a bly to the ends for which they were given us. Fantaftical pleasures are those which have no natural fitnefs to delight our minds, prefuppofe fome particular whim or talle accidentally prevailing in a fet of people to which it is owing that they please.

Now I take it, that the tranquillity and chearfulnefs with which I have paffed my life, are the effect of having, ever fince I came to years of difcretion, continued my inclinations to the former fort of pleasures. But as my experience can be a rule only to my own actions, it may probably be a ftronger motive to induce others to the fame fcheme of life, if they would confider that we are prompted to natural pleafures by an inftinct impreffed on our minds by the author of our nature, who best understands our frames, and confequently best knows what thofe pleasures are, which will give us the leaft uneafinefs in the pursuit, and the greatest fatisfaction in the enjoyment of them. Hence it follows, that the objects of our natural defires are cheap or eafy to be obtained; it being a maxim that holds throughout the whole fyftem of created beings,

that nothing is made in vain," much less the inAincts and appetites of animals, which the benevolence as well as wifdom of the Deity, is concerned to provide for. Nor is the fruition of those objects lefs pleafing, than the acquifition is eafy; and the pleafure is heightened by the fenfe of having anfwered fome natural end, and the confcioufness of acting in concert with the fupreme governor of the universe.

Under natural pleasures I comprehend thofe which are univerfally fuited, as well to the rational as the fenfual part of our nature. And of the pleasures which affect our fenfes, those only are to be esteemed natural that are contained within the rules of reafon, which is allowed to be as neceflary an ingredient of human nature as fense. And, indeed, excefies of any kind are hardly to be esteemed pleasures, much less natural pleasures.

It is evident, that a defire terminated in money is fantaftical; fo is the defire of outward diftinations, which bring no delight of sense, nor recommend us as

ufeful

nfeful to mankind; and the defire of things merely because they are new or foreign. Men, who are indifpofed to a due exertion of their higher parts, are driven to fuch pursuits as these from the restlesffness of the mind, and the fenfitive appetites being eafily fatisfied. It is, in fome fort, owing to the bounty of Providence, that difdaining a cheap and vulgar happin efs, they frame to themselves imaginary goods, in which there is nothing can raise defire, but the difficulty of obtaining them. Thus men become the contrivers of their own mifery, as a punishment on themselves for departing from the measures of nature. Having by an habitual reflection on these truths made them familias, the effect is, that I, among a number of perfons who have debauched their natural tafte, fee things in a peculiar light, which I have arrived at, not by any uncommon force of genius or acquired knowledge, but only by unlearning the falfe notions inftilled by

cuftom and education.

The various objects that compofe the world were by nature formed to delight our fentes; and as it is this alone that makes them defirable to an uncorrupted tafte, a man may be faid naturally to poffefs them, when he poffeffeth thofe enjoyments which they are fitted by nature to yield. Hence it is ufual with me to confider myself as having a natural property in every object that adminifters pleasure to me. When I am in the country, all the fine feats near the place of my refidence, and to which I have accefs, I regard as mine. The ame I think of the groves and fields where I walk, and mufe on the folly of the civil landlord in London, who has the fantaftical pleasure of draining dry rent into his coffers, but is a stranger to fresh air and rural enjoyments. By thefe principles I am poffeffed of half a dozen of the finest feats in England, which in the eye of the law belong to certain of my acquaintance, who being men of bufinefs choose to live near the court.

In some great families, where I choo e to pass my time, a ftranger would be apt to ranke with the other domeftics; but in my own thoughts, and natu

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ral judgment, I am mafter of the house, and he who goes by that name is my fteward, who eafes me of the. care of providing for myfelf the conveniencies and pleafures of life.

When I walk the streets, I use the foregoing natural maxim, (viz. That he is the true poffeffor of a thing who enjoys it, and not he that owns it without the enjoyment of it) to convince myself that I have a property in the gay part of all the gilt chariots that I meet, which I regard as amufements defigned to delight my eyes, and the imagination of thofe kind people who fit in them gaily attired only to please me. I have a real, and they only an imaginary pleasure from their exterior embellishments. Upon the fame principle, I have difcovered that I am the natural proprietor of all the diamond necklaces, the croffes, ftars, brocades, and embroidered clothes, which I fee at a play or birth-night, as giving more natural delight to the fpectator, than to thofe that wear them. And I look on the beaux and ladies as fo many paraquets in an aviary, or tulips in a garden, defigned purely for my diverfion. A gallery of pictures, a cabinet or library that I have free accefs to, I think my own. In a word, all that I defire is the use of things, let who will have the keeping of them. By which maxim I am grown one of the richest men in Great Britain ; with this difference, that I am not a prey to my own cares, or the envy of others.

