arm like a manacle-" Come on," he whispered, and I followed, unresisting. We went down step after step, silently and swiftly, but there seemed no end to the descent. The passage, which had at first seemed only the breadth of the staircase, continually widened and widened, till there seemed no wall or partition on either side, as far as could be perceived by the dull and uncertain light which pervaded the air; and whereas it had at first been solitary, and we had passed on alone, I began to have an indistinct perception of numerous forms that were hurrying some upwards, some downwards, but all in silence. Not a voice was heard, not a footstep sounded. How long the descent continued I cannot tell, for I became quite unconscious of the lapse of time. At length our feet rested on what seemed a level plain, rough and uneven to the tread, as if we had been passing over rocks mingled with heaps of cinders; which however offered no obstacle to the rapid progress of my companion, nor did I myself seem to feel any difficulty in keeping up with his pace. A faint and lurid glow appeared to be breaking upon the obscurity from a distance, and a rushing sound, like that of a vast torrent, invaded the stillness which had been hitherto so deep and unbroken. It was not long before I beheld, with horror and astonishment, extending as far as the eye could reach, a sheet of wreathing smoke and flame, towering with huge spiral columns high in the air, yet not unbroken and stationary, but ever and anon in different parts subsiding, and blazing up again with renewed fury and a deafening roar, as if roused by the blast of an incessant hurricane.

My companion stopped-" Behold the walls of the eternal prison," he said. I shrunk back in dismay, my hair stood on end, my brain whirled dizzily, and I pressed the hand, that was left free, upon my eyes. "Look up, mortal," cried my guide, "we have passed the gates, and entered the realms of Justice." I looked, and saw that we had indeed, in some mysterious manner, been transported beyond the wall of fire, which rose in terrific splendour behind us, and illumined everything around with a strange unearthly gleam. We were passing along a wide valley, crowded with figures that resembled in their dress and aspect ancient statues: they moved to and fro, sorrowful and perplexed, in silence, with their eyes fixed upon the ground, as if searching for what they could not find. "These," said Dante, are the Gentile philosophers and poets, who when they knew God, glorified him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. To those imaginations they are now wholly surrendered, and that darkness has settled down upon their hearts for ever. "But let us pass forward-it was not these you came to see." I followed, unable to question or reply. Our progress was as rapid as before, so that, for a considerable time, I caught only an imperfect glance of crowds of objects that seem to hurry by us. Some that were nearer our view, my conductor pointed out, and described. "See that anchorite, he said, kneeling upon a mountebank's stage, practising his self-mortification, going through his devotions and telling his beads with incessant toil; while the surrounding multitude, whom he deceived by a pretended sanctity all his life, yell out cries of derision and scorn, that ring for ever in his ears, and cover him with perpetual confusion. Hath he not his due reward?

Observe the tyrant, who sweats there at the forge, endeavouring to link into chains those fiery serpents that coil around and sting him, as he plies his fruitless task. But onward, onward, this is all as nothing to what you have come to see." His cold hand grasped me more firmly, and we pressed on with unabated speed. I looked on either side, and horrors were poured into my heart as into a cup, until it ran over with excess of agony. I saw a battle field on which armies were met for mortal conflict, the eyes of the combatants gleamed with undying hatred, their steeds were like evil spirits in fierceness and strength as they pawed the soil with terrific snortings; the thunders of hell sounded to the charge and they rushed to the onset, and grappled and fought, and trampled and tore each other: then they separated, and again renewed the struggle with additional fury through an eternity of vain and interminable slaughter.

And I saw revellers met round a banqueting board, which was amply spread with delicious meats and enticing wines: they gorged themselves to repletion with dainties for which they had no longer taste or appetite, and quaffed the wine continually which scorched their brain like burning poison; while they shrieked out the same insipid and miserable songs that had been the expression of their earthly happiness. I saw among them forms that I recognized. Methought it sounded strangely to hear the roof of hell re-echo the burden of " Life, let us Cherish" and "Away with melancholy." But Dante turned round, and said in stern sarcastic tone, “Is not the Deity just? have not all these the pleasures in which they delighted, even such as they thought were fitted to satisfy their immortal souls? But onward, neither was it this you came to see." I saw gamblers doomed to throw the dice in perpetual desire, frenzy and des pair: I saw the votaries of fashion whirling in an endless dance, with the smile of courtesy on their cheeks, while their hearts were gnawed by everlasting envy and disdain: and one most strange spectacle I beheld, a wretched suicide, sharpening with unwearied earnestness the weapon of destruction, and driving it to his heart again and again to see if it would let out life, and release him from his agony, but in vain! and he tried the edge, and deeming it not sharp enough, whetted it again for renewed disappointment.

