Pleafed, therefore, with the thought of recovering others from that folly which has embittered my own days, I have presumed to address the Adventurer from the dreary manfions of wretchedness and despair, of which the gates are fo wonderfully conftructed, as to fly open for the reception of ftrangers, though they are impervious as a rock of adamant to fuch as are within them:

Facilis defcenfus Averni;

Noctes atque dies patet atri janua Ditis :

Sed revocare gradum, fuperafque evadere ad auras,
Hoc opus hic labor eft.

The gates of hell are open night and day;

VIRG.

Smooth the defcent, and eafy is the way:

But to return and view the cheerful fkies ;
In this the task and mighty labour lies.

DRYDEN.

Suffer me to acquaint you, Sir, that I have glittered at the ball, and sparkled in the circle; that I have had the happiness to be the unknown favourite of an unknown lady at the mafquerade, have been the delight of tables of the first fashion, and the envy of my brother beaux; and to defcend a little lower, it is, I believe, ftill remembered, that Meffrs. Velours and d'Espagne ftand indebted for a great part of their prefent influence at Guildhall, to the elegance of my fhape, and the graceful freedom of my carriage.

Sed quæ præclara et profpera tanti,
Ut rebus lætis par fit menfura malorum !

Juv.

See the wild purchafe of the bold and vain,
Where every blifs is bought with equal pain!

As

As I entered into the world very young, with an elegant perfon and a large eftate, it was not long before I difentangled myfelf from the fhackles of religion; for I was determined to the purfuit of pleasure, which according to my notions confifted in the unreftrained and unlimited gratifications of every paffion and every appetite; and as this could not be obtained under the frowns of a perpetual dictator, I considered religion as my enemy; and proceeding to treat her with contempt and derifion, was not a little delighted, that the unfafhionableness of her appearance, and the unanimated uniformity of her motions, afforded frequent opportunities for the fallies of my imagination.

Conceiving now that I was fufficiently qualified to laugh away fcruples, I imparted my remarks to thofe among my female favourites, whofe virtue I intended to attack; for I was well affured, that pride would be able to make but a weak defence, when religion was fubverted; nor was my fuccefs below my expectation: the love of pleafure is too strongly implanted in the female breaft, to fuffer them scrupulously to examine the validity of arguments defigned to weaken reftraint; all are eafily led to believe, that whatever thwarts their inclination must be wrong: little more, therefore, was required, than by the addition of fome circumftances, and the exaggeration of others, to make merriment fupply the place of demonftration; nor was I fo fenfelefs as to offer arguments to fuch as could not attend to them, and with whom a repartee or catch would more effectually anfwer the fame purpose. This being effected, there remained only "the

"dread

"dread of the world:" but Roxana foared too high, to think the opinion of others worthy her notice; Latitia feemed to think of it only to declare, that "if all her hairs were worlds," fhe fhould reckon them "well loft for love;" and Paftorella fondly conceived, that fhe could dwell for ever by the fide of a bubbling fountain, content with her swain and fleecy care; without confidering that ftillness and folitude can afford fatisfaction only to inno

cence.

It is not the defire of new acquifitions, but the glory of conquefts, that fires the foldier's breast; as indeed the town is feldom worth much, when it has fuffered the devaftations of a fiege; fo that though I did not openly declare the effects of my own prowefs, which is forbidden by the laws of honour, it cannot be fuppofed that I was very folicitous to bury my reputation, or to hinder accidental discoveries. To have gained one victory, is an inducement to hazard a fecond engagement: and though the fuccefs of the general fhould be a reafon for increafing the ftrength of the fortification, it becomes, with many, a pretence for an immediate furrender, under the notion that no power is able to withstand so formidable an adversary; while others brave the danger, and think it mean to furrens der, and daftardly to fly. Meliffa, indeed, knew bet-* ter; and though fhe could not boaft the apathy, steadiness, and inflexibility of a Cato, wanted not the more prudent virtue of Scipio, and gained the victory by declining the conteft.

You must not, however, imagine, that I was, during this state of abandoned libertinifm, fo fully convinced

3

convinced of the fitness of my own conduct, as to be free from uneafinefs. I knew very well, that I might juftly be deemed the peft of fociety, and that fuch proceedings muft terminate in the destruction of my health and fortune; but to admit thoughts of this kind was to live upon the rack: I fled, therefore, to the regions of mirth and jollity, as they are called, and endeavoured with burgundy, and a continual rotation of company, to free myfelf from the pangs of reflection. From these orgies we frequently fallied forth in queft of adventures, to the no fmall terror and confternation of all the fober ftragglers that came in our way: and though we never injured, like our illuftrious progenitors, the Mobocks, either life or limbs; yet we have in the midst of Covent Garden buried a taylor, who had been troublesome to fome of our fine gentlemen, be neath a heap of cabbage-leaves and talks, with this conceit,

Satia te caule quem femper cupisti.

Glut yourself with cabbage, of which you have always been greedy.

There can be no reafon for mentioning the common exploits of breaking windows and bruifing the watch; unless it be to tell you of the device of producing before the juftice broken lanthorns, which have been paid for an hundred times: or their appearances with patches on their heads, under pretence of being cut by the fword that was never drawn: nor need I fay any thing of the more formidable attack of sturdy chairmen, armed with poles; by a flight stroke of which, the pride of

Ned

to whom we now appeal, may our fortune anfwer to our

caufe.

NOTE XLI.

ACT V.

SCENE III.

Macbeth. BRING fly all,

me no more reports, let them

'Till Birnam wood remove to Dunfinane,

I cannot taint with fear. What's the boy Malcolm? Was he not born of woman?

Fly falfe Thanes,

And mingle with the English epicures.

In the first line of this speech, the proper pauses are not observed in the prefent editions.

Bring me no more reports-let them fly allTell me not any more of defertions--Let all my fubjects leave me-I am fafe till, &c.

The reproach of epicurifm, on which Mr. Theobald has bestowed a note, is nothing more than a natural invective uttered by an inhabitant of a barren country, against those who have more opportunities of luxury.

Macbeth. I Have liv'd long enough: my way of life

Is fall'n into the fear, the yellow leaf.

As