"Art thou of Bethlem's noble college free? "Stark, staring mad, that thou would'st tempt the sea? "On a brown George, with lousy swobbers fed; Say, would'st thou bear all this, to raise thy store, 66 For, not to live at ease, is not to live. "Does some loose remnant of thy life devour. When a government flourishes in conquests, and is secure from foreign attacks, it naturally falls into all the pleasures of Luxury; and as these pleasures are very expensive, they put those who are addicted to them upon raising fresh supplies of money, by all the methods of rapaciousness and corruption; so that Avarice and Luxury very often become one complicated principle of action, in those whose hearts are wholly set upon ease, magnificence, and pleasure. The most elegant and correct of all the Latin historians observes, that in his time, when the most formidable states of the world were subdued by the Romans, the republic sunk into those two vices of a quite different nature, Luxury and Avarice: * and accordingly describes CATILINE as one who coveted the wealth of other men, at the same time that he squandered away his own. This observation on the commonwealth, when it was in its height of power and riches, holds good of all governments that are settled in a state of ease and prosperity. At such times men naturally endeavour *Alieni appetens, sui profusus. SALL. endeavour to outshine one another in pomp and splendour, and having no fears to alarm them from abroad, indulge themselves in the enjoyment of all the pleasures they can get into their possession; which naturally produces Avarice, and an immoderate pursuit after wealth. and riches. As I was humouring myself in the speculation of these two great principles of action, I could not forbear throwing my thoughts into a little kind of allegory or fable, with which I shall here present my reader. There were two very powerful tyrants engaged in a perpetual war against each other, the name of the first was LUXURY, and of the second AVARICE. The aim of each of them was no less than universal monarchy over the hearts of mankind. LUXURY had many generals under him, who did him great service, as PLEASURE, MIKTH, POMP, and FASHION. AVARICE was likewise very strong in his officers, being faithfully served by HUNGER, INDUSTRY, CARE, and WATCHFULNESS: he had likewise a privy-counsellor, who was always at his elbow, and whispering something or other in his ear: the name of this privy-counsellor was POVERTY. AS AVARICE Conducted himself by the counsels of POVERTY, his antagonist was entirely guided by the dictates and advice of PLENTY, who was his first counsellor and minister of state, that concerted all his measures for him, and never departed out of his sight. While these two great rivals were thus contending for empire, their conquests were very various. LUXURY got possession of one heart, and AVARICE of another. The father of a family would often range himself under the banners of AvaRICE, and the son under those of LUXURY. The wife and husband would often declare themselves on the two different parties; nay, the same person would very often side with one in his youth, and revolt to the other in his old age. Indeed, the wise men of the world stood neuter ; but alas! their numbers were not considerable. At length, when these two potentates had wearied them selves selves with waging war upon one another, they agreed upon an interview, at which neither of their counsellors were to be present. It is said that LUXURY began the parley, and after having represented the endless state of war in which they were engaged, told his enemy, with a frankness of heart which is natural to him, that he believed they two should be very good friends, were it not for the instigations of POVERTY, that pernicious counsellor, who made an ill use of his ear, and filled him with groundless apprehensions and prejudices. To this AVARICE replied, that he looked upon PLENTY (the first minister of his antagonist) to be a much more destructive counsellor than POVERTY, for that he was perpetually suggesting pleasures, banishing all the necessary cau- ' tions against want, and consequently undermining those principles on which the government of AVARICE was founded. At last, in order to an accommodation, they agreed upon this preliminary; That each of them should immediately dismiss his privy-counsellor. When things were thus far adjusted towards a peace, all other differences were soon accommodated, insomuch that for the future they resolved to live as good friends and confederates, and to share between them whatever conquests were made on either side. For this reason, we now find LUXURY and AVARICE taking possession of the same heart, and dividing the same person between them. To which I shall only add, that since the discarding of the counsellors above-mentioned, AVARICE Supplies LuxuRY in the room of PLENTY, as LUXURY prompts AVARICE in the place of POVERTY. C. No. THE Americans believe that all creatures have souls, not only men and women, but brutes, vegetables, nay even the most inanimate things, as stocks and stones. They believe the same of all the works of art, as of knives, boats, looking-glasses; and that as any of these things perish, their souls go into another world, which is inhabited hy the ghosts of men and women. For this reason they always place by the corpse of their dead friend a bow and arrows, that he may make use of the souls of them in the other world, as he did of their wooden bodies in this. How absurd soever such an opinion as this may appear, our European philosophers have maintained several notions altogether as improbable. Some of PLATO's followers in particular, when they talk of the world of ideas, entertain us with substances and beings no less extravagant and chimerical. Many ARISTOTELIANS have likewise spoken as unintelligibly of their substantial forms. I shall only instance ALBERTUS MAGNUS, who, in his Dissertation upon the Loadstone, observing, that fire will destroy its magnetic virtues, tells us that he took particular notice. of one as it lay glowing amidst an heap of burning coals, and that he perceived a certain blue vapour to arise from it, which he believed might be the substantial form, that is, in our West-Indian phrase, the soul of the loadstone, There There is a tradition among the Americans, that one of their countrymen descended in a vision to the great repository of souls, or as we call it here, to the other world; and that upon his return he gave his friends a distinct account of every thing he saw among those regions of the dead. A friend of mine, whom I have formerly mentioned, prevailed upon one of the interpreters of the Indian kings, to enquire of them, if possible, what tradition they have among them of this matter: which, as well as he could learn by those many questions which he asked them at several times, was in substance as follows: The visionary, whose name was MARRATON, after having travelled for a long space under an hollow mountain, arrived at length on the confines of this world of spirits, but could not enter it by reason of a thick forest made up of bushes, brambles, and pointed thorns, so perplexed and interwoven with one another, that it was impossible to find a passage through it. Whilst he was looking about for some track or path-way that might be worn in any part of it, he saw a huge lion couched under the side of it, who kept his eye upon him in the same posture as when he watches for his prey. The Indian immediately started back, whilst the lion rose with a spring, and leaped towards him. Being wholly destitute of all other weapons, he stooped down to take up an huge stone in his hand; but to his infinite surprise grasped nothing, and found the supposed stone to be only the apparition of one. If he was disappointed on this side, he was as much pleased on the other, when he found the lion, which had seized on his left shoulder, had no power to hurt him, and was only the ghost of that ravenous creature which it appeared to be. He no sooner got rid of his impotent enemy, but he marched up to the wood, and after having surveyed it for some time, * See No. 50. |