away. In the midst of this vast trackless plain how will you now distinguish your path? This brink of a precipice that you are to pass along, does not your head turn at it? Do not you wish again for your safe boundary? Well, but here the path is safe and open: amuse yourself, look around you. I do not like my own path. Yonder is one much fairer, passing over a much nobler eminence. I like my own path less than ever. I do not yet see far enough. O thou spirit of disorder and confusion, canst thou not be contented to move in the way allotted thee? Deviate then into ruin. Many a winding walk presents itself on each hand; art thou willing to venture?-No, let us pursue this safer vulgar path. Must we have dirt and cloudy weather too?-You must: it belongs to this portion of the universe. This rain that displeases you here, is nourishing sweet herbs and delicious fruits, that will refresh you a few furlongs hence. Behold now the advantage of these despicable things you are hedged in with; these thorns that sometimes pull you back, are often crowned with gay and fragrant blossoms, to make the tedious journey seem less irksome ; those thick trees, that bar your wandering view, are dressed in a soft verdure that relieves your eye, and enables it sometimes to take a better glimpse through the branches on objects that it could not dwell upon till it becomes stronger. Beneath a cypress lay a gloomy philosopher, who called out in a dismal tone, "Whoever you are, foolish passenger, know your own misery: it is impossible to have any rational enjoyment in this your despicable state: banish the thought of

comfort. You are a parcel of wretches to be happy is none of your business; to be cheerful is an absurdity. These blossoms are transient as the spring; those vile fruits you gather as you pass along ought not to detain your attention one moment from those gems that glitter on your heads, which are your only real treasure. Those wretched fruits what are they?" "They are what support us from one state to another," said a plain man, who passed by; "and our stock of gems is gradually decreasing if we keep but steadily in the right path, and gently and patiently remove the thorns and briers that molest us as we move towards the country of diamonds." Immediately my reverie transported me into a fair. Long streets of booths, crossing each other at right angles, formed very regular squares, of which some were handsome, and some very ugly, from the different structures of the booths. Several market-women were carrying away bundles and baskets marked with the names of the various proprietors. I met a hag of a very untoward look, bent almost double with the weight of years, her brow wrinkled, and her complexion weather beaten. The sight of her displeased me, but she was not to be avoided. "Here," said she, offering me a filthy basket, covered at the top with thorns, "take your purchase, and make much of it." "My purchase," said I, stepping back.

66 "Nay," said she, even take it," and flung it at my head. But as she turned away, a smile, that began to brighten on her solemn face, discovered to me that she was the good fairy Experience. I sat down with the encouragement

this discovery gave me, and began to examine her basket. The thorns it was covered with cost me a good deal of time to disentangle, and take them out with safety to my fingers, but I recollected them distinctly every one to be such as had perplexed me and torn my clothes as I passed along the narrow path, and which one by one I had gently broken off the boughs while I pursued my journey. These were the very individual thorns and briers; and, while I was wondering how they should come to be so collected, I came to the bottom, where I found a row of inestimable pearls, equal in number to the briers, large, even, round, and of exquisite polish. Beside them lay a scrap of paper, with these words written on it :

"Philosophy and evenness of temper are pearls, which we purchase at the price of those vexations and crosses in life that occur to us every day. Nothing in this world is to be had for nothing. Every difficulty we surmount is the purchase of some advantage. Go through the fair and see."

I perceived good genius standing near me, and desired him to be my cicerone. We went through the booths, and examined the purchases. Here the coin paid down for health and ease, and freedom from perplexity, was stamped with care and prudence: the copper money of mere plodding perseverance was the price of wealth, honour, learning, and accomplishments. In one place there was a sort of Monmouth Street, where people were bartering old bad habits for new ones, every way more becoming, but seemed to think their bargains very hard; and the very

article of fitting them on occasioned such a vari. ety of wry faces as would have given great diversion to a grotesque painter. It was a melancholy amusement to see how people mistook in the value they set upon things, how often they passed by, with a slighting air, those goods which at first they might have had for a trifle; and never knew the worth of them till they were engaged to other bidders, or the price was raised very high, or themselves, perhaps, gone so far off before they took the fancy of returning, that they could not find their way back without a guide; and in the whole place there was but one guide to be met with, and she of so forbidding an aspect, and so disagreeable a conversation, as made her a very undesirable companion. She severely reproved their folly, and obliged them to throw away the bargains on which they had most set their heart, and then led them back to the fair, by a rough roundabout way, to buy those they had formerly slighted; by the time they had got there she began to wear a gentle aspect, and they found so much advantage in the change of their purchases, that, notwithstanding all her rude treatment, they acknowledged Repentance as a very useful friend.

Leisure, I found, was a metal, that proved more or less valuable according to the image stamped upon it, and, as I saw what admirablè curiosities it purchased in the hands of good managers, I was quite provoked to see what quantities of it were flung away: but this was nothing. I saw many fine people throw away handfuls of diamonds, that they might have their fingers at liberty to catch butterflies.

In some parts of the fair every body seemed to be playing at cross purposes: the most valuable gems were squandered away for trifles, which yet they could not purchase, and trifles offered for jewels of the highest price. I saw my friend Fosco, the antiquarian, among a multitude of the same class, who brought such a quantity of time and industry as would have purchased any thing in the whole place, and poured it out before a cabinet of copper coins, which still, after all, wanted one or two of being perfect. I saw others of gayer appearance buy a shadow, a flower, a feather, at still a higher price. At last, to my infinite vexation, a less shadowy figure stood before me, and a summons to attend some visiters that were just alighted put an end to my reverie.

MISS TALBOT.

THE

PROPER EMPLOYMENT OF TIME. I was yesterday pursuing the hint which I mentioned in my last paper, and comparing together the industry of man with that of other creatures; in which I could not but observe, that notwithstanding we are obliged by duty to keep ourselves in constant employ, after the same manner as inferior animals are prompted to it by instinct, we fall very short of them in this particular. We are here the more inexcusable, because there is a greater variety of business to which we may apply ourselves. Reason opens to us a large field of affairs, which other creatures are not capable of. Beasts of prey, and I believe all