The fame principles I find of great ufe in my private œconomy. As I cannot go to the price of hiftorypainting, I have purchased at eafy rates several beautifully defigned pieces of landfkip and perspective, which are much more pleafing to a natural tafte than unknown faces or Dutch gambols, though done by the best mafters my couches, beds, and window-curtains are of Irish-ftuff, which thofe of that nation work very fine, and with a delightful mixture of colours. There is not a piece of china in my houfe; but I have glasses of all forts, and fome tinged with the fineft colours, which are not the lefs pleafing, because they are domeftic, and cheaper than foreign toys. Every thing

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is neat, entire and clean, and fitted to the taste of one who had rather be happy than be thought rich.

Every day, numberless innocent and natural gratifications occur to me, while I behold my fellow creatures labouring in a toilfome and abfurd pursuit of trifles; one, that he may be called by a particular appellation: another, that he may wear a particular ornament, which I regard as a bit of ribband that has an agreeable effect on my fight, but is fo far from fupplying the place of merit, where it is not, that it ferves only to make the want of it more confpicuous. Fair weather is the joy of my foul; about noon I behold a blue sky with rapture, and receive great confolation from the rofy dashes of light which adorn the clouds of the morning and evening. When I am loft among green trees, I do not envy a great man with a great croud at his levee. And I often lay afide thoughts of going to an opera, that I may enjoy the filent pleafure of walking by moon light, or viewing the ftars fparkle in their azure ground; which I look upon as part of my poffeffions, not without a fecret indignation at the tasteleffnefs of mortal men, who, in their race through life, overlook the real enjoyments of it.

But the pleasure which naturally affects a human mind with the moft lively and tranfporting touches, I take to be the sense that we act in the eye of infinite wifdom, power and goodness, that will crown our virtuous endeavours here, with a happiness hereafter, large as our defires, and lafting as our immortal fouls. This is a perpetual fpring of gladnefs in the mind. This leffens our calamities, and doubles our joys. Without this the highest state of life is infipid, and with it the loweft is a paradife. What unnatural wretches then are those who can be fo ftupid as to imagine a merit, in endeavouring to rob virtue of her fupport, and a man of his prefent as well as future blifs? But as I have frequently taken occafion to animadvert on that fpecies of mortals, fo I propose to repeat my animadverfions on them, 'till I fee fome fymptoms of amendment.

The Obfervance of Sunday recommended. An Allegory. [Rambler, No. 30.]

TH

HERE are few tasks more ungrateful, than for perfons of modefty to speak their own praises. In fome cafes, however, this must be done for the general good, and a generous fpirit will on fuch occafions affert its merit, and vindicate itself with becoming warmth.

My circumftances, fir, are very hard and peculiar. Could the world be brought to treat me as I deserve, it would be a publick benefit. This makes me apply to you, that my cafe being fairly stated in a paper fo generally esteemed, I may fuffer no longer from igno1 rant and childish prejudices.

My elder brother was a Jew. Jew. A very refpectable perfon, but fomewhat auftere in his manner: highly and defervedly valued by his near relations and intimates, but utterly unfit for mixing in a larger fociety, or gaining a general acquaintance among mankind. In a venerable old age he retired from the world, and I in the bloom of youth came into it, fucceeding him in all his dignities, and formed, as I might reasonably flatter myfelf, to be the object of univerfal love and efteem. Joy and gladnefs were born with me; chearfulness, good humour and benevolence always attended and endeared my infancy. That time is long past. So long that idle imaginations are apt to fancy me wrinkled, old, and disagreeable; but, unless my looking-glafs deceives me, I have not yet loft one charm, one beauty of my earliest years. However, thus far is too certain, I am to every body just what they chufe to think me ; fo that to very few I appear in my right shape; and though naturally I am the friend of human kind, to few, very few comparatively, am I useful or agreeable.

This is the more grievous, as it is utterly impoffible for me to avoid being in all forts of places and companies; and I am therefore liable to meet with perpetual affronts and injuries. Though I have as natural an antipathy to cards and dice, as fome people have