We halted at last. "Look around now, and gaze your fill, said the stern Florentine, for this is what you came to see. Here dwell the professors of a pure Christianity, who knew their master's will right well, but did it not." So I looked, and saw an old man, on whose knees rested a book, in which he read with close attention and intense eagerness; and as he read, he groaned as if his heart would have burst in twain, but it was riveted beyond the power of anguish to rend it. The book he read was the word of God-he had read it on earth morning and evening, he had quoted it and applied it to the admiration of all, but he had never felt its power till now. Again I looked, and I saw a congregation assembled before a pulpit of elegant structure, and they sang the praises of God with voices loud and clear, and the melody of the lip was sweetly tuned, but the heart was ground with eternal remorse. The hymn ceased, and a preacher ascended the pulpit. His form was tall and graceful and his bearing was dignified: and as he waved his hand and commenced a discourse of splendid diction and consummate oratory, descanting upon the

glories of Christ's redemption, who would have thought that the undying worm was piercing his soul within? "There, said Dante, is an admired and popular preacher, a finished pulpit orator,-a man who loved the pulpit as a stage for display, who considered the glories of Christ as an unequalled theme for declamation, and this cross as affording the very climax of tragic effect. Such as the Shepherd was, such were the sheep, and here they may enjoy their favorite excitement for ever. Is not this a sight far worse than that of the tyrant, or even of the suicide? But look again on the other side." I turned in speechless horror, and saw a table spread with a fair white cloth, and bread and wine were placed upon it in seemly order, and men with pale countenances sat round the board in silence, from whose eyes anguish looked forth as from the bars of a prison window. "Understandest thou," said my guide, "is not that more awful than the field of eternal carnage." I replied not, but staggered and became blind with fear. When I recovered my sight, we had turned away, and I saw at a distance a solitary pair moving along in the lurid light, a youth and a maiden, the face of the former concealed by his left hand which was pressed upon it as in a paroxysm of indescribable pain, while he held his other arm at full length as if to hold off the lady who clung to it vehemently and would not leave him. Her attire was rich, her form delicate and graceful, her eye like that of a basilisk, gleaming from under her bold and expressive forehead, which was well relieved by her dark braided hair. She opened her lips and poured forth a tide of song, like the charm of an enchantress; but as she sang, the youth's frame writhed with more violent agony. I turned with a curious and enquiring look to my conductor, who said "would you know who these are? consider them well. That youth was one of no mean attainments, of a mind ardent and strong-he knew the gospel of Christ, and entered the ministry with warm zeal and high expectations of usefulness. There is his rich, graceful, and accomplished aye amiable! but godless wife; and these are the songs with which she seduced his heart from Christ."

I gazed at them again with grief and pity. They came towards us. The full swell of her voice rose upon my ear so sweet and thrilling, that in myself I hardly wondered that he had been overcome. It seemed to

pierce him to the soul. He threw himself down on the ground and writhed in torture. She knelt down and bent over him with an expression of such grief, and at the same time such faithfulness of affection, while her song change to a low and plaintive air, that my heart, which had hitherto been seared and hard, touched by the scene and the melody combined, became soft like that of a child, and I burst into tears. "He weeps," cried a hundred voices, "he is not one of us-who hath ever seen tears in hell?" And at this cry came rushing towards me myriads of forms from every direction, so that, terrified, I started-and behold, the whole scene was gone, vanished entirely, and I found myself lying on the floor of my study, while the moonlight streamed into the room, and looking out I saw once more the houses and trees, and the stars twinkling in the sky above. Then I drew my breath, and wiped the cold sweat from my throbbing brow; and after long musing, I arose sad and depressed, and was sick at heart for many days, for I knew in myself that it was not all a dream, and that those forms were not mere phantoms without a real evidence anywhere.

LABOUR AND CAPITAL, OR MEN AND MASTERS;
THEIR RIGHTS AND DUTIES.

Shewing the NECESSITY OF POPULAR EDUCATION, AND
HOURS" OF LABOUR AS CONTRIBUTING THERETO.

Money is not the capitalist's chief good.
Labour is not the workman's chief end.

