affectation in all her geftures. She had a wonderful confidence and affurance in her looks, and all the variety of colours in her drefs, that she thought were the moft proper to fhew her complexion to advantage. She caft her eyes upon herself, then turned them on those that were present, to see how they liked her, and often looked on the figure she made in her own shadow. Upon her nearer approach to Hercules, she stepped before the other lady, who came forward with a regular compofed carriage, and running up to him, accosted him after the following manner:

My dear Hercules, fays fhe, I find you are very much divided in your own thoughts upon the way of life that you ought to chufe: be my friend, and follow me; I will lead you into the poffeffion of pleasure, and out of the reach of pain, and remove you from all the noise and disquietude of bufinefs. The affairs of either war or peace fhall have no power to difturb you. Your whole employment fhall be to make your life easy, and to entertain every sense with its proper gratifications. Sumptuous tables, beds of rofes, clouds of perfumes, concerts of mufic, crowds of beauties, are all in readiness to receive you. Come along with me into this region of delights, this world of pleasure, and bid farewel for ever to care, to pain, to business.

HERCULES hearing the lady talk after this manner, defired to know her name; to which the answered, My friends, and those who are well acquainted with me, call me Happinefs; but my enemies, and those who would injure my reputation, have given me the name of Pleasure.

By this time the other lady was come up, who addressed herfelf to the young hero in a very different manner.

HERCULES, fays fhe, I offer myself to you because I know you are defcended from the Gods, and give proofs of that

defeent

defcent by your love to virtue, and application to the ftudies proper for your age. This makes me hope you will gain, both for yourself and me, an immortal reputation. But, before I invite you into my fociety and friendship, I will be open and fincere with you, and muft lay down this as an established truth, that there is nothing truly valuable which can be purchased without pains and labour. The Gods have fet a price upon every real and noble pleasure. If you would gain the favour of the Deity, you must be at the pains of worshipping him; if the friendship of good men, you must ftudy to oblige them; if you would be honoured by your country, you must take care to serve it. In fhort, if you would be eminent in war or peace, you must become master of all the qualifications that can make you fo. These are the only terms and conditions upon which I can propose happiness. The Goddess of Pleasure here broke in upon her difcourfe: You see, said she, Hercules, by her own confeffion, the way to her pleasures is long and difficult, whereas that which I propose is short and easy. Alas! faid the other lady, whose visage glowed with paffion made up of fcorn and pity, what are the pleasures you propofe? To eat before you are hungry, drink before you are athirst, sleep before you are tired; to gratify appetites before they are raised, and raife fuch appetites as nature never planted. You never heard the most delicious mufic, which is the praise of one's felf; nor faw the most beautiful object, which is the work of one's own hands. Your votaries pafs away their youth in a dream of miftaken pleasures, while they are hoarding up anguifh, torment, and remorfe, for old age.

As for me, I am the friend of Gods and of good men, an agreeable companion to the artizan, an houfhold guardian to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of fervants, C 3

an

an affociate in all true and generous friendships. The banquets of my votaries are never coftly, but always delicious; for none eat or drink at them who are not invited by hunger and thirst. Their flumbers are found, and their wakings cheerful. My young men have the pleafure of hearing themselves praised by those who are in years; and those who are in years, of being honoured by those who are young. In a word, my followers are favoured by the Gods, beloved by their acquaintance, esteemed by their country, and, after the clofe of their labours, honoured by pofterity.

We know, by the life of this memorable hero, to which of these two ladies he gave up his heart; and I believe, every one who reads this, will do him the juftice to ap prove his choice.

CHA P. VIII.

TATLER.

.

PITY.

IN the happy period of the golden age, when all the ce

leftial inhabitants defcended to the earth, and converfed familiarly with mortals, amongft the most cherished of the heavenly powers were twins, the offspring of Jupiter, LOVE and joy. Wherever they appeared, the flowers fprung up beneath their feet, the fun fhone with a brighter radiance, and all nature feemed embellished by their prefence. They were infeparable companions, and their growing attachment was favoured by Jupiter, who had decreed that a lasting union fhould be folemnized between them fo foon as they were arrived at maturer years. But in the mean time the fons of men deviated from their native innocence; vice and ruin over-ran the earth with giant ftrides; and Aftrea, with

her

her train of celeftial visitants, forfook their polluted abodes. Love alone remained, having been ftolen away by Hope, who was his nurse, and conveyed by her to the forefts of Arcadia, where he was brought up among the fhepherds. But Jupiter affigned him a different partner, and commanded him to efpoufe SORROW, the daughter of Atè. He complied with reluctance; for her features were harsh and difagreeable, her eyes funk, her forehead contracted into perpetual wrinkles, and her temples were covered with a wreath of cypress and wormwood. From this union fprung a virgin, in whom might be traced a strong resemblance to both her parents; but the fullen and unamiable features of her mother were fo mixed and blended with the sweetness of her father, that her countenance, though mournful, was highly pleafing. The maids and fhepherds of the neighbouring plains gathered round, and called her PITY. A redbreaft was observed to build in the cabin where fhe was born; and while she was yet an infant, a dove pursued by a hawk flew into her bofom. This nymph had a dejected appearance, but so soft and gentle a mien that she was beloved to a degree of enthufiafm. Her voice was low and plaintive; but inexpreffibly sweet; and fhe loved to lie for hours together on the banks of fome wild and melancholy stream, finging to her lute. She taught men to weep, for she took a ftrange delight in tears; and often, when the virgins of the hamlet were affembled at their evening fports, fhe would steal in amongst them, and captivate their hearts by her tales full of a charming sadness. She wore on her head a garland compofed of her father's myrtles, twisted with her mother's cypress.

ONE day, as the fat mufing by the waters of Helicon, her tears by chance fell into the fountain; and ever fince,

C 4

the

the Mufes fpring has retained a strong taste of the infufion. Pity was commanded by Jupiter to follow the steps of her mother through the world, dropping balm into the wounds fhe made, and binding up the hearts fhe had broken. She follows with her hair loose, her bosom bare, and throbbing, her garments torn by the briers, and her feet bleeding with the roughness of the path. The nymph is mortal, for her mother is fo; and when she has fulfilled her defined courfe upon the earth, they fhall both expire together, and LOVE be again united to jor, his immortal and long betrothed bride.

MRS. BARBAULD.

CHA P.

IX.

THE

DEAD ASS.

AND this, faid he, putting the remains of a cruft inte

his wallet-and this fhould have been thy portion, faid he, hadft thou been alive to have shared it with me. I thought by the accent, it had been an apoftrophe to his child; but it was to his afs, and to the very afs we had seen dead in the road, which had occafioned La Fleur's mifad venture. The man feemed to lament it much; and it inftantly brought into my mind Sancho's lamentation for his; but he did it with more true touches of nature.

THE mourner was fitting upon a stone bench at the door, with the ass's pannel and its bridle on one fide, which he took up from time to time-then laid them down-looked at them, and fhook his head. He then took his cruft of bread out of his wallet again, as if to eat it; held it fome ime in his hand-then laid it upon the bit of his ass's bridle

--looked