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he learnt that we were beings not defigned to exift in this world above threefcore and ten years; that the greatest part of this bufy fpecies fall fhort even of that age ? How would he be loft in horror and admiration, when he should know that this fet of creatures, who lay out all their endeavours for this life, which scarce deferves the name of existence, when, I fay, he fhould know that this fet of creatures are to exift to all eternity in another life, for which they make no preparations? Nothing can be a greater difgrace to reafon, than that men who are perfuaded of these two different ftates of beings, fhould be perpetually employed in providing for a life of threefcore and ten years, and neglecting to make provifion for that, which after many myriads of years will be still new, and ftill beginning; ef pecially when we confider, that our endeavours for making ourselves great, or rich, or honourable, or whatever elfe we place our happinefs in, may after all prove unfuccefsful; whereas, if we conftantly and fincerely endeavour to make ourfelves happy in the other life, we are fure that our en deavours will fucceed, and that we fhalb not be dif appointed of our hope.

The following queftion is ftarted by one of the fchoolmen: Suppofing the whole body of the earth were a great ball or mass of the fineft fand, and that a fingle grain or particle of this fand should be annihilated every thoufand years. Suppofing then that you had it in your choice to be happy all the while this prodigious mafs of fand was confuming by this flow method, until there was not a grain of it left, on condition you were to be miferable for ever after; or, fuppofing that you might be happy for ever after, on condition you would be miferable until the whole mafs of fand was thus annihilated, at the rate of one fand in a thousand years; Which ́* of these two cafes would you make your choice?

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It must be confeffed in this cafe, fo many thoufands of years are to the imagination as a kind of eternity, though in reality they do not bear fo great a proportion to that duration, which is to fol, low them, as an unit does to the greatest number which you can put together in figures, or as one of thofe fands to the fuppofed heap. Reafon therefore tells us, without any manner of hefitation, which would be the better part in this choice. However, as I have before intimated, our reason might in fuch a cafe be for overfet by the imagination, as to difpofe fome perfons to fink underthe confideration of the great length of the firft part of this duration, and of the great distance of that fecond duration, which is to fucceed it. The mind, I fay, might give itself up to that happiness which is at hand, confidering that it is fo very near, and that it would laft fo very long. But when the choice we actually have before us is this, whether we will chufe to be happy only for the fpace of only. threefcore and ten, nay, perhaps of only twenty or ten years, I might fay of only a day or an hour, and miferable to all eternity; or, on the contrary, miferable for this fhort term of years, and happy for a whole eternity: What words are fufficient to exprefs, that folly and want of confideration, which infuch a cafe makes a wrong choice?

I here put the cafe even at the worst, by fuppof ing (what feldom happens) that a courfe of virtue makes us miferable in this life: But if we fuppofe (as it generally happens) that virtue would make us more happy even in this life than a contrary course of vice; how can we fufficiently admire the ftupidity or madnefs of thofe perfons who are capable of making fo abfurd a choice?

Every wife man therefore will confider this life only as it may conduce to the happiness of the other, and cheerfully facrifice the pleasures of a few years to thofe of an eternity. WEDNESDAY,

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No 576. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4.

Nitor in adverfum ; nec me, que cætera, vincit
Impetus; et rapido contrarius evehor orbi.

OVID. Met. 1. ii. ver. 72.

I fteer against their motions, nor am I
Born back by all the current of the sky.

ADDISON.

REMEMBER a young man of very lively parts, and a fprightly turn in converfation, who had only one fault, which was an inordinate defire of appearing fafhionable. This ran him into many amours, and confequently into many diftempers He never went to bed until two o'clock in the morning, becaufe he would not be a queer fellow, and was every now and then knocked down by a conftable, to fignalize his vivacity. He was initiated into half a dozen clubs before he was one and twenty, and fo improved in them his natural gaiety of temper, that you might frequently trace him to his lodgings by a range of broken windows, and other the like monuments of wit and galantry. To be short, after having fully established his reputation of being a very agreeable rake, he died of old age at five and twenty.

There is indeed nothing which betrays a man into fo many errors and inconveniencies, as the defire of not appearing fingular; for which reafon it is very neceffary to form a right idea of fingularity, that we may know when it is laudable, and when it is vicious. In the first place, every man of fense will agree with me, that fingularity is laudable, when, in contradiction to a multitude, it adheres to the dictates of confcience, morality, and honour. In thefe cafes we ought to confider, that it is not cuftom, but duty, which is the rule of

action;

action; and that we fhould be only fo far fociable, as we are reasonable creatures. Truth is never the lefs fo, for being attended to: And it is the nature of actions, not the number of actors, by which we ought to regulate our behaviour. Singularity, in concerns of this kind is to be looked upon as heroic bravery, in which a man leaves the fpecies only as he foars above it. What greater inftance can there be of a weak and pufillanimous temper, than for a man to pafs his whole life in oppofition to his own fentiments? or not to dare to be what he thinks he ought to be?

Singularity, therefore, is only vicious when it makes men act contrary to reafon; or when it puts them upon diftinguishing themselves by trifles. As for the firft of thefe, who are fingular in any thing that is irreligious, immoral, or dishonourable, I believe every one will eafily give them up. I fhall therefore speak of thofe only who are remarkable for their fingularity in things of no importance, as in drefs, behaviour, converfation, and all the little intercourses of life. In these cafes there is a cer tain deference due to cuftom; and notwithstanding there may be a colour of reafon to deviate from the multitude in fome particulars, a man ought to facrifice his private inclinations and opinions to the practice of the public. It must be confeffed, that good fenfe often makes an humourift; but then it unqualifies him for being of any moment in the world, and renders him ridiculous to perfons of a much inferior understanding.

I have heard of a gentleman in the north of England, who was a remarkable inftance of this foolish fingularity. He had laid it down as a rule within himself, to act in the moft indifferent parts of life, according to the moft abftracted notions of reafon and good fenfe, without any regard to fafhion or example. This humour broke out at first in many little oddneffes: He had never any ftated hours

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hours for his dinner, fupper, or fleep; becaufe, faid he, we ought to attend the calls of nature, and not fet our appetites to cur meals, but bring our meals to our appetites. In his converfation with country gentlemen, he would not make ufe of a phrase that was not strictly true: He never told any of them, that he was his humble fervant, but that he was his well-wisher; and would rather be thought a malecontent than drink the king's health when he was not a-dry. He would thruft his head out of his chamber-window every morning, and after having gaped for fresh air about half an hour, repeat fifty verfes, as loud as he could bawl them, for the benefit of his lungs; to which end he generally took them out of Homer; the Greek tongue, especially in that author, being more deep and fonorous, and more conducive to expectoration than. any other. He had many other particularities, for which he gave found and philosophical reafons. As this humour still grew upon him, he chofe to wear a turban instead of a periwig; concluding very juftly, that a bandage of clean linen about his head was much more wholefome, as well as cleanly, than the caul of a wig, which is foiled with frequent perfpirations. He afterwaads judiciously obferved, that the many ligatures in our English drefs muft naturally check the circulation of the blood; for which reafon, he made his breeches and his doub let of one continued piece of cloth, after the manner of the Hufars. In fhort, by following the pure dictates of reafon, he at length departed fo much from the rest of his countrymen, and indeed from his whole fpecies, that his friends would have clapped him into Bedlam, and have begged his eftate; but the judge being informed that he did no harm, contented himfelf with iffuing out a commiffion of lunacy against him, and putting his eftate into the hands of proper guardians.

The fate of this philofopher puts me in mind of

a remark

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