"SHORT

THE great contest now going on in the world is between private selfishness and universal right; between personal interests and party prejudices, on the one hand; and the general good of mankind on the other. The great theorem that is being demonstrated is, that direct selfishness is shortsighted; and that men best secure their own good by forgetting themselves, and caring for others. This controversy has been maintained a long time in secret; but now, by the advance of intelligence, is becoming more public, and every successful enterprise is in the right direction: as seen in the increasing freedom of thought, in the emancipation of the slave, in the attempts to emancipate freemen from the excessive domination of labour, and from the thraldom of ignorance: the one aiming at the shackles of the body; the other at the shackles of the mind. We propose examining these subjects in their connection with each other.

The

There have been various efforts made of late by different associations, to alleviate the labours of shopmen, i. e. of those who serve behind the counters; but it seems to be too much forgotten that the same arguments tell in favour of a larger class of persons, and with a greater force; for besides that the greater number is the more important, the majority of this greater number are also more severely tasked; and therefore have greater need of relaxation. But our object is not to exalt the claims of one class to the detriment of another: this is always both foolish and injurious. Society is like the human body; if one class suffers, the others must sympathize: if one is ill-used, the evil will re-act upon the rest. "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it." Only in society the misfortune is, that the consequences are not so readily seen. landholder may impose restrictions on commerce, in order to favour agriculture, and for a time-within a very narrow limit—the end may appear to be gained; but the real effect will eventually be seen, namely, that by injuring one, you injure all;—that agriculture cannot thrive on the ruins of commerce, but must be ruined itself at the same time; for agriculture forms a commodity of the market, and must consequently be influenced by the exchangeable value of other things. But if the interest of the farmer and the merchant cannot really be separated, the same thing is more obviously true of the interest of the employer and the employed. It is a great mistake in either party to think that, in the long run, it can be benefited by injuring the other. Their interests are one. We have, therefore no party quarrel, for or against either; but have to beg the at

tention of both to a subject of mutual interest, namely, the evils of various kinds: first, to the workpeople themselves, and eventually, as a matter of course, to all other classes resulting from a too extended time of labour.

It seems generally imagined that no other sort of reasoning is of value on this question but such as refers to health; in other words, the sound condition of the body, as if this constituted the whole of a man; so that the inquiry has amounted to a problem of this sort,-how much labour, and for how long a time can these bodies endure? Now, we think that this is a grossly ignorant way of handling the question; for, after all that can be said, it is the lowest ground that can be taken. If men could endure an unlimited amount of labour, still they have higher ends to answer than mere labour; and though they possessed iron sinews, and lungs of brass, it would not follow that they are merely machines made for drudgery.

To argue this point chiefly on the score of health, is to take it for granted that man is a "beast of burden," whose task is to be measured

by his power of endurance. But both employers and employed will reject

such a notion with disgust: man is a nobler creature than a camel of the desert, or a carrier's horse. Now, even these animals must not be overwrought, or they become permanently injured; they must be kept in good condition, properly fed and managed, or the avaricious driver outwits himself by running his useful servants. Nay, more, a steam-engine or any other piece of dead machinery, must be kept in good order-properly oiled or greased, otherwise it will wear out too soon.

Let us try to suppose a case. Here, say, is a large factory; huge machines are whirling round in mimic omnipotence, and a few feeble men by the advantage of intelligence are regulating the whole: if, then, some being (not belonging to this world, and not knowing what men are,) should enter such a factory, and look around, he might at first consider men as only a part of the factory,-mere machines moving about and doing their part of the work on the same principle as the rest; he would perceive no difference. But at night, when the whole stopped, he would notice that whilst the straps, rollers, and wheels remain within the walls, that curious bundle of machinery called man moved out of the place and came back in the morning. Here, then, would appear a difference. "Do those moveable engines (men) work in any other factory, or why do they go away and leave the rest behind them ?" And after our inquiring visitor had learned that they went to a home to rest, he would ask, "what does HOME mean? and why is not the factory their resting place, as it is the only permanent place of the larger machines?"

He would next have to learn that these men are living, intelligent, moral creatures, who were not made simply to work, but who work that they may obtain the means of satisfying certain wants. He would learn that these men are linked to similar beings by moral ties, standing in the relation of child, parent, brother, sister, friend; and that besides these social or moral relations to each other, there is also a God above them, to whom they owe admiration, awe, gratitude, submission and love. Here, then, we say, would be a higher point of view in which to regard men; and the next inquiry would be, should there not be some proportion in the time allotted to these various purposes? The discovery that man is a person, not a thing-an end, not a means, throws great light on the subM 3

VOL. I.