The perfons who travelled up this great path, tion, that it fhook with every wind that blew. were fuch whofe thoughts were bent upon This was called the Temple of Vanity. The doing eminent fervices to mankind, or pro-goddefs of it fat in the midst of a great many moting the good of their country. On each tapers, that burned day and night, and made fide of this great road were feveral paths that her appear much better than the would have were alfo laid out in ftraight lines, and ran done in open day-light. Her whole art was parallel with it: thefe were most of them to fhew herfelf more beautiful and majestic ervered walks, and received into them men than the really was. For which reafon, thes of retired virtue, who propofed to themselves had painted her face, and wore a cluster of the fame end of their journey, though they falfe jewels upon her breaft: but what L chofe to make it in fhade and obfcurity. more particularly obferved, was the breadths The edifices, at the extremity of the walk, of her petticoat, which was made altogether were fo contrived, that we could not fee the in the fashion of a modern fardingal. This: temple of Honour, by reafon of the temple of place was filled with hypocrites, pedants. Virtue, which stood before it at the gates free-thinkers, and prating politicians, with of this temple, we were met by the goddefs a rabble of those who had only titles to make ef, who conducted us into that of Honour, them great men. Female votaries crowded which was joined to the other edifice by a the temple, choaked up the avenues of its bariful triumphal arch, and had no other and were more in number than the fand upon catrance into it. When the deity of the inner the fea-fhore. I made it my business, in fructure had received us, the prefented us in my return towards that part of the wooda body, to a figure that was placed over the from whence I first fet out, to obferve the high altar, and was the emblem of Eternity. walks which led to this temple; for I met in She fat on a globe, in the midft of a golden it feveral who had begun their journey with zodiac, holding the figure of a fun in one the band of virtuous perfons, and travelled hand, and a moon in the other: her head fome time in their company: but, upon exwas veiled, and her fect covered. Our hearts amination, I found that there were feveral glowed within us as we ftood amidst the paths, which led out of the great road into phere of light which this image caft on every the fides of the wood, and ran into fo many Side of it. crooked turns and windings, that those who travelled through them, often turned their 33. The Temple of Vanity. backs upon the temple of Virtue, then croffed Having feen all that happened to this band the ftraight road, and fometimes marched in ef adventurers, I repaired to another pile of it for a little fpace, till the crooked path buildings that food within view of the temple which they were engaged in, again led them of Honour, and was raifed in imitation of into the wood. The feveral alleys of thefe , upon the very fame model; but, at my wanderers had their particular ornaments: approach to it, I found that the ftones were one of them I could not but take notice of, lad together without mortar, and that the in the walk of the mischievous pretenders to i whole fabric flood upon fo weak a founda-politics, which had at every turn the figure

Tatler.

of a perfon, whom, by the infcription, I found to be Machiavel, pointing out the way, with an extended finger, like a Mercury.

Tatler.

§ 34. The Temple of Avarice.

under her garment a golden baw, which she no fooner held up in her hand, but the dogs lay down, and the gates flew open for our reception, We were led through an hundred iron doors before we entered the temple. At the upper end of it, fat the god of Avarice, I was now returned in the fame manner as with a long filthy beard, and a meagre ftarved before, with a defign to obferve carefully countenance, inclofed with heaps of ingots every thing that paffed in the region of and pyramids of money, but half naked and Avarice, and the occurrences in that affembly, thivering with cold: on his right hand was which was made up of perfons of my own a fiend called Rapine, and on his left a parage. This body of travellers had not gone ticular favourite, to whom he had given the far in the third great road, before it led title of Parfimony; the firft was his collectthem infenfibly into a deep valley, in which or, and the other his cafhier. There were they journied feveral days, with great toil feveral long tables placed on each fide of the and uneafinefs, and without the neceffary re-temple, with refpective officers attending befreshments of food and fleep. The only re-hind them: fome of these I enquired into: lief they met with, was in a river that ran at the first table was kept the office of Corthrough the bottom of the valley on a bed of ruption. Seeing a folicitor extremely bufy, golden fand: they often drank of this ftrçam, and whifpering every body that paffed by, I which had fuch a particular quality in it, kept my eye upon him very attentively, and that though it refreshed them for a time, faw him often going up to a perfon that had it rather inflamed than quenched their thirft. a pen in his hand, with a multiplication-table On each fide of the river was a range of and an almanack before him, which, as I hills full of precious ore; for where the rains afterwards heard, was all the learning he had washed off the earth, one might fee in fe- was mafter of. The folicitor would often veral parts of them long veins of gold, and apply himself to his car, and at the fame time rocks that looked like pure filver. We were convey money into his hand, for which the told that the deity of the place had forbad other would give him out a piece of paper, any of his votaries to dig into the bowels or parchment, figned and fealed in form. of thefe hills, or convert the treasures they The name of this dexterous and fuccefsful contained to any ufe, under pain of ftarving. folicitor was Bribery.-At the next table was At the end of the valley ftood the Temple of the office of Extortion: behind it fat a perfon Avarice, made after the manner of a for- in a bob-wig, counting over a great fum of tification, and furrounded with a thoufand money; he gave out little purfes to feveral, triple-headed dogs, that were placed there to who, after a thort tour, brought him, in rekeep off beggars. At our approach, they all turn, facks full of the fame kind of coin. fell a barking, and would have much terrified I faw, at the fame time, a perfon called us, had not an old woman, who had called Fraud, who fat behind the counter, with falle herfelf by the forged name of Competency, feales, light weights, and feanty measures, offered herself for our guide, She carried by the fkilful application of which inftru

ments,

not forget the perfon that has deferved well of me. Let me not, from any fear of Thee, defert my friend, my principles, or my honour. If Wealth is to vifit me, and come with her ufual attendants, Vanity and Avarice, do thou, O Poverty! haften to my refcue; but bring along with Thee thy two fifters, in whofe company thou art always chearful, Liberty and Innocence." Tatler.

