ation, with an Allegory which Homer has fuggefted to me. When Jupiter took into his hands the government of the world, the feveral parts of nature, with the prefiding Deities, did homage to him; one prefented him with a mountain of winds, another with a magazine of hail, and a third with a pile of thunderbolts. The ftars offered up their influences, the ocean gave in his trident, the earth her fruits, and the fun his feafons. Among the feveral Deities who came to make their court on this occafion, the Destinies advanced with two great tuns carried before them, one of which they fixed on the right hand of Jupiter, as he fat upon his throne, and the other on his left; the firft was filled with all the bleffings, and the other with all the calamities of human life. Jupiter, in the beginning of his reign, finding the world much more innocent than it is in this iron age, poured very plentifully out of the tun that ftood at his right hand; but, as mankind degenerated, and became unworthy of his blef fings, he fet abroach the other veffel, that filled the world with pain and poverty, battles and diftempers, jealoufy and falfehood, intoxicating pleasures and untimely deaths. He was at length so very much incensed at the great depravations of human nature, and the repeated provocations which he received from all parts of the earth, that having refolved to deftroy the whole fpecies except Deucalion and Pyrrha, he commanded the Definies to gather up the bleffings which he had thrown away upon the fons of men, and lay them up until the world fhould be inhabited by a more virtuous and deferving raoe of mortals. The The three fifters immediately repaired to the earth, in fearch of the feveral bleffings that had been scattered on it, but found the task which was enjoined them to be much more difficult than they imagined. first places which they reforted to, as the most likely to fucceed in, were cities, palaces, and courts; but instead of meeting with what they looked for here, they found nothing but envy, repining, and the like bitter ingredients of the left-hand veffel: Whereas, to their great furprife, they difcovered content, chearfulnefs, health, innocence and other the most fubftantial bleflings of life, in cottages, fhades, and folitudes. There was another circumftance no lefs unexpected than the former, and which gave them very great perplexity in the difcharge of the truft which Jupiter had committed to them. They obferved that feveral bleffings had degenerated into calamities, and that feveral calamities had improved into bleffings, according as they fell into the poffeffion of wife and foolish men. They often found power with fo much infolence and impatience cleaving to it, that it became a misfortune to the perfon on whom it was conferred: Youth had often distempers growing about it, worfe than the infirmites of old age; wealth was often united to fuch a fordid avarice, as made it the moft uncomfortable and painful kind of poverty. Un the contrary, they often found pain made glorious by fortitude, poverty loft in content, deformity beautified by virtue. In a word, the bleffings were often like good fruits planted in a bad foil, that by degrees fall off from their natural relish, into taftes altogether infipid or unwholefome; and the calamities, like harfh fruits, cultivated in a good foil, and enriched by proper grafts and inoculations, till they fwell with generous and delightful juices. There was ftill a third circumftance, which occa-. fioned as great a furprise to the three fifters as either of the foregoing, when they difcovered several cálamities which had never been in either of the tuns that ftood by the throne of Jupiter, and were nevertheless as great occafions of happiness or mifery as any there, These were that fpurious crop of bleffings and calamities which were never fown by the hand of the Deity,. but grew of themselves out of the fancies, and dispofitions of human creatures; fuch are drefs, titles, place, equipage, falfe fhame, and groundless fear, with the like vain imaginations that shoot up in trifling, weak, and irrefolute minds. The Deftinies, finding them felves in fo great a perplexity, concluded that it would be impoffible for them to execute the commands that had been given them, according to their first intention;. for which reafon they agreed to throw all the bleffings and calamities together into one large veffel, and in that This manner offer them up at the feet of Jupiter. was performed accordingly, the eldest fifter prefented herfelf before the veffel, and introduced it with an apology for what they had done. O Jupiter, (fays fhe) we have gathered together all the good and evil, the comforts and diftreffes, of human life, which We bewe thus prefent before thee in one promiscuous heap, feech thee, that thou thyself will fort them out for the future, as in thy wisdom thou halt think fit; for we acknowledge that there is none befides