Hope is, indeed, very fallacious, and promises what it feldom gives; but its promises are more valuable than the gifts of fortune, and it feldom fruftrates us without affuring us of recompenfing the delay by a greater bounty.

I was mufing on this ftrange inclination which every man feels to deceive himself, and confidering the advantages and dangers proceeding from this gay profpect of futurity, when, falling asleep, on a fudden I found myself placed in a garden, of which my fight could defcry no limits. Every scene about me was gay and gladsome, light with funfhine, and fragrant with perfumes; the ground was painted with all the variety of spring, and all the choir of nature was finging in the groves. When I had recovered from the first raptures, with which the confufion of pleafu.e had for a time entranced me, I began to take a particular and deliberate view of this delightful region. I then perceived that I had yet higher gratifications to expect, and that, at a fmall distance from. me, there were brighter flowers, clearer fountains, and more lofty groves, where the birds, which I yet heard but faintly, were exerting all their power of melody. The trees about me were beautiful with verdure, and fragrant with bloffoms; but I was tempted to leave them by the fight of ripe fruits, which feemed to hang only to be plucked. I therefore walked haftily forwards, but found, as I proceeded, that the colours of the field faded at my approach, the fruit fell before I reached it, the birds flew ftill finging before me, and though I preffed onward with great celerity, I was ftill in fight of pleafures of which I could not yet gain the poffeffion, and which feemed to mock my diligence, and to retire as I advanced,

Though

Though I was confounded with so many alterna tions of joy and grief, I yet perfifted to go forward, in hopes that these fugitive delights would in time be overtaken. At length I faw an innumerable multitude of every age and fex, who feemed all to partake of fome general felicity; for every check was flushed with confidence, and every eye sparkled with eagerness: yet each appeared to have fome particular and fecret pleasure, and very few were willing to communicate their intentions, or extend their concern beyond themselves. Most of them feemed, by the rapidity of their motion, too bufy to gratify the curiofity of a stranger, and therefore I was content for a while to gaze upon them, without interrupting them with troublesome enquiries. At laft I obferved one man worn with time, and unable to ftruggle in the crowd; and therefore, fuppofing him more at leifure, I began to accoft him: but he turned from me with anger, and told me he must not be disturbed, for the great hour of projection was now come, when Mercury fhould lose his wings, and flavery should no longer dig the mine for gold.

I left him, and attempted another, whofe foft. ness of mien, and easy movement, gave me reason to hope for a more agreeable reception: but he told me, with a low bow, that nothing would make him more happy than an opportunity of ferving me, which he could not now want, for a place which he had been twenty years foliciting would be foon vacant. From him I had recourfe to the next, who was departing in hafte to take poffeffion of the eftate of an uncle, who by the course of nature could not live long. He that followed was preparing to dive for treasure in a

new-invented bell; and another was on the point of difcovering the longitude.

Being thus rejected wherefoever I applied myfelf, for information, I began to imagine it beft to refift from enquiry, and try what my own obfervation would discover: but feeing a young man, gay and thoughtless, I refolved upon one more experiment, and was informed that I was in the garden of HOPE, the daughter of DESIRE, and that all those whom I faw thus tumultuoufly buftling round me, were incited by the promises of HOPE, and haftening to feize the gifts which the held in her hand.

I turned my fight upward, and faw a goddess in the bloom of youth fitting on a throne: around her lay all the gifts of fortune, and all the bleffings of life, were spread abroad to view; fhe had a perpetual gaiety of afpect, and every one imagined that her fmile, which was impartial and general, was directed to himself, and triumphed in his own fuperiority to others, who had conceived the fame confidence from the fame miftake..

I then mounted an eminence, from which I had a more extensive view of the whole place, and could with lefs perplexity confider the different conduct of the crowds that filled it. From this station I obferved, that the entrance into the garden of HOPE was by two gates, one of which was kept by REASON, and the other by FANCY. REASON was furly and fcrupulous, aud feldom turned the key without many interrogatories and long hesitation; but FANCY was a kind and gentle portress, she held her gate wide open, and welcomed all equally to the diftrict under her fuperintendency; fo that the paffage was crowded by all those who either feared

the

the examination of REASON, or had been rejected by her.

From the gate of REASON there was a way to the throne of HOPE, by a craggy, flippery, and winding path, called the Streight of Difficulty, which thofe who entered with the permiffion of the guard endeavoured to climb. But though they furveyed the way very cheerfully before they began to rife, and marked out the feveral stages of their progress, they commonly found unexpected obftacles, and were obliged frequently to stop on the fudden, where they imagined the way plain and even. A thousand intricacies embarraffed them, a thoufand flips threw them back, and a thousand pitfals impeded their advance. So formidable were the dangers, and fo frequent the miscarriages, that many returned from the first attempt, and many fainted in the midft of the way, and only a very fmall number were led up to the fummit of HOPE, by the hand of FORTITUDE. Of these few the greater part, when they had obtained the gift which HOPE had promifed them, regretted the labour which it coft, and felt in their fuccefs the regret of disappointment; the reft retired with their prize, and were led by WISDOM to the bowers of CONTENT.

Turning then towards the gate of Fáncy, I could find no way to the feat of HOPE; but though the fat full in view, and held out her gifts with an air of invitation, which filled every heart with rapture, the mountain was, on that fide, inacceffibly steep, but so channelled and shaded, that none perceived the impoffibility of afcending it, but each imagined himself to have discovered a way to which the reft were strangers. Many ex

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pedients

pedients were indeed tried by this induftrious tribe, of whom fome were making themselves wings, which others were contriving to actuate by the perpetual motion. But with all their labour, and all their artifices, they never rose above the ground, or quickly fell back, nor ever approached the throne of HOPE, but continued still to gaze at a distance, and laughed at the flow progrefs of those whom they faw toiling in the Streight of Difficulty.

Part of the favourites of FANCY, when they had entered the garden, without making, like the reft, an attempt to climb the mountain, turned immediately to the vale of IDLENESS, a calm and undif turbed retirement, from whence they could always have HOPE in profpect, and to which they pleafed themfelves with believing that the intended speedily to defcend. These were indeed fcorned by all the reft; but they feemed very little affected by contempt, advice, or reproof, but were refolved to expect at cafe the favour of the goddefs.

Among this gay race I was wandering, and found them ready to anfwer all my questions, and willing to communicate their mirth: but turning round I faw two dreadful monsters enteringthe vale, one of whom I knew to be AGE, and the other WANT. Sport and revelling were now at an end, and an univerfal fhriek of affright and distress burst out and awaked me.