very agreeably matched together, and made up of very amiable phantoms. The first pair was Liberty with Monarchy at her right hand. The second was Moderation leading in Religion; and the third a person, whom I had never seen, with the genius of Great Britain. At the first entrance the lady revived,—the bags swelled to their former bulk,—the pile of faggots and heaps of paper changed into pyramids of guineas, and, for my own part, I was so transported with joy, that I awaked, though I must confess I would fain have fallen asleep again to have closed my vision, if I could have done it. ADDISON.

Of the Abuse of Wit.

I know no evil under the sun so great as the abuse of the understanding, and yet there is no one vice more common. It has diffused itself through both sexes and all qualities of mankind, and there is hardly that person to be found who is not more concerned for the reputation of wit and sense, than of honesty and virtue. But this unhappy affectation of being wise rather than honest, witty than good-natured, is the source of most of the ill habits of life. Such false impressions are owing to the abandoned writings of men of wit,

bien assortis et fort aimables. Le premier couple étoit la Liberté avec la Monarchie à sa droite; lė second étoit la Modération, qui conduisoit la Religion par la main; et le troisième, une personne que je n'avois jamais vue, avec le Génie de la Grande-Bretagne. Dès leur entrée, la jeune dame revint à elle-même, les sacs se remplirent de nouveau, les piles de fagots et les tas de papier se convertirent en pyramides de guinées; et pour moi je fus si transporté de joie à cette vue, que je m'éveillai tout-à-coup, quoique je me fusse bien volontiers rendormi pour voir, s'il étoit possible, quelle seroit la fin de cette vision.

ADDISON.

De l'Abris de l'Esprit.

Je ne connois pas sous le soleil dé plus grand mal que l'abus de l'esprit, et pourtant il n'y a point de vice plus commun. Les deux sexes et toutes les classes de la société en sont infectés, et à peine trouve-t-on une seule personne qui ne soit plus sensible à la réputation d'avoir de l'esprit et du discernement, qu'à celle d'avoir de la probité et de la vertú. Mais cette malheureusé affectation d'être savant plutôt qu'honnête homme, spirituel plutôt que bon et bienfaisant, est la source de la plupart des mauvaises habitudes qu'on contracte dans le monde. Nous sommes redevables de ces fausses

and the awkward imitation of the rest of mankind.

For this reason Sir Roger was saying last night, that he was of opinion none but men of fine parts deserve to be hanged. The reflections of such men are so delicate upon all occurrences which they are concerned in, that they should be exposed to more than ordinary infamy and punishment, for offending against such quick admonitions as their own souls give them, and blunting the fine edge of their minds in such a mauner, that they are no more shocked at vice and folly than men of slower capacities. There is no greater monster in being than a very ill man of great parts. He lives like a man in a palsy, with one side of him dead. While perhaps he enjoys the satisfaction of luxury, of wealth, of ambition, he has lost the taste of good-will, of friendship, of innocence. Scarecrow, the beggar in Lincoln's-Inu-Fields, who disabled himself in his right leg, and asks alms all day to get himself a warm supper and a trull at night, is not half so despicable a wretch as such a man of sense. The beggar has no relish above sensations; he finds rest more agreeable than motion; and while he has a warm fire and his doxy, never reflects that he deserves to be whipped. Every man who terminates his satisfactions and enjoyments within the supply of his own necessities and passions, is, says Sir Roger, in my eye, as poor

idées aux livres impies des beaux esprits, et à la sotte imitation du reste du genre humain.

C'est pour cela que Sir Roger disoit hier soir qu'il pensait qu'il n'y avoit que les beaux esprits qui méritassent d'être pendus. Ils ont, disoit-il, des vues si raffinées sur tout ce qui les intéresse, qu'ils devroient être notés d'infamie, et punis d'une manière extraordinaire pour agir, comme ils le font, contre les plus vives lumières de leur esprit, et pour s'aveugler tellement, qu'ils sont aussi peu choqués du vice et de la folie, que les plus brutaux de tous les hommes. Il n'y a pas dans la nature de monstre plus difforme qu'un méchant homme qui a beaucoup d'esprit: il ressemble à un paralytique, perclus de la moitié de son corps. Il jouit peut-être des plaisirs de la débauche, de la fortune et de l'ambition, mais il a perdu le goût de la bienveillance, de l'amitié et de l'innocence. Scarecrow, ce mendiant de Lincoln's-Inn-Fields, qui s'est estropié la jambe droite, et qui demande l'aumône toute la journée pour avoir un bon souper et une fille publique le soir, n'est pas à moitiéaussi méprisable que ce beau génie. Le mendiant ne connoît rien au-dessus des plaisirs des sens; il trouve le repos plus doux que le travail; et, pourvu qu'il ait un bon feu et sa maîtresse, il ne pense jamais qu'il mérite les étrivières. Tout homme qui n'a d'autre bonheur et d'autre jouissance que de satisfaire ses passions charnelles, est, selon moi

a rogue as Scarecrow. But, continued he, for the loss of public and private virtue, we are beholden to your men of fine parts forsooth; it is with them no matter what is done, so it be done with an air. But to me, who am so whimsical in a corrupt age as to act according to nature and reason, a selfish man, in the most shining circumstance and equipage, appears in the same condition with the fellow above mentioned, but more contemptible in proportion to what more he robs the public of, and enjoys above him. I lay it down therefore for a rule, that the whole. man is to move together; that every action of any importance is to have a prospect of public good: and that the general tendency of our indifferent actions ought to be agreeable to the dictates of reason, of religion, of good-breeding; without this, a man, as I bave before hinted, is hopping instead of walking, he is not in his entire and proper motion.

While the honest knight was thus bewildering himself in good starts, I looked attentively upon him, which made him, I thought, collect his mind a little. What I aim at, says he, is to represent that I am of opinion, to polish our understandings and neglect our manners, is of all things the most