thee that can judge what will occafion græf or joy in the heart of a human creature, and what will prove a blefing or a calamity to the perfon on whom it is beftowed." TATLER, Vol. III. No. 146. AGE. Of all the impertinent wishes which we hear ex F preffed in converfation, there is not one more unworthy a gentleman, or a man of liberal education, than that of wishing one's felf younger. It is a certain fign of a foolish or a diffolute mind, if we want our youth again only for the ftrength of bones and finews which we once were masters of; it is as abfurd in an old man to wish for the ftrength of a youth, as it would be in a young man to wish for the ftrength of a bull or a horse. These wishes are both equally out of nature, which fhould direct in all things that are not contradictory to juftice, law, and reafon. Age in a virtuous perfon of either fex carries in it an authority, which makes it preferable to all the pleasures of youth; if to be faluted, attended, or confulted, with deference, are inftances of pleafure, they are fuch as never fail a virtuous old age In the enumeration of the imperfections and advan tages of the younger and later years of man, they are fo near in their condition, that methinks it fhould be incredible we fee fo little commerce of kindness between them. If we confider youth and age with Tully, regarding the affinity to death, youth has many more chances to be nearer it than age; what youth can fay more than an old man, He fhall live till night? youth catches diftempers more eafily, its fick nefs is more violent, and its recovery more doubtful. The youth, indeed, hopes for many more days; fo cannot the old man. The youth's hopes are ill grounded; for what is more foolish than to place any confidence upon an uncertainty? But the old man has not room fo much as for hop?; he is ftill happier than the youth; he has already enjoyed what the other does but hope for: one wishes to live long, the other has lived long. But, alas, is there any thing in human life, the duration of which can be called long? There is nothing, which muft end, to be valued for its continuance. If hours, days, months, and years, pafs away, it is no matter what hour, what day, what month, or what year we die. The applaufe of a good actor is due to him at whatever fcene of the play he makes his exit. It is thus in the life of a man of fenfe; a fhort life is fufficient to manifeft himself a man of honour and virtue; when he ceases to be fuch he has lived too long; and, while he is fuch, it is of no confequence to him how long he fhall be so, provided he is fo to his life's end. THE SPECTATOR, Vol. II. No. 153. T. AGREEABLE MAN. HE defire of pleafing makes a man agreeable or unwelcome to thofe with whom he converfes, according to the motive from which that inclination appears. to flow. If your concern for pleafing others arifes from innate benevolence; it never fails of fuccefs ; if from a vanity to excel, its disappointment is no less certain. What we call an agreeable man, is he who is endowed with the natural bent to do acceptable things, from the delight he takes in them merely as fuch; and the affectation of that character is what conftitutes a fop. Under these leaders one may draw up all those who make any manner of figure, except in dumb fhow. A rational and felect converfation is compofed of perfons who have the talent of pleafing with delicacy of fentiments, flowing from habitual chaftity of thought. Now and then you meet with a man fo exactly formed for pleafing, that will make him gain upon every body who hears or beholds him. This felicity is not the gift of nature only, but must be attended with happy circumftances, which add a dignity to the familiar behaviour which diftinguishes him whom we call the agreeable man. It is from this that every body loves and esteems Polycarpus. He is in the vigour of his age, and the gaiety of his life; but has paffed through very confpicuous fcenes in it : Though no foldier, he has thared the danger, and acted with great gallantry and generofity, in a decifive day of battle. To have thofe qualities which only make other men confpicuous in the world, as it were fupernumerary to him, is a circumftance which gives weight to his most indifferent actions; for as a known credit is ready cafh to a trader, fo is acknowledged merit immediate diftinction, and ferves in the place of equipage to a gentleman. This renders Polycarpus. graceful in mirth, important in bufinefs and regarded with love in every ordinary occurrence. SPECTATOR, Vol. IV. No. 280. T. AGREEABLE IN COMPANY. THE true art of being agreeable in company (but there can be no fuch thing as art in it) is to appear well pleafed with thofe you are engaged with, and rather to feem well entertained, than to bring entertainment to others. A man thus difpofed, is not indeed what we ordinarily call a good companion, but fentially is fuch, and in all parts of his converfation |