ments, fhe had got together an immenfe heap | fembly was furprised, when, inftead of paying of wealth: it would be endlefs to name the my devotions to the deity whom they all feveral officers, or defcribe the votaries that adored, they faw me addrefs myfelf to the attended in this temple: there were many old phantom. "Oh! Poverty! (faid 1) my first men, panting and breathlefs, repofing their petition to thee is, that thou wouldest never heads on bags of money; nay, many of them appear to me hereafter; but, if thou wilt not actually dying, whofe very pangs and con-grant me this, that thou wouldeft not bear vulfior's (which rendered their purfes ufelefs a form more terrible than that in which thou to them) only made them grafp them the appeareft to me at prefent. Let not thy fafter. There were fome tearing with one threats or menaces betray me to any thing hand all things, even to the garments and that is ungrateful or unju. Let me not fhut feth of many miferable perfons who stood be-my cars to the cries of the needy. Let me fore them; and with the other hand throwing away what they had feized, to harlots, flatterers, and panders, that stood behind them. On a fedden the whole affembly fell a trembing; and, upon enquiry, I found that the great room we were in was haunted with a fpectre, that many times a day appeared to them, and terrified them to distraction. In the midst of their terror and amazement, the apparition entered, which I immediately knew to be Poverty. Whether it were by my ac-835. The Stings of Poverty, Difeafe, and quaintance with this phantom, which had rendered the fight of her more familiar to me, or however it was, the did not make fo in- Affemble all the evils which poverty, difgent or frightful a figure in my eye, as the cafe, or violence can inflict, and their ftings god of this loathfome temple. The miferable will be found, by far, lefs pungent than votaries of this place were, I found, of ano- thofe which guilty paffions dart into the ther mind every one fancied himself threat-heart. Amidft the ordinary calamities of the ened by the apparition as the stalked about the room, and began to lock their coffers, and tie their bags, with the utmost fear and trembling. I muft confefs, I look upon the pathon which I faw in this unhappy people, to be of the fame nature with thofe unacgountable antipathies which fome perfons are born with, or rather as a kind of phrenzy, not unlike that which throws a man into ter-powers of thought into infruments of torrors and agonies at the fight of fo ufeful and ture. innocent a thing as water. The whole af

Violence, lefs pungent than thofe of guilts
Paffions.

world, the mind can exert its powers, and fuggeft relief: and the mind is properly the man; the fufferer and his fufferings can be diftinguished. But thofe diforders of paffion, by feizing directly on the mind, attack human nature in its strong hold, and cut off its laft refource. They penetrate to the very feat of fenfation; and convert all the

C 6

Blair

§ 36.

Moft of the works of the Pagan poets were either direct hymns of their deities, or tended indirectly to the celebration of their respective attributes and perfections. Thofe who are acquainted with the works of the Greek and Latin poets which are ftill extant, will, upon reflection, find this obfervation so true, that I§ fhall not enlarge upon it. One would wonder that more of our Chriftian poets have not

ing bad company-the danger of it, from sar aptnefs to imitate and catch the manters of others from the great power and force of cuflom—from our bad incli

nations.

every denomination; add the tow and infamous characters of every profeffion.

A third clafs of bad company, and fuch as are commonly most dangerous to youth, includes the long catalogue of men of pleasure." In whatever way they follow the call of appetite, they have equally a tendency to corrupt the purity of the mind."

"Evil communication," fays the text, corrupts good manners." The affertion is general, and no doubt all people fuffer from Befides thefe three claffes, whom we may fach communication; but above all, the minds call bad company, there are others who come of youth will fuffer; which are yet unformed, under the denomination of ill-chofen comonprincipled, unfurnished; and ready to re-pany: trifling, infipid characters of every ceive any impreffion. kind; who follow no bufinefs-are led by no

But before we confider the danger of keep-ideas of improvement-bat fpend their time ing bad company, let us firft fee the meaning of the phrafe.

In the phrase of the world, good company means faibionable people. Their stations in life, not their morals, are confidered: and he, who affociates with fuch, though they fet him the example of breaking every commandment of the decalogue, is ftill faid to keep good company.-I fhould with you to fix another meaning to the expreffion; and to confider vice in the fame deteftible light, in whatever company it is found; nay, to confider all company in which it is found, be their ftation what it will, as bad company.

in diffipation and folly-whose highest praise it is, that they are only not vicious.---With none of thefe, a ferious man would with his fon to keep company.

It may be asked what is meant by keeping bad company? The world abounds with characters of this kind: they meet us in every place; and if we keep company at all, it is impoffible to avoid keeping company with fuch perfons.

It is true, if we were determined neverto have any commerce with bad men, we muft, as the apoftle remarks, "altogether go "out of the world." By keeping bad company, therefore, is not meant a cafual intercourfe with them, on occafion of business, or as they accidentally fall in our way; but having an inclination to confort with them-comIn the first, I fhould rank all who endeav-plying with that inclination-seeking their cur to deftroy the principles of Chriftianity-company, when we might avoid it-entering who jeft upon Scripture-talk blafphemy and treat revelation with contempt.

The three following claffes will perhaps include the greatest part of thofe, who deferve this appellation.

A fecond clafs of bad company are thofe, who have a tendency to deftroy in us the principles of common honefty and integrity. Under this head we may rank gamefters of

into their parties-and making them the com panions of our choice. Mixing with them occafionally, cannot be avoided.

The danger of keeping bad company, arifes principally from our aptnefs to imitate and catch the manners and fentiments of others—

from