little man, if a female did not sometimes hover round that spring; but, deeming it a deception of my eyes, I thought it best to suppress the question.

"Why," said I, "should the Conductor so engage himself, as "to make it necessary to employ the Assistant?" The little man shook his head mournfully, but said nothing.

The first thing the Assistant did, was to order a set of men that I had not observed before, to attend him. They emerged from the dust that enveloped the very bottom of the Vehicle. If I had not seen where they came from, I should have imagined, from their dismal appearance, that they had either dropped from a cloud that was pregnant with hurricane and thunder, or been shot out of some volcano. They were dressed in enormous powdered wigs, and black gowns, and wore long, gaunt, and vinegar masks. As my eyes were strong enough to pierce through every substance, I could see that their hearts were black, and that receptacle which, in other people's breasts, was inhabited by a little sensitive figure, called Conscience, was in their's vacant. They held under their arms prodigious folios, which were written in an uncouth dialect, and which, the little man told me in a whisper, were, in one respect, like the sybil's books, as if all were burnt but one, that one could contain as much as all. They talked very loudly and volubly, and made use of so many unintelligible phrases and circumlocutions in expressing themselves, that full half