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Inftead of fifty, I will give her five hundred, if you please. God grant a long life to Sultan Mahmoud; whilft he reigns over us, we shall never want ruined villages.

The ftory fays, the fultan was fo touched with the fable, that he rebuilt the towns and villages which had been deftroyed, and from that time forward confulted the good of his people. SPECTATOR.

CHAPTER III.

AVARICE AND LUXURY.

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 fervice, as Pleasure, Mirth, Pomp, and Fashion. Avarice was also very ftrong in his officers, being faithfully ferved by Hunger, Induftry, Care, and Watchfulness. He had likewife a privy-counsellor, who who was always at his elbow, and whispering fomething or other into his ear; the name of this privy-counsellor was Poverty. As Avarice conducted himself by the counfels of Poverty, his antagonist was entirely guided by the dictates and advice of Plenty, who was his firft counsellor and minister of state, that concerted all his measures for him, and never departed out of his fight. While these two great rivals were thus contending for empire, their conquets were very various. Luxury got poffeffion of one heart, and Avarice of another. The father of a family would often range himself under the banners of Avarice, and the fon under thofe of Luxury. The wife and the husband would often declare themselves on the two different parties: nay, the fame perfon would very

often fide with one in his youth, and revolt to the other in his old age. Indeed the wife men of the world flood neuter but alas, their numbers were not confiderable. At length, when thefe two potentates had wearied themfelves with waging war upon one another, they agreed upon an interview, at which neither of their counsellors were to be prefent. It is faid that Luxury began the parley, and after having reprefented 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 inftigation of Poverty, that pernicious counsellor, who made an ill ufe of his ear, and filled him with groundless apprehenfions and prejudices. To this Avarice replied, that he looked upon Plenty (the first minister of his antagonist) to be a much more destructive counfellor than Poverty, for that he was perpetually fuggefting pleasures, banishing all the neceffary cautions against want, and confequently undermining those principles on which the government of Avarice was founded. At laft, in order to an accommodation, they agreed upon this preliminary, that each of them fhould immediately difmifs his privy counsellor. When things were thus far adjusted towards a peace, all other differences were foon accommodated, infomuch that for the future they refolved to live as good friends and confederates, and to share between them whatever conquefts were made on every fide. For this reason we now find Luxury and Avarice taking poffeffion of the fame heart, and dividing the fame perfon between them. To which I shall only add, that fince the difcarding of the counsellors above mentioned, Avarice fupplies Luxury in the room of Plenty, as Luxury prompts Avarice in the place of Poverty.

SPECTATOR,

CHAPTER IV.

PLEASURE AND PAIN.

THERE were two families, which from the beginning of the world were as oppofite to each other as light and darknefs. The one of them lived in heaven and the other in hell. The youngest defcendant of the firft family was Pleasure, who was the daughter of Happiness, who was the child of Virtue, who was the offspring of the gods.Thefe, as I faid before, had their habitation in heaven. The youngest of the oppofite family was Pain, who was the fon of Mifery, who was the child of Vice, who was the offspring of the furies.-The habitation of this race of beings was in hell.

The middle station of nature between these two oppofite extremes was the earth, which was inhabited by creatures of a middle kind, neither fo virtuous as the one, nor fo vicious as the other, but partaking of the good and bad qualities of these two opposite families. Jupiter considering that this fpecies, commonly called man, was too virtuous to be miserable, and too vicious to be happy; that he might make a distinction between the good and the bad, ordered the two-youngest of the above mentioned families, Pleasure, who was the daughter of Happiness, and Pain, who was the fon of Mifery, to meet one another upon this part of nature which lay in the half way between them, having promifed to fettle it upon them both, provided they could agree upon the divifion of it, so as to share mankind between them.

Pleasure and Pain were no fooner met in their new habitation, but they immediately agreed upon this point, that pleasure should take poffeffion of the virtuous, and pain of the vicious part of that fpecies which was given up

to them. But upon examining to which of them any individual they met with belonged, they found each of them had a right to him; for that, contrary to what they had feen in their old places of refidence, there was no perfon vicious who had not fome good in him; nor any perfon fo virtuous, who had not in him fome evil. The truth of it is, they generally found upon fearch, that in the most vicious man, Pleasure might lay claim to an hundreth part; and that in the most virtuous man, Pain might come in for at least two-thirds. This they saw would occafion endless disputes between them, unless they could come to fome accommodation. To this end there was a marriage proposed between them, and at length concluded: by this means it is that we find Pleasure and Pain are fuch conftant yoke-fellows, and that they either make their vifits together, or are never far afunder. If Pain comes into a heart, he is quickly followed by Pleafure; and if Pleasure enters, you may be sure Pain is not far off.

But notwithstanding this marriage was very convenient for the two parties, it did not feem to answer the intention of Jupiter in fending them among mankind. To remedy therefore this inconvenience, it was ftipulated between them by article, and confirmed by the confent of each family, that notwithstanding they here poffeffed the species indifferently, upon the death of every fingle perfon, if he was found to have in him a certain proportion of evil, he fhould be dispatched into the infernal regions by a passport from Pain, there to dwell with Mifery, Vice, and the furies. On the contrary, if he had in him a certain proportion of good, he should be dispatched into heaven by a passport from Pleasure, there to dwell with Happiness, Virtue, and the gods.

SPECTATOR.

CHAPTER V.

LABOUR.

LABOUR, the offspring of Want, and the mother of Health and Contentment, lived with her two daughters in a little cottage, by the fide of a hill, at a great diftance from town. They were totally unacquainted with the great, and kept no better company than the neighbouring villagers; but having a defire of seeing the world, they forfook their companions and habitation, and determined to travel. Labour went foberly along the road with Health on the right hand, who by the sprightliness of her conversation, and fongs of cheerfulness and joy, foftened the toils of the way; while Contentment went fmiling on the left, fupporting the steps of her mother, and by her perpetual good humour increasing the vivacity of her fifter.

In this manner they travelled over forefts and through towns and villages, till at laft they arrived at the capital of the kingdom. At their entrance into the great city, the mother conjured her daughters never to lose fight of her; for it was the will of Jupiter, she said, that their feparation fhould be attended with the utter ruin of all three. But Health was of too gay a disposition to regard the counfels of Labour: she suffered herself to be debauched by Intemperance, and at last died in child-birth of Disease. Contentment, in the absence of her fifter, gave herself up to the enticements of Sloth, and was never heard of after : while Labour, who could have no enjoyment without her daughters, went every where in search of them, till she was at last seized by Laffitude in her way, and died in mifery.

CHAPTER VI.

THE OLD MAN AND HIS ASS.

WORLD.

An old man and a little boy were driving an ass to the next market to fell. What a fool is this fellow (fays a

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