as he fhould direct.

But mine hoft alfo wifely confidering, that this expedition would be attended with certain expence, and that the profit which he hoped was contingent, acquainted the paflengers with their danger, and propofed that a guard should be hired by a voluntary contribution; a propofal, to which, upon a sight of the robbers through the window, they readily agreed. Spiggot was now fecured against pecuniary lofs at all events, and about three o'clock the knights of the frolic with infinite fatiffaction beheld five paffengers, among whom there was but one gentleman, step into the coach with the afpect of criminals going to execution; and enjoyed the fignificant figns which paffed between them and the landlord, concerning the precautions taken for their de

fence.

As foon as the coach was gone, the fuppofed highwaymen paid their reckoning in great hafte, and called for their horfes: care had already been taken to fiddle them; for it was not Mr. Spiggot's defire that the adventurers should go far before they executed their purpofe; and as foon as they departed he prepared to follow them with his poffe. He was, indeed, greatly furprized to fee that they turned the contrary way when they went out of the inn yard; but he fuppofed they might chufe to take a small circuit to prevent fufpicion, as they might eally overtake the coach whenever they would he determined, however, to keep behind them; and therefore, instead of going after the coach, followed them at a diftance, till, to his utter difappointment, he faw them perfift in a different rout, and at length turn into an inn in Piccadilly, where feveral fervants in livery appared to have been waiting for them, and where his curiofity was foon gratified with their characters and their

Games.

In the mean time the coach proceeded in it's journey. The panic of the paffengers increafed upon perceiving that the guard which they had hired did not come up; and they began to accufe Spiggot of having betrayed them to the robbers for a fhare of the booty: they could not help looking every moment from the window, though it was fo dark that a waggon could not have been feen at the diftance of twenty yards: every tree was mistaken for a man and horfe, the noife of the vehicle in which they rode was

believed to be the trampling of purfuers, and they expected every moment to hear the coachman commanded to ftop, and to fee a piftol thruft in among them with the dreadful injunction- Deliver your 'money.'

Thus far the diftrefs, however great and unmerited, will be deemed ridiculous; the fufferers will appear to have ingeniously tormented themselves, by the fagacity with which they reafoned from appearances intended to deceive them, and their follicitude to prevent mifchiefs which none would attempt.

But it happened that when the coach had got about two miles out of town, it was overtaken by a horfeman who rode very hard, and called out with great eagerness to the driver to ftop: this incident among perions who had fuffered perpetual apprehenfion and alarm from the moment they fet out, produced a proportionate effect. The wife of the gentleman was fo terrified, that the funk down from her feat; and he was fo much convinced of his danger, fo touched at her diftre's, and fo incensed against the ruffian who had produced it, that without uttering a word, he drew a piftol from his pocket, and feeing the man parley with the coachman, who had now ftopped his hories, he shot him dead upon the spot.

The man, however, who had thus fallen the victim of a frolic, was foon known to be the fervant of a lady who had paid carneft for the vacant place in the stage; and having by fome accident been delayed till it was fet out, had followed it in a hackney-coach, and fent him before her to detain it till fhe came up.

Here the ridicule is at an end; and we are furprized that we did not foorer reHet that the company had fufficient caufe for their fear and their precaution, and that the frolic was nothing more than a lye, which it would have been folly not to believe, and prefumption to difregard..

The next day, while the bucks were entertaining a polite circle at White's with an account of the farce they had played the night before, news arrived of the catastrophe. A fudden confusion covered every countenance; and they remained fome time filent, looking upon each other, mutually accused, reproached and condemned.'

This favourable moment was improved by a gentleman, who, though fometimes

ULLY has long ago obferved,

CESAR.

his hopes to the frofts of winter: he that

by long life, is fo confcious of his own decrepitude, as not to imagine that he may yet hold his ftation in the world for another year.

