No, 501. whose afflicted Countenances witnessed their Conditions, Saturday, Before us flowed a Water deep, silent, and called the October 4, River of Tears, which issuing from two Fountains on an 1712. upper Ground encompassed an Island that lay before us. The Boat which plied in it was old and shattered, having been sometimes overset by the Impatience and Haste of single Passengers to arrive at the other Side. This immediately was brought to us by Misfortune who steers it, and we were all preparing to take our Places, when there appeared a Woman of a mild and composed Behaviour, who began to deterre us from it, by repre senting the Dangers which would attend our Voyage, Hereupon some who knew her for Patience, and some of those too who 'till then cry'd the loudest, were per swaded by her, and return'd back. The rest of us went in, and she (whose Good-nature wou'd not suffer her to forsake Persons in Trouble) desired Leave to accompany us, that she might at least administer some small Comfort or Advice while we sailed. We were no sooner em barked but the Boat was pushed off, the Sheet was spread, and being filled with Sighs, which are the Winds of that Country, we made a Passage to the farther Bank, through several Difficulties of which the most of us seem'd utterly regardless, When we landed, we perceived the Island to be strangely overcast with Fogs, which no Brightness cou'd pierce, so that a Kind of gloomy Horror sat always brooding over it. This had Something in it very shocking to easie Tempers, insomuch that some others, whom Patience had by this Time gain'd over, left us here, and privily convey'd themselves round the Verge of the Island to find a Ford by which she told them they might escape, For my Part, I still went along with those who were for piercing into the Centre of the Place; and joyning our selves to others whom we found upon the same Journey, we marched solemnly as at a Funeral, through bordering Hedges of Rosemary, and through a Grove of Yew Trees, which love to over-shadow Tombs and flourish in ChurchYards. Here we heard on every Side the Wailings and Complaints of several of the Inhabitants, who had cast themselves disconsolately at the Feet of Trees; and as we we chanced to approach any of these, we might perceive No. 501. them wringing their Hands, beating their Breasts, tearing Saturday, October 4, their Hair, or after some other Manner visibly agitated 1712. with Vexation. Our Sorrows were heightned by the Influence of what we heard and saw, and one of our Number was wrought up to such a Pitch of Wildness, as to talk of hanging himself upon a Bough which shot temptingly across the Path we travelled in, but he was restrain'd from it by the kind Endeavours of our abovementioned Companion. We had now gotten into the most dusky, silent Part of the Island, and by the redoubled Sounds of Sighs, which made a doleful Whistling in the Branches, the Thickness of Air which occasioned faintish Respiration, and the violent Throbbings of Heart which more and more affected us, we found that we approach'd the Grotto of Grief. It was a wide, hollow, and melancholy Cave, sunk deep in a Dale, and watered by Rivulets that had a Colour between Red and Black, These crept slow and half congealed amongst its Windings, and mixed their heavy Murmur with the Eccho of Groans that rolled through all the Passages. In the most retired Part of it sat the Doleful Being her self, the Path to her was strowed with Goads, Stings and Thorns, and her Throne on which she sat was broken into a Rock, with ragged Pieces pointing upwards for her to lean upon. A heavy Mist hung above her, her Head oppressed with it reclined upon her Arm, thus did she Reign over her disconsolate Subjects, full of her self to Stupidity, in eternal Pensiveness, and the profoundest Silence. On one Side of her stood Dejection just dropping into a Swoon, and Paleness wasting to a Skeleton; on the other Side were Care inwardly tor mented with Imaginations, and Anguish suffering out ward Troubles to suck the Blood from her Heart in the Shape of Vultures. The whole Vault had a genuine Dismallness in it, which a few scattered Lamps, whose blueish Flames arose and sunk in their Urns, discovered to our Eyes with Encrease. Some of us fell down, over come and spent with what they suffered in the Way, and were given over to those Tormentors that stood on either Hand of the Presence; others, galled and mortified with No. 501. Pain, recover'd the Entrance, where Patience, whom we 1712. With her (whose Company was now become more grateful to us by the Want we had found of her) we winded round the Grotto, and ascended at the Back of it, out of the mournful Dale in whose Bottom it lay, On this Eminence we halted, by her Advice, to pant for Breath, and lifting our Eyes, which 'till then were fixed down wards, felt a sullen Sort of Satisfaction in observing through the Shades what Numbers had entered the Island. This Satisfaction, which appears to have Ill-nature in it, was excusable, because it happened at a Time when we were too much taken up with our own Concern to