at least one Year's Rent more by the Birth of a Child. LAERTES and Irus are Neighbours, whose Way of living are an Abomination to each other. Irus is moved by the Fear of Poverty, and Laertes by the Shame of it. Though the Motive of Action is of fo near Affinity in both, and may be refolved into this, "That to each of them Poverty "is the greatest of all Evils," yet are their Manners very widely different. Shame of Poverty makes Laertes lanch into unneceffary Equipage, vain Expence, and lavish Entertainments; Fear of Poverty makes Irus allow himself only plain Neceffaries, appear without a Servant, fell his own Corn, attend his Labourers, and be himself a Labourer. Shame of Poverty makes Laertes go every Day a Step nearer to it, and Fear of Poverty ftirs up Irus to make every Day fome further Progress from it. THESE different Motives produce the Exceffes which Men are guilty of in the Negligence of and Provifion for themfelves. Ufury, Stock-jobbing, Extortion and Oppreffion, have their Seed in the Dread of Want; and Vanity, Riot and Prodigality, from the Shame of it: But both these Exceffes are infinitely below the Pursuit of a reasonable Creature. After we have taken care to command fo P much as is neceffary for maintaining ourselves in the Order of Men fuitable to our Character, the Care of Superfluities is a Vice no less extravagant, than the Neglect of Neceffaries would have been before. IT would methinks be no ill Maxim of Life, if according to that Ancestor of Sir ROGER, whom I lately mentioned, every Man would point to himfelf what Sum he would refolve not to exceed. He might by this means cheat himself into a Tranquillity on this Side of that Expectation, or convert what he should get above it to nobler Ufes than his own Pleasures or Neceffities. IT is poffible that the Tranquillity I now enjoy at Sir ROGER's may have created in me this way of thinking, which is fo abftracted from the common Relish of the World: But as I am now in a pleasing Arbour surrounded with a beautiful Landskip, I find no Inclination fo ftrong as to continue in these Mansions, so remote from the oftentatious Scenes of Life; and am at this present Writing Philofopher enough to conclude with Mr. Cowley, If e'er Ambition did my Fancy cheat, Ut fit Mens fana in Corpore fano. Juv. AD not Exercife been abfolutely neceffary for our Well-being, Nature would not have made the Body fo proper for it, by giving fuch an Activity to the Limbs, and fuch a Pliancy to every Part as neceffarily produce thofe Compreffions, Extenfions, Con tortions, Dilatations, and all other kinds of Motions that are necessary for the preservation of such a Syftem of Tubes and Glands as has been before mentioned. And that we might not want Inducements to engage us in fuch an Exercise of the Body as is proper for its Welfare, it is fo ordered that nothing valuable can be procured without it. Not to mention Riches and Honour, even Food and Raiment are not to be come at without the Toil of the Hands and Sweat of the Brows. Providence furnishes Materials, but expects that we should work them up our felves. The Earth must be laboured before it gives its Increase, and when it is forced into its feveral Products, how many Hands must they pafs through before they are fit for Ufe? Manufactures, Trade, and Agriculture, naturally employ more than nineteen Parts of the Species in twenty; and as for those who are not obliged to labour, by the Condition in which they are born, they are more miserable than the rest of Mankind, unless they indulge themselves in that voluntary Labour which goes by the Name of Exercise. MY Friend Sir ROGER has been an indefatigable Man in Business of this kind, and has hung feveral Parts of his Houfe with the Trophies of his former Labours. The Walls of his great Hall are covered with the Horns of feveral kinds of Deer that he has killed in the Chace, which he thinks the most valuable Furniture of his House, as they afford him frequent Topicks of Discourse, and fhow that he has not been idle. At the lower End of the Hall is a large Otter's Skin stuffed with Hay, which his Mother ordered to be hung up in that manner, and the Knight looks upon with great Satisfaction, because it seems he was but nine Years old when his Dog killed him. A little Room adjoining to the Hall is a kind of Arsenal filled with Guns of feveral Sizes and Inventions, with which the Knight has made great Havock in the Woods, and destroyed many thousands of Pheasants, Partridges and Woodcocks. His Stable Doors are patched with Nofes that belonged to Foxes of the Knight's own hunting down. Sir ROGER showed me one of them that for Diftinction fake has a Brass Nail struck through it, which cost him about fifteen Hours riding, carried him through half a Dozen Counties, killed him a Brace of Geldings, and loft above half his Dogs. This the Knight looks upon as one of the greatest Exploits of his Life. The perverse Widow, whom I have given fome Account of, was the Death of feveral Foxes; for Sir ROGER has told me that in the Course of his Amours he patched the Western Door of his Q |