conftantly employed to this particular purpose. We exert ambition, we purfue riches and honours, we form friendships and alliances, always with a view of poffeffing one certain particular fituation, which exifts only in our own thoughts, and cannot be found on this fide of the grave. But fince none of the effects of nature are formed in vain, and fince all other beings, mankind excepted, enjoy benefits fufficient and fatisfactory to their natural appetites, it is far from a prefumption to believe that the ALMIGHTY cannot have implanted this natural defire fo ftrongly in all the fons of Adams, without having allotted a proper and agreeable fatisfaction for it: that fatisfaction, we must confefs, is not attainable within the limits of this world. Our moft reasonable inference then is, to conclude, that it may be appropriated to a future ftate.

THE DREAM.

Went to bed one night full of fuch thoughts and reflections as are naturally fuggefted to a confiderate being, by a retrospect of our past lives; which altogether wrought fo upon my mind, that blending

blending itself infenfibly with fleep, it formed the following vifion:

Methought I was inftantly conveyed and fet down in a place that my eye faw no end to. I looked on one fide of me, and observed a gate of most exquifite workmanship, the parts that compofed it were as fine as threads, and a child might have opened it, had it not been guarded by two very powerful, but beautiful figures, whofe names I found to be PROVIDENCE and RELIGION. I faw in letters of gold written over it, "THE GATE OF LIFE." I turned myself from this gate to look forward, and fee what was to be done, when all at once I found myself very much dwindled in form and apprehenfion, fuitable to a child of about feven or eight years old. I was quite charmed, however, with the endlefs variety I faw before me, hills, dales, woods, rivers, plains rifing in profpect one above another.

I wandered with this playful fancy into the first path that prefented itself, where I met with vast numbers of my own age conducted by governeffes of very different difpofitions; fome of thefe little companions beat me, because I happened to gather flowers they were not able to find; others, who were dreffed very fine, feemed to pity me for wearing plain clothes, and for having what they fancied a poor name and no governess.

As

As I wandered farther into this path, I faw a lovely woman approaching towards me, fhe was dreffed in a long white robe, and a veil which almost entirely hid all her beauty, fave what the fporting of a breeze discovered. Every body (for there were multitudes of people in the place) strove to see as much of her as they could; old and young preffed forward to look at her; whilft fhe, unmindful of them all, regarded nothing but the flowers, me, and my companions; this sweet perfon's name was SIMPLICITY. I muft own I felt a pleafure not to be equalled when she took me by the hand, and feeing me without a guide, promised to conduct me for as long a time as I chofe, or for ever. I made no fcruple to refign myself to her direction: as there is no accounting for the workings of a dream, or any unity of time or place preferved in them, I cannot pretend to fay how it was that I felt my ftature and reafon increafing, as I had before felt them diminish. I was employing myself in such tasks as my governess had allotted me, when a venerable perfon accosted me, telling me, that she was going to make a trial of that wisdom, that it was whispered about by my companions I was poffeffed of; that her name was EXPERIENCE; that fhe would be of more use to me in the path I had entered, than any perfon I could meet with; that if I flighted her I

fhould bitterly repent it; and that though my governess was very amiable, and well-meaning, yet the was apt to lead people aftray. As this addrefs was delivered with fome little feverity, and at the fame time reflected on my fair conductress, I gave no heed to it. A beautiful, blooming, tall figure of a man, who they told me was YOUTH, put a bandage over my eyes, and I faw my fage adviser no more.

The breezes of pleafure whiftled in my ears; I went on fwiftly, happy enough with SIMPLICITY at my fide; fhe introduced me to AFFECTION, who embraced me with looks of bewitching tenderness; and entertained me with nothing but difcourfes of love and friendship. But as I advanced, I began to recollect the words of EXPERIENCE, and to wish I had paid a little more attention to her; for I found that both SIMPLICITY and her companion AFFECTION, were confoundedly mistaken in the perfons they met with. They prefented me in one day CIVILITY for ESTEEM, OBSTINACY for PERSEVERANCE and ExTRAVAGANCE for GENEROSITY. I found out afterwards, that they had induftriously kept me in the most retired windings of this vaft place, left I fhould meet with EXPERIENCE, and fo leave them; which whenever I spoke of, AFFECTION, who was infinitely enchanting, clung round me, protesting she would never leave me wherever I went. I found it very

difficult

difficult to get from either of these companions, though they were perpetually involving me in fome misfortune. I fometimes thought I would endeavour to go back and find EXPERIENCE, but in effaying fo to do, I found I had not the power to tread one step over again that I had already come.

Whilft I was in this cruel dilemma, I saw a tall figure that almost frightened me, he was called ADVICE; he had several heads and as many mouths, that were always talking, and contradicting each other; at times I thought I had heard fome things that would prove for my advantage to follow; but before I could put it in practice, another of the heads told me something else; and PRUDENCE, who was very partial to this monfter, ftood by me, and intreated me to listen to all he faid. I was not likely to reap much benefit from it, from the reasons I have related. Meantime my favourite guides SIMPLICITY and AFFECTION, who never left me for a moment, pointed to the Temple of Hymen, where I saw several votaries entering in all the extacy of youthful happiness and joy. I faw them all go in; and though I was fenfible they could not return again by the way that they went, yet AFFECTION told me, there were large and ample fields for me to range in if I would try them.

A young