have Respect to that of others, and therefore we did not consider them as Suffering, but our selves as not Suffering in the most forlorn Estate. It had also the Ground-work of Humanity and Compassion in it, tho' the Mind was then too dark and too deeply engaged to perceive it; but as we pro ceeded onwards it began to discover it self, and from observing that others were unhappy, we came to Question one another, when it was that we met, and what were the sad Occasions that brought us together. Then we heard our Stories, we compared them, we mutually gave and received Pity, and so by Degrees became tollerable Company, A considerable Part of the troublesome Road was thus deceived, at length the Openings among the Trees grew larger, the Air seemed thinner, it lay with less Oppression upon us, and we could now and then discern Tracks in it of a lighter Greyness, like the Breakings of Day, short in Duration, much enlivening, and called in that Country Gleams of Amusement. Within a short While these Gleams began to appear more frequent, and then brighter and of a longer Continuance; the Sighs that hitherto filled the Air with so much Dolefulness, altered to the Sound of common Breezes, and in general the Horrors of the Island were abated. When we had arrived at last at the Ford by which we were to pass out, we met with those fashionable Mourners who had been ferryed over along with us, and who being unwilling to go as far as we, had coasted by the Shoar to the find the Place, where they waited our coming, that by No. 501. shewing themselves to the World only at the Time when Saturday, we did, they might seem also to have been among October 4, Troubles of the Grotto. Here the Waters, that rolled on the other Side so deep and silent, were much dryed up, and it was an easier Matter for us to wade over, The River being crossed, we were received upon the further Bank by our Friends and Acquaintance, whom Comfort had brought out to congratulate our Appearance in the World again. Some of these blamed us for staying so long away from them, others advised us against all Temptations of going back again; every one was cautious not to renew our Trouble, by asking any Particulars of the Journey; and all concluded, that in a Case of so much Melancholy and Affliction, we could not have made choice of a fitter Companion than Patience. Here Patience, appearing serene at her Praises, delivered us over to Comfort Comfort smiled at his receiving the Charge; immediately the Sky purpled on that Side to which he turned, and double Day at once broke in upon me, No. 502, Monday, October 6. Melius pejus, prosít obsít, nil vident nisi quod lubet.-Ter. HEN Men read, they taste the Matter with which WHE respective Studies and Inclinations have prepared them, 1712, of No. 502. of the Comedy, when one of the old Men accuses the other Monday, of Impertinence for interposing in his Affairs, he answers, October 6, I am a Man, and cannot help feeling any Sorrow that 1712. can arrive at Man. It is said this Sentence was received with an universal Applause. There cannot be a greater Argument of the general good Understanding of a People, than a sudden Consent to give their Approbation of a Sentiment which has no Emotion in it. If it were spoken with never so great Skill in the Actor, the Manner of uttering that Sentence could have Nothing in it which could strike any but People of the greatest Humanity, nay People elegant and skilful in Observations upon it. It is possible he might have laid his Hand on his Breast, and with a winning Insinuation in his Countenance, expressed to his Neighbour that he was a Man who made his Case his own; yet I'll engage a Player in Covent Garden might hit such an Attitude a thousand Times before he would have been regarded. I have heard that the Minister of State in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth had all Manner of Books and Ballads brought to him, of what Kind soever, and took great Notice how much they took with the People; upon which he would, and certainly might, very well judge of their present Dispositions, and the most proper Way of applying them according to his own Purposes. What passes on the Stage, and the Re ception it meets from the Audience, is a very useful Instruction of this Kind. According to what you may observe there on our Stage, you see them often moved so directly against all common Sense and Humanity, that you would be apt to pronounce us a Nation of Savages, Ít cannot be called a Mistake of what is pleasant, but the very Contrary to it is what most assuredly takes with them. The other Night an old Woman carried off with a Pain in her Side, with all the Distortions and Anguish of Counten ance which is natural to one in that Condition, was laughed and clapped off the Stage, Terence's Comedy, which I am speaking of, is indeed written as if he hoped to please none but such as had as good a Taste as himself. I could not but reflect upon the natural Description of the innocent young Woman made by the Servant to his Master. When 1 came to the House, said he, an old Woman opened the Door |