that of a gentle Breeze paffing over the Leaves of the Foreft, every thing befide was buried in a profound Silence. I was captivated with the Beauty and Retirement of the Place, and never fo much, before that Hour. was pleased with the Enjoyment of C my felf. I indulged the Humour, and • fuffered my felf to wander without Choice or Defign. At length, at the end of a Range of Trees, I saw three Figures feated on a Bank of Mofs, with a filent Brook creeping at their Feet. I ador'd them as the tutelar • Divinities of the Place, and ftood ftill to take a particular View of each of them. The Middlemoft, whofe Name was Solitude, fat with her Arms across each other, and feemed rather penfive and wholly taken up with her own Thoughts, than any ways grieved or difpleafed. The only Companions which the admitted into that Retirement, was the Goddess Silence, who fat on her right Hand with her Finger on her Mouth, and on her left Con"templation, with her Eyes fixed upon the Heavens. Before her lay a celeftial Globe, with feveral Schemes of • Mathematical Theorems. She pre• vented

vented my Speech with the greatest Affability in the World: Fear not, faid fhe, I know your Request before you fpeak it; you would be led to the "Mountain of the Mufes; the only way to it lies through this Place, and no one is fo often employed in conducting Perfons thither as my felf. "When the bad thus fpoken, the rofe from her Seat, and I immediately placed my felf under her Direction; • but whilft I paffed through the Grove, "I could not help enquiring of her who were the Perfons admitted into that fweet Retirement. Surely, faid I, there can nothing enter here but Virtue and virtuous Thoughts: The 'whole Wood feems defigned for the Reception and Reward of fuch Perfons as have spent their Lives according to the Dictates of their ConfciC ence and the Commands of the Gods. You imagine right, faid fhe; affure your felf this Place was at firft defigned for no other: Such it continued to be in the Reign of Saturn, when none entered here but holy Priéfis, Deliverers of their Country from Oppreffion and Tyranny, who repofed themselves here after their

C

Labours,

Labours, and thofe whom the Study and Love of Wisdom had fitted for divine Converfation. But now it is 'become no lefs dangerous than it was 'before defirable: Vice has learned fo to mimick Virtue, that it often creeps in hither under its Difguise. See there! juft before you, Revenge stalking by, habited in the Robe of HoC nour. Obferve not far from him Am'bition ftanding alone; if you ask him his Name, he will tell you it is Emulation or Glory. But the most frequent Intruder we have is Luft, who 'fucceeds now the Deity to whom in better Days this Grove was entirely ' devoted. Virtuous Love, with Hymen, ' and the Graces attending him, once reigned over this happy Place; a whole 'Train of Virtues waited on him, and no dishonourable Thought_durft pre-s fume for Admittance: But now! how is the whole Profpect changed? ⚫ and how feldom renewed by fome few who dare defpife fordid Wealth, and imagine themselves fit Companions for fo charming a Divinity?

THE Goddefs had no fooner faid thus, but we were arrived at the utmost Boundaries of the Wood, which

'lay

It

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lay contiguous to a Plain that ended

at the Foot of the Mountain. Here "I kept close to my Guide, being follicited by feveral Phantomes, who affured me they would fhew me a nearer way to the Mountain of the Muses. Among the reft Vanity was extremely importunate, having deluded infi'nite Numbers, whom I faw wandering at the Foot of the Hill. I turned away from this defpicable Troop with Difdain, and addreffing my felf C to my Guide, told her, that as I had ❝ fome Hopes I fhould be able to reach up part of the Afcent, fo I defpaired of having ftrength enough to attain the Plain on the Top. But being informed by her that it was impoffible to ftand upon the Sides, and that if I did not proceed onwards, I fhould irrecoverably fall down to the lowest Verge, I refolved to hazard any Labour and Hardship in the Attempt: So great a defire had I of enjoying the Satisfaction I hoped to meet with at the end of my Enterprize!

THERE were two Paths, which led up by different ways to the Summit of the Mountain; the one was guarded by the Genius which • prefides

prefides over the Moment of our Births. He had it in charge to examine the feveral Pretenfions of thiofe who defired to pass that way, but to admit none excepting thofe only to whom Melpomene had look'd with a propitious Eye at the Hour of their C Nativity. The other way was guarded by Diligence, to whom many of thofe Perfons apply'd who had met ' with a denial the other way; but he was fo tedious in granting their Requeft, and indeed after Admittance the way was fo very intricate and laborious, that many after they had 'made fome Progress, chofe rather to return back than proceed, and very few perfifted fo long as to arrive at the End they propofed. Befides thefe two Paths, which at length feverally led to the Top of the Mountain, there was a third made up of thefe two, which a little after the Entrance joined in one. This carried thofe happy Few, whofe good Fortune it < was to find it, directly to the Throne of Apollo. I don't know whether I 'fhould even now have had the Refolution to have demanded Entrance at either of these Doors, had I not feen

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