Of the truth of this remark every day furnishes new confirmation: there is no time of life in which men for the moft part feem less to expect the stroke of death, than when every other eye fees it impending; or are more bufy in providing for another year, than when it is plain to all but themselves, that at another year they cannot arrive. Though every funeral that paffes before their eyes evinces the deceitfulnefs of fuch expectations, fince every man who is borne to the grave thought himself equally certain of living at leaft to the next year; the furvivor still continues to flatter himfelf, and is never at a lofs for fome reafon why his life fhould be protracted, and the voracity of death continue to be pacified with fomne other prey.

But this is only one of the innumerable artifices practifed in the univerfal confpiracy of mankind against themfelves: every age and every condition indulges fome darling fallacy; every man amufes himself with projects which he knows to be improbable, and which, therefore, he refolves to purfue without dating to examine thein. Whatever any man ardently defires, he very readily believes that he thall fome time attain: he whofe intemperance has overwhelmed him with difcafes, while he languifhes in the fpring, expects vigour and recovery from the fummer fun; and while he melts away in the fummer, transfers

want of money hinders him from imitating or partaking, comforts himself that the time of diftrefs will foon be at an end, and that every day brings him nearer to a state of happiness; though he knows it has paffed not only without acquifition of advantage, but perhaps without endeavours after it, in the formation of schemes that cannot be executed, and in the contemplation of profpects which cannot be approached.

Such is the general dream in which we all flumber out our time: every man thinks the day coming, in which he fhall be gratified with all his wishes, in which he hall leave all thofe competitors behind, who are now rejoicing like himfelf in the expectation of victory; the day is always coming to the fervile in which they fhall be powerful, to the obfcure in which they fhall be eminent, and to the deformed in which they fhall be beautiful.

If any of my readers has looked with fo little attention on the world about him, as to imagine this reprefentation exaggerated beyond probability, let him reflect a little upon his own life; let him confider what were his hopes and profpccts ten years ago, and what additions he then expected to be made by ten years to his happinefs: thofe years are now elapfed; have they made good the promife that was extorted from them, have they advanced his fortune, enlarged his knowledge, or reformed his conduct, to the degree that was once expected? I am afraid, every man that recollects his hopes, must confefs his disappointment;

and

and own, that day has glided unprofitably after day, and that he is still at the fame diftance from the point of happinefs.

With what confolations can thofe who have thus mifcarried in their chief design, elude the memory of their ill fuccefs? with what amufements can they pacify their difcontent, after the lofs of fo large a portion of life; they can give themselves up again to the fame delufions, they can form new schemes of airy gratifications, and fix another period of felicity; they can again refolve to trust the promise which they know will be broken; they can walk in a circle with their eyes fhut, and perfuade themselves to think that they go forward. Of every great and complicated event, part depends upon caufes out of our power, and part must be effected by vigour and perfeverance. With regard to that which is ftiled in common language the work of chance, men will always find reasons for confidence or diftruit, according to their different tempers or inclinations; and he that has been long accustomed to please himself with poffibilities of fortuitous happinefs, will not easily or willingly be re claimed from his mistake. But the effects of human industry and skill are more easily subjected to calculation: whatever can be completed in a year is divifible into parts, of which each may be performed in the compass of a day; he therefore that has paffed the day without attention to the task affigned him, may be certain that the lapfe of life has brought him no nearer to his object; for whatever idleness may expect from time, it's produce will be only in proportion to the diligence with which it has been used. He that floats lazily down the ftream, in pursuit of fomething borne along by the fame current, will find himself indeed move forward; but unlefs he lays his hand to the oar, and increafes his speed by his own labour, must be always at the fame distance from that which he is following.

There have happened in every age fome contingencies of unexpected and undeferved fuccefs, by which thofe who are determined to believe whatever favours their inclinations, have been encouraged to delight themfelves with future advantages; they fupport confidence by confiderations, of which the

only proper ufe is to chafe away defpair: it is equally abfurd to fit down in idlenefs because fome have been enriched without labour, as to leap a precipice because fome have fallen and efcaped with life, or to put to fea in a storm because fome have been driven from a wreck upon the coast to which they are bound.

We are all ready to confefs, that belief ought to be proportioned to evidence or probability: let any man, therefore, compare the number of those who have been thus favoured by fortune, and of thofe who have failed of their expectations, and he will eafily determine, with what juftnefs he has regiftered himfeif in the lucky catalogue.

But there is no need on thefe occafions for deep enquiries or laborious calculations; there is a far easier method of diftinguishing the hopes of folly from thofe of reafon, of finding the difference between profpects that exift before the eyes, and thofe that are only painted on a fond imagination. Tom Drowfy had accustomed himself to compute the profit of a darling project, till he had no longer any doubt of it's fuccefs; it was at laft matured by clofe confideration, all the measures were accurately adjusted, and he wanted only five hundred pounds to become master of a fortune that might be envied by a director of a trading company. Tom was generous and grateful, and was refolved to recompenfe this fmall affistance with an ample fortune: he therefore deliberated for a time, to whom amongst his friends he fhould declare his neceffities; not that he fufpected a refufal, but because he could not fuddenly determine which of them would make the best use of riches, and was, therefore, moft worthy of his favour. At laft his choice was fettled; and knowing that in order to borrow he muft fhew the probability of repayment, he prepared for a minute and copious explanation of his project. But here the golden dream was at an end: he foon difcovered the impoffibility of impofing upon others the notions by which he had fo long impofed upon himself; which way foever he turned his thoughts, impoffibility and abfurdity arofe in oppofition on every fide; even credulity and prejudice were at laft forced to give way, and he grew afhamed of crediting himself what thame would not suffer him to communicate to another. Z

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To this teft let every man bring his imaginations, before they have been too long predominant in his mind. Whatever is true will bear to be related, whatever is rational will endure to be explained: but when we delight to brood in fecret over future happiness, and fi lently to employ our meditations upon fchemes of which we are confcious that the bare mention would expofe us to derifion and contempt; we should then remember, that we are cheating ourselves by voluntary delufions; and giving up to the unreal mockeries of fancy, thofe hours in which folid advantages might be attained by fober thought and rational affiduity.

There is, indeed, fo little certainty in human affairs, that the most cautious and fevere examiner may be allowed to indulge fome hopes, which he cannot prove to be much favoured by probability; fince after his utmost endeavours to ascertain events, he must often leave the iffue in the hands of chance. And fo fcanty is our prefent allowance of happiness, that in many fituations life could fcarcely be fupported, if hope were not allowed to relieve the prefent hour by pleafures borrowed from futurity; and reanimate the languor of dejection to new efforts, by pointing to diftant regions of felicity, which yet no refolution or perfeverance shall ever reach.

But thefe, like all other cordials, though they may invigorate in a finall quantity, intoxicate in a greater; thefe pleafures, like the reft, are lawful only in certain circumstances, and to certain degrees; they may be useful in a due fubferviency to nobler purpofes, but become dangerous and deftructive when

once they gain the afcendant in the heart: to footh the mind to tranquillity by hope, even when that hope is likely to deceive us, may be fometimes useful; but to lull our faculties in a hargy, is poor and despicable.

Vices and errors are differently mo dified, according to the ftate of the minds to which they are incident. To indulge hope beyond the warrant of reason, is the failure alike of mean and elevated understandings; but it's foundation and it's effects are totally different: the man of high courage and great abilities, is apt to place too much confidence in himself, and to expect from a vigorous exertion of his powers more than spirit or diligence can attain; between him and his with he fees obftacles indeed, but he expects to overleap or break them; his mistaken ardour hurries him forward; and though perhaps he misses his end, he nevertheless obtains fome collateral good, and performs fomething useful to mankind and honourable to himself.

The drone of timidity prefumes likewife to hope, but without ground and without confequence; the blifs with which he folaces his hours, he always expects from others, though very often he knows not from whom; he folds his arms about him, and fits in expectation of fome revolution in the state that shall raife him to greatnefs, or fome golden shower that shall load him with wealth; he dozes away the day in mufing upon the morrow; and at the end of life is rouzed from his dream only to discover that the time of action is past, and that he can now fhew his wifdom only by repentance.

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N° LXX.