man upon the road) to be trudging it on foot with his fon, that his afs may go light! The old man hearing this, fet his boy upon the afs, and went whifting by the fide of him. Why, firrah! (cries a fecond man to the boy) is it fit for you to be riding, while your poor old father is walking on foot? The father upon this rebuke, took down his boy from the afs, and mounted himself. Do you fee (fays a third) how the lazy old knave rides along upon his beaft, while his poor little boy is almoft crippled with walking! The old man no fooner heard this, than he took up his fon behind him. Pray, honeft friend, (fays a fourth) is that afs your own? Yes, fays the man. One would not have thought fo, replied the other, by your loading him fo unmercifully. You and your fon are better able to carry the poor beaft, than he you. Any thing to please, fays the owner, and alighting with his fon, they tied the legs of the afs together, and by the help of a pole endeavoured to carry him upon their fhoulders over the bridge that led to the town. This was fo entertaining a fight, that the people ran in crowds to laugh at it: till the afs, conceiving a diflike to the over-complaifance of his master, burst asunder the cords that tied him, flipt from the pole, and tumbled into the river. The poor old man made the beft of his way home, afhamed and vexed, that by endeavouring to please every body, he had pleafed nobody, and loft his afs into the bargain.

CHAPTER VII.

HERCULES's CHOICE.

WORLD

WHEN Hercules was in that part of his youth, in which it was natural for him to confider what courfe of life he ought to purfue, he one day retired into a defert, where the filence and folitude of the place very much favoured his meditations. As he was mufing on his prefent condi

tion, and very much perplexed in himfelf on the state of life he fhould chufe, he faw two women of a larger ftature than ordinary approaching towards him. One of them had a very noble air, and graceful deportment; her beauty was natural and eafy, her perfon clean and unfpotted, her eyes caft towards the ground with an agreeable reserve, her motion and behaviour full of modefty, and her raiment as white as fnow. The other had a great deal of health and floridness in her countenance, which fhe had helped with an artificial white and red; and endeavoured to appear more graceful than ordinary in her mein, by a mixture of 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 most 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 fhadow. Upon her nearer approach to Hercules, the ftepped before the other lady, who came forward with a regular compofed carriage, and running up to him, accofted him after the following manner :

My dear Hercules, fays the, 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 difquietude of bufinefs. The affairs of either war or peace fhall have no power to disturb you. Your whole employment fhall be to make your life easy, and to entertain every fenfe, with its proper gratifications. Sumptuous tables, beds of rofes, clouds of perfumes, concerts of mufic, crowds of beauties, are all in readinefs to receive you. Come along with me into this region of delights, this world of

E

pleafure, and bid farewell for ever to care, to pain, to bufinefs.

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 Happinels, 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 herself to the young hero in a very different manner :

Hercules, fays fhe, I offer myfelf to you, because I know you are defcended from the gods, and give proofs of that 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 fociety and friendship, I will be open and fincere with you, and must lay down this as an established truth, that there is nothing truly vaJuable which can be purchased without pains and labour. The gods have fet a price upon every real and noble pleafure. If you would gain the favour of the deity, you must be at the pains of worshiping him; if the friendship of good men, you must study to oblige them; if you would be honoured by your country, you must take care to ferve 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 propofe happiness. The goddess of pleasure here broke in upon her difcourfe: You fee, faid he, Hercules, by her own confeffion, the way to her pleafures is long and difficult, whereas that which I propose is thort and easy. Alas! faid the other lady, whofe vifage 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 athirft, fleep before you are tired;

to gratify appetites before they are raised, and raise such appetites as nature never planted. You never heard the moft delicious mufic, which is the praife 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 mistaken pleasures, while they are hoarding up 'anguifh, torment, and remorfe, for old age.

As for me, I am the friend of the gods and of good men, an agreeable companion to the artizan, an houfehold guardian to the fathers of families, a patron and protector of fervants, an affociate in all true and generous friendthips. 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 thirft. Their flumbers are found, and their wakings cheerful. My young men have the pleafure of hearing themfelves praifed by thofe who are in years; and thofe 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, efteemed by their country, and after the clofe of their la'bours, honoured by pofterity.

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

TATLER.

CHAPTER VIII.

PITY.

In the happy period of the Golden Age, when all the celeftial inhabitants defcended to the earth, and converfed familiarly with mortals, amongst the moft 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 should 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 train of celeftial vifitants forfook their polluted abodes. Love alone remained, baving been stolen away by Hope, who was his nurfe, and conveyed by her to the forests of Arcadia, where he was brought up among the fhepherds. But Jupiter affigned him a different partner, and commanded him to espouse Sorrow, the daughter of Ate. He complied with reluct ance; for her features were harsh and disagreeable, her eyes funk, her forehead contracted into perpetual wrinkles, and her temples were covered with a wreath of cypress and worm wood. 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 red-breaft was observed to build in the cabin where she 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 fo foft and gentle a mein, that she was beloved to a degree of enthufiafm. Her voice was low and plaintive, but inexpreffibly sweet; and she loved to lie for hours together on the banks